Little Nemo's First Day of School.

So excited with his "packpack". It quickly changed to "backpack" which made me a bit sad.

This kid's smile lights up the whole room!

He truly is half-pint!

Waiting in the hallway. Just a lil nervous....so was he.

It is so crazy how quickly time flies. It seems like yesterday when I dropped Eli off at the same preschool while carrying little J-man in his infant seat. Blink. Now I am dropping off "the baby" every week for class!

And So in Conclusion...

All of that "crap"? Gone. (Can you hear the Halelujah chorus? I can.) We did the garage sale with 3 other families. Which was really the only redeeming factor in the whole ordeal. Hanging out with friends is always fun. But the work! Oh my goodness, the work! I believe I will end all discussion of the garage sale now. My feet get sore just thinking about it.

I would like to end on a happier note...So here is some randomness coming your way!

1. I am 30 weeks along. In approximately 10 short weeks, we will be introduced to our first female offspring. A daughter. Wow. So far, all is healthy. We have had a little swelling in the ankles but all disappears after a good night's sleep. Strangest symptom so far? My hands will periodically go a bit numb. Kind of like they have fallen asleep. I, of course, googled it with the worst in mind. Apparently you can have pregnancy-induced carpal syndrome. It all goes away as soon as baby comes. Huh.
2. Josiah (my baby!!) started preschool a couple of weeks ago. I actually had an emotional post written in my head but decided against it because it was a little too close to my heart. All I will say is, the night before he started was quite painful for this Mama. Lots of memories came flooding in of when we had to visit our tiny, premature J-man in the NICU for 2 weeks before we could bring him home. The best way to describe it? I totally felt like Marlin letting little Nemo go for the first time. It was rough, man. BUT he LOVES going to school. There ain't much cuter than a midget-munchkin walking into a classroom with his backpack on!
3. Last week was our first successful week of homeschool! I was a bit nervous to begin because 1st grade is a much bigger deal than kindergarten. I am so proud of Elijah. In a short weeks' time, he showed some major improvement in both reading and math. It was like he got in a groove and there was no stoppin' him! I am totally encouraged to press on with this year. I think it's going to be rather fun! (Something I never thought I would hear myself say...).
4. Seth is out of town this week doing a show in Las Vegas. The man has never been farther West than Colorado before this. Last week he was in Arizona and couldn't get over the "desert look". Las Vegas is pretty much the same, I guess. I have never been nor do I really have a desire to go. Just not my thang! But we do miss him. Enough said.

That's all for now, folks. Up next? A picture-post of Josiah's first day of preschool.

Finito!

Picture your junk drawer/junk closet. Now imagine that particular drawer/closet and multiply it by 100. That, my friends, was the condition of our basement. One of the great things about our house is the massive amount of storage it has. All behind a closed door. One of the terrible things about our house is the massive amount of storage it has. All behind a closed door. You name it- it got stuck in our basement. I would love to know how we accumulated so much crap over the years but I guess that's just what happens.
And here now is the pictorial for your entertainment....

We had to bring out at least half of the crap into the finished part of our downstairs so we could have some room to work with.

So, so much crap. (I'm going for a record to see how many times I can say "crap" in one post. How am I doin'?)

More cr-, er, stuff.

Check out my handiman hottie. He designed AND built the shelving. Way to go, Man!

Hey, how did they get up there?? 'Cause you know I would never put my children up on shelves just so I could get some quiet time.

Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. You probably see this photo and think, "Eh, nothin' special." I see this photo and with tears in my eyes think, "This is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my whole life!" People, notice the floor. You can actually WALK on it without tripping on something!!

Again, floor space! This part is actually not finished. We (totally meaning Seth) have some carpet to lay down and a desk to put up. This will be his new and improved office. I think I will be nice and hang some pictures on the walls. It might reduce the "crazy eye" from his face when he emerges from the deep.

So, that's it, friends. The mountain has been chipped down to a Midwestern plain. Just make sure you don't take a peek into my guest room because you may never return. This room has a door also which shall remain closed until our garage sale on the 5th of September.

Oh, It's On!

Seth finally home? Check.

Full-on nesting mode? Oh yeah.

A basement that needs to be tackled? Bring it on!

So that's my weekend in a nutshell. Update and possible pictures on Monday....

Where Were the Cameras??

I would give anything to see the looks on the faces of these car salesmen when this 70 year old customer walked in to pay for his truck with 16 coffee cans of coins. $8000 in coins, to be exact. Awesome. Just awesome.

I Need Help!

Could someone please come up with affordable robot technology? Are we not living in the future, where everyone should have a robot housekeeper who can actually help get things done?? I would say that I need to be cloned but that could run into all kinds of weird. I try to avoid even looking in the mirror these days. Do I really need to be looking at a person who looks just like me? Umm, no.
So, again, I make the plea. Let's stop concentrating on hovering vehicles or water-powered cars. Let's focus all that energy on we who have gigantic lists to check off and need some dang help!!

If Only...

...I had a perfect memory. One that could remember the 5oo cute moments that are played out by my sons every day. Impromptu conversations between each other brought on by imagination and curiosity. If only I could capture even the mundane like taking them to go potty in the middle of the night. Both personalities blaring even in their sleepy haze. Elijah waking up either totally happy or totally grumpy. Making vain attempts to include you in his dreams, babbling something that only makes sense to him. Sometimes holding an imaginary object in his hand that gets set down on the counter before he uses the potty. So meticulous and thoughtful, even in his sleep. Josiah, who is quite new to this midnight appointment, refusing to open his eyes. Even while he is sitting on the toilet. He can be quite the determined boy. But then the cuddling, oh, the midnight cuddling with this one! Nothing, absolutely nothing, can top his warm, soft body melting into my shoulder as I walk him from bed to potty to bed again.
Things are about to change. Family birth order will shift, causing both joy and pain. I've had moments to reflect recently of what family means. All I know is that I need to enjoy these years as much as I am able to. Because it all changes in one blink of an eye...

Escape to Arkansas

I didn't plan on coming this weekend since Seth won't be coming home with us tomorrow from Arkansas. He will instead drive to Dallas for another show. But the boys and I needed to make the trip.
So I am sitting here in the air conditioned hotel room (hmmmm, imagine that!) and watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I have always loved watching the Olympics. It creates such a sense of awe in me. What an amazing Creator we have!
Sooo, that's the news from Lake Woebegone. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Next Time You Fly...

Just think that somewhere out there, you could be flying like this if you happened to have an extra $10,000.00+.

Your very own first class suite. Don't you just love the golden touches?? Gold obviously=luxury.

Wow.

Last, but not least, the shower. They only get 5 minutes but c'mon! Arriving at the airport fresh? That's almost worth the $10,000 right there!

Just don't think about this article too long as you are scrunched in the middle seat between two complete strangers, trying not to gag from the airplane fumes. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything...

How Crazy Am I?

It is 3am and I just got home. That's right. Your resident party girl just went to see the 12:01 showing of the Sisterhood Pants movie. I don't even know the proper name so we'll just leave it at that. The film was cute. I'm usually not a big fan of the "chick flick" but I can make an exception for this one. What can I say? They film beautiful scenery in Greece...
The theater was PACKED! Every seat taken by a teenage girl. I can't even describe to you the shrill decibel level that pierced my ears when the film began. All I could think of was that I am about to give birth to one of these creatures. A human of the female species (or is it the other way around?). Thankfully, children do begin as cute little newborns. I'll have to give God a high-five on that one. Because if they came out as teenagers, I am almost positive I would ask for a return to sender! (I'm kidding on that one. At least I'm pretty sure I am.)
So on that note, I am going to go to bed now. Praying until I fall asleep that my little girl will at least keep the screaming to a minimum. That's not too much to ask, is it??

Things You Might Need to Know...

Next time it literally feels over 100 degrees outside, you might want to ask for a hotel room that is lower than the 19th floor. Because even though you might try to give it the benefit of the doubt, the older-than-my-grandmother building never cools down. Even after it gets dark. The room will stay uncomfortably warm. Not recommended for a pregnant woman. And don't even bother complaining to the front desk at 5:30am that the room is unbearable because "the room engineers were here until 2am. you should have called sooner". And don't think for a second that you can fall back asleep after waking up fully at 5:30am. HGTV just may become your friend as well...
Oh and when you decide on a nice, fancier-type Italian restaurant, you might want to wait to order your entree after you are served your appetizer. Because the kitchen may mess up your order and send out your entree before you have been served your appetizer. Which brings up the dilemma- which do you eat first? Do you leave your entree to munch on the appetizer, all the while certain that your entree is losing heat? Cappelini with shrimp doesn't taste as well when it's lukewarm. Trust me. Or do you finish your entree while your appetizer becomes too soggy to enjoy? Well you might end up scarfing everything in order for it to taste okay. And then that defeats the purpose of a nice, drawn-out, romantic dinner for two.

I guess it's a good sign that despite all the mishaps over our anniversary weekend, Seth and I still had a wonderful time together. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and know that pretty soon we will be able to laugh over the hotel debacle. Right now it's a little too soon. I just might need some therapy...

10+1=11

One year ago exactly, Seth and I were making our way to Estes Park, Colorado to celebrate our 10th anniversary together. This weekend will not be that adventurous but it will still be sweet. We are staying the night in this hotel. And we will be dining here. I think both of us are just looking forward to the quiet of being together. It's been a crazy year so far (Baby #3 just kicked to emphasize my point...).
I am excited to see what this next year will bring. We feel stirrings of change but one just never quite knows what that means.

If You Haven't Already...

Please Read This!

And, when you are finished...

Read This!

They are both fantastic reads. The first is an allegory-type with so much insight into the Lord's heart. And the second is a great follow-up. Because it goes more in depth to the Father. It really speaks to all of us "church kids" who grew up playing mind games. If I am good today, then He loves me more. If I do bad, then He is pretty irritated with me and doesn't really like me. Just read it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Yup

This week has been fairly uneventful, other than our fun-park-day. Oh and the fact that I have had persistent heartburn since yesterday morning and I'm not sleeping very well. I'm only 25 week here. This isn't supposed to happen so soon! I love my sleep!! Anyway, I thought I would dig a little from our recent past and show you some pictures from our Florida vacation in June.

This is Seth's Aunt Susan. She's awesome. Even though I miss her for her company, I gotta be honest. I've been craving her spaghetti for 25 weeks now. She's like the best cook ever!

Brothers are weird. They have this bond that involves a lot of punching and, um, gas. But through it all, they love each other. And talk about weird things.

Aren't they cute?? The cousins. I love all of their expressions. L is being swept away by the winds of life. G has secret thoughts. What is that girl thinking that makes her smile so? Josiah is just happy. "Hiii!" And Elijah? Well, he's the oldest and has the right to be the most impatient.

This is Seth's Grandad. Sitting in the same yard that Seth's dad grew up playing on. Heritage is a very cool thing. Grandad sure loves his grands and the great-grands bring a chuckle every time.

I LOVE this photo. I'm going to have it blown up and printed. It will always be a reminder of how cute the boys' feet used to be. Because then they grow big and their feet, well, I just won't go there.

Day at the Park

Seth had a random day off today so we tried to take advantage of the situation. Remember the park where we had sushi? We finally took the boys to the same park and had a picnic. It was great!

Gosh, he's swell!

Feeding the fish. Apparently the fish are not health nuts because they weren't thrilled by the sunflower wheat bread. Which left a bunch of floating bread pieces. I'm sure the fisherman down the current was grateful.

On a mission.

Talking, talking, talking. One of the things about Elijah that makes me want to hug him and wring his neck at the same time.

Discoveries. I think it was a spider.

A very busy bee.

Daddy teaching about the bees. No, not the birds and the bees. Just the bees.

I love my boys! Oh and the chica in my belly!

I call this "A belly and a boy and a pretty view".

I get this look A LOT! It could pretty much mean anything.

But What I DO Love...

is that tens or hundreds of thousands of people will gather in Washington DC on August 16th to fast and pray for our nation. We were a part of The Call in Nashville last year. I know it impacted us in ways we have yet to see. If you are within driving distance to DC, by all means, GO! Be a part of history!!

On a Whole Different Note...

I hate politics. Enough said.

It's Potty Time

Josiah has an announcement to make.

"I Wear Big Boy Underwear!!"

It happened, it really happened. Within 1 weeks' time, Josiah did it with minimal intervention. He even woke up dry every morning this last week! Why am I making such a big deal? I was beginning to convince myself, while cleaning up dirty diaper after dirty diaper, that this day would just never come. Having unhealthy visions of my teenage son walking around with a diaper on. But he came through! He did it! Yeehaw!

And he gets to wear these cute things, to boot~

Count Your Blessings

I think I have a new tool to store in my back pocket for pre-teen/teen years. It will go something like this:

Child enters the room with that "Life is SO unfair" attitude.
I respond, "Well at least Dad and I didn't name you this- Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii!"

Read this article. Thank God for judges who exhibit such common sense!

The Fam!

Recently we visited the George Washington Carver Museum here in Missouri. The man was amazing. He had conversations with the Lord all the time. And he was a brilliant scientist. We fully enjoyed our day...

Elijah was a bit skeptical of the all-Caucasian African band playing on the grounds. Oh wait, I was the skeptical one...

Boy on a Red Bench

Beware of the boy with the plastic knife!

My handsome Boys!!

Penny for your thoughts....

Elijah is so excited for a little sister. 7? Pshaw! He's still my sweet boy!

Okay, sorry, this has nothing to do with the museum. Seth let the boys give him a haircut. He tried the "hair thing" for a while but just loves bein' buzzed!

Updates

Allow me to go down the list...

1. This Friday, I will hit 24 weeks in my pregnancy. Talk about flying through time!!
2. Elijah is out of kindergarten and will begin 1st grade. The plan is to homeschool again this year. He turns 7 in a couple of months. 7??!! Excuse me while I go blow my nose...
3. Josiah is growing splendidly! He can totally hold his own in conversation. It is an amazing stage when kids can speak their whole thoughts in paragraphs. He is also "officially" using the toilet. My boys. My boys take forever with certain things. Walking and using the potty. But once they do, there is no going back. It has finally clicked for little J. Even to the point of waking up dry for the last few mornings. We can now enjoy 4 whole months without diapers and wipes!!
4. This update still kinda blows me away. We're having a girl! Can you believe it? It was difficult for me to, even while staring at the cute moving gray blob on the ultrasound screen. Her name is Lyla Marie. Lyla means "Lily", a flower that may look delicate but is as tough as they come. Don't you think that's appropriate for a little girl who will be growing up with 2 older brothers?!
5. Seth turns 31 this Friday. He is soooo in his 30's now! He hasn't been traveling much these last few months. What a blessing! Especially when I felt terrible the first few months of this pregnancy. It's funny how quickly you can take for granted the "coming home at 5" days. But there is enough traveling happening in the near future to help me remember.

I believe that is enough for now. Next post? Pictures!

Time to Start Sharin'

I hate reading the blogs that go on and on with excuses of why they haven't posted in so long. So I will save you the misery. I have been lovingly poked and prodded back into bloggy-land (Hi Holly and Misty!) and I do believe I'm ready for a new round!

I Have Become a Fan

I have mentioned before how I love to find new blogs to read. Not that I need to find any more at this point of my life, but if I come across a new and interesting site, it makes me happy. I'm not sure that I could call myself a "Midwesterner", even though I have lived in the dead-center of America for almost 4 years now. It's a life I never expected. I am getting better at recognizing crops as I pass fields and fields of green. I can identify different breeds of horses. I have learned to love the smell of barns.
Going back to my first point, I recently stumbled across a blog that I have thoroughly enjoyed. The site is kept by a woman who is the wife of a rancher. She grew up, never seeing herself living in the Midwest. Yet she fell in love with a cowboy. I can relate to her environment just a tiny little bit. Although, I do happen to live right down the road from a Starbucks!
Here is a short interview of the Pioneer Woman. Watch out! You may become as addicted as me =)

Quote From a 3 Year Old

"Mom, I don't feel so good."

"Really? What hurts?"
"I hurt my feelings."
(He now collapses dramatically on the couch.)

Still Here...

Sorry for the sad lack of posting! I am suffering from the worst case of "mental constipation" to date. I'm gonna do it, I know I shouldn't...but....I am blaming this on hormones. What else can I say?

Ahh, if it were only this easy....

I'm Outta Here!

Not really, but I am leaving Thursday morning for a 5 day vacation to New York City!! My lovely friend Misty and I have been talking about celebrating our 30th birthdays with a bang for quite some time now. So we are headed off to New York to do some sightseeing and some eating and some shopping. It is our first time to the Big Apple so it will all be very exciting. We will be staying here. Very posh! We will be seeing this. We will be visiting here and here. Both places I have dreamed of visiting for years! Oh, and we have reservations for dinner here and here. All just a taste of our itinerary for the weekend...
Meanwhile, back on the home front, Seth will be staying home with the boys for 5 whole days. Not that he really needs a reminder, but I do think it will open that door of appreciation just a little wider for the Momma who has had to do it multiple times over the last few years...
Seth's such a great Daddy, I don't really have any worries about leaving. I just know that is a whole heck of a lot of testosterone for 5 days! Yow!!

We have a Name

Today the baby was named by his/her big brother, Eli. And the name is........Shrimpy. Because he/she looks like this at 9 weeks-

Shrimpy has been kicking Mommy's booty. I don't have the time or the energy to deal with pregnancy sickness but he/she doesn't seem to take this into consideration. It has not been fun. I have to be honest- I don't really enjoy being pregnant. Since this is my third go-around, I guess I feel brave enough to say it out loud. There are parts of it that are fun (i.e. the ultrasounds, the kicking, and the baby at the end) but overall, pregnancy has not been kind to me. I am just looking forward to that day when Shrimpy lets me feel a little "normal" again.

"I'm Fwee!"

Says the boy who had a birthday yesterday.

"I want a guitaw, a keyboard, and dwums." This was the birthday boy's list this year. He managed to get 2 out of 3...not bad, not bad! The "dwums" will be saved for a later date since big brother has been asking for a set for about 3 years now. (Which will most likely be happening this Christmas...Mommy is trying to type this without wincing.)
It was a nice, quiet day. But from the excitement-producing soprano notes reached by Josiah's voice all day, you would have thought we spent the day at Disney!