Catch Up & Confessions.

 Let me overwhelm you with pictures to make up for not posting for like 3 weeks or something.  We've been busy.  A good kind of busy.  So, I will do my best to update you on life.  I do have to say first that I am very thankful for a healthy house right now.  We have had random illnesses since like the first week of October, and we were overwhelmed.  Everyone seems to be mostly well right now, which is awesome!  Craig could still use prayers for his sore back, though.  :/

I also have a confession.  I am allowing Annabelle to watch TV so that I can write some of this, and so that she is quiet enough to let Carter snooze a bit.  He is asleep on my lap and I am trying to reach over him to type this.  This post may be done in pieces all day.  That's my life, though. ;)  None of this is in any particular order..

A couple weeks ago, Craig's wonderful parents flew down to spend some time with our little family.  The time was short, but very sweet.  One thing I LOVE is that no matter how much time passes, Annabelle welcomes them with open arms.  She knows them well, and loves them to pieces.  She tries hard to say, "GRANDPA" which comes out, "PA"!  Super cute.  Here's a couple pics from their visit...

Reading with Nana.

  

Christmas pics.

Had to get bbq.  YUM!

  

 my handsome snowman!!!

 This girl could live on pizza or pasta.  But, she rips all the goodies off the pizza.  Silly kid. 

 Another confession.  I don't like posting pics of Annabelle with her paci because I don't want to be judged as a weak mom.  We still let her have it, at naptime and bedtime.  She often steals Carter's and tries to hide.  I think she will one day decide to just not have it anymore, and if she doesn't we will just take it away when we know it's time.  She, I'm trying to explain myself.  grrr.  I don't feel guitly about letting her have it at night.  I am just worried about what others think.  That's my confession for the day.  My kids are paci kids.  And I think it's cute.  :)  I love this picture of them winding down and ready for bed.  Both of them. 

 I mentioned that I was taking Annabelle to a Gymboree class.  She is loving it.  And I also love going because it makes her so happy.  My mom works really close, so it has worked out that she comes to hang out with Carter to allow me to be with Annabelle.  Yesterday, we tried a music class and she loved it almost as much as the play class.  I am learning some things about being her mom lately, and some of what I am learning is because of Gymboree. 

 

 Here goes another confession.  I don't like our in home therapy.  There, I said it out loud.  When Annabelle was really young, I liked it.  I saw that it was very very beneficial for her.  Her gross motor skills improved, her attention span improved, and she seemed to really thrive for a while.  We had a wonderful OT that was with us from the very beginning.  She has moved on to work in the school district, and we are sad.  :(  Then, we also have a Developmental Specialist who we love as well.  She still comes twice a month and Annabelle really loves her.  We did have a speech assistant, who was very sweet, but actually just sat and talked to me about life more than she interacted with my daughter.  That bugged me, so we gave her the boot. 
 We took a big break from anyone coming to our house once Carter was born. Now that we are back in to it, I just don't like it.  I don't want to plan my day around it any more, and I am honestly not seeing any benefit at this point. For a while, I just thought that I could do ANYTHING that they were doing with her, and I still do.  I want to help Annabelle, and not have to do therapy any more.  Maybe we just aren't getting exactly what we need through their program, I don't know.  She NEEDS speech.  That is the biggest thing that I see she needs.  Speech, social skills, following directions and self help skills are what we need to work on.  And I don't see any of that being met.  I am saying that because I see ALL of that being worked on through our simple play class at Gymboree.  That 45 minutes a week is really helping her learn through play.  So, would I be a bad mom if I totally quit our in home therapy?  I'm stuck in this decision and not sure what to do.   One thing I am learning about being Annabelle's parent, is that she is responding more to lessons when OTHER people are working with her (which is one good thing about our in home therapy).  But she is also responding more to these lessons when we are not at home.  Any advice from other DS mommas is totally welcome here.  I'm stuck. 

Moving on.  LOOK at this amazing picture.  Annabelle was very sassy about her little brother sharing the cart with her.  I know it's just the beginning....

 I LOVE LOVE this picture, because I see this image almost every day.  Craig gets home from work and BOTH kids are seriously so excited to see him.  It makes my eyes well up with happy tears just about every evening.  They really think that Craig hung the moon.  He scoops them both up and hangs out with them while I finish up supper...

 I also love this pic of Pops and his kiddos..

 check this out.  he tried to hold his own bottle.

 my cutie playing in leaves.  and carter chillin in the background.  I love Texas and that we can really go outside any time of the year.

 Mommy's first mate...

ok, one other thing i am loving about a healthy Annabelle is that there is definite evidence of a good time.  When she wasn't feeling well, I noticed that my house was a lot more clean.  Toys weren't EVERYWHERE.  Which is nice, don't get me wrong.  I do love a clean house.  But, it's not the norm around here.  And I missed it.  I would rather see Annabelle running around like the little tornado she is, than have a clean floor.  I took these pics this week that show evidence of a really great time.  And that is only PART of the house.  ;)

(She got into the oatmeal, and I still have no idea how she got it.  I thought it was on the counter.)

 Silly face.

 LOVE these moments with my guy.  He was just resting his head on my shoulder and it was awesome. 

 Annabelle decided to stay outside when I came in the other day.  It was nice enough for windows to be open, and she was thinking she was real hilarious being outside by herself...

 I've mentioned what a great dad Craig is, right?  Ya, check this out.  He is fixing her hair before bed. 

 Speaking of hair, we got a few inches trimmed off this week. 

 She was so patient and let Aunt Rachel chop chop.  She looks adorable, and since her hair was SO long, it's barely noticeable.  

We went to visit Daddy at work yesterday.  The kids loved seeing him in the middle of the day...

SO, saving the best for last here.  My big sister got married the day after Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!  Isn't she beautiful?  I am so happy for her.  Brian is great for her, and they match so well.  It was an awesome little wedding.  We made great memories...

And that is life lately.  I wouldn't want anything any other way.  O wait, yes I would.  I want to go to Minnesota.  LIke THIS weekend.  It hurts our hearts a little bit that we can not be there for Christmas happenings with Craig's family.  Yesterday morning I told Craig to just pray for a miracle.  Hey, it could happen right?  We are ok with being spontaneous.  I had it all planned out that we could leave tomorrow morning, and just drive drive drive.  But, looks like it's just in my dreams.  I wish we could win a little lottery tonight.  Just enough to make this happen.  We would really love to be there, and it makes me angry at distances and finances.  But, that's life I guess.  Maybe next year.

Have a great weekend!!! 

BOOTS!

I have had a post brewing in my head for a couple days.  BUT, NO TIME to write it.  So, for now, enjoy this awesome video. 

Some Days...

These flowers have been in my house the past few days, and I hope they never die.  I have 15 sunflowers adorning my table, mantle and counter top.  It's a treat.  I never have fresh flowers, and now I might be hooked for good.

Y'all, I had two kids fed, happy and changed, redecorated my mantle, put in a load of laundry AND had dinner done by 9:45 A.M.  Whaaaatttt?!?!

So, some days are better than others, and I feel like I might have some things together.  Other days, not so much.  But, I would like to share my top 5 things that have made mommyhood a little bit easier and more enjoyable lately...

1.  THE CROCK POT.  I can get supper started early in the day, and I have the rest of the day to do the pesky, never ending dishes.  I have always thought, even with just one child, that the hours between about 5 and 8 are the most demanding for me.  Preparing supper for Craig and I, and also for Annabelle.  Then the clean up, bath time, book time, bed time...  It is just BUSY around here in the evenings.  Doing a Crock Pot meal makes my evenings SO much better.

2.  Working out.  Whether I get to take the kids to the park for a jog, or just stay at home and do a 20 minute workout in my living room, exercising makes me feel better physically and mentally.  It took me a little while to get back "IN" to it after Carter, but to just make myself do something makes a lot of difference for me.  I found THIS workout DVD, and it has 3 different 20 minute workouts.  I like all 3 of them. Some days, I can only work in one.  Other days, I can do two or even all of them.  Getting out for jogs has always been my preference, but now with two kids and a busier schedule, it doesn't happen as often.  BUT, when it does, it is awesome.  The kids seem to love it almost as much as I do.  On weekends, I get the privilege of going by myself while Craig watches the kiddos, which is seriously such a treat to me.  It clears my mind.  I don't bring music to listen to on my runs, and will go as long as my body lets me.  Which isn't too far these days, but I'll take it! 

3.  COFFEE.  Coffee in the morning, and some days even in the afternoon.  Coffee makes me happy.  For real.  And helps me function like a person.

4. Getting OUT.  I have started Annabelle in some classes, such as music and a Gymboree class.  I would like to get her into dance and horse therapy, but that will be determined by finances and schedule.  We have only been doing this for a couple weeks, but it's been awesome.  Leaving the house is sometimes super duper stressful to me, but when we have very planned things to be doing, I will make it work.  For all of our sakes.  The classes are only 45 minutes each, but the whole process pretty much seems to take up most of our mornings.  I look forward to these days during the week.  It makes the days where we don't leave the house much more enjoyable.

5.  Of course this is going to sound like a "Sunday School" thing to say, but, Jesus.  James 1:17 says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."  I know that He cares about me  and my everyday annoyances and joys.  He cares about the small things, and because of HIM, we can enjoy life.  He gives us little blessings and gifts all the time.  I can not say that He has nothing to do with every detail.  Because I believe He has something to do with EVERY detail.  It's ME that messes things up, and ME that wrecks good blessings, not Him.  He allows me to come to the end of myself as a mom, wife and just as a person, so that I will depend on Him.  And, trust me, I have come to the end of myself MANY MANY times lately.  Like, numerous times a day.  

Some days I feel like such a failure in my two most important "jobs", Wife and Mommy.  SUCH a failure.  Some days are kind of terrible, and others are awesome.  I asked Craig the other day to please pray that I find JOY in what I do every day.  I find Joy in my children, and have a love for them that is so deep and inexpressible.  But, I do not always have joy in picking pieces of cottage cheese out of Annabelle's hair, wiping the kitchen floor 15 times a day,  picking up the TORNADO of toys and laundry in every room of the house, repeating myself to a toddler who sometimes thinks obeying is no fun, and being consistent with how we have chosen to discipline our children, etc.,etc.,etc.........  

Some days are better than others.  And without dependence on the Holy Spirit, I could NEVER EVER live this life.  Thank you, Jesus, for your gifts, and the awesome gift of JOY in the overwhelming craziness and pain of what life is.  :)

Annabelle is a really good imitator of things that I often do.  Like a girl, she pretends to put makeup on when I do.  She pretends to curl her hair with an unplugged curling iron.  Last week, she was pretending to put makeup on when Aunt Rachel was over doing her makeup.  Only, she wasn't pretending.  She was really doing it....

October 31

As much as I love October and was excited about it, I am glad it's just about over.  Craig and I were just talking about how weird it has been and how our little family has just been so thrown off this month.  We took a little vacation at the beginning of Oct, and even though it was great to get away, we both still had an uneasiness in our spirits about things happening back home and in our lives.  Almost like we couldn't relax and enjoy that little trip like we wanted to and hoped for.  THEN, we all got sick.  And Annabelle is STILL dealing with a runny yucky nose, which last night turned into a cough.  Craig has been living with terrible back pain, the worst he as ever experienced.  It is hard for him to even relax with us at night when he gets off of work.  It just feels overwhelming when I look back over the month.  With sicknesses and other things that are going on in our personal lives, I sometimes just feel like it's too much.  It is too much for me to handle, and so I am thankful that God is there to help us handle life when it gets a little crazy.  I keep asking that the Lord would allow our little family to "catch a break" from it all, but maybe that is just not reality.  It certainly isn't reality right now.

BUT, in the midst of all the "stuff" we have so much JOY...
Let me just show you.

Are they not the cutest things you have ever ever seen? I love those sweet little kiddos.  LOVE THEM!

Happy end of October.  :)

October 26

I LOVE fall and I love baking.  I LOVE that my windows are open right now, and feels almost too cold to keep them open.  I LOVE that my house smells like muffins, and my awesome new fall Scentsy smells.  Today is a really good feeling.  I tried to leave earlier to go look for some new boots, but only a minute down the road, my car made a gross sound that made me think I should come home.  SO, I saved money, and decided to bake...

Annabelle loves to sit on the counter and "help" me with whatever I am doing.  She has also already learned that baking means tasting batter.  We had a lot of fun making some healthy-ish  applesauce muffins.  

 She does a great job helping me mix.  I have a little more clean up to do when she helps, and I end up wiping batter off of cabinets and walls, but I love it. 

 

I think she liked the finished product!  :)  They are really yummy.

Happy FALL!  

October 25.

2 months till CHRISTMAS!  ;)

I was going to write this blog post about how I am trying to figure out how to better manage my time.  Then realized what a silly thing to write right now, as I am totally failing to mange my time well.  I have been sitting on the computer looking at Pinterest, getting ideas of how I want to redecorate my house.  Having thoughts about how I will save money by just doing everything DIY.  Then, realizing I don't have a lot of time to DIY these awesome projects I see.  So, then searching craigslist for these cool things, already done.  OR trying to figure out how to get the money to just buy new, cool decor for my home.  THEN, I proceed to facebook where I waste time looking through numerous photos.  And wondering why people request me as friends, when I don't know who they are.  Just because we have mutual friends does not mean that I know you.  And even if I just know WHO you are, but never ever see you, and probably never will, I still will probably click the "Not Now" button.  Not to be offensive at all, but because, well, WHY? 

Do you see?  Wasting time.  I struggle with proper time management.  Totally struggle.  I want to be better.  And get some priorities in line.  I hate looking back at the end of the day, thinking I wasted ANY of my time.  I don't think there is enough time in the day to actually DO everything that I want to, therefore, why waste any of it?  As much as I love sleep, I wish less of it was required to actually function.  Then, I could get SO much done.  Right?  Or would I just drool over cute outfits on Pinterest all night?  Dilemmas.

I am rambling because I am actually trying to kill time right now, as I wait to hear from Craig.  He has been having MAJOR back problems lately.  (Please pray for him.)  Right now, he is seeing a specialist and hoping to get fixed.  So, I am anxiously awaiting his phone call. 

I'm done.  I gotta read some Eric Carle to my sweet girl.  Laters....

October 21

This weekend has been so awesome and refreshing.  Friday started with MOPS, then we had a date with Lisa and Jordan on Friday night, which was great as usual.  Last night, we had a party with some AWESOME couple friends of ours.  We had friends over that we have not seen in a long time, and a friend from high school that we have reconnected with.  It was great and we need to do it more often.

TODAY was Buddy Walk!  Yay!  I was so excited to go, and we had some pretty awesome support from some of our friends from MOPS and church.  And of course my family.  Today, we had to cut it short and we left before the actual walk.  I was really sad to leave early, but Annabelle was feeling really crappy.  She has not been herself (again) the past two days.  I am almost positive that it is all just teething or allergies.  Poor girl.  She looked like she was going to just pass out the whole time we were at Buddy Walk, and we just came to the conclusion that she just needed to come home and rest rather than be out in the heat.  My sweet friends still stayed with their families and walked for THE ANNABELLE TEAM!  They have no idea how much it means to me that they came out to support DSACT and Annabelle.  Seriously, it means so much.

 Since we left so early, I only got a few pictures, but stay tuned for some videos at the end...

Some of our table...

 CARTER's first Buddy Walk

 Uncle Jordan cheering Annabelle up...

 Pops and cousing Justus

Even though it was short, we had a great time.

I got this video today during supper.  You can kind of tell that Annabelle is sort of a mess. But, happy- ish.  We have been working with her on animal sounds, and how she says MOOO is my favorite!  It sounds like, 'bmoooo'.  I'm so proud.

And Carter started trying to flip over yesterday.  He made it almost all the way to his belly.  So, I captured some pictures...

Annabelle is a peaceful sleeper.  Makes me tired just looking at her.  So, goodnight...