Foster Home

My schedule has changed again and yesterday was the start of a new normal. For some time I had been looking forward to having my house all to myself to work at my own pace with no distractions. I am an extrovert with a serious need for control. Often times the only way I feel in control is to force solitude. Once I regain control over my clutter and my to-do list then I get really excited (or maybe desperate) to schedule some serious social interaction.

Yesterday was dreamy in many ways. I had a peaceful spiritual retreat at The Potter's Place. I wandered around Walmart just because I could. I was sure I needed lots of things, but for most of the journey through the store I pushed an empty buggy. I came home with the main objective of cleaning my hard wood floors. I knew it would be a daunting task, so I allowed myself plenty of breaks and enjoyed catching up on several of my with-friends games. It was beautiful...

But I got lonely!!! Several times I caught myself wishing someone was around to ask me what I was thinking about. It was amazing to get lost in thought without kids' requests, distracting television conversations or working around others stuff strewn about my work space. I just had a lot going through my mind and because I am an extrovert who gets recharged by sharing my life with others it was challenging to keep my thoughts pent up inside my head all day. 

I'm pretty sure it was the desire to share my thoughts with someone/anyone that sparked my desire to blog. Why share my thoughts with one or two or three close friends when I could document my thoughts here where I could share with the whole wide world!!! Oh my! What a freeing concept for this extrovert. So here I am world (or handful of friends who actually find this). 

As I shared already, my job for yesterday was to clean the hardwood floors in our new home. They are beautiful and shiny and elegant even beneath my old, worn out, should-have-been-sent-to-the-thrift-store-furniture. I want them to look this beautiful until my children graduate high school. This is going to be my challenge... to care for floors like I never have before. 

Here's the kicker... we don't own the house yet. We want to. We are working at it. We expect that it is the home God has for our children to develop memories that will feed hopes and dreams for the rest of their lives. We plan to invest in our children's character within the security of this home. BUT we don't yet own it. 

It has been challenging to rent a home month-to-month while going through the purchase process. It is emotional and taxing. It is not ideal in many ways and in many ways it hurts our hearts to think that it may not work out, that it may fall through, or that we could have been better off moving into the 2 bedroom apartment during the process. Alas, here we are... learning about the home, living in the home, getting comfortable in the home, caring for the home as if it IS our own and trusting all the while that God has a plan that will come to fruition. There are many things we have done already to improve the home. We have done some cleaning that it seems may not have been done in years. We have planned color palettes and furniture and pinterest projects that will start rolling as soon as the papers are signed. 

However, it dawned on me yesterday while cleaning the beautiful hardwood floors that we essentially are "fostering" this home. We for all intents and purposes were called to love this home and nurture it as if it was our own for as long as we get  to call it ours. Of course, it is more of a "foster to adopt" sort of situation for us. We have every intention of committing to this home forever. But when the dust settles, we have been reminded over and over again, this home does not belong to us. We have been called to care for it while we wait to see if it will be ours to love and nurture for the next 15 years. 

Perhaps its a bit too emotional of a way to think about a home. I am sure we could work together to compile a list of ways this is not even close to a "foster to adopt" situation. I don't doubt that when there is a living, breathing child involved the pains and stress and difficulty in making decisions is exponentially more difficult. For these next few weeks, however, I feel better making emotional comparisons. I feel better being able to understand why the process is so stressful sometimes. I feel better knowing that there is a good reason I have not yet washed the very dirty windows. I feel better knowing that once the papers are signed and this "foster home" is officially ours forever and ever that we will begin celebrating by going hog wild with the changes that will finally make it look like it belongs to us. 

To say I'm ready to celebrate will be an understatment. I am beyond ready. I was ready the day I visited the house for the first time. I was ready when we moved in. I was ready when my children decided on colors and themes for their rooms. I was ready when my mom came to visit. I was ready when we thought we would be closing by December 17th. I was ready when I lovingly buffed the hardwood floors yesterday. I am ready now as I share all these thoughts with you. I will be ready whenever signing day comes. And I will be okay if our "fostering" comes to an end and we have to move on and transform our dreams to another home. Because...

"'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you. plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

Love Letters

Today I ran. It was a great opportunity to hit the road just because I wanted to. No paper was telling me to. No training plan was telling me to. Guilt wasn't telling me to get out there.

I completed my first half marathon last weekend. I did it. It was good to work hard and accomplish a huge goal.

Being away from home, traveling through bad weather, sharing accommodations with several couples, lack of sleep, being sick, pushing myself on race day and recovery were hard. Chaos seemed to punch me in the gut over and over while I should have been enjoying victory. Instead I was just hanging on knowing peace would come as my body recovered and my mind rested.

Today as a ran (with no coaching in my earbuds) I prayed for peace. I sought rest and escape from the chaos. I found it with each stride. But it wasn't until I glanced across a lawn to find a church sign that I knew the purpose for today's recovery run.

The sign simply read
"BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD."

What an amazing love letter from my savior. A similar message I give my children when they are in crisis. "Relax. It's ok."

God's message to me in that time was a message of a loving Father. "BE STILL AND KNOW I AM GOD."

NOT... Keep at it and one day you'll figure it out.

NOT... You aren't doing it right.

NOT... What could you have done differently that would have landed you in a better place?

NOT... Wow! What a mess!!!

But a loving message that allowed me to regain perspective and realize that I am not alone. I am not the one this whole world is riding on. He is God. He is sovereign. He has a plan. I can rest in that. I don't need to worry. Because He loves me with a Father's love.

And I am thankful.

A Quest for Authenticity

So. If you are reading this, you pry know me. I wonder, though, how much of me you know. All my life I have really struggled with which parts of me to share with whom. For many of my formative years I believed very much that I lived the double-life many people spoke of. Maybe not the double life of a serial killer who lives in a suburban neighborhood whose acquaintances would have never expected they shared a property line with someone so deranged. A little more like... I started swearing as a teen and saw older kids who would use those words in front of and/or directed at their parents and I couldn't imagine showing my parents that side of me. I just wanted so badly to be approved of and found acceptable by those I most respected. It was not worth it to me to show my ugly side to everyone. As it turns out I also chose to keep my most beautiful side hidden from some as well.

In recent years I have neglected to speak too loudly or too boldly in public about my love for Jesus and the hope I find in him. Not in any way because I am ashamed of him. Its more so because I have gotten so sick and tired of seeing people profess to love Jesus and display a life that seems faultless when I know that is impossible. I know I am not perfect. I know my family is not perfect. I know my spiritual mentors are not perfect. And I know you are not perfect.

I have found that the people I feel most connected to in this life are people who are authentic. The people I respect the most are those who are clear that they don't do things the way the most holy do. Those I want to associate with don't claim live by purity standards that the church or their grandmother taught them. The ones I want to know best, the ones I want to glean wisdom from, the mentors I choose and the leaders I follow are people who, perhaps without meaning to, show me that they are imperfect and still love Jesus with all of their hearts and strive to know Him more and love Him more and show others that even though they are sinners there is a reason to strive.

Here's the thing, friends. All those words up there are for this...

I am tired of being a "chameleon personality" as I have often claimed. I am not satisfied staying safe any more. I am ready to step forward and say a few things. I want to clear some stuff up. Not so much with Jesus. He knows me for me. I have been talking this over with him for 20 years or so. But maybe there's some things my family doesn't know. Maybe there's some stuff my friends have never heard my opinion on. Maybe there's something that the holiest of holy friends have never heard me admit. Perhaps there are things that my most Jesus-defying friends have never heard me profess.

I am here, approaching 35 years old, and I am ready to say some things loudly and publicly for all who care to know. I am aware some may worry. I know some may judge. Some may lose respect for me. That's okay. I am alright with that. Mostly because of all the pieces I have recently put together about how I love those who are most authentic. I guess what I am saying is that I am at a point where I am confident it's worth clearing some things up.

So here goes nothing...

• I have been extremely skeptical about Church/Christians for the last ten years or so. I just don't want to be associated with something that isn't relevant and that isn't changing lives & offering people hope. You know sometimes Church & Christians destroy hope. Its true. And very sad. It happened to me. I was once sold out & planning a career in ministry, had more faith than I knew what to do with. Then Church/Christians (or maybe Satan) led me to question many of the things I thought were so clear. Turns out they are clear, but the fall of man changed some things.
• There are still times that I use profane language and enjoy it even though I choose my company wisely. I try not to be rebellious using offensive language around those I respect. What I mean by this is, out of respect for you, I will pry not start cussing like a sailor if I know you disapprove of those words no matter how angry or disgusted I am. I am well versed in the English language and can typically find several words to explain my stance or emotions on any given subject. There was a time when I would judge people who claimed to be Christians and couldn't reign in their tongues. Now I understand that sometimes certain words communicate more clearly, more quickly and from time to time I choose to use them.
• I love people. I really love the people I am closely related to by blood or by law. Perhaps I love them most. Its hard to say really. But the truth of the matter is I am not really good at them. I pride myself on interpersonal relationships, but I often fail my family by the world's (and sometimes by said family's) standards. I have chosen to do some things differently than people I am close to. I am aware that this causes stress in relationships and I am by nature a peacemaker so I struggle big time with this. Even still, I stand firm in my principles and often fight for what I believe to be true or right even if I can't explain it. I hate to let people down, but it happens. Often.
• I laugh at things that are funny. You may not think they are funny. That's cool. But I sometimes think random, inappropriate things are funny. I spent several years fighting against it, but fight no more. There are things that are inappropriate and funny to me. I attempt to keep the inappropriateness from affecting my theology. I am pry unsuccessful. I'm going to let Jesus keep working on that where there are areas for improvement and attempt to keep my spirit teachable.
• I am firmly rooted in my belief that we, as humans, are responsible for our actions and our responses to life. I am convinced that we choose our behaviors and because of our choices we end up with consequences that we must deal with. Sometimes we deal gracefully and sometimes we create bigger messes. I have made some decisions that have put me in over my head in many stages in life. Most of them I have been able to figure out how to deal and survive, sometimes even to thrive. I have survived difficult (sometimes abusive by some standards) relationships and feel stronger because of the experiences. I have often chosen roads that I knew were not the best roads and traveled down them just because I wanted to with no regard to standards or principles just because I could. There were plenty of times that I dealt with consequences that I didn't enjoy, but most of my life's choices I would not ever regret. I have enjoyed even the most difficult of times. Maybe because of the underlying belief that there were "footprints in the sand" or maybe just because I am a rebel. But here's the thing. I also believe that there are somethings that we can't deal with on our own. I believe firmly in the power of prayer and God's amazing ability to miraculously change any situation. However, I believe that there are some circumstances that we are unable to survive merely using spiritual techniques. There has been no amount of prayer that balanced the chemicals in my brain that allowed me to be a somewhat sane mother. It was a scary, scary decision to admit that I was not capable of handling my chosen circumstances on my own. I swallowed my pride and asked for the help of a doctor to ensure that I had the stability to mother my children in the safest way I know. Believe me. I didn't want to do it. But I also didn't like the thoughts that raced through my mind when I was overwhelmed and wanted to quit. Parents are evil sometimes. Blame it on what you want. But it's true. I was told over and over before I brought my first child home from the hospital and continually afterwords as my family grew... All parents get overwhelmed. It doesn't mean we don't love our children or that they don't add amazing things to our lives. But, seriously. What separates me from what lunatic moms have done before me? Only that I haven't taken it so far as to hurt my children. I hope never to. But I don't know for sure that I won't if I don't have help. So I accept help when it is offered. Sometimes that is the help that my amazing parents or in-laws offer, sometimes it is the help that my husband offers, sometimes it is from a miraculous break that God ordained somehow beyond my understanding and for sure every day it comes from a small pill that my doctor provides. Its not a pretty picture of an amazing mother. Its the truth of a desperate individual who wants her kids to have the life they deserve and to be treated well.
• Sub-point to the above topic... Fruity adult beverages are nice to have after a long day or during a responsibility-free evening. There. I said it. I have been really careful with this topic as alcoholism has been issue for others I know and love. I don't want an alcohol problem. I doubt anyone does. However, as I mentioned above, I am almost 35. I have reached the age of accountability and I am aware of the dangers of excess. I avoided alcohol for many years out of fear of addiction, fear of inability to make good choices, and fear of "causing my 'brother' to stumble." As an adult, I am no longer afraid of those things.
• I love Jesus with all my heart and I want nothing more to live up to my potential in Christ. I know God has a plan for me. I have known it from a very early age. Since way before I ever understood what it was to "know" God. I know that He changed me and designed me with unique gifts and talents, shortfalls and sinful nature. I want nothing more to trust him and know without a shadow of a doubt that I am allowing Him to mold me into what HE wants me to be. I know that I feel the most righteous when I am being the most honest with him. I know that I am most like him when I am as authentic as I know how to be.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.'" Jeremiah 29:11-13

Motivation out of Nowhere

I have NO idea what is going on with me. I'm acting like a Sarah from ten years ago, but I keep looking around and I am definitely the Sarah from twenty-eleven.

Ten years ago I would have a day with nothing but housework planned and I would feel free. There was no one else in the house to distract me so I would distract myself. I would play classic country music loudly and reminisce about summertime cleaning with my Mom. I would start the way she taught me... begin in one end of the house and work toward the other end. Of course, I would have hours to myself so I would do just like Mom and allow myself side projects during the day. No matter what little bits I started the day with I would stretch the imaginary to-do list further and further as the hours went by. By the time L.C. pulled into the driveway there was no telling what could be found. Perhaps a closet would be empty and the contents moved to other hiding places throughout the house so that I could have my own scrapbook closet. Maybe the bed would be broken because I rammed the frame with all my might in order to rearrange the furniture just the way I wanted it. A couple times he even returned to see the paint colors had changed with little to no warning.

I was in my own little creative world back then. I allowed myself to get lost in projects whenever my heartstrings pulled them. The consistency of just two of us in the home allowed me with plenty of opportunities to mix things up on a regular basis. I liked it that way.

For the last handful of years things have been pretty different. The major factors of life were changing what seemed like constantly. Many moves, back to back pregnancies, completely dependent children with persistence and dedication to their ways left me in a very different place. I found myself unable to handle some of the minor details in daily living with much grace. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't label myself as graceful at all in the last several years. I definitely lived as a product of tremendous grace. I struggled with all my might to get through any minor task that lay before me and clung to the advice of other's who said it would get easier if I would just survive the first 6 months/1 year/18 months/2 years of having two babies 13 months apart.

Sure enough, I am the Mom of preschoolers who enjoy discovering things as Lewis & Clark did in days gone by. Except my kids explore my freshly tidied home rather than the vast expanse of new lands. Now-a-days I certainly invest much of my energy in replacing items the kids play with throughout the day. I love the adventure that our life is. But I would be flat out lying if I insinuated that it has been an adventure I would gladly re-enter from the beginning. Its been harder than I ever imagined.

But...

Something interesting has happened.

This week I not only accomplished Laundry Monday complete with all bedding washed, but I also aced House Cleaning Tuesday with flying colors! My house is clean folks! Granted there are toys scattered about that L.C. will pry help the kids clean up before bed. The children are in the bedrooms now doing who-knows-what. But the floors are clean. The throw pillows got washed. And last, but certainly not least...

L.C. gets to come home to a surprise! The living room is rearranged!

I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but I may just see the light at the end of the stay-at-home-mom-of-preschoolers tunnel. And. I. Love. It.

hmm...

If I were to blog again I wonder what I would blog about. I have friends who have great topical blogs that I am really impressed with, but I am not much of a stick-to-it-type girl. I have good ideas and little follow through. Do people really read the ramblings of tired moms? Cuz really.... that's about all I got folks! ;o)

Baby Poll

I have created an online baby poll for family and friends to guess when our baby will come. Look to the left of my blog for the link to the poll. Let's see who can get the closest. Just to update you... I have been having contractions for weeks, and am already dialated to 2 and 50% effaced. I am scheduled to be induced at 39 weeks which will be Feb 18th. And... we still don't know what we are having! ;o) I am sooooo excited!

Belly Pic

Many people have been expecting belly pictures from this pregnancy again since I was so good at getting pictures when I was pregnant with Trey. Well... here is your photo! My friend Melissa took this during our shoot a few weeks ago. You can find information on her photography business here.

Update on Us

• We are 98 days from my due date for baby #3!!! I can't believe that we are getting close enough for L.C. to be thinking about getting the infant seat out of the attic and mentioning other "getting ready" stuff. I feel like we are still so far away and at times it seems like this is a never-ending, no-progress pregnancy. At other times I am shocked and amazed that I could be this close to having another baby when my (other) baby is not even 11 months old yet!
• I am no longer working! It was our plan for me to quit working in February when the baby comes. A few weeks ago I was informed that my contract would end Dec 31st. Then the Friday before last I found out the funding for the program I work for had been cut. My clients each got a budget to assist them in becoming more self-sufficient as they worked their recovery plan. With the money gone, it was pretty much useless for me to continue meeting with them since they are in treatment with other counselors already. I spent two days last week calling clients & meeting with them to give them the news and to wrap up my case files and reports. Last Thursday was my last day of work. I was not thrilled to give up the income, but I cannot contain my emotions regarding being able to be with my kids for 3 bonus months! I have so much peace with the timing of this whole process. I will be able to get the kids stabilized on a structured routine before the baby comes instead of several changes at once.
• I think I panicked a tad too soon on the thumb sucking deal. Over the past couple days Trey has only put his thumb in his mouth a few times and it didn't seem to be for sucking at all. He likes to make all kinds of noises by humming and moving his thumb back and forth or pulling it out real quick and making a popping sound. Also, I have been able to "hide" the pacis several times throughout the days and he has been happy. I love hearing his little voice and listening for new sounds that he can make. It sure does help to have that paci out!
• We believe Pheoby will be able to start K4 after the new year. We tried to get her into the Liberty Elementary program, but she did not qualify due to her lack of "need." We got a letter that says she is welcome to go to a neighboring school that has openings. We have the paperwork ready and I hope to submit our request tomorrow. It will be good for Pheoby to be back in a structured learning environment. She loved "school" when she went to The Growing Place. I just know she will love K4.
• I thought I was in the market for a new vacuum, but I was sorely mistaken! We have been using my mom's hand-me-down 20-some-year-old Rainbow for several years now. It is a great system and it works great, but to be honest I would like to have a simple pull-it-out-vacuum-and-put-it-back vacuum that would make small jobs so much easier. So... this afternoon I was all revved up for a major vacuum project and got my room 1/2 way done when the thing seemed to die. I checked the standard things real quick.... you know, the power switch, cord plugged in, assembly. I didn't see any problems so I quit, leaving all the stuff right in the middle of the floor for L.C. to confirm that it was really a goner. It took him all of about 7 seconds to determine that the cord was not plugged in well. UGH! I don't need a new vacuum after all! Now, I don't want you to think I was excited about shelling out the money for a new vacuum, but I was excited about the potential of having a new one! I guess I know what I am doing first thing tomorrow.... gotta finish the vacuuming! ;o)
• Pheoby had her first dentist appointment yesterday. She was very brave and said it didn't hurt at all. She does have one tiny cavity that we will have filled next week and she has asked that I go back with her again. I am not looking forward to this one because our insurance doesn't cover the "laughing gas" and she will have to get a shot to numb the area. I sure do hope it doesn't hurt! I am trying to be brave and I am definitely trying not to let on that I am nervous about it. I just want it to be a good experience for her. We shall see.
• Tonight Pheoby helped me clean the kitchen... the whole kitchen... until we were finished! What a blessing it is to have a helper! I am sure it helped that she decided before hand that we were super heroes. She picked two lightning stickers, one for each of us to wear, and we went about using our super powers such as super cleaner, super rinser and super lifter. It was fun! It really helps to have extra help and the company was huge moral support!
• One last Pheoby story and then I am going to end this update... We set up Pheoby's tent in the living room tonight. I thought she would play in it for about 5 minutes. Nope! She has been in there for about 45 minutes. She has some toys in there with her. She has books, flashlights, and some animals. One of the animals she has with her "talks." With the door and windows zipped closed (I think she feels she is in her own little world and we can't hear her) she squeezed the hand of the dog who said, "will you play with me?" Pheoby responded in a stern voice, "NO! It is your bedtime!"

Thumb Sucker?!

What kind of kid decides to start sucking his thumb at 10 months old? That is insane!!! ;o)

Yup. So we definately confirmed today that Trey likes sucking his thumb. We have been noticeing it over the past several days. At the beginning it seemed like perhaps it was just something to do or that he was teething and chewing on it. But, nope! He is definately sucking.

Now... to be fair, the boy does LOVE his paci and has it 80% of the time. I have been trying to take it away more and more so that he will be more vocal, but I am second guessing that choice now. I don't want to push him toward the thumb if he really feels the need to have something.

He did spend the first 5 minutes of his life outside the womb with the thumb firmly planted in his mouth. I presume he had lots of practice for several months. Perhaps he was distracted from the thumb because we have been good at supplying his needs over 9 months. Maybe now that he is getting bigger he may just remember how simple it was way back in the day when all was cozy and simple. Who knows!

What I do know, however, is that I will be pushing the paci like crazy for the next several days!!!

Moments Photography

My good friend Melissa Little came for a visit last weekend. We became friends when we both lived in Michigan. Her husband was the Youth Pastor at Croswell Wesleyan. She just moved to Wichita, KS and has officially started up her own business, Moments Photography. She offered us a great deal on a multi-location shoot while she was here. I don't have the CD with all the pics on it yet, but she offered me some previews today. I am thrilled with the results!!! Let me know what you think.

My First Kiss!

I got my first kiss tonight! WOO HOO!!!!

When I was putting Trey to bed just a few minutes ago I encouraged him to give kisses to L.C. and Pheoby. He didn't. But when I took him into his crib and was telling him "Nigh-night" he leaned in and kissed me. WOW! I am the happiest Mom in the world! ;o)

Tagged Again

I truely do have a desire to blog every now and again, but I just don't get around to it now-a-days. Blogging seems to be one of the things that I put to the side when things get too busy. Until I get more energy, this will have to keep my dedicated blog readers entertained! ;o)

4 things I love about my husband:
1. He has some interesting quirks himself (I found the sunflower seeds in the fridge yesterday!)
2. He is a great protector for me and our children.
3. He works hard to provide for us.
4. He often helps out around the house doing things I just can't manage to get done.

4 Movies I would watch more than once:
1. Wedding Crashers
2. When Harry Met Sally
3. My Best Friend's Wedding
4. Mr. Deeds

4 TV shows I watch more than once:
1. Brothers & Sisters
2. Private Practice
3. The Office
4. Scrubs

4 Places I have been:
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. Hong Kong
4. New Mexico

4 People who email me regularly
1. Natalie
2. Jill
3. Sisters At Heart
4. My mother-in-law

4 Favorite Foods
1. Any Mexican Food
2. Pasta
3. KFC
4. Cheesecake

Places I would like to visit
1. Michigan
2. New Mexico
3. Kansas
4. Oregon

4 Things I am looking forward to this coming year
1. Trey's 1st Birthday
2. Meeting my baby
3. Learning about life with 3 kids
4. Being a Stay-At-Home-Mom

4 People I would like to tag
1. Mel
2. Jen
3. Jill
4. Shari

Look at what I found!

I had no idea this was still active. I thought I lost it years ago! Enjoy the history here.

Me, quirky?!?!? lol

Thanks, Jill... Ya know, (said sarcasticly) I haven't had enough reason to focus on my silly quirks so this will really help me out! ;o) Thanks for tagging me. I will be sure to offer the same opportunity to some of my quirky friends. I am sure they will enjoy the self-exploration! Thanks, too, for giving me a reason to come back to this blog and write. I am sorry to all my friends and family who attempt to read and discover that I am slack. I took some pictures on Monday specifically for blogging, but haven't gotten around to uploading them yet. So watch for those! It is regarding a big change in our lives. ;o)

***********
Here are the rules, link back to the person who tagged you. List the rules on your blog. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of your own and tag 6 "unsuspecting" bloggers to complete. Pretty simple, eh? Until you get to the 6 unspectacular quirks of your own.

Here are mine...

1. When I lay down at night I start off on my right side and turn to my left side when I am ready to sleep.

2. It drives me crazy to have the bathroom sink and counter cluttered up or dirty, but I don't get worked up about the kitchen counter being a mess. (This was the topic of conversation often when I was a newlywed!)

3. I hate ice in my drinks... unless I have a straw! I hate the feeling of the ice bumping against my lip/teeth. I used to stop drinking once the drink was gone so that I didn't have to drink watered down beverage, but I have gotten less particular with this in my older age.

4. I love being connected to people and relationships are very important to me, but I have a really hard time picking up the phone to make calls even to my very best friends!

5. I recently switched up my shower routine to make sure that I wash my face after the conditioner is rinsed out of my hair because it all of a sudden dawned on me that I might have a little conditioner along my hairline after my face is washed and that seemed counter-productive.

6. I love a glass of milk with cookies or cake, but it just doesn't taste good at other times throughout the day.


Alright, friends.... let's see what you've got to share! I am tagging Jen, Mel, Erica, Martha-Marie, Autumn, & Amy.

Motivated

Last Friday I had the opportunity to hang out with some of my scrapbooking friends from Foothills. They had a great time making progress in their books and I simply enjoyed the company. It has been a long time since I have had the energy to scrapbook or go out with my far-away friends. I have been trying to get into digital scrapbooking for years and haven't fully jumped in yet. I think most of my delay is motivation and energy due to being pregnant for much of the last year or two. Since I didn't take anything to work on at the crop, Jill offered me another lesson in digital scrapbooking. I took that motivation, downloaded a digi-kit and went to town today. I took further inspiration from Page Maps and am rather happy with what I was able to come up with. I was still unable to get around to playing with drop shadows. (Since my program is a tad different than Jill's.)

Update-A Month in Review

So, it's been almost a month since I posted. A lot has happened since I posted last.

First and foremost we discovered that Hayes Baby #3 is on its' way!!! We were shocked to say the least, but it is really sinking in now and we are thrilled to meet this next baby! Pheoby is most excited, it seems. Whenever I talk about having 2 children she corrects me and counts herself, Trey and then points to my belly with a knowing look on her face counting 3. She is growing into such a great big sister. In the last week or so it has become customary for her to carry Trey around the house.

Trey is growing daily. He has such a sweet personality. His current favorite activities involve standing up at the coffee table and pulling up on anything he can find. He is also enjoying some table foods. It won't be long and I think he will protest the jar food.

I am still working part-time, 3 days per week, until baby comes in February. I am enjoying it, but I am really itching to have more time at home for my family and to maintain my home. The timing is interesting because L.C. and I had just started talking about me returning to work full-time when we found out about this pregnancy. I also found out my supervisors were trying to figure out a way to work me back into full-time as well.

L.C.'s major project has been researching mini-vans. We are currently going through the debate of timing and trying to figure out when we will be able to get the best deal. I am so thankful that he is willing to be the researcher of the family.

L.C. had to head to North Carolina for a couple nights and while he was gone Pheoby and I saw that as a great opportunity to have a "Girls' Night!" We invited our friends Brandi and Arianah over. They didn't arrive until about 10 PM, the little girls had on their jammies and we had a mini-slumber party until about 3 AM. Although the girls had fun staying up late, I am sure Brandi and I enjoyed and appreciated the girl time much more!

Pheoby has taken up a new hobby. She got a real digital camera from her Uncle Andy & Aunt Anna for Christmas. She has been taking pictures like crazy! She has even started taking my camera on shoots. It is interesting to see the great images she is able to capture. Although, you have to scan through the pics of wall art, items in the pantry, furnature and toys!

My mom came for a visit a couple weeks ago. Here are a few things we did while she was visiting... visit the park, played games, read books, made special treats, played in the pool, bought stuff to make some projects and went walking. We had a fabulous time. We were a little better at keeping busy, but we still longed for a bit more time when the week wound down. While she was here we attempted tubing in Helen, GA even though we are in a serious drought. We did not make it down the entire river. It was just too difficult having to constantly pry ourselves off of the rocky river bottom. We will definately attempt that again once the water situation improves. Is it too much to hope that next year will bring higher water levels? (Pheoby took this pic of Grandma.)

Pheoby's ear is healing up great from her surgery this summer. It is hard to tell that she even has a scar. I am willing to bet that it will completely disappear as she continues to grow.

We had a fun time a couple weeks ago straightening Pheoby's hair. She was so sweet with her "long hair" as she called it. She continuously commented that she didn't think people would recognize her. We kept it straight for about 4 days. It looked really good and we were sad when it was over. I seriously considered a relaxer, but it is such a scary committment for such a little head of beautiful curls!

We were able to visit our local Zoo and noticed that there are now two lions the kids can take pictures on, in addition to the big bear we have been taking pics on for the past couple years. It will be fun to continue to take these pictures through the years as we continue to visit the zoo as the children grow.

Since the following picture, both kids have moved up to bigger carseats. Phoeby got to move into a big kid booster seat that is "girly" with pink and purple and flowers! And Trey is now out of the infant car seat and in the seat Pheoby has been using for the past 3-4 years. Gotta get these kids moved up so there is a seat available for the baby! ;o) If you are a parent who has a rear-facing child and do not have one of these mirrors you really should pick one up! They are great!

I've been tagged!

So I haven't been around her in forever, it seems. I will be getting better, I promise! For now, though... I've been tagged. Here's what Annie wants me to post...

1. Ten Years Ago- I was 21 years old. I was living in Seneca with my Chiropractor and his wife while I interned at BHS (where I work now). L.C. and I had been dating for over a year and I was itching to marry him and start my Senior year of college.

2. Five Things on Today's To Do List- Work, Attend the Advisory Board Luncheon, Convince my husband that we need to eat out, Drive some mini-vans, and Call to check on my babies who are bonding with Mimi & PaPa in GA.

3. Snacks I Enjoy- Spinich & Artichoke Dip, Candy Bars, Doritos, Butter Pecan Ice Cream

4. Places I've Lived- Croswell, MI; Central, SC; Easley, SC; Greer, SC; South Lyon, MI; Croswell, MI (again); Seneca, SC; Liberty, SC

5. Four People I'm Tagging - Jen, Jill, Mel and MM

Can I Wear Jeans?

Can I Wear Jeans is a great place you can go to list your church for free! Jon Acuff (from the ever-popular blog Stuff Christian's Like) is putting it together so that when you are looking for a church you can get a good description of the places you are considering visiting. Not quite the same as looking at search engines or in the yellow pages. And the great thing is that this is world-wide!

A Pretty Good Day

The kids and I had a pretty relaxing day today. Of course, they were both up before me. (Mental note... be sure to prep that bag of Teddy Grahams you promised Pheoby as a morning snack so you can get a few more minutes of shut-eye before Trey wakes up!)

We ran a couple errands first thing, then had a pretty lazy morning. We filled up the kiddie pool and played in that for a while before nap time. Trey had a relaxing time hangin' out in his crab baby lounger. (I have pictures to share some time!)

Pheoby likes to pretend to enjoy swimming in her pool, but spends more time and energy focusing on the bugs in the pool, on the patio, near the house or within 50 foot of her. Seriously... I am needing some feedback here... is this something that she will ever grow out of? I thought when it started about 2 years ago that it would be a phase, but it seems like it isn't. Hmm... anyway... we attempt to enjoy the outdoors as long as I can tolerate the panic!

Trey didn't sleep well this morning, so he was tuckered out by the afternoon. I put both kids down at about the same time. Trey slept for about 3 hours and Pheoby slept 4! That was a nice little break. I was able to pick up, work on laundry, develop my social calendar for the week and catch up on blogs and e-mails.

We had company over for supper and lots of play time! I have recently reconnected with a long-lost college friend who lives about 5 miles from here. Brandi (Alexander) Roper. We had seen one another about a year ago in the grocery store, but didn't think to get contact info. So when I saw her at the store a couple weeks ago we made sure to get the info! We have gotten the kids together a couple times and they have hit it off.... the girls are already planning a slumber party.

While they were here, I was comforting a fussy Trey by allowing him to grab my hand and discovered rather quickly that the boy had cut a tooth today!!! That's his first one... for those of you who like to know the details it is a bottom front tooth, not the eye tooth we were expecting first since it has been visable for a month or two. He will be 6 months old on Saturday. (That was for the detail-wanter's, too!)

Tonight I tried to work on getting the tape off Pheoby's incision. It didn't seem to be letting loose and I DO NOT want her to have to go through them ripping it off at her post-op appointment Thursday. We had a mini-surgery at home on the sofa! She applied a warm compress for a while then I massaged the tape with some anti-biotic ointment and tried my best to loosen the edges. I was able to get about 1/3 of the tape off. She laid very still so I could cut away the excess tape. I didn't want to risk it re-adhearing. I also wanted to give the new edges an opportunity to pull on the pillow a little tonight.

I hope we make more progress getting that off tomorrow! ;o) Bath time in the AM will help, I am sure. It looks like the incision may be longer than I imagined. He said one stitch so I thought one little tiny tie. It looks more like he maybe used one long piece of thread to sew up a 1/2 inch or longer incision, whereas I expected less than 1/4 inch. I took some new pictures of the progress we made, but I am not up to editing them tonight. Maybe by Thursday I will post new pics as well as find an old pic to show what it looked like before the surgery.

Well, I feel the need to apologize for rambling so long.... good thing the theme of this blog is about filling you in on my day-to-day life! ;o) Oh, and I forgot... if you didn't want to read this you didn't have to read it all since I won't know if you tune me out! You don't even have to put on that kind front that people do when listening to the longest-drawn out stories that remind me of Grandpa Tanner's story about raking leaves one fall day. If I had more time I would fill you in on how he would get them all raked up into a pile and the wind would come blow them all around the yard and he would just get them raked up again and....

But I don't. So you will have to ask me someday if you want to know more! ;o) Thanks faithful readers, for allowing me to share our lives with you!

Pheoby's Surgery

I had blogged previously about Pheoby's ear problems and that she needed surgery. (If you don't remember reading that you can find out more about the problem and the procedure here and here.)

Her surgery was yesterday. She did GREAT! And we are so thankful to the staff at St. Francis Eastside and Dr. Cooter of Greenville ENT. Everyone was fabulous and helped Pheoby to have a good experience. She didn't appear to be nervous or worried at all and faced the whole thing like it was any other day. Thankfully, they provided her anesthesia through a mask and they didn't give her an IV until she was already out. We were able to be with her up until they took her back to the operating room. And she was only gone from us for about 45 minutes.

We were informed that many times kids are quite irratable and therefore they like to bring the parents back right away. Not our girl! She was still sleeping for about 15 minutes while we were there waiting for her to wake up and finally I asked how long it should take. The nurse then woke her up by talking to her and rubbing her arm. She was still drowsy for a while, but enjoyed an orange popsicle and was ready to get her clothes changed. When asked if she wanted to be carried out or get a wheelchair ride, she cheerfully selected the wheelchair!

We had to go pick up Trey from L.C.'s sister, Jabecca's house where Mimi (L.C.'s Mom) was watching the kids. (Ironically, Jabecca was scheduled for surgery on the same day.) By the time we got there (about 15 minutes from the hospital) I had to give her instructions about how she could play with Micah and Caleb, but she couldn't be running around. She needed several more reminders while we were there.

We needed to go get her prescriptions filled, pick up pizza for lunch (Pheoby's request) and pick out a movie from Grandma (my Mom). By the time we got home Pheoby was wired! She kept going and going and going and going until finally I figured it was surely time to catch some Zs... no way! Have you ever tried your hardest to get a drugged up kid to sleep? We were laying in my bed and she kept making me laugh when I was at my most serious.

Later on we both had to ask forgiveness from one another.... me for being mean and her for being so silly when I was trying to sleep. (Actually, if you want the truth... she started it by telling me she was sorry and then she called me out for being mean!) The wild-ness continued through the evening. I got her to lay down again in my bed hoping she would crash, but she kept waiting for her movie to be done or for daddy to come to bed. Ugh! Once again, I fell asleep and she continued buzzing along to Bee Movie for the 4th time that day!

She did sleep through the night. And was up a few times this morning and fell right back to sleep. I was thankful for that. She is taking a good nap now, too. I think she is recovering well. She hasn't complained of much pain... and shouldn't really since she is on Loritab! Most surprisingly she hasn't been messing with the tape that is covering the incision. I am happy about that!

Here are some pics we took to document our day...