Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Super Cool Video

You don't have to watch the full 5 min but a very creative and well planned presentation....thought you might enjoy! (I am a sucker for creativity and music so this one caught my attention)

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

E-Book Sale from Money Saving Mom

Just thought I would let you know that MoneySavingMom is having a HUMONGOUS sale today and the next few days.

This is my source for most of my bargain deals. She has LOTS of great info on her blog and puts deals up daily.

The sale is basically ALL of her e-books for $5.97. Bought individually these would be over $100. The main e-book of interest for most of you would be "Supermarket Savings 101", but there are 15 books all together. Some of them are about home management, parenting and a couple about owning your own business. If you are interested in getting started saving on your grocery bill, I would highly recommend checking this out.

So Pumped!

Ok, so I have been doing this CVS thing for several months now and have seen the power in stockpiling(I should take pictures for you).....it has been AMAZING how much money we have saved. If I ran out of something previous to this, we always went to the store and bought whatever we needed. Of course I thought I was being thrifty by buying what was on sale but I had NO idea. This stockpiling thing is a whole new world! I have not only been able to get a good stock for our family but I have soooo much that I am going to be able to donate!

Just an example:

Intuition razors (this is the ONLY razor I will use....one of those "no compromise" things). They typically run $10 for replacement cartridges and I have about 5 of those boxes in my cabinet that I paid no more than $2 for. WOW! That is just the beginning.

I have like a million boxes of toothpaste and toothbrushes out the wazoo but that isn't the stuff that really makes the difference....they are fairly cheap. It is the cosmetics, face cleansers, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, shave gel, etc. that really add up and make a big difference. And, I don't have to use off brand stuff.....everything I get is name brand for the most part!

ANYWAY, enough about that....on to what I am totally pumped about. I started doing my grocery shopping this week in the same way. We are pretty tight on the funds right now so I was concerned with my grocery bill.....I thought, I know other people get really good deals at their grocery stores, why not me? I knew that this was an option all along but it just seemed way to overwhelming.....I guess doing the CVS'ing has prepared me!

I signed up for a $1 trial of The Grocery Game and it was a lifesaver. The last time I tried the supermarkets, I gave up because I was trying to do it on my own. I made a list of all the stockpile deals and then added the things that we really need at the house. From the list of things we NEED, I went to CouponMom and checked their coupon database to see if I had any coupons to match. Oh ya, and also, if you shop at Kroger you can go to their website and load coupons directly onto your card and it will come off automatically when you purchase those things.

I paid $78.64 & saved $102.91. I know that this is nothing compared to what some can do (I will get there) but I have been paying full price for everything so this was FANTASTIC!

Here is what I got for $78.64:

Charmin 6ct
Spray & Wash
CoffeeMate Creamer
Gillette BodyWash
Kleenex- 3pk
Bounty- single roll
Cool Whip
2 Russet Baking Potatoes
Huge package of chicken drumsticks- fresh
Huge package of chicken breasts- fresh
Sliced deli cheese
5 Lady Speed Stick Deo
5 SoftSoap liquid hand soap
Froot Loops Straws
Tyson Patties- box
Tyson Nuggets- box
2- Tyson Tenders- box
Bacon
4- BallPark Hot Dogs
2- Apple Juice
2- Large sour cream
Lysol Mold & Mildew
5- Irish Spring bar soap 3 pk
Gallon Milk
2- 2 Liters
Bread
Eggs
9- Powerade
Frozen Veggies
2 Apples
Grapes
Cantaloupe
Pineapple
Blueberries
Bananas

AWESOME!!!!!! I can't wait to get good at this!

Oh, and I did this with both of the kiddos!!!!!!! (I had him in the sling and her in the little car on the front of the buggy) I honestly didn't think I would get it all done with her but it must have been a nice break from our dungeon because she was GREAT! YAY God!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

A HUGE favor to ask!

If any of you get a Sunday paper and do not use your coupons(or only use a few).....send them my way. It just tears me up inside knowing that coupons are thrown in the trash every weekend. I buy 4 papers almost every weekend.....if I didn't have to do that, even more $ saved! WOOHOO!

Thanks!

Oh, and btw, I am aware of some people who go dumpster diving for coupon inserts! I would rather not do this. Please spare me!

A Great Weekend!

Well, last night the Daugherty's brought us dinner (yes, we are still on the dinner rounds from Spencer's birth....WOW) so we got to spend some time with them and Isabella. It seems like we haven't really been able to hang out with friends in so long so that was nice to be able to enjoy some fellowship with them again!

This morning we went to a birthday party at Leapin' Lizards that Samara was invited to! Her first real birthday party......kind of sad that she is that grown up already! Josh and I both had a blast running through the bounce houses with her. And then, they gave her a cup of red fruit punch and it was all over. Josh was worried about how she would do with a cup and I told him she would be fine. Boy was I wrong! She dumped it all over her lap.

Can I just tell you that spirited children do not enjoy wet clothes or the red streaked stain that is left on their skin from fruit punch running down their leg. (I am learning.....she is spirited, not strong-willed or difficult :) I ended up taking her to the bathroom and stripping her down.....I couldn't very well take her back out there naked so I left her shirt on but there was NO way I was getting those shorts back on. They are currently soaking in Oxy Clean....that fruit punch is crazy, it even stained her skin!

After a long nap (and my AWESOME trips to CVS and Walgreen's) we took her over to the Madis'. They are so sweet and thoughtful and instead of bringing us dinner, they got us a gift card to Chili's and offered to watch the kids while Josh and I went out on a date! It has been soooo long since we have done this.....far too long I might add.....so this was nice! Strange but nice! Isn't it crazy how you feel so different when you leave the kiddos to go out alone.....like you have never done that before! Weird! Anyway, we had a fantastic time (even though my boobs were like milk gushing rocks) and even went to Barnes & Noble for a little relaxation!

We received a call after dinner from Wes telling us that the girls were having a blast and were currently covered in chocolate pudding, about to be thrown into the bathtub......how fun!
How can you worry when you know your kid is having so much fun that she has to be bathed? We were a little concerned that she would be fussy because she has really had attachment issues lately, but it sounds like the girls coaxed her out of that quickly after our departure! They even said Spencer was a good little boy! YAY for good kids!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Nothing New

Not much to report. Life is still pretty dull being tied down to the house. I think we are all getting a bit stir crazy. I have been rather diligent in searching for activites for Sam and I to enjoy so that she isn't begging for my attention by getting into trouble. The unfortunate thing about this age is their extremely short attention spans....the fortunate thing is that they really don't care about what kind of paper, colors or stickers you give them.

Little Man is getting quite plump.....not a big surprise considering how much he consumes.....still eating like each meal is his last!

Went to Mom's again today to let the kids play. She was not nice today......thankfully Balin is pretty easy-going. You should keep in mind while watching that Samara absolutley HATES water in her face.....it is a fight just to get her hair washed!

Akiane: Fantastically Amazing!

While working at Mardel I would occasionally read the magazines we sold while taking lunch. I came across an article in "Christianity Today" about a young artist who claimed her artwork was inspired by God. I was immediately drawn to this because of my love for art and my respect for the talented.

Somehow I recalled seeing a book in our biography section about this girl. I had never paid much attention to it before.....I couldn't possibly have looked through each book that we carried. I found it again and checked it out. I raced through it! It was fascinating. Her life story is obviously a testimony to the ability of God to work the supernatural in this world. Her artwork is absolutely gorgeous.....her skill and the maturity of her content are amazing!

Not long after all of that she appeared on the Oprah show. While searching for something else, I ran across her again today. You may have seen her before but if not, she is worth checking out.

www.artakiane.com

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Works For Me: How old are these contacts anyway?

I wear disposable contact lenses. They are supposed to be changed out every 2 weeks. I can't remember what I ate for dinner last night...how in the heck am I supposed to remember when I opened this pair of lenses? I have tried writing it on my calendar but I am typically not near my contacts when looking over my calendar and by the time I make it back to my bathroom, the last thing on my mind is changing out my contacts. Soooo, I had to come up with an alternate solution.

I take a dry erase marker and write the date I put them in on the bottom of the case. To my delight, I realized that this actually solved two of my problems. I must have some 10 cases around the bathroom. For whatever reason these cases are rather intriguing to Sam and tend to disappear off the counter. Now, I know which case has my current lenses in them no matter where I find them!

Monday, July 21, 2008

God provides

God is so good to us! This will seem silly to some of you, but it is just a reminder that he cares about even the small stuff.

I needed a hair dryer. The one I had was likely 8 years old(at least) and falling apart. A hair dryer is the LEAST of my worries with gas prices the way they are and a new kiddo in tow!

Yesterday at CVS there was a nice hair dryer on clearance for $5!!!! For those of you who don't know, I never leave there spending over $5 out of pocket and yesterday was no exception, even with the hair dryer! I spent $1.99 out of pocket and got a ton of stuff(the hair dryer and a ton of baby products) and got $9 ECB to spend at a later date!

All this to say that God has used CVS to be an amazing blessing during this difficult financial time. He even cares about the little stuff! (Now to find a straightening iron on clearance!!!!)

5 cent deals and other EASY bargains

So, this is for those of you who want a great deal but don't want to put any effort into it. If you haven't seen the Walgreen's ad this week, you need to check it out. They have some fantastic deals on school/office supplies. I went and bought my limit yesterday, even though I probably won't use most of the stuff.....these are GREAT donations!

Also, if you don't know yet, Walmart has some great school/office supply bargains. The ones I am aware of are 5 cent spirals and 22 cent crayolas! These are great deals. You could buy 100 of the notebooks and only be out $5. GREAT donations.

ALSO, I have lots of fellow readers so this one is for YOU. Borders has a great deal this week! In order to get you to try their online site to store service, you can get a book or item $5 and under shipped to your local Borders book store for free. Add an item $5 and under to your cart and use code BR41925. (You should be able to do a search for book that are $10 an under. Then click a few pages down to find $5 books.) If there is a more expensive book that you have been wanting, you can also get another item for 40% off. Click that you want to continue shopping and add another book or item to your cart. Use code BC4777 for 40% off. It will apply to the second book you put in your cart. Set shipping to your local store to get it for free! If you don’t have a store nearby you an spend $25 and get free shipping to your home.

Update: It looks like their site might be overloaded. Try buying your 40% off book first if you are going to get two books. That worked for me!

This is from bargainshopperlady.

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Creepy?

Is this totally creepy or what? I actually found this on a seemingly level-headed, Christian Mom's blog. She said that Second Life is her "virtual mission field." I don't know, it seems REALLY creepy to me. You could really get lost in this. I can just see hours in front on the computer wasted on such nonsense.

What do ya'll think?

Smiles

I can't believe I forgot to mention that Spencer smiled for the first time yesterday......a real smile....like he knew what he was doing. This was not a sleep smile. I am sad to say that it wasn't at me.....and in addition, I have yet to get one. It was at his Daddy. Ya know.....one would think that the person who gets up in the middle of the night to care for him and feeds him and changes the majority of his diapers would deserve the first smile BUT.....NOOOOO! No matter, the smile was a sweet blessing and warmed my heart! It is so fun being a Mom.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

The Sweetest Things



Just had to share. I can never catch her in a mood to let me film her. I was able to get her saying some of our favorite words and some other things she has been doing & saying lately!

P.S. I would share a video of Spencer but unless you want to see sleeping, eating or pooping, you won't be interested! I will have plenty to share soon enough!

So much to say!

Isn't he sweet!

While I would LOVE to be one of those bloggers that people stumble upon and bookmark, I am not. I honestly don't know how there is enough unique information for all the blogs that are out there already. So here I am, writing about what I know....my life!

There are so many things I could write about that I get overwhelmed trying to decide what you want to know. While it makes me feel special that people care enough about what's going on in my life to come here and catch up, I am doing this partly for my own record. That said, I will likely share whatever I think I might want to remember later.....well, within reason because I am certain I will forget most everything.

THE HUNGRY LITTLE BOOGER

I tell you....this kiddo eats like a savage beast. At this age, they should be eating approx. 3oz every 3 hours. NOT HIM! Every 3 hours I breastfeed him and then, because he acts like he is still STARVING, I feed him a bottle. He will typically take a 4oz bottle! Wow! Will he be a monster like his cousin? I am beginning to wonder.

IT'S BOKE

Ms. Meredith brought Samie a coloring book and colors and she has been in heaven ever since. We have to color like 5 times a day. Yesterday we were coloring when she picked up a white crayon and began to scribble. She looked at it all confused and then looked up and said, "Mommy, boke." (That's toddler talk for "broke") It was soooo cute.....she didn't understand why she couldn't see her scribbles, she wanted me to fix it....precious!

This is my budding artist before she got her new crayons.....the crayons in the pic are made for toddlers (TaDoodles Crayon Buddies) but all she wanted to do was take the crayon out of the plastic thing and throw the plastic thing on the floor (it does kind of look like a top!)....in the deal or dud category I would definitely say, they're a DUD!

SICK

We had an inkling that Sam had not been feeling well. She has had a runny nose for the past few days but that really isn't anything too alarming considering she has bad allergies. She has also been super fussy and clingy even when she has gotten good sleep (which we were still attributing to Spencer). She hasn't had a temperature so we really just assumed it was allergies. UNTIL......I started feeling yucky also! This REALLY stinks by the way, because we had a date night planned for tonight! Guess it will just have to wait.

In addition we noticed that she has been falling a BUNCH! I am pretty sure the falling was due to equilibrium issues. Here is the result of one of the falls.....

BOYS

Ok, so that is a generalization but still. I took Sam over to Mom's to play with her cousins again. Around lunch time, in comes Papa.....holding a box of Popsicles. Never mind that Mom was working to lay them down for a nap at the time. He drags Sam out onto the back porch to enjoy his sweet treat. As you can see from the picture, she has on one shoe (on the wrong foot, mind you) and no clothes (which I suppose worked out for Nini's benefit considering Papa would not have thought to remove the clothes before letting her indulge in the dripping sticky mess) After she had finished, he brings her in (at arms length) to be cleaned up.

That's not the end of the BOY drama though. Papa had put her to sleep (sweet of him considering he interrupted that process in the first place) and when I went to retrieve her after her nap I saw that she was still only wearing the single shoe. Now, I could be wrong here, but a woman would not have put her to bed naked with only one shoe....or any shoes for that matter. Why is it that we think important that which is so trivial?......she certainly didn't care.


IRONIC

Isn't it ironic that the things we are not supposed to do with our children are precisely the things they want to do? He doesn't even know that I don't want him doing this and yet he is already fighting me. What rebellion I must be in for!!!!!!! Here is the little stinker asleep.....on his tummy......his favorite way to slumber!


And here is my little punk with a serious attitude......Josh has this same expression and I call it, "The Look". It seems that they think it has some special powers! He he.....you don't scare me!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Funny stuff!

SO I had to share.....my daughter is so stinkin' funny! It cracks me up that she has names for everyone (including herself). I think I have told you that she named herself Sammie and she is SET on Sammie. She calls my nephew Balin, Bay. The newest one, which is no doubt the most funny is her name for my brother Matt....Hat. Yep, and she is dead set on this one also. We have all tried to get her to say Matt and have done the whole....Mmmm-att thing and this is what she does.....Mmmmm Hat! It is hilarious! I guess it is even funnier because Matt is a goofball and is just a big kid and this just fits him!

I also wanted to share a very special picture with you....this may very well be THE first time Sam has voluntarily looked at the camera and smiled. In the 22 months that I have been taking pictures of her, not once has she smiled at the camera (at least not on purpose). For whatever reason she was really a ham this day. She was making me laugh because she was all posing and smiling and everything! It was one extreme to the other. (so I asked her if she wanted to fix her hair for the pictures and she got all excited and said, "yes." We went and fixed her hair and then I started trying to take more and she got all mad and wouldn't take anymore, go figure!)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Do you like the new look?

I just loved this pic and wanted to incorporate "Baby Boy Martin" into his blog now that he is here, so this is what I came up with.

Dog Girl!

Ok, so, weird title I know.....for an equally weird child! I don't suppose you would know she was ours if she wasn't a little bit off her rocker!

Last night I was sitting in the living room and here comes Sam running in with her hand full, munching on something. She runs over and jumps in her Daddy's chair and just starts going to town on her snack. I start thinking, "I know I didn't give her a snack, what could I have left within reach?" And then it dawns on me.....it's dog food. I go over to her and lo and behold she had a handful of dog food, chowing down as if it were skittles! GROSSSSSS!!!!!!!

I got smart.....I put the dog food on the washer. This morning she goes into the laundry room and I think "haha, no dog food, now what?" Unfortunately she had an answer! She comes out with her face covered in water and says, "drink?" WOW!

I thought we HAD to be done with the dog imitations until I took her outside this afternoon. Foxy was, as most dogs do, sniffing around. I look over and there is Sam, down on her hands and knees with her face buried in the grass!

Never underestimate a child! They will ALWAYS amaze you!

As you can see from these pictures, the dog's food and water have been an issue for a LONG time now. All of the other stuff is new! These stupid bowls have been such an issue and have migrated all over the house searching for a home. She goes through phases as far as wanting to eat it. Before now she has at least tried to hide it. Last night she just didn't care! (I just bought Foxy a new type of food....apparently it is good!)


For those of you who haven't met our furocious Foxy.....here she is.....minus the attack dog barking if she doesn't know you!


Oh boy....as I was looking for a pic of Fox to share, I came across this video and just had to share. This is a video of Foxy & our old cat playing......I bet Foxy is missing Psycho right now!




Josh married into Psycho & never did come to like her.....we ended up getting rid of her after we came home & found this.....

Sunday, July 13, 2008

A correction!

OOOPS!!!!!!! So, Josh is really 29! Look, I can't even remember how old I am.....how am I supposed to remember how old someone else is? Sorry Babe!

We didn't do much of anything on J's b-day. The Davis' ordered us pizza so we just hung out at the house and ate pizza. By the way.....our Sunday School class is amazing. They have all signed up to bring us dinner 3 days a week for a whole stinkin' month! We are blessed!

Saturday morning Josh helped the Ulrich's move into their new home. When he got home from that we went out to his brother's to let the kids play. Samara stayed the night there for the first time! This was the first time she has stayed the night at anyone's house(except for the grandparents). Apparently she went to sleep ok but woke up several times during the night. Joey said she kept asking for something but he couldn't figure out what it was. There is no telling.....she is incredibly ritualistic and could have been upset because things weren't like they are at home (she HAS to have 2 pacis, her blankie & her juice before she will go to bed here). Overall I think things went great for her first sleepover! Thanks for being the guinne pigs Uncle Joey & Aunt Mimi!

Having Sam taken care of, we went over to Mom & Dad's who were hosting a poker tournament for my brother and all his friends. I didn't play but Josh did.....he did not end up doing too good, though we did had fun!

Samara is still having a really hard time with the baby. She is still mad at me. It kinda hurts my feelings but I know how hard this must be for her. She had a difficult time with Daddy leaving tonight.....so I am praying that things are not miserable this week.

Josh is still having a rough time dealing with all that is going on and I just ask that you would continue to pray.

For those who are wondering, I am still CVS'ing. Things haven't been quite as fun lately but I am happy with my purchases today. I spent less than $5 and saved over $170. Here is what I got:

Dad is always making fun of me for getting stuff I don't need but there is always someone who can use it and I will be giving lots of it away. Speaking of that....I will get my give-away list up again soon....be looking out for it.

Friday, July 11, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

Today is Josh's birthday! He is 28 today....man, we are getting old! Sam & I made Josh a cake today.....and what is baking a cake without licking the beaters?????


We still have things going on with both sides of the family right now and I am just asking again for your prayers. Josh is carrying several heavy burdens at this time and I know that he is in need of an extra measure of God's comfort and peace.

All of this is in addition to the monster that has overtaken my daughter. I am certain that Samara will show up again some time soon but right now, mostly monster! She does have her sweet moments but they are far and few between and typically laced with a little manipulation! I am anxiously awaiting her return!

We did take them to the park a couple of mornings ago......I think I might have mentioned that....anyway, here is that new double stroller in action.


Have I mentioned that little man is looking more and more like Josh every day? Here is my little camo mohawked man.


Oh, & have I mentioned that we have a constant addition to Sam's face right now? I am hoping that this will also go away as she adjusts also. She had almost completely rid herself of them but now she isn't happy unless it is in there.....oh and it's not just the one in her face....she also has to have at least one in her hand!!!!! (for those paci police out there.....this is the least of my worries right now....even though it does bug the heck out of me) I can't get a stinkin picture of her right now without a dumb paci in her mouth. My mother-in-law even bought her a book called "No More Pacis" that she really likes, but she does not seem to relate it to herself!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Please pray!

While I cannot go into any detail, I ask that you would pray for our family. There are numerous things happening right now, some of which are confidential. Our family is stressed to the max right now and we just need you to pray for us. Thank you all for your love and support.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Sweet & Sour

This is the description of my kiddos right now! One is oh so sweet and the other is, well, SOUR!

Is there something you do when you are stressed? One of those yucky habits that pops up generally only during the stressful periods in your life? Well, I do, and it is biting my nails! I don't know if I will have any fingernails, or tooth enamel, for that matter, left after this period in my life.

I am beginning to wonder if Satan himself has made his home in my Samara's sweet little body. She has been a terror. Would you like a short list of her new behaviors?

- Hitting, kicking, slapping, hurting me, Spence and foxy. (she hasn't done this as much to Josh)
- Taking plates of food, looking me right in the eye and dumping it onto the floor.
- Feeding Foxy (which she knows she isn't supposed to do)
- Getting dog food out of Foxy's bowl, bringing it into the living room and throwing it across the room
- Splashing or simply pouring water out of the tub.....soaking the floor
- Waking in the middle of the night and not going back to sleep for hours
- Fighting bedtime
- Throwing my computer on the floor
- Crying about EVERYTHING
- Wanting Josh to hold her every single second
- Anything and everything she knows she isn't supposed to do while I am nursing Spence

Ok, so that isn't everything, and I know that it is all very normal but it is making me CRAZY! I am so at a loss. I have put her in time out so many times I am beginning to wonder if she enjoys it. I don't know if I am supposed to cut her slack right now because of the circumstance or stay firm and consistent, disciplining her for anything I normally would. AAAHHHHH! I feel sorry for her.....I know how hard this must be but I am about to pull my hair out. I am praying that she will get adjusted sooner than later. This might all be a little easier if Josh were here all the time but having to do this all by myself is tiring.....not to mention difficult when I am trying to tend to him and discipline her.

I honestly don't know how single Mom's do it. You are amazing!

It would be nice if I could fast forward, but I really don't want to miss this super sweet newborn stuff anyway. I know I will be wishing I had this time back once it has past.

Soooo, enough of that.....sorry.

We actually got out and walked to the park this morning and let Samara play for a little while. (until we were run off by this stray, unfriendly looking, dog) I am sure she enjoyed the time outside of the house (except for the nasty fall that gave her a fat lip)!

Oh yes, I got the test results back for Sam and everything came back negative, meaning it is not a bacterial infection (salmonella, etc.). So, he suggested I take her off of everything dairy to see if that is the problem. If that doesn't solve the problem we will be going to a stomach doctor to have her evaluated and blood tests run. Please pray that we can nip this in the bud.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

This weekend

Well, we had a wonderful 4th! We went out to Joey & Melissa's in Fort Worth. They live across the street from Eagle Mountain Lake on a little hill. This made for a fantastic evening of fireworks, not to mention the fireworks that were going off in the driveway. I don't know if I have ever seen Joey happier than that night shooting fireworks! It was making me laugh....he was like a little kid on Christmas morning! We just hung out, let the kids play and cooked out.....it was great! I have pictures but they are on Joey's camera so I will post when I get them.

Yesterday we made the great-grandparent rounds. Both Josh's grandma and my grandparents are too old to get out and come to the hospital for the birth so we took him to them. Of course they were super excited to see us.....and thought he was precious!

We went to church today! It actually went really well. Spencer cooperated and I was able to feed before we left the house and then in between Sunday School and the main service.....it could not have worked out any nicer. I took him to SS and service and he slept through both so he was wonderful for me! YEAH!!!!

Samara still hasn't been feeling well. Josh & I are really getting concerned. She has continued to fuss about her "tee-tee." We really don't know what she is referring to at this point because there is no rash and we have already done a urine culture to see if she had a UTI. We are just ready to figure all this out. Please be praying that we can get to the bottom of this. We are waiting on some test results right now to help us figure this out. Not feeling well coupled with her jealousy has made for some long and draining days.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy Fourth Of July!


I hope you all enjoy the holiday and get to see some fantastic fireworks. We will be spending time with family and praying that Samara will last to see the show!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Every day is a new day!

That has been my motto for the past few days and I feel that it might stay that for a while. Let's just say that these few days without Josh here have been quite a challenge. Samara is having a difficult time with the transition. I am not surprised, as she was the center of my attention each and every day. Not to mention that she was accustomed to doing stuff everyday and we have basically been housebound for the past week. Being housebound is solely by choice at this point. Having to feed every 2-3 hours makes outings with both kids too difficult. I think I will wait until the feedings space out a bit more before adding that into the schedule. I can just see myself trying to feed him and having to run after her!

Samara has really been testing me. Basically anything I ask her to do, she just won't do; even if it is something she really wants to do. She will either ignore me or simply look at me while she is defying me. This is not like her and I know it will pass OR it will just continue because she is almost 2 and people tell me that this is "terrible two's" behavior. Anyhow, I don't deal too well with the total defiance thing so pray for patience as we walk through this time.

She is also having to do all the things Spencer does so, she has tried out all of his stuff....swing, bouncers, clothes, eating like him (she didn't actually get to try this one), crying like him, just about anything you can think of. There is also no place that I can put him that she can't get to SOOO, that makes taking showers and even going to the bathroom quite difficult! The one place I thought was safe was his crib but she has shown that even that she can climb up! You ask why it matters if she can get to him? Well, let's just say that she is not very happy with him invading her life and likes to make that clear by hitting, yanking, poking, etc. She also tries to pick him up! YIKES! I am certain that these behaviors are all very typical but that makes it no less annoying.


On that note, today has actually been much better. I did forget to mention that she has been mad at me and won't sit with me or kiss me or let me play with her even when I don't have Spencer. Today was much better.....I guess she is adjusting, despite how much she wishes she didn't have to. I am so thankful for this step in the right direction.....I did also pray for lots of patience today so maybe that was part of it!

In case I have mentioned this yet, Samara and Spencer looked soo much alike when they were born. I thought I would post a side-by-side so that you can decide for yourself.


Spencer had a friend come visit. Troy, this one is for you.....Spencer & Amelia sittin in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage.


Yesterday we took a little break from the house and went to play at Mom's. Parker was in town and Mom had her, Alyssa & Balin so we went over there to let Sam play. She had a ton of fun!


And here is the little man hangin' out....look at those skinny legs all stretched out!

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