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Simply Joy Christmas

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Not only did Shutterfly give us 50 free Christmas cards, they helped us when we picked the completely wrong card for our offer!! So excited about our cards, so act surprised when you get your's in the mail. :)

Cheeeeeeese!

So, we are finally to a point with the girls where they both LOVE having their picture taken. It is almost impossible to get one of either one of them alone because the other always wants to be in the picture too. What a relief after years of tears and begging. :) We love Portrait Innovations but always leave with way too many pictures. Even after giving them away to family, we end up with an envelope full of extras. This year, my wonderful brother-in-law Matthew is taking our Christmas pictures for us. He bought a studio kit and has a great camera. His pictures are amazing! We are so excited.

This year, we'll be creating our own Christmas cards and are so excited about using Shutterfly. We have ordered photobooks and personalized gifts from them in the past. The catalog came in the mail last week and there are so many great designs to choose from! It will be hard to narrow them down to one. So far, these are just a few of my favorites (make sure you hold down the Ctrl key when you click, or this page will close):

Holiday Charms

I thought this would be so cute with the girls. Look, one of the names on here is even Carly! :)

Peppermint Bliss

Sweet Stocking

I definitely want something that we can add a few pictures to. It will be hard enough to narrow it down to one card design...I don't want to have to narrow it down to one picture too! (this is me being "the glass is half full" and assuming we'll have several great ones. :) )

Can you believe Christmas is almost here again??!!

***(Shuttefly is already an awesome site. What makes them even more awesome? This! They are giving away 50 Free Christmas Cards to bloggers. )***

Cracked us up!!

On Sunday after church, I was asking Taylor what her story was about in Sunday School. At first she said she couldn't remember, and then she said "Jesus". She said something about way up there, so I thought she was saying something about heaven. I asked her where Jesus is and she said "Ummmm, me don't know. Jesus not in my class!" I asked if he was in Heaven and she said "He in Carly class!"

Sweet Girl

I love Carly (obviously, that should go without saying. She is my daughter.) But there are the extra things that really touch me. She is so understanding, forgiving, and complimentary. When I mess up, I am really hard on myself, even about the stupidest things. She's always right there saying "It's ok, Mama!". She loves to pick out a shirt for me to wear and when I get dressed, she always tells me I look beautiful. (and it always seems right at the moment when I really needed to hear it. :)). And when we have horrible days where I feel like a nagging, terrible mom, she sticks with me and keeps smiling. She will be a great mom one day. :)

Sometimes I wonder who is learning from whom??
(whom? is that right? I never could keep that straight. :) )

Much Needed...

Today was a much needed GREAT day with the girls. We downloaded some new music and danced like crazy. The girls had a beach party when I was in the shower. They took our beach towels, got their swimsuits and sunglasses on, and "laid out" in the bedroom while I got ready...without fighting!! Then we watched my wedding video, Carly's ultrasound video, and just hung out. They even helped clean up while we danced some more.

Days like this are what keep me going after horrible days like yesterday.

James 1:2-4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Too Little Becomes Too Much

So, I keep thinking lately "Who gets to decide when something is not enough or when something is too much?" It's subjective and very annoying! The two cases that keep coming up:

Having Kids- We have two and people are constantly asking us when we are going to have another one. I think it's partly because some people cannot imagine that we could be happy with two girls (especially Andrew) and we just HAVE to try for a boy. I am perfectly happy (and stressed out :)) with two...

but at what point do people start making the "You're done now, right?" comments and talking rudely behind the parents back about them not getting the concept of birth control. I get so frustrated with people criticizing The Duggars (http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/duggars/ if you don't know who they are). Yes,they have a lot of kids, but they also pay for everything outright, homeschool their children, and seem to be a great family. There are people with 6 kids that have better control and better behaved children than others with only 1 child.

Weight- When you are overweight, no one will admit it to you. You know it and they know it, but (thankfully) most people are nice enough not to tell you. Then you lose weight and suddenly people are making snide comments about you, about what you are or aren't eating, how much you exercise,etc...and you still have weight to lose to be considered healthy.

So, this is mostly just a rant that I've been wanting to get off my chest for awhile.

Excuses, Excuses

Ok, before I get on the post I wanted to add, I just have to apologize for my slacking.

I just noticed my layout was a Christmas layout and my last post was on my birthday, in December!

Our new computer started disconnecting any time I try to read anyone's blog or do anything with mine. It's really annoying and I can't figure out why. So, we never sold the old one so I'm forced to use a small screen in order to see around the large gray streak that goes from the top to the bottom.

Anyway...

Happy Birthday to....

So, this was our conversation at breakfast today:

Me- Carly, 29 years ago today Gran was at the hospital and the doctor gave her a baby. Do you know who it was?
Carly- (whose eyes were huge!) Baby Jesus???

In her future?...

Carly was watching one of her favorite movies "Space Buddies" last week in the car. She told me they were going in space and I said, "It would be cool to go to space." And her reply..."I think it would be neat to walk on the moon." Just like that, matter of fact. And I ridiculously got teary-eyed for two reasons: One-What an intelligent thing to say. and Two- If that statement ever becomes a reality, I hope I can be supportive because I would be terrified to send my baby to the moon!

So Amazing!

We're reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan in our Sunday School class right now. Every week has been a different chapter and I especially loved this past week's. The chapter was named the same as the title of the book and described how much God loves, so much that we can't even imagine it and can only describe it as "crazy". Part of our lesson used one of my favorite verses:

Jeremiah 1:5- "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..."

This verse applies to so much in life. If you feel insignificant, if you are discouraged about your future (or even your present), if you are facing a hard decision about having a baby, etc.

When Carly was a cheerleader at the beginning of the year, she was very shy. She loved practicing at home but was afraid of standing with the other girls. Every week someone was given a Spirit Stick for showing the most spirit. The coach gave it to Carly, wanting to encourage her, and it worked! She had so much confidence after that.

Someone in our class compared the coach giving the Spirit Stick to Carly to God giving us the Bible. It has all the encouragement we need for whatever we face, so study it and go to it when you need a pick-me-up.

The last thing I wanted to share is a quote a friend sent me:
"When a person can come to the place in life where they can say with absolute unwavering conviction, "yes, but my God is in control", there is an awesome sense of strength and assurance that will fill the heart to overflow with an indescribable joy and peace. No matter what the challenges we face in life, this peace can remain."

This too shall pass...

Teething, tantrums, sleepless nights, crying all the time in the car, fighting about brushing teeth, picking out clothes,etc. I'm laying it all out there because I feel like my patience is about as thin as it can be. I'm trying to find the good in every day but am in one of those black holes of parenting ruts where it doesn't seem to be there. I've been told before and am telling myself constantly now, "This too shall pass." (and when it does, I'll look back and wonder where the time went.)

Much needed...

I came across this tonight, as I think about going to bed soon and the fact that tonight, as every other night for months, I will not sleep. This too shall pass. :) Not sleeping has been rough on all four of us, putting us on edge, and setting us up for more timeouts and frustrating days than we can handle. I especially like the part about "good days and bad."

A Parent's Prayer

Help Me give my children the best... not of trappings or toys,

but of myself, cherishing them on good days and bad, theirs and mine.

Teach Me to accept them for who they are, not for what they do;

to listen to what they say, if only so they will listen to me; to encourage

their goals, not mine; and please, let me laugh with them and be silly.

Let Me give them a home where respect is the cornerstone,

integrity the foundation, and there is enough happiness to raise the roof.

May I give them the courage to be true to themselves;

the independence to take care of themselves

and the faith to believe in a power much greater than their own.

See That I discipline my children without demeaning them,

demand good manners without forgetting my own

and let them know they have limitless love, no matter what they do.

Let Me feed them properly, clothe them adequately and have enough to give

them small allowances... not for the work they do but the pleasure they

bring...

and let me be moderate in all these things,

so the joy of getting will help them discover the joy of giving.

See That their responsibilities are real but not burdensome,

that my expectations are high but not overwhelming

and that my thanks and praise are thoughtful and given when they're due.

Help Me teach them that excellence is work's real reward,

and not the glory it brings. But when it comes.. and it will.. let me

revel in each honor, however small, without once pretending

that it's mine; my children are glories enough.

Above all, let me ground these children so well that I can

dare to let them go.

And may they be so blessed.



by Marguerite Kelly

Isn't it strange...

how eating a certain food or drinking a certain drink can take you back to another time in your life?

(I hope this isn't just something crazy that happens to me. :) )

Andrew bought a box of Little Debbie S'mores yesterday and they taste like a Moon Pie. It reminded me of spending the summer with my grandparents and going to the lake with them. It happens when I drink apple juice too. :) I loved spending the summers with them.

Things I love...

It's been a rough week for various reasons, so I want to just list a few things that I love about my family so I won't be focusing on the bad.:)


I love that Taylor tries to keep up with Carly. She will try to chase her around and race her to get a toy.

I love that Carly can make Taylor laugh like no one else can. Even the smallest things between them crack each other up. When stress of having two kids settles in, I just remember to stop and watch them play together and I know that it doesn't get any better than that.

I love that Carly has made up a crazy nickname for me- "Mama Lama Hooza" and that she always hugs me tight when she says it.

I love that Andrew is such an involved dad. He takes the girls grocery shopping, he does bath time and puts Carly to bed,and even when they are over-tired and crying (all three of them :) ) he plays and really enjoys his time with them.

Not a Hermit!!

I enjoy time to myself, when the kids are sleeping or when the house is empty. After long days of being "on" all the time, entertaining, playing, talking ALL day, I enjoy the quiet. It's hard for other people to understand that. For someone that's very social and thrives on attention or just the company of others, they see being alone by choice as being anti-social or rude. I just call it much needed mental health time. :)

I absolutely LOVE...

that Taylor snorts when she laughs. I can't get enough of it and I hope she doesn't grow out of it. (although she might not agree with that :) ).

It happened overnight...

It is amazing how quickly things change, how one day you have a baby and then it seems like the very next day they are a preschooler. How does this happen? I know it doesn't happen while I'm sleeping, because that doesn't last nearly long enough for these changes to occur! :) So, I thought I'd share some ways that Carly has surprised me lately.

She's become very independent lately. One night she decided she could give herself her own bath. Someone stayed in the room with her, of course. But she cleaned herself head to toe and did a great job!

She always wants to brush her own hair and put her headbands in.

She can get her own snack and drink.

The most surprising one to me...We hadn't really played on the swingset since last fall. I didn't think it was a great idea to bundle up a tiny baby and make her sit outside with us while we played all winter. So when we all went outside a few weeks ago to play, I was getting Taylor situated on the blanket. I look up and Carly is swinging by herself! No push from me to get started or keep going. She took off, pumped her legs, and was on her own. I was so surprised I had to hold back my tears. How did this happen? I was so proud but so sad at the same time how quickly things change.

In a book I recently read, it said when you are sitting at your child's graduation, you won't look at them and think "I wish I had cleaned the house more!". You'll be wishing you could go back and spend even more time with them. So, I'm trying to remember this.

Love these lyrics...

Love Is Not A Fight
Warren Barfield
Worth Fighting For

Love is not a place
to come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
then commit to never leave

So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
Work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Love is a shelter
in a raging storm
Love is peace
in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for

To some love is a word
that they can fall into.
But when they're falling out
keeping that word is hard to do

Love is a shelter
in a raging storm
Love is peace
in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for

Love will come to save us
If we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us
but demand we give our all

Love is a shelter
in a raging storm
Love is peace
in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for.

Cause I Will Fight For You
Would You Fight For Me
It's Worth Fighting For.

This song is in the movie Fireproof. I love the lyrics. Marriages are crumbling all around us every day and I am committed to not be one of them.

When will I realize...

Okay, Allison did it on her blog Preppy Haze and it seemed like a great idea, so here goes!

When will I realize...

1. That it's not a bad thing that it's been 10 years since I graduated from high school
2. That it really does not matter what other people think of me as long as I am living in a way that is pleasing to God.
3. That being quiet is not a bad thing.
4. That it is pointless to compare your own kids to other's
5. That even though I love the idea of cooking and finding recipes, the actual process is just something I don't enjoy
6. That I don't have to "exercise" but I do need to be more active if I want to lose weight
7. That you can't compare your body to the ones you see on tv and in movies
8. That even if I don't always like the way I look, Andrew does and I shouldn't try to argue with him about it :)
9. That I need to just take a compliment when it's offered
10. That you should not get out of a checkout line; the one that looks shorter will always end up being the one that needs a pricecheck, the person pays in all pennies, or they need their total every time a new item is added
11. That clean clothes will not fold themselves no matter how long you ignore them
12. That I will be sleepy no matter how much sleep I get
13. That I will eat chocolate if it is in the house (or car, or within walking or driving or flying distance :) )
14. That I get bored easily with cell phones, cars, houses but that doesn't mean I have to constantly change them
15. That just because I don't work doesn't mean I have to feel like all our money is "Andrew's money"
16. That being a mom is not a "job" but I still need time off :)
17. That regretting your past does absolutely nothing to change it
18. That attempting to talk on the phone with a preschooler and baby is just not going to happen unless the person you're talking to doesn't mind constantly being interrupted and screaming over...well, screaming :)
19. That it's not embarrasing that I like to read
20. That even though I have grown to hate Walmart, I will never stop shopping there because of the great deals

Ok, there are mine. Let's hear your's!

Ironies of being a parent...

So, lately I've been having all of these thoughts that are so ironic. I've been wishing away the sleepless nights, wondering when Taylor will get her first tooth, and when she will crawl but at the same time feeling sad that she has already grown so much so fast. I look at Taylor and get excited about her growing and finding out what her personality will be like but look at Carly and wonder how my baby is suddenly a 3 year old that gets her own snack, wants to brush her own hair, and likes to play the wii. (well at least pretend to drive while Daddy plays MarioKart.)



Andrew surprised me by coming home one day and saying he's sure he wants to stop at 2 kids. I posted before about how I was more sure than him about wanting to stick with our 2 girls. And I surprised myself by feeling a little sad when he said it.



I first heard this song when I was pregnant with Carly, and it had me in tears even then. (NOT because I felt like I was giving up my life for our baby, but because of the growing up part. :) )

Watch more When the Sun Goes Down videos on AOL Video

And this one more recently.

Watch more AOL Music videos on AOL Video

I read in Parent magazine not too long ago about a mom that said we get so caught up in wishing our children were more independent and feeling sad about how fast they grow that we miss out on what's going on now. I am trying my best to remember this. Hey, we can sleep when we're dead, right? :)