Summer Pictures of the Kids

I just wanted to share the beautiful pictures my mom took of my kids this evening. I have been wanting to go get some done professionally but just haven't had the time or money to do so. So, she helped me out and between the two of us, we got the kids to cooperate as best as possible and these are what we got! Enjoy :-)

Visit to Atlanta

While B has been gone (still is...bummer), the kids and I came to Atlanta to visit with my parents, friends, and family. It has been a very eventful 10 days here! I thought I'd share a few of the highlights because, well, we've had a lot of them!

The first incident that nearly scared me to death was when I went to get D up one of the first mornings we were here and I discovered that he had pulled the monitor cord in through the slats of his crib and had it wrapped once around his NECK! Ahhh! Now, he was perfectly fine and was just playing with the remaining cord in his hands, but it still scared me terribly because of what could have happened. I use one of the video monitors so the "camera" is positioned on the wall above the crib...which leaves the cord hanging down next to the crib. This has never been a problem since he hasn't been nearly as mobile as he is now. I will now make sure that the cord is never even remotely within reach of my little octopus.

I wrote earlier about how C stuck a piece of "paper" up her nose, but I never followed up with the end result of that. Long story short, she started sneezing a lot the next day so I helped her blow each nostril individually and eventually, I could see the "paper" and I pulled out a fingernail size piece of a plastic straw wrapper. Oh, poor baby, she had a piece of juice box plastic straw wrapper up her nose for almost 24 hours! Fortunately, she seems to have learned from this and has told me several times that, "we don't put things up our nose." Smart Girl.

Over the weekend, we had some good friends come over to swim with us. C certainly enjoyed playing with the other children and I certainly enjoyed kissing on my best friend's almost 4 month old baby girl. I am pretty sure God gave babies soft chubby cheeks just so that they could be kissed by the adults that love them :-) C was so worn out after the morning of swimming with her friends, she actually took a nice long nap that afternoon (this is a rare occurance in our household)!

And today was a eventful day all in itself, haha. My parents took me and the kids out to breakfast and then my mom and I ran errands for a couple of hours afterwards with the kids. This afternoon, I tried to teach little D how to crawl. He is 8 months old now and I know C was crawling really well by 8 months so I thought maybe he just needed to be taught how to do it. Here are a few pics of me trying to teach him:

And here is a super sweet one of both kids :-)

And here is my girl flying like an airplane!

The most recent eventful incident was after I put D to bed tonight. Since the last incident in the crib, I have moved him up stairs to sleep in the portacrib in the bedroom next to mine. Well, this evening about an hour after I put him to bed, he started fussing and crying, so I went to check on him. The little guy had pulled the floor length curtain through the crib slats and was laying on it and had half of it over his face and head! Oh my goodness! I removed the curtain which allowed him to see me (which of course made him smile - so lovely!) and moved the crib further away from the window. He rolled back over and stuck him thumb in his mouth and fell right back to sleep. This kid is truly an octopus and nothing seems to be out of his reach! I have to be more careful. These were scary incidents...

Here are a few more pictures from our visit as well:

My new workout program :-)

If you read my post a few posts back you learned that I really want to take control of my health (and weight) and feel better about myself for me and for my family. So, B and I have been trying to do P90X videos to exercise together, but I am just too out of shape to do them right now. I can't commit to 50-75 minutes of HARD advanced level exercise daily and stay pumped. They are too hard, I am too sore, and I don't have that much time every single day. So...I went to Best Buy and did a quick search for something more doable! I picked a video led by Jillian Michaels, from the Biggest Loser, because it had 3 different workouts at different intensities and because it was only 20 minutes long. I can do 20 minutes! Anyway, its called the 30 Day Shred and it is designed to be done everyday. I've done it twice now and I LOVE it!! I just want to share how much I am loving it. It is hard enough to kick my butt and make me sweat big time, but the exercises are very doable..and Jillian is a great motivator!

C is loving me doing my "workout video" as well. She sits in a little chair in the living room and says "Go Mommy, go!" and "good job Mommy." So cute :-) She also insists on crawling through my legs anytime the are being held in any position that provides her enough room to slip through them. And in one instance where they provided just a very small opening, she slipped "Purple Baby" (her beloved doll) through them instead. She even tried to get though my legs in the brief time they were spread during a lunge! She just made a quick dash (picture mini-golf through a spinning windmill). Of course she had to stretch with me when it was over and show me how she could reach her feet while doing a split. This is all a little annoying at the time - after all, I am busting a move and pouring sweat fo 20 minutes solid...and she is bouncing around trying to get through my legs, but its pretty funny after its over. At least she is still very into hanging out with me right now. She loves me and wants nothing more to spend time with me. Some day she won't have too much interest in me, so I am enjoying this for now. Maybe I'll be thinner by the time that happens!

Missing My Husband

My dear husband left almost 4 days ago for a 13 day Army "tasking" which took him out into the woods with only a huge 60lb backpack and the clothes on his back. I have no idea where he is. I assume he is somewhere in North Carolina, but I have no idea where! He spent a couple days packing his Rucksack (his big Army backpack) and ran to Gander Mountain several times before his departure. I sure hope he had everything he needed by the time he left! 13 days really doesn't seem like a long time for us to be apart after being apart for 6 months, but 13 days without being able to communicate with each other makes it seem like FOREVER! B was not even able to bring his cell phone (probably wouldn't have cell service anyway), so we knew there would not be any communication for these 13 days.

I write all this because even though it is only 13 days, I miss his terribly already and can't get him off my mind? What is he doing? Is it really unbearably hot or is he in the shade somewhere? Is there a lake where he can take a quick dip to cool off or to bathe? Has it rained and gotten all his stuff wet? What is he eating - did he and the guys is with have to catch an animal for food??? How are the actual missions going? Is he learning a lot? Is it fun or pretty miserable? Is he sleeping well? Is he getting any real rest at all? Does he miss me like I miss him?

Plus, there are things I'd love to share with him. D's first two teeth are coming in for real now - not just little glimmers under the gums, but are REALLY coming in! He is even getting a sore on the knuckle on his thumb from where his new teeth rub when he sucks his left thumb. Little C stuck a piece of paper up her nose today (apparently) and then panicked and threw a fit because it was hurting her. After sneezing many times and crying a lot, she either swallowed it or blew it out, haha. It eventually stopped bothering her, so I guess she is okay. I even used the aspirator to suck out anything I but was unsuccessful. She continued to sneeze all day but seemed to feel just fine. These are just two of the things I'd love to tell him, but so much happens everyday, I could go on and on sharing the events of our days.

The last time I went this long without talking to B was when he left for basic training two years ago. That time he was gone for 10 weeks and I only spoke to him 3 times for 5 minutes each time! It was insane and horrible. I can't even tell you how excited it was when "unknown" popped up on my cell phone each one of those times. And I read and reread each one of his letters a hundred times!

For now, I am enjoying my time in Atlanta with my parents and am trying to stay busy so the time passes quickly. I also have in the back of my mind that I know that this 2 weeks will seem so short when he leaves again in October for another 6 months (but at least we can talk everyday). Please keep him in your prayers as he serves our country by assisting in the training of an elite unit of soldiers. Please keep me and the kids in your prayers as we hang out in Atlanta and then travel back home next week to wait for his return!

This is just a picture I took of B and D before he left. They look so much a like!

Blessings

I have been especially weepy lately and I can't really explain why. All I know is that just thinking of my children or my husband makes me well up with tears more than it ever has before. I don't know if this is due to my husband recently returning home or because of the knowledge that he will be gone again in several months. Or if it is because I have truly mixed feelings about my baby being almost 8 months old and already being big enough to wear size 18 month clothes. Or if it is because I signed my 3 year old up for preschool and Vacation Bible School. I honestly don't know where the time has gone. I couldn't wait for D to get out of the "newborn" cry/sleep/eat all the time stage and now it seems like I blinked and today I noticed he is just starting to cut his first two teeth. And my precious daughter... I can't believe she is no longer a toddler. She is a kid - a little kid who got put in time out today at VBS. She speaks as clear as day and will tell you exactly what she is thinking at any given moment (remind you of anyone?). 

My day begins early and ends late. I do endless laundry and dishes and cannot count the jars of baby food and "puffs" I go through in a week. I pour cups of juice and wipe countless bottoms (well, just two bottoms, but I wipe them countless times!) throughout the day.  I make beds, change sheets, pick up toys, fold clothes, and run errand after errand. It is so easy to get caught up in the daily grind. BUT when I stop to think about my children and my husband and what they mean to me, I cry...every time.  I am just kind of an emotional wreck. I am so very happy to be doing all of this, and I cannot imagine my life any other way. I know that children are a gift from the Lord and I know that many couples try for years to be able to have a child. I am so very very blessed that I was able to get pregnant exactly when I wanted to. I know this is not the norm. I also know there are many children who are not healthy and that their moms and dads celebrate each day and/or month as a milestone. This video stopped me in my tracks and made me realize how blessed I am... 

99 Balloons

It also made me see how amazing his parents were for seeing the way little Eliot changed their lives and the lives of so many others. I pray that I would never have to face an issue like this, and in the meantime I will be thanking the Lord that my precious children are physically healthy and happy kids that play, jump, scream, sit, breathe, and eat just as they should. 

I also know that not all families have a dad and not all wives still have their husbands. So many families lost their moms or dads on 9/11 and continue to as our country fights in the Middle East. And right here in the US, young men and women die everyday in car accidents or of cancer and other prolonged illnesses. This was never as apparent to me as it was when I worked in the ER and ICU in Tennessee. I didn't realize how many men and women didn't make it to age 35. Every day of my own life and of my husband's life is a blessing as well. 

So, I don't know why I am so weepy lately, but I do know that I am blessed beyond belief by just having the life I have. Maybe I am just getting to be a weepy mom or maybe I am just hormonal. Either way, watch the video I posted and you will surely realize how blessed you are as well :-) Right now I need to go make something for dinner. C just came up to me and told me, "Mommy, my tummy is rumbling." haha, I love my life!

Playing with pictures from the beach...

I got to editing some of my favorite pictures from the beach and since I never actually finished posting them anyway, I thought I'd let you see a few. Most of these are a finish called "antique" on my iMac. It just makes them look classic and old. I like the nostalgic  look! I would like to blow up a couple into poster size and use them in C's room since her room is done up kind of Hawaiian and beach"y". 

It's just another "Manic Monday"

Wow, today was like a roller coaster. It was so "up and downy" that I felt the need to share :-)

The morning started out great because today was the start of C's very first Vacation Bible School at the church we've been attending. She was pumped and so was I! 3 hours with just me and the baby, yay! Dropped her off without a hitch, ran to Kohls and my purchase rang up on sale (even though it wasn't marked....fantastic!), came home, put D down for a nap and B came home early for lunch. He and I visited and then I ran off to go check out a preschool for C before picking her up from VBS. B kept D at home so I could get this done much quicker. I would be home well before he had to go back to work. I went to the preschool and got on the waiting list...but I was the only one on the waiting list so I was assured a spot would open by the Fall (remember, I live in a military community -people move ALL the time). While I was there getting a tour, a lady brought in her written notice that she would be removing her daughter from the program in the Fall...thus giving my little C her spot :-) Praise God! We found a wonderful christian preschool in a lovely little church not far at all from where we live - and she got a spot!! Yay! And I can afford it!

Okay, this is where the day gets hairy. I go to the church to pick up C from VBS grinning ear to ear that I got her in a preschool for the Fall. (Let me back up, she was already enrolled in one here on-post where we live but it wasn't biblically based at all and I had learned that it was more of a cross between freeplay/daycare/and a very little bit of structure -not quite what I was looking for. This is why I was searching for something else.) I go bouncing down to her room, greet my little one, and explain to the teachers that I accidently left my security tag in the diaper bag which I left at home because my husband was watching the baby - PAUSE. 

"I'm sorry, we can't release her without the tag...I know I saw you drop her off but we have to have the tag for security reasons..." They wouldn't give her to me! Oh no, I was going to have to drive 15 minutes back home to pick up the tag, then drive 15 minutes back all the while leaving my 3 year old in her classroom after all the other kids had come and gone! I didn't know what to do, so I called B...who never complained once. He packed up little D (had to install a car seat in his car!) and headed out to the church to meet me and deliver the "magic ticket." He did all this without once complaining or pointing out how dumb it was of me to leave the security tag at home. Bless him!

So, I did retrieve my daughter who indeed had a wonderful time at VBS and is looking forward to going back tomorrow! Now back to today...I found a listing on craigslist for a woman selling some snazzy name brand cloth diapers that she had been given and hadn't used. She was selling about 7 diapers for $35 - this is a GREAT deal! the diapers had been in a bag in her closet for about a year. She hadn't even looked at them in forever. So, this evening, I took D out there to go check them out. I had to get gas and go to the bank on the way to her house. Her home was lovely and her daughters were adorable, but the diapers were not so great :-( I was bummed and so was she, for they looked great and were in beautiful condition, but when I started playing with them, she and I noticed the elastic was pretty shot, ummm, dry-rotted. Aww Man! Two of them seemed to be okay, so I did get those two and she then brought out a different kind and a different brand. I thought it looked great, so I decided to take it. Plus, she GAVE me multiple (6) microfiber inserts for  my diapers. I left with 3 diapers and a handful of inserts for $12. Not bad. Pulled out of her neighborhood, and the bottom dropped out of the sky - RAIN like you wouldn't believe the entire way home. So, for 30 minutes I drove 25 MPH in the pouring rain and thunder. I was just sure the hail would be coming soon! Now, I was supposed to go get my oil changed at Sears after dropping D back off at home, but I was not going to stay out in the pouring rain. I made it home safe and sound and got my youngest ready for bed. His sweet freshly bathed skin smelled so good, yummm :-) 

Overall, it was an eventful day full of ups and downs. I am sure tomorrow will be no different. Happy Monday to all!

Oh body, oh body, where art thou?

I was heading to the PX today (all by myself!) and listening to a CD in the car...ahhhh, so soothing and relaxing.  Anyway, the CD was by Plumb and most of the songs relate to motherhood somehow. It is a beautiful CD and tends to evoke lots of emotions and thoughts of my kids and my family. I highly recommend it :-) So, the point of this blog is not to tell you about the CD, but to tell you about the revelation I had while listening to it. Basically, I got to thinking about the kids and being a mom and trying to be the best mom I can be for them and for me. We both- the kids and me - deserve my best (and that doesn't count my husband who also deserves my best as his wife). 

I do a lot of things for my family and I do my best to well...do my best, but there is a thought that remains in the back of my mind constantly. I have let myself "go" so long ago - physically. In high school and all throughout college I had a cute little body that I still thought was fat. I was always worried about my figure and never thought I looked as good as I should. I wore an 8 ish most of the time and to me, I should have been a 2 or 4 like most other high school and thin college girls. Well, I look back on that now, and I can't believe how blind I was! I looked great! Haha, so, "modesty" is not the name of this blog...

Anyway, skip to today, after two kids and just about 6 years of marriage and I am considerably heavier than I used to be. I have done numerous diets and have always had success, but once I get off the diet, I end up eating just like I used to and I gain the weight right back. I am so tired of constantly thinking about my weight and how I am not what I should be. I hate having to think about how I can make myself look thinner in clothes or wear a slimming camisole under my shirts so I can look better. I am just ready to not be thinking about how I can appear thinner than I am. Seriously, I am not fooling anyone! 

So, tonight on the way to the PX, I decided, "I'm done!" I am so done with trying to take care of my kids and my family and always having this issue with myself. I am going to get where I want to be. I know I am not 19 anymore, and I don't expect to have that body anymore, but I do realize that there are a ton of moms who look darn good after carrying and delivering babies. So, I am going to "do something about it" once and for all. I am going to stop eating fast food just because it is convenient and easy. I am going to make a point to make better food choices at home and at restaurants. I AM GOING TO LOSE THIS WEIGHT! I want to feel good about myself and have a little self confidence in how I look again. Plus, I want to run around with my kids and not get so winded. I want to be able to jump and not feel a jiggle (this may gross you thinner people out, but yes, there is an actual "jiggle").  B and I have recently started doing the P90X workout videos, and they are totally kicking our butts. I am seriously too discouraged by doing them and trying to get pumped for a 60 min+ workout 6 days a week is really hard. So, I decided I need to get a video that is fun for me and way less intimidating. And I need to walk with the kids as often as possible. I need to do this for me as much as for them. They need a healthy mom!

I figured I would blog about my revelation and "resolution" because it seems more like making a commitment when I write it out...and post it for the world (or 10 or so readers) to see. So, I am making a life change. I am going to be a healthy woman again. I am going to drop about 30 pounds and I am going to feel great! I need to feel good again :-) For real!

Oprah and Spirituality?

This is going to be an interactive post...

I am not a fan of Oprah. I actually really like her show because she usually has pretty interesting guests and some of them have great advice and stories (Dr. Oz, Nate the decorator, Lisa Ling, Faith Hill just to name a few), but I really don't like Oprah. She often adds her input to her "expert" guests as if she too is one of the experts. This irritates me because she is just a talk show host and does not have any formal training in any of the specific areas where her guests specialize. The BIGGEST problem I have with Oprah are her extremely vague and all-encompassing "religious" views.  She accepts every view from every religion shared on her show. She can nod her head in agreement when Faith Hill speaks of Jesus and do just the same when someone speaks of Karma and the the serenity of Buddhism. Now, I am by no means an expert on the different religions of the world (I only took one very interesting "World Religions" class in college), so I certainly don't know the specifics about each religion, but agreeing with ALL of them seems to me to be truly agreeing with none of them. Does that make sense?

So, what has me all fired up was yesterday's Oprah show which was a rerun from earlier in the year. It was called "Spirituality 101" and was part of a series she did on all sorts of different topics for one week...I think there was one of your physical health, your money, your sex life, etc... Each show featured one or more "experts" to share how you can get your life on track. Dr. Oz told about how to get physically healthy, Dr. Laura Berman spoke about sexuality, and Suzie Orman (I like this woman and her bluntness) spoke about money. Anyway, this one particular episode was on Spirituality and how to get your "spiritual life" on track - I guess. I didn't get to watch much of it in between C needing me to be her constant playmate and D waking up and needing to be fed, but I did catch that there was no real definition of what Spirituality was. The one guy I saw that was a guest via Skype was gay and I guess he was feeling defeated and put off and two of the "experts" who both claimed to be "reverends" assured him that being gay was a gift from God! The skyping guy said he felt much better and a little more hopeful after hearing from the experts. Oprah seems to think "spirituality" is more about feeling good about yourself and who you are and taking control of your life - more of motivationally speaking ?(kind of like Joel Osteen....did I say that out loud? Yes, because it's how I truly think) It seems like it (spirituality) is all about something bigger than this physical life, but by no means did that mean God or an "afterlife." I understand "faith" and "religion(s)" but "spirituality" is this big word that to me, kind of means...nothing.  

So, my question to you is, What is "spirituality?" Webster's dictionary is very vague as well just talking about the essence of being spiritual or something silly like that, so no real text book answers :-) Please leave me a comment about what you think this is and how it can be some overarching thing that all of us can benefit from - if we can, haha. And, just for a thought to ponder...wouldn't it be GREAT if Oprah was a true follower of Christ and used her influence over so many dedicated viewers to share the gospel? Just a cool thought...and something to pray about :-) 

Leave your comments! Plus, I am equally as interested to see who actually reads my blog, haha.

Oh the Army...

I am having an "I hate the Army week" so instead of calling all my friends and family and telling you all individually why I am irritated, I will just write it out. It saves you an earful and saves me time and getting all worked up over and over again. 

Basically, I like the Army most of the time. The benefits are good, the stability is really good, the housing is good, the hours are good sometimes (REALLY bad sometimes), the pay is workable, the promotions and raises are consistent, and the healthcare is decent. But, the obvious really big downfall are the deployments and/or separations. My husband returned from a 6 month deployment at the end of April. We were so excited that he'd be home and would have the summer to spend with us. We are very aware that he will likely deploy again this October for another 6 months, so at best, he will be home for 5 1/2 months this year (which is called his "dwell" time...and SHOULD be equal to the time he was deployed). 

But because the Army has needs and can't really focus on the individual, my hubby has been assigned to leave for 2 weeks at the end of the month. He will be assisting another unit with some training and will not be able to return home and will likely not get to call me much - if at all.  This stinks. But what stinks more is that he was most likely going to have to do this again in July and maybe even August. Uggg. So, he decided that if he was going to be gone for weeks at a time "helping" other soldiers, he would rather be gone for weeks at a time furthering his own career. (Going to one of the Army's "schools" overrides being assigned to help out in other units.) So, he has decided to go to Jump School in July where he will learn to "jump" out of airplanes and parachute down to the ground.  I do think this is the way better option because he will be doing something for his career that will hopefully help him on down the road with promotions and job assignments. And, as long as he jumps 4 times a year, there is a pay incentive as well! Anyway, the downside is that Jump school is 3 weeks long. So, now we're up to him being gone 5 weeks this summer. :-(

THEN when it gets closer to time for him to deploy, he will have PMT (Pre Mission Training) which will keep him away for another couple weeks...last year it was 2 weeks away.  Lastly, he will deploy in October and not return home until mid-Spring of 2010. So although his "dwell" time should have been 6 months - how long he was gone last deployment - it is only 5 1/2 months. And of those 5 1/2 months, he will be gone for 5 weeks this summer and probably 2 weeks in the early Fall (7 weeks total!). So, this is why I am having an "I hate the Army week." This cycle will likely continue as long as we are stationed here. :-(

Playing on the Blog

Do you like the new look? I decided to check out some new templates online and after trying several, this is the one I decided on using! I hope you like it and continue to visit my blog often. Have a fantastic Tuesday! 

A Mother's Love

So I just finished watching the season premiere of Army Wives on Lifetime and like any good Lifetime show/movie, I teared up a couple times. But it just really struck a cord with me. You see, one of the characters is going through some really tough stuff with his teenage daughter pulling away from him (pretty normal for a teenager). The show depicted it very well on how he is hurting from this and how he can still see her as the little girl to whom he has always been, "Daddy."  Very touching really. This same dad's other daughter was killed in an explosion last season, so he feels a lot of loss (so the plot sounds kind of dumb when I write it out...)

It got me thinking of my own kids though. The love I have for my children is truly inexpressible. It can't be put into words and I don't know what actions can truly show how the heart feels. Being a mom is the hardest thing I have ever done. It is exhausting and there is no break - ever. The days tend to blend together and for me as a stay-at-home-mom, the weekends aren't really that different from the weekdays (of course I love having my husband home, but our "routine" is still the same with the kids). I often get so wrapped up in the daily grind that I forget to slow down and truly enjoy the little moments. I felt one of these last night when I gave D his night time bottle in his room. Just me and him rocking in the dark in the glider. When I lifted him up to burp him our faces were just so close and he is such a loving boy - he just wrapped his arms around my neck. I found myself instinctively holding him closer and breathing in his scent, his soft cheeks, and his baby face. The daily grind keeps me so busy that I can't (or don't) do this frequently. It's the same with my 3 year old. Gosh, she is exhausting! She is such a sweet loving girl but is still QUITE the hand-full. I find myself constantly "redirecting" her throughout the day. Sure she learns from all that and she uses her manners and usually plays very nicely with her brother, but it is still exhausting.  At night after we tuck her in and she FINALLY falls asleep and quits coming back out of her room for boo-boos, drinks, stuffed animals she forgot to take to bed with her, and more "I love yous" and hugs, I go into her room and just watch her sleep. I always want to scoop her up and just hold her. I feel like I haven't told her enough that I love her and that I haven't given her enough hugs and kisses although during the day we do this all the time. It just seems like it is never enough. I can't express the love...nothing I can do can show her what I feel for her. 

It just breaks my heart to think about her being old enough to go to preschool in the Fall let alone ever be old enough to go to "big school," date or (oh-my-gosh) DRIVE!  This has turned in to a big mushy blog post, but it is what it is. I can barely see through my tears as I write because when I think about the unexplainable love that I have for them, I just can't hold back. It is so true that you "can't ever know a mother's love until you become a mother." So. Very. True. So, to all you mommies out there...I hear ya, and I feel what you feel. Its magnificent and beautiful - and heart wrenching!

I can't leave this post without relating it to my own Heavenly Father. If I love my babies like this...so much that it hurts and can't be put into words...then how much does He love me? The same? More? I like to think more. He IS love. He created me and He died for me and I am His child just like C and D are my children. It pains Him when I do dumb things against what He has taught me just like it irritates me when C does something  against what I have taught her. He just doesn't discipline me and send me to my room as I do to her. But the love is there. And oh, how great it is. Thanks Lifetime for a great show that conjures up true feelings of the heart. Now I need to go check on my sleeping babies for the 3rd time before I go to sleep and stare at them once more. I'll probably even rub their little heads and tear up again. Good night :-)

Dear C and D,

Your baby blues 

So full of wonder 

Your curley cues 

Your contageous smile 

And as I watch 

You start to grow up 

All I can do is hold you tight 

Knowing clouds will raise up 

Storms will race in 

But you will be safe in my arms 

Rains will pour down 

Waves will crash all around 

But you will be safe in my arms 

Story books full of fairy tales 

Kings and queens and the bluest skies 

My heart is torn just in knowing 

You'll someday see the truth from lies 

Knowing clouds will raise up 

Storms will race in 

But you will be safe in my arms 

Rains will pour down 

Waves will crash all around 

But you will be safe in my arms 

Castles they might crumble 

Dreams may not come true 

But you are never all alone 

Because I will always 

Always love you 

Clouds will raise up 

Storms will race in 

But you will be safe in my arms 

Rains will pour down 

Waves will crash all around 

But you will be safe in my arms

This is a song called, "In My Arms" and it is by Plumb. Just makes me think of my children and how much I love them. I thought I'd share it with you! The previous post was me entering a diaper giveaway. Check it out if you're interested or ignore it if you are not :-)

Bumkins Diaper Giveaway

Laundry among everything else...

So, I never finished uploading vacation pictures on here and I never wrote about C's birthday party. I just have too much going on and not enough time to keep up with it all. I can't possibly write about all that has been going on, so I should probably just jump right in to today!

At the moment, LAUNDRY is on my mind. It just never ends and when I get caught up, the celebration is very short lived since I will inevitably have another load or two the next day.  With 4 people in our family, we do not have as much laundry as some but definetely have more than others. I have actually come to love having our washer and dryer in the kitchen (even though this sounds like it would be annoying) because I can easily hear when a cycle has stopped so I can keep moving things along. I have memorized the wash/rinse/pause/spin/long pause/rinse/pause/spin cycle our washer does.  

Fortunately for me, I actually don't mind this chore. It's pretty easy for me. I don't sort colors and whites because I wash everything on cold. I do try and lump like items (towels, jeans, sheets) together, but don't get real OCD about it. I don't even mind the folding of the clothes...its the putting it away that drives me nuts. At this very moment, there is a pile of clothes next to the recliner in my living room that has grown and shrank several times in the past few days but has yet to actually disappear. Oh well, there are more important things to stress about I suppose :-) Just know that if you were to walk in my house, there WOULD be a pile of clean folded clothes somewhere in the main living area and almost always one in one of the bedrooms! 

Lastly, there is one load that I do frequently that I NEVER mind doing. Can you take a guess??? It's my new obsession - my cloth diapers. My stash has grown from 2 diapers to 10 all in ones/pocket diapers and 2 covers with 6 prefolds (the old school flat - fold it yourself deal). And a washable diaper pail liner. And all the inserts or "doublers" you can add to make them extra absorbent. I could go almost 2 days without needing to was my stash, but then I wouldn't have anything for D to wear when they were being washed and dried, so I still wash a load everyday. I truly love doing this load though because I love my diapers. I love switching them to the dryer and I LOVE laying some of them out in the sun to dry (did you know the sun will naturally "bleach" out stains? So cool!) And, I love folding them and getting them all ready for the next day. It's a fun and healthy obsession...except that I really still need one more diaper for the night time. I only have one night time diaper which means this one must be washed every day. I could use another to minimize this issue -and to try and slimmer one than the one I am currently using. D has quite the bubble bootie at night :-)

So, thats what is on my mind at the moment. Laundry. Speaking of that, I just hear the washer stop. Time to throw them next door to the dryer :-) Thank God we have washers and dryers and don't have to do all this by hand!