Why I am a stay-at-home mommy

So I am a stay-at-home mommy, sort of. I have an AWESOME job with an AWESOME boss who lets me work part-time, from home, and set my own hours. It's the best set-up possible! I work when the kids are sleeping in the afternoon, and I go to the office on days when they are in Mother's Day Out.

On occasion, I have to go to the office for a special meeting, which was the case last Monday. I had to be there at 8 am, which is UNHEARD of for me! I had to get up at 6:00 am to get my shower and get ready, then wake my sleeping angels up at 7:00 am, so we could be out the door by 7:10. They went with no breakfast and still in their jammies to Mammaw's house, where she had breakfast waiting. I did manage to get to the office at 7:59, just in time. As I sat down, I counted my blessings that I don't have to do that every day! My kids don't normally wake up until 7:30 or after, and I cannot imagine having to wake them up every day. And not getting home until 5:30 would mean practically no time with my kiddos. I don't know that I could concentrate on work for wondering what my kids were up to all day! Last Monday I got to pick my kids up after lunch and spend the rest of the day with them.

This morning, I thought again about how blessed I am. I had the alarm set for 6:30, because it's nice to get up before the kids to shower in peace, and have a few minutes to read a devotional. When the alarm went off this morning, though, I decided I was not going to rush my day, and I turned it off. At 7:15, Aaron climbed into my arms and fell back asleep. He woke up sometime after 7:30 and smiled at me and said, "Sleep with me Mommy!" I said, "I am sleeping with you baby." He said, "Sleep with me more, Mommy." And I said, "Okay!" So we closed our eyes and fell back asleep until Claire woke us up at 8:15. Don't take me for a lazy mom--that is not our normal morning--but I am so thankful that I can have moments like that with my children when we need some extra rest time! And snuggling with my little boy is the best way to start a day!

Beautiful Botanic Gardens!

Last week we went to the Botanic Gardens with our MOMS group, to attend a class called "Caterpillar Club." The class theme was Flower Power, so the kids got to color a flower picture, make a flower out of Fruit Loops and glue, hear a story about a flower, plant a flower...etc etc. Afterwards we went out on our own to walk around the grounds. The flowers are BEAUTIFUL right now! I couldn't resist taking my new camera and taking pictures...109 of them to be exact! Here are my favorites:











And I also have to share my new discovery! Using Photoshop to spiff up my pictures makes a real difference in the pictures! I have known how to add things to the pictures, such as labels or borders or whatever, and I knew I could adjust pictures using it, but I never really knew what to do. Recently I found a website called "Confessions of a Pioneer Woman" (she's hilarious!) and she has a photography section. She recently added a new section with some step-by-step Photoshop stuff, and I tried it out. Look at the difference it made in this picture!

Before (SOOC):


After:

Claire's first A!

I'm so proud of Claire, and so is she! She is somewhat obsessed with the letter A. She talks about writing it all the time, and anytime we're doing sidewalk chalk in the driveway or she's got a pen and paper, she hands me her pen or marker and says "Draw 'A', Mommy!" Wednesday we were at the Botanic Garden for a preschool class about flowers (very fun, lots of cute pictures to come!), and Claire says, "I draw 'A'." I thought, that's nice, then I looked at her paper, and she was RIGHT! She HAD drawn an A! She was so proud of herself. She told all the other Mommies who would listen to her "I draw 'A'." Isn't she talented? She hasn't duplicated it again, but she's been trying. She now has her own little notebook and she likes to take Mommy's pen, and sit and write. A couple of times she's done a triangle-type shape and she seems to know that's close to an 'A'. Way to go Claire!

PS--Don't you love the chubby baby hands? :-)

A Tribute to Oreo

My mom called me this morning, in tears, to tell me that Oreo is now in heaven. Oreo was her 13-year old Boston Bull mutt who is near and dear to both of our hearts. Oreo had a tumor in his mouth which was inoperable so Mom had to make the decision this morning to put him down. I know it was so hard for her, and I cried when she told me. In her words, "I'm still crying, wishing I'd had one more day, just a little notice, something; Oreo was with me through the thick and thin of [my trials in life]. ...Oreo became so protective of me, over the years, that I will not likely sleep well tonight, without him here."

I got Oreo in 1995 when I was in 10th grade. My friend Karla's brother had brought the dog home, and none of the other animals in the house liked Oreo because he STUNK! They were looking to get rid of him, and I fell in love with him! It turned out he had ear mites, and once those were cleared up, the smell went away and I had a precious, lively little puppy. I remember the Friday I got him--I DROVE to Karla's house, west down Goodman Road at 5 pm, with the sun beating down in my eyes. I was a new driver, still only had my learner's permit, and driving in rush hour traffic and blinding sun was one of the most stressful driving experiences I had ever had! (One of the ONLY driving experiences I had ever had at that point!) We picked Oreo up, and Mom drove home (thank goodness!), so I could hold my new puppy. That weekend I also got to try out rollerblading with my new friend Wes. I don't remember who all went, but about 4 of us spent all Sunday afternoon rollerblading through town, and I had a blast! It was a chilly late-winter day, and I ended up with strep throat a couple of days later! That is significant because the couple of days I spent home from school laid up on the couch, I got to bond with my new puppy. Oreo had a puppy's sense about me being sick, and he lay very still cuddling with me on the couch, and if you knew Oreo, you know that laying still was not really in his nature!

Oreo was a funny puppy--he was a boy, but for quite some time did not understand that he was supposed to lift his leg to pee--he squated like a girl dog! He also didn't know how to bark at first. It was the strangest sound that would come out when he would try to bark. It was at least a few months before he finally figured out barking. I think it is because Oreo thought he was a human. He could even talk! Many dogs who can talk say "mama"--but Oreo could also make "b" sounds! When he got to talking to you, it was not always clear what he was saying, but it was definitely human language coming out of his mouth!

Shortly after my first rollerblading experience, I got my own set of rollerblades. Oreo LOVED these. He was such a hard dog to walk--always pulled on the leash trying to run ahead. If he would walk next to you, he always pulled the least so taught that he would walk at an angle--I always joked that Oreo had not had his V8 that day! To be so small, he was incredibly stout and strong! So we got in the habit of going rollerblading together. I would strap on my rollerblades--when Oreo heard the clicking of the rollerblade buckle he would start going berzerk! He knew it was time to take a WALK! I would hook him to his leash and off we would go through the streets in our neighborhood. All I had to do was hold on and he would pull me all around as fast as he could run! Then we'd come home and poop out together on the couch!

I only got to play with Oreo like this for the first year of his life--after that Mom moved away and I stayed behind to finish at the school where I had grown up. From that point on, Oreo became Mom's dog and constant companion through many rocky times in her life. At one point they lived in Northern Indiana, and Oreo thought the snow was really strange! It would snow so deep that when he tried to go out the back door, it would be over his head! Sometime along the way Mom got another dog, a beautiful weimaraner named Silky. Silky and Oreo were like Mutt and Jeff--Oreo could stand upright beneath Silky! They were the best of friends, and Mom says that Silky is a bit confused as to why Oreo did not come home with her this morning. I am sure Silky will go through a mourning and adjustment period as well as Mom. My heart breaks for you today Mom, and mine is broken as well. We will all miss sweet little Oreo.

Silky and Oreo, anxiously awaiting an open gate


Some pictures from my visit to Indiana, Summer 1997


Silly Oreo liked to relax like this:


Mom and Oreo, giving his stately look


Me and Oreo, cuddling


Oreo, walking crooked, needing to drink some V8 (really he was leaning as far from the water as possible!)


Oreo was terrified of the big bowl of water (Lake Michigan) so our walk on the beach turned into me DRAGGING him...you can see the marks he was making on the sand!


We love you Oreo!

Thought of another funny...

I thought of one more addition to my random funny things list...

*Claire randomly speaks Spanish! It's the funniest thing! Today she was pretending to talk on the phone, and when she was done she said, "Adios!" She was closing the dishwasher for me today and she said, "Close! Cierra!" I've heard her use "abre" (open) in context as well. She learned this from her Dora's Opposites book which has the English and Spanish words together. I didn't realize she was becoming bilingual already!

Random funny things

My kids have been saying some of the funniest things lately!

*Yesterday in the car, we were listening to a new CD Aaron got for Easter. "This Little Light of Mine" came on and Aaron said, "I don't believe it! We sing This Little Light of Mine in choir! I love this song!" I said, "Why don't you sing it for me?" and he replied, in a very grown-up sounding voice, "Actually, I'm quite busy drinking my apple juice." It just cracked me up--QUITE busy?

*Last night Claire coughed a little at the table and she said, "Claire has a cold," and started fake coughing a few more times. Sometimes Aaron will do that and I guess Claire just picked up on it!

*Claire makes full sentences these days and it just cracks me up. She's only 20 months old! "I can't find it Mommy" or "Let me do it" or "I can't do it Mommy" are some of her favorites. She's also started asking "Why, Mommy?" I seem to remember the "why's" coming later with Aaron. It just cracks me up when she talks to me like she's a 3 year old.

Our Resurrection Eggs!

I am so proud of my little Aaron-man. Last year we made some homemade resurrection eggs, and we've been playing with them this week. It's one dozen Easter eggs, each with some item in it representing stories surrounding Holy Week and Easter weekend. Aaron has each of the stories memorized. Of course at age 3 1/2, he doesn't really grasp the weight of what happened that week and that Friday, but he gets all excited when we get to the last (empty) egg and he says "the tomb was EMPTY!"

Here's a run down of our eggs--there are other stories I could have chosen but these are the ones I picked when I made the eggs last year.

1. Leaves, which represent the palm branches the people waved at Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Aaron always says "Hosanna! Jesus is coming!"

2. A cotton ball with perfume on it. This represents the perfume that Mary poured on Jesus's feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair. I explain to him that Mary was anointing Jesus, which means she was telling people that he was a special person.

3. A piece of bread, representing the bread Jesus ate with his friends at the last supper. I'm teaching Aaron to say "This is my body which is broken for you."

4. A quarter--Aaron says "Judas!". Aaron is learning that Judas betrayed Jesus and got 30 silver coins. He told me tonight that Judas got 30 quarters. :-)

5. A piece of purple cloth, which represents the purple robe they put on Jesus after they beat him.

6. Some thorny branches, which Aaron will tell you they made into a crown and put on Jesus's head. At first he thought that was a good thing, and then I told him the thorns were really big and it actually hurt Jesus.

7. A cross, representing the big, heavy, wooden cross they made Jesus carry.

8. Two dice, which represent the "game" the soldiers played, and the winner got Jesus's clothes.

9. Nails, to remind us that Jesus was nailed to the cross, through his hands and feet.

10. A piece of sponge, which represents the story of Jesus becoming thirsty on the cross. I ask Aaron, "Did they give him some yummy water?" He says "No! Yucky vinegar!"

11. A rock, which they put over Jesus's tomb after He died. "So no one could get in, and no one could get out," Aaron says.

12. A empty egg, reminding us that Jesus DID get out! He rose again on Sunday morning!

Vote please!

I am notoriously bad at making decisions on my own. I hate shopping for clothes by myself for this very reason! I need a fashion advisor to come with me (anyone want to volunteer?).

Today I ventured out to Target with just Claire to find my shirt for our family picture we're having made on Thursday (for the church directory). Unfortunately she's not a very good advisor (yet).

I really want the family to at least coordinate (not matchy-matchy). The kids and Chris already had blue items to wear, and I did not. So today I bought two blue shirts that I really like. I like the cute button-up with scalloped edges, but once I got home I realized the blue might clash. What do you think? Should I go with the blue sweater, or the button-up shirt?

Just vote by leaving a comment on this post!

Here is a close up of the button-up since you can't see it well in the first picture:

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Today is the big 3-0 for my sweet hubby! We had a family birthday party on Saturday night, with grilled hamburgers and his favorite cream cheese Rotel dip! I made an amazing chocolate peanut butter "Buckeye Cake". It was so rich and delicious! He got some gas money for turkey hunting trips from the grandmothers, and a new turkey call from me! Today was nothing special since we celebrated on Saturday, but he said that was okay--he's had a good birthday week!

Claire's first haircut!

Claire's hair has been getting long and kinda crazy looking, and I knew it was time for her first real haircut. I struggled with the decision, because I kept thinking if I wanted her to have long hair I had to just let it grow. All my friends with girls told me that if we got it trimmed up, it would fill in and thicken up. I couldn't get an appointment with our regular hairstylist, Jennifer, so we just went to SuperCuts and let some random girl cut her hair. She SCREAMED and cried the whole time. Poor baby! When it was all said and done, though, she did look neater. I don't really care for the short bangs--I wish they had stayed longer. Oh well, it's just hair...it will grow!

Give God His Glory!

Yesterday I browsed Beth Moore's blog for the first time. If you don't know, Beth Moore is a renowned speaker, teacher, and author of many Bible studies. One post I read yesterday struck me, the theme being "Give God His Glory!" (You can read it here: http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/2008/03/something-on-my-mind.html). Basically if you see God do something, make sure you give Him credit for it! So I was thinking about a couple of things that happened recently that I need to give God His glory for!

*Before the consignment sale, I was so worried we were not going to have enough volunteers. It seemed many people within our church did not grasp the scope of what we were about to put on, and I was worried we would have long lines, confused or frustrated shoppers, and leave no positive impression on people who came through the doors. God reminded me of the story of the loaves and fishes--how He was able to take what was obviously not enough--2 small fish and 5 loaves of bread--and feed 5,000 people! He told me that he would do that with our volunteer staff. And He did! We had plenty of help--and the helpers we had were very busy and took charge of their jobs and everything got done!

*Again a story from the consignment sale--we had prayed a few days before the sale started that God would keep us and our children well so we did not have that distraction. Wouldn't you know that very night several of our kids, and us, started getting the stomach virus! (I was one of the ones affected...it was HORRIBLE!) But by the time the sale started, we were all on the mend and did not have the distraction of sickness during the sale. I thank God that he got that sickness out of our system before we had so much to do for the sale!

*Just last night we were putting the final touches on the house and dinner because we were having a small family gathering to celebrate Chris's birthday. Right before the first guests arrived, Aaron was carrying a 2-liter of Diet Coke, running through the kitchen, and somehow he fell and got a NASTY boo-boo on his finger. It had two huge splits, blood was going everywhere, and he was screaming at the top of his lungs. I was freaking out thinking we'd have to go to the ER for stitches, when my sister-in-law, Christi arrived. She is a physical therapist and has a much more level head and know-how about injuries than I do. She took a look at the boo-boo, assured us it would be fine, sent Allen to their house for medical supplies I didn't have on hand, and helped me doctor the wound. I am so thankful she arrived at that moment--I would have been clueless about what to do! That's God's perfect timing!

I could probably think of more, and I'm going to try to keep thinking of them! I want to give Him the glory so He will continue to work in my life!

Don't baptize your sister

One of the strangest things I think I have ever said as a parent is "Don't baptize your sister". I think it all started when Aaron learned in Sunday School about Jesus being baptized by John. He decided to come home and baptize Claire, and she hates it! He'll just grab her and fling her back. I'll hear Claire crying and I'll ask what happened. Aaron will say proudly "I BAPTIZED Claire!" or Claire will say "No Aawon bab-tize" between sobs. When I captured this particular moment she just jumped up and went about her business instead of crying. I guess she's getting used to it!

My New Camera...a long coming dream come true

I have had such a busy last few weeks, and I feel like I have so many things to catch up on with my blog!

I got a new CAMERA! I am so excited about it. It's something I've been wanting for well over a year, and we've been saving for it. I got it sooner than I thought I would because my old camera was really acting up to the point I wasn't able to take pictures sometimes. So frustrating for this shutterbug!

I got a Canon EOS Digital Rebel xTi. It came a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't had a ton of time to play with it, but now that the consignment sale is over and things are settling back into routine, I'm looking forward to learning some new tricks with my new toy. Here are some great shots I've gotten just snapping around...

Snow Day!!

While snow was not an ideal addition to our consignment sale weekend, it was fun nonetheless! The "blizzard" blew in Friday afternoon and we got to play in our winter wonderland Saturday morning! Claire did not want to touch the snow--she's very sensitive to new textures. Aaron could not wait to eat the white snow--he kept saying, "You don't eat YELLOW snow!" He made a snow angel and we threw some snowballs. His hands started freezing (and so did mama's), so we didn't attempt a snowman.


Eating white snow:



Snow angel!


Look at the cool formation the wind and snow made on the edge of our roof!


Me and the kids in front of our snow covered house


Claire Bear and Mommy


Getting kisses from my snow angel


Me with my kiddos, all bundled up!


We couldn't resist snapping a pic of our poor little plumber man


Chris got some neat shots of the robins in the trees

The sale was a success!

Well, the consignment sale is over! It was an exhausting week. From Monday's evening drop-off in the pouring down rain, to Sunday afternoon's clothing pick-up...I felt like I had moved into the church gym! The sale was a huge success--the gym was packed full and some members of our team did such a great job organizing everything. We got so many compliments on how well-organized we were, what a great selection we had, how nice the racks were (thanks Chris!) and how efficient our check-out system was. It was good to hear all off that! I think we really had an impact on the community, too. We had almost 500 transactions, which means that many and more lives were touched at some point. I know a few indicated they wanted more information about our church, so I'm hoping we can get them connected and into a relationship with Jesus Christ!

In addition to that, we grossed over $13,000, and probably nearly $4,000 of that will be a donation to our church's mission fund! I'm so proud to have been a part of such a successful event. I'm looking forward to the sale this fall! Here are some extra pictures: