Three Holidays, Three Birthdays

That's what November and December hold for us!

November 22--Thanksgiving
November 24--Peter's birthday
December 25--Christmas
December 29--Edmund's birthday
December 31--Alicia's birthday

One celebration after another...the months are stuffed with memories.

Peter turned three! I can't quite get my brain around it. On his day, he woke up to streamers in his doorway and balloons filling the living room. A room full of balloons is a day's worth of entertainment in and of itself! This was followed by pancakes for breakfast (a rare treat!).

His big birthday present was a red tricycle, which he LOVED. He even asked if it could be in his room that night when he went to sleep, haha.

In the afternoon we took Peter and two of the neighborhood boys to a local bowling alley (they were running a 99 cent/game special for kids)...he loves to bowl! Cracks me UP to hear him talking about strikes and gutter balls. He thinks the bowling balls are all kinds of cool and loves picking out which color ball he's going to use when it's his turn. And I get a kick out of watching him in a pair of tiny bowling shoes! Guess I need to brush up on my bowling skills if I'm going to keep up...

Daddy and his boys at the Bowling Alley...typical attempted photo here, with Edmund looking like he wants down and Peter distracted with a balloon.

We concluded the day with a pizza dinner and elmo cupcakes. Yes, this is the second year in a row of Elmo birthday cupcakes, but that was the birthday boy's request! Our sweet friends Chad and Diana joined us (they are Peter's personal favorites), and there were lots of laughs, some presents, and plenty of sugar.

Of course, he's growing up too fast.

Dear Peter, my three year old boy,

Everyday I kiss your cheeks and try to soak you in. I love that earnest look in your eyes when you're asking me how something works. You've always been very earnest, but you've just entered the phase where you ask me five million questions a day...many times the same question 20 different ways. You're figuring out how things work. You're so much like me in some ways--in your mind fact and objects have a place where they belong...it's like you want to categorize them.

At the same time, you're full of boyish gusto and love the thrill of the legos all tumbling out of their box and the echo of singing at the top of your lungs in an empty room.

Your "Mommy, can you play soccer with me?" or "Mommy, can you read this book with me?" are impossible to resist...I cannot say no.

You are learning to take care of your little brother. I always smile when I hear you yelling across the room for Edmund...the two of you enjoy each others company, and I hope that never changes.

My deepest hope for you is that your heart will be soft towards the Lord now and always. May you follow hard after Him your whole life long.

My sweet boy! Today let's build train tracks, go for bike rides, tell stories, and play frisbee!

Love,
Mommy

Three Holidays, Three Birthdays

5 Months and On The Go {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

How did this:

Become this!?

These have been the fastest 5 months of my life (with the most kisses EVER squeezed in). I wish I could bottle up this boy's sweetness.

At 5 months, Edmund....

-still has blue eyes (what, what!?! I thought we would have all brown-eyed children, but the recessive gene came through. Two of my sisters and my grandmother have blue eyes)
-rolls both ways
-sits like a champ in the Bumbo
-loves the walker! He mostly goes backwards, but is getting tall enough to go forwards a bit
-sleeping wise, he takes 3 naps during the day. He typically goes to bed at 9 pm, has a dreamfeed at 10 pm, eats again at 4:30-5 am, and then goes back to sleep until 8 am.

AND, as of yesterday, he's figured out his own version of mobile by scooting on his back around the house. I instagrammed the below shot of him yesterday....he started on that mat in the living room, and ended up in the dining room. With impressive speed!

Watch out mama!

Have your kids been up to any new adventures lately? When did they get mobile or start crawling?

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You can link up your adventurous blog post below. Just link back to Alicia's Homemaking and try to leave a few fun comments on other people's posts!

5 Months and On The Go {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Of Accidents, Celebrations, and Goals

An hour after hitting "publish" on my last blog post, I was driving down the road on the way to an appointment, the boys buckled into their carseats in the back.

Suddenly there was a silver car turning left in front of me....just feet in front of me! 1st second--I slam on the breaks. 2nd second--we collide. Metal on metal, the boys' shocked screaming in the backseat, then metal on metal again as the cars spin and hit each other a second time, coming to a stop.

We are stunned, the cars pressed together in the median. The other driver hugs the woman in her passenger seat, and we are all ok. I'm ok. The boys are ok.



It's the second accident I've experienced in the last 3 years where both cars were seriously damaged but not a single passenger was hurt. Not even a scratch.

I felt God's hand over us so tangibly that day. After the initial shock, I was calm, even cheerful. All I could think of was that my boys were ok. I held my lanky two year old on my hip...because I could. Edmund was peaceful in his carrier (Oh thank God for sturdy carseats!). The other driver tearfully hugged me, and we marveled that God wanted us to walk the earth another day.

Talk about a dose of perspective to start the weekend off!

And it was a lovely weekend....

On Friday, we packed Peter up to spend the day with our friends Chad and Diana...



...so that Andrew and I (and our tag-a-long Edmund) could spend the day celebrating our 5th anniversary!

We started the day off with a fabulous breakfast...


...which involved Eggs Benedict (be still my heart!).



Also known as the "how-to-gain-5-lbs-in-10-minutes" breakfast. See those grits? They don't look like much, but they were AH-MAZ-ING.

We soaked up each other's company for the rest of the day. Picked up some anniversary/mother's day flowers at The Fresh Market, took a nap, played with the baby, relaxed at a coffee shop, and enjoyed a scrumptious Cajun dinner at a downtown restaurant.


It is so sweet to look back on the past 5 years. In that time, my husband and I have moved 4 times, had 4 jobs between us, gone through a year-long military deployment, had two kids, and (almost!) finished a master's degree. My husband's character has been proven to me in the stressful times. In the nights of separation and the high-pressure school days, he has consistently put his Lord and his family first. He has loved me so well. I am in awe of how ingeniously God answers prayers and knew exactly what I needed in a husband.

On Saturday, we enjoyed a now-yearly tradition of picking blueberries at a local farm. The farm opens up to the public for free picking once a year, and we don't miss our chance! Peter thought it was the best thing ever, and was running up and down the blueberry rows saying "Oh! Dere's one! Oh! I need to eat moy boo-berries 'cause I's hunga-ly."



We picked 24 pounds of blueberries. They are huge and deliciously crisp and sweet.

I enjoyed some of them with my Mother's Day breakfast in bed the next morning...







All in all, we had some precious family time.

Now the new week is here, and I'm making weekly goals for the 1st time since we were out of town for a month/moving/sick!  I would share a menu plan, but with my hubby gone it's comprised mostly of dishes like spaghetti, beans and rice, and PB&J (is PB&J a "dish?"  Hahaha...).

Goals for this week: 

• Make a large batch of red sauce in the crockpot.
• Work out x 2 (trying to be realistic, since Andrew's not around).
• Memorize 1 Corinthians 1:25-31
• Read 2 chapters of Killing Lincoln.
• Go to bed by 10:15 pm each night, wake up by 6:30 am at the latest. This is my major goal this week!!!
• Edit 10 photos from last week's photoshoot.
• Write in both boy's memory books.

How was your weekend? Have you ever been in a scary car accident? 

 

Linked to Money Saving Mom.

Of Accidents, Celebrations, and Goals

Attitude Adjustments {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

At first I thought I'd tell you about my flower gardening escapades today. But lately, I have precious little blogging time, and I'd rather tell you a small bit of what's been on my heart.

My husband has an out-of-town rotation this month. For various reasons, the boys and I could not accompany him, so we're at home. Andrew comes home on the weekends. During the week, it's just me and the boys. We're almost two weeks into the rotation...and whew! What a ride.

The first Sunday Andrew left, I knew I was in for a challenge. We had just moved (translation: I couldn't find things, since half of our stuff was still in boxes). For the 1st time in a looooong time, I had broken out with eczema on my hands and it hurt to touch basically anything. Peter was sick with a case of the runs and he threw up all over the floor shortly before Andrew left.

Oh boy. Let's just say I was not very excited to see my husband drive away for the week.

A couple mornings in to that first arduous week, Peter woke up still sick and super whiny. He didn't want anything to eat and just kept asking to watch Elmo. I set him up to watch his favorite furry friend and sat down at the kitchen table with some very strong coffee. Between the two boys, I had been up 4 times during the night. It was only just breakfast-time, and it felt like the day was already spinning out of control (a slightly dramatic point of view...yes. But that's where I was at!).

I did not want to have a good attitude. I wanted to go back to bed and not change another poopy diaper. Heck, doesn't waking up 4 times in the middle of the night and not having any reinforcements qualify a momma for a bit of self-pity?!

I told God about it in an "Ok. Here's-the-day-and-how-am-I-going-to-get-through-it" manner.

Almost right away, He reminded me that He had given me the day exactly as it was. The sick little boy. The sleep-deprived brain function. The out-of-town husband. The body fluids. 

And if this is what He had given me, then He would provide the get 'er done (with a good attitude) ability.

We know that, right? How many times have you heard that if God gives you something difficult, He will give you the strength to handle it?

But PJ-clad with unwashed face and Elmo too-cheerful in the background, it rooted in my heart. And my day changed from: me, bemoaning the loss of my preferred day, to God, showing me His greatness in the present situation.

That's not to say that I've had the perfect perspective ever since that moment. Last night I went to bed grumpy and wanting to cry after finally getting both boys to bed shortly before 10 pm. But I'm wanting to remember. This is what God has given me today. It's not a dire situation (and I can think of plenty worse), but it's too big for me to handle.

God, however, is gloriously strong to meet the challenge.
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This motherhood gig is schooling me, ya'll! Link up your adventures below. I look forward to reading about them. :) Don't forget to link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and it's always cool to leave some encouraging comments on other people's posts. Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures.


 

Attitude Adjustments {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

One Month Relocation #2 {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Another out-of-town rotation has rolled around for my husband. Remember when we lived with friends for a month last July? It's that time again--only this rotation is back in our hometown, and we are going to be living with my parents for 4 weeks.

The cast of characters: My Dad and Mom. My 20-year-old brother, 14-year-old sister, 12-year-old sister, and the college student that also lives with my parents. Plus our family of 4! 10 people in all.

My family at my sister's wedding last year. I labeled those of us who will be at home in the next month...

I am looking forward to spending time with my family. On weekdays, I'll most likely be at home by myself with our boys. Both of my parents work outside of the home (as of last year). My sisters are in middle school at the private school where my mom teaches. My brother is working and in a band. The college student (Traci...she was also my roommate during the year my husband was deployed!) is at school and work. So our days will be semi-normal (I think!), with people-packed evenings and weekends.

There will be more cooking for crowds and visits with dear friends. Peter will love playing in my parent's huge yard and with Roxy, their dog. Edmund will be extremely loved and admired. And Andrew and I might be able to slip away for more-than-the-usual amount of dates!

Living away from my family for these last two years has definitely increased my appreciation for them, so I want to treasure these coming weeks. We pack up and go this weekend...2 cars, 2 little boys, pack 'n plays, laptops, clothes, and all.

It's always harder for me to blog when we're away, but I'm hoping to snatch some time during naps when I'm not occupied with cooking massive amounts of food. I have some fun posts brewing in my head/draft box...a breakfast muffin recipe, more on using a homemaking binder (+ a giveaway), and the story behind how I became a Jesus follower!

If you want to read more about my family, check out these posts: 

Top Ten Tuesday: My Ultra Cool Family (what can I say...I'm biased!)
An Interview With One Of My Favorite Ladies
A "Normal" Day For a Homeschooling Mom of Six
Parenting Older Children and Keeping Marriage First
My Sister Michaela's "Up" Themed Wedding  (happens to be a very popular post on my blog...)
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Link up your adventures below! The idea is simple: Link up your adventurous blog post, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then visit around and leave a couple fun comments on other participant's posts. Good times, good times.

One Month Relocation #2 {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

For When You Can't Have Big Adventures {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Lately, it's been hard to have lots of new adventures. Not because I'm bored or in a rut. Far from it. More because...

...I'm pushing babies in the stroller to go check the mail, washing sippy-cup valves, cooking, laughing at Edmund trying to find his hand (he holds it in front of his face and it shakes, Parkinson-like, and he goes cross-eyed trying to see it), reading while I breastfeed, coloring pictures for Peter,  catching friends on the phone when it's quiet enough to talk, filling the sink with oxiclean and stained baby clothes, shaking my head at how the carpet never looks clean, crafting something (anything!) into a musical instrument for Peter,  and making lots of PB&Js.

Life is full of little things right now. With so many naptimes and feedings, I spend more time at home than before. There might not be money in the account for a trip to the mountains, but we can go to a friend's house and play outside. Or read at the library. Or have someone over for dinner.

We have scattered small new adventures of the very best kind. This week it was:

Waking up before the boys. I'm finally getting enough sleep to where this feels possible! Morning time before the little ones get up is precious. It's dark, no one has a need, the cup of coffee seems more special. I eat breakfast, get a shower, read my Bible, or exercise (so far never all four). The last time I was able to do this was in my second trimester/early third trimester...so I'm appreciating it!

Reading a book out-loud with my husband. This gets me so excited! I have visions of our family all cozy in the living room, reading Dickens or Shakespeare or The Hobbit to each other. Andrew and I did a lot of reading together in the 1st year of our marriage. But then he deployed for a year, and then there were kids, and then there was PA school (it's the big bad killer of any reading other than a textbook or wordy medical powerpoint). But school is nearing its end, and Andrew has decided that we can try again! We've started on The Heavenly Man and have already realized that we both need to work on our "reading out-loud endurance" (our voices get tired!)...

Having our Kenyan neighbor and his son over for dinner and learning a little about his life and culture.

What adventures did you have this week?
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Participating in Try New Adventures Thursday is simple: Link up your adventurous blog post below, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave a few kind comments on other participant's posts!

For When You Can't Have Big Adventures {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Mini Photo Shoots {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Before baby Edmund was born, I was thrilled at the prospect of practicing some newborn photography skills on my very own adorable model.

Then he arrived, and the 1st 14 days of his life went by in a happy, busy blur. I did squeeze in one "photoshoot" with the help of my sister, but otherwise we just took a lot of snapshots. Not a lot of time for fiddling with camera settings or arranging elaborate props (or props at all).

Our daily pace is somewhat slower now, and I've started randomly doing some mini photo shoots with the kids. Mainly with little Edmund (he changes soooo quickly right now!), since getting Peter to actually look at the camera is a rare feat these days!

A bathroom photoshoot with Squishy when he was 16 or 17 months old.

To do a mini photoshoot, I'll just set aside 15-20 minutes of time when one (or both) of the kids is awake and happy. I'll try to find some good lighting (in front of a window or outside), and I'll go to town and take a lot of photos. In our tiny house with very few windows, sometimes perfect lighting is wishful thinking. The photos above were taken in our bathroom (fluorescent lighting) with my lightscoop. I'm working with what I've got...

The mini photoshoots are fun! It doesn't exhaust the subject. I take loads of pictures in a very short time frame and typically come out with at least 3-4 shots that I love.

Here are a few pictures from the mini session I did with Edmund yesterday:

I think my neighbors got a kick out of seeing me laying on my stomach on the ground snapping these shots (a couple of them came outside to observe). I got filthy! But it was a blast and definitely worth it.

I'm going to try a shoot with Peter or with both boys in the near future. Any creative ideas for getting a two year old to look at the camera?

Do you ever do mini photoshoots with your kids? Give it a try! Make it relaxed and have fun making and preserving memories with your family. :)

P.S. All of these photos were taken using my Canon Rebel XS with either the 18-55 mm kit lens or my 50 mm 1.8 lens. The 1st photo collage was taken using a lightscoop over my pop-up flash.
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It's Try New Adventures Thursday! What adventures have you been up to in your neck of the woods? Link up your blog post here, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then visit a few other participants and leave some encouraging comments. Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures. :)

Mini Photo Shoots {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Dear Monday: Menu and Goals

Someone has started smiling, and it's lighting up our world.

He's eight weeks old now, and such a good baby. Eats like a champ, sleeps fabulously (had a 7 hour stretch the other night!), and only cries when he's tired, hungry, or needs a diaper change. What a sweetheart. I love these days.

With all the breastfeeding he requires, I feel like I am eating us out of house and home (amazingly, I am still losing weight!). This week's menu plan is very frugal and comprised mostly of ingredients we already have on hand. It's the end of the month, and my grocery cash envelope was looking scarce! With rising food prices and my incredible appetite, it has been a stretch to stay within budget these days. Since I last shared our Less Project family budget, we have increased the grocery budget to $60/week. Even with that adjustment, staying within budget has been barely accomplished some months. Time for more beans and rice, folks!

Here's the menu plan for this week...

Dinners for This Week:

Monday--Fettucine Veggie Alfredo
Tuesday--Lasagna (from the freezer) with salad

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

  
Wednesday--Beans and Cornbread

Source: ourbestbites.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

Thursday-Creamy Corn Chowder and Biscuits --I have been making my biscuits with 1/2 white whole wheat and almost ALL butter (instead of half butter, half shortening) and they have been scrumptious...this week I'm going to leave out all the shortening.



Friday--Pizza Night (going to try a buffalo chicken variation) with salad
Saturday--Pesto Baked Chicken Breasts and veggies
Sunday--Leftovers.

And now on to goals...

How I did with last week's goals:

• Memorize Deut. 8:11-13. Not quite. I half-way memorized the 1st verse.
• Finish Surrender and read 3 chapters from The Great Omission by Steve Saint. 
• Do something special for Andrew (need to brainstorm this). 
• Have 2 learning/activity times with Squishy. Only did this once this week.
• Exercise x 3. Yes!!!! I actually exercised 4 times, since I'm trying to exercise every other day. I'm starting to feel less sore now. :)
• Walk with the boys x 1. 
• Edit 20 photos from February. I edited 10 photos only.
• Make a triple batch of Taco Meat. 

Goals for this week:

• Memorize Deut. 8:11-12 (breaking it down into smaller pieces this week)
• Read 2 chapters from The Great Omission
• Have two learning sessions with Squishy (think I can pull it off this week?)
• Pack Andrew's lunch 3 days this week (and add notes!)
• Exercise x 3
• Make a quadruple batch of pizza dough.
• Clean out the basket on my desk.
• Edit 15 photos.
  

So tell me, has your grocery budget been taking a hit lately? How do you compensate for the rise in food prices?

What's one goal you have for this week?



Linked to Menu Plan Monday and Money Saving Mom.

Dear Monday: Menu and Goals