What We've Been Up To...

Our baby turns 3 months on Sunday. She's trying soooo hard to roll from her back to her tummy, but she keeps getting stuck halfway.

We are working on potty-training N1. We're having about a 50% success rate at making it to the potty ... I just don't think she's interested in big-girl p@nties yet. Even though they are Elmo p@nties.

I went to the dentist last week for the first time since I was just barely pregnant with N1. Ugh. I went back this week for some MORE cleaning, and I go back in 3 weeks for another round of something. After that, they are going to start replacing my old fillings with some crowns. Double ugh.

We celebrated my Dad's 63rd birthday last Sunday and we celebrate my Mom's 64th next Saturday. The week after that is my BIL's birthday, and then Travis follows about 3 weeks after that. Spring is considered our family's birthday season.

My women's Bible study is winding up in about 3 weeks. It's been a good study this Spring, although I feel like I haven't been able to soak as much from it and spend as much time with it as I usually would. We did Beth Moore's Patriarchs study ... not my favorite study of hers, but I love Genesis and the stories there.

Can I just say how much I love the dollar section at Target? This morning I broke out some fingerpaints that I had bought N1 there several weeks ago. An hour and a half later and this was the end result:

I love that she looks so puzzled that her hands are this color. :-) And Yeah! for Daddy's old t-shirts.

Summer activites are hitting the calendar ... I'm having some girlfriends over for a coffee and dessert night in a few weeks; a church yard sale is coming up; annual church picnic in June; family vaction coming up later in June; possible trip to see a friend in Jackson, MS; and hopefully, Parent & Me swimming classes for the girls. Since N1 didn't enjoy her little swimming class last summer very much, we aren't going to move her on to the next class where she might actually learn some swimming skills. Instead, N2 will just be old enough (6 mo.) for them to take the beginner's class together with me and T.

The church youth is also planning a long weekend in Biloxi, MS, for hurricane relief efforts. Travis will be going on that for sure, and maybe me and N2.

My scrapbooking class at Big Picture Scrapbooking is still underway. Love. It.

I have bangs now. I like them. :-)

Tomorrow I would like to go to the Dollar Store, the library (book on hold there), and I need to run to Kroger. I'm making a coconut cake for our family lunch on Sunday.

I have decided that I am, for the most part, swearing off shorts. They are just too short to be decent for the most part, unless you pay the big bucks and order really nice ones from Land's End or something. So, this summer, I will hopefully be investing in some capri pants and long flowy skirts to get by in.

I am going to be trying some things to trim up my spending around here so we can save $$. The Honda that I brought into our marriage has its good days and bad days and in the not too distant future, Travis is going to need something more reliable to drive.

Travis is starting seminary this fall through Dallas Theological Seminary! He's starting with their online program and we'll see where it ends up taking him. I'm excited for him.

N1 and I have been doing better about less TV during the day around here. (Retraining us to leave it off since we were watching a lot of videos right before and right after N2 arrived). I'm thinking of putting away her videos completely for the summer and trying to have it off all day. We enjoy snuggling and watching videos together so I don't want to pack up the TV forever, but I think in a few weeks it will be time for the next step in our "weaning" process. Plus, when T starts his class this fall, we'll have it off more (hopefully) so that he can do his homework and such in the evenings.

Enough! :-) Have a wonderful weekend!

Cousin Bubby

Map

I've started a Frappr Map for my journal. Clink this link and put yourself on my map!

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Busy, of course. After a wonderful worship service, we hosted my family for Easter lunch and had fun and lots o' food. After lunch, N1 & Cousin Bubby had an egg hunt in the front yard:

N1 figured out there were goodies to be found inside the eggs and would stop and open each one as she found it, slowing her down considerably. :-)

This weekend, Travis also pulled his bike out of the garage and went on several rides. He also pulled out N1's carrier and hooked her up for a turn around the block. There were many tears when Daddy said the ride was over for the day, but we started out smiling and with Baa securely fastened in his side pocket.

I wish I had a picture that my Dad took on Sunday afternoon. Travis hooked the carrier up and took N1 and Cousin Bubby for a ride in the carrier together. You would have thought from Bubby's expression and squealing that it was the greatest event that had ever happened in his short life. It was hysterical ... Uncle Travis won major points with Bubby that afternoon. :-)

And just for fun...

Cheri ... she is loving on that doll you sent her.

Friday

Went to the park this morning with a friend and her two boys. It was so warm ... N2 has rosy cheeks where her Mama did not think to keep them covered. We had fun and wore those kids out. Or really vice-versa. I realized that I had never taken N1 to the park before to play - we usually go to the library and do puzzles or McDonalds to play in the playplace there. Then I realized that I've been pregnant and both those places have air-conditioning and enclosed. Harder for N1 to get away from me. :-) But it was nice being outside today and letting them all run.

We also had cousin Bubby with us. He did his best to keep up with the "big" kids, but spend a lot of his time mostly playing with the playground mulch. :-)

This is my friend's little man ... he is adorable.

Egg-ventures

Our egg adventures:

The finished product:

Note her hands in this one. I'm hoping that they will not be green on Sunday morning for Easter. They won't go with her dress.

Can you believe that it was warm enough today to do this?

Not to leave out the baby:

Or this handsome guy.

::heart::

Passion

Something I’ve been pondering lately … What am I passionate about? It’s been just there, nagging at the back of my mind for a couple months now. I even wrote it across the top of a blank sheet of paper in one of my notebooks. That’s as far as I got though, the page is still blank. Over the last several months, or even the past few years, I have been a scattered person. I’m one that likes to have a finger in every pie … there are so many good things going on that I don’t want to miss out on any of them! I know there are some that can relate.

But you know what happens when you try and live that that … you stretch yourself too thin. Or as Bilbo said in the Fellowship of the Ring movie, “Like butter stretched across too much bread.” (Hopefully I didn’t butcher the quote too bad).

I think it’s time for me to make some decisions. What direction do I think the Lord is leading me, based on what stirs my heart and challenges my mind? What are those “good things” that I should lay aside to make room for what is “better” in God’s eyes?

Case in point: Last night, I started thinking about blogging. I enjoy it … a lot. It’s helped me keep up with my journaling when I don’t have time to pick up a pen (or when I do, a little 2 year old thinks that it is an invitation to color on whatever blank paper is in her presence.) It’s brought me into contact with some wonderful women who I am privileged to count as friends and comrades for Christ. But how much time should I allot for it. For example, I spend 3 hours one afternoon last week trying to do something to the template on my journal. I got up after that, unable to accomplish what I was trying to do and fix, totally frustrated, and then even more frustrated because I realized I had just wasted 3 hours, DH was coming home soon, and the house needed major picking up and dinner started.

It’s got me thinking if I should step back from it … am I writing for me and my family, or for the commenters? Is what I say of any good or use to others or meaningless babble that I should just keep to myself? If it is profitable - for me to get a chance to write and/or of good to others, how can I set limits on what I do with it?

Anyway, this is one small area that has made this whole issue of “passion” jump to the forefront of my mind. More rambling on this will come in days ahead I’m sure…

*sniff*

Packed up all the littlest's 0-3 month clothes. She's getting so big! I tried weighing her on Sunday morning and my best try had her around 15 lbs.! We'll have to see what the dr. confirms at our appointment on Wednesday.

Funny quote from our weekend with the youth group:
To set it up, I asked the youth boys to please clean out the freezer at the church and empty it. I was heading to Sam's for 2 20 lb. bags of ice and they would need a home when I returned. I told them to pitch everything, except for the bag of bre@st milk I had in there. Overhead from one of the 17 year olds:

"I'm not going to even ask how she got that into a bag."

I about died laughing. :-) And I almost turned around to explain, but discretion won out and I left them to the freezer as I chuckled all the way to Sam's. :-)