I think I may be in trouble

It could get ugly and fast. I am almost 11 weeks preggers. Crazy to think I will entering into my 2nd trimester already. BUT, cravings are taking over.I have a long ways to go if I start having cravings like this! I have been wanting a fountain pop for days, but didn't give into the temptation. I had to take Kyle to pre-school this afternoon, so the idea popped into my head of going thru a drive-thru. My mouth began to salvate at the just the mere thought of drinking the ice cold satisfaction, also known as Dr. Pepper.

Then the craving came.....you want some greasy french fries to go with it. NO! French fries. I need to eat better than that! I will just have some toast or a clemintine. Who am I kidding? Fruit, really? Not even fanthomable at this point. My mind was made up....or should I say, my stomach had won. I bought a med pop and med. fry. And I savored every last greasy delight. I even tried to hide them from Hailey, but she is no fool. She can smell the yummy goodness! It's just begun. And like I said. I may be in trouble.

On the Horizon

There is a lot on the Greve horizon. 2010 is going be a BIG year. August will be a busy and exciting month. We will be having baby #3 and Kyle may be starting kindergarten. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that Kyle is old enough to even be having the discussion about school! He is so ready to be in school, I as his mother just want to be FOR SURE. All day is lloooonnnggg. Will he do ok? Will the others be kind to him and vice versa? All the things a mother worries about, but there is a time that I need to let him be him and do what he needs to do. He loves going to pre-school and always wants to stay..."just a little bit longer!" We are super excited about the baby on the way! We are going to be surprised, much to the parents dismay. HA! HA! I been feeling relatively well. Evenings are my worst. It hits me hard at night. I am worn out and just feel nauseous. It's almost easier that way, so my days seem to be better for the kids' sake. Mom isn't out of commission during the days. The kids are excited. Kyle wants to name the baby "Toady" because it sounds like his cousins name, which is Brodie. :)
Kyle and Hailey are in room time right now, so Mommy has just a few minutes to herself. Kyle is playing "guys" which are G.I. Joe's and Hailey is playing dress up and with her doll house. It cracks me up how different they are, but can play so well together too.
My moment has passed, Hailey wants me to be Cinderella and go to her ball. So I better get on my party dress and head over to the ball!

Out of the mouths of....moms!

I saw this on a blog that I have been reading for some time and it made me laugh out loud! So I had the idea....since I haven't blogged in....well, MONTHS, that maybe I would share.

THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SAY AS A MOTHER

Please don't put your butt in my face.

No, when I get bigger I will not grow a pee-pee. And no, your sister won't either.

EWWWW! Hailey, we don't eat bugs!

I do not want your booger. Yes, it is nice to share, but just not your boogers.

We do not play in the toilet! GROSS!

Do you want me to shoot you in the face with the water gun? Then don't do it to her!

Put your underwear on! No one is coming over, you just need to put them on please.

Hailey, why are you licking me? Oh, you're a puppy?! That's nice.

In Target bathroom: Yes, Mommy is a big girl to go potty. No, I'm not going poopy.

I am sure you would be really careful with it, but a mouse trap is NOT a toy.

Put the markers down and STOP coloring each other!

What are you eating and where did you get it?

Yes that is a baby Hailey. No, we can't take him home.

Now your turn......what have you said lately. Please do tell!

I'M BBAAACCCCKKKKKK!!!!

Okay, so I kinda have been slacking..........well, alright, have totally forgotten about my blog & haven't written in MONTHS! What's my excuse? Oh, I don't know......2 kids, laundry, a husband, cooking, cleaning, being a taxi, paying bills...and the evil cycle continues. Good enough? :)

Ahem.

Life for the Greve's has changed dramatically. NO, I am not having a baby. Dan, my amazing talented husband, started his new job @ Bozell! This is an answer of many years of praying. Not necessarily for THIS specific job, but that the Lord would provide the perfect one, in HIS perfect timing. Presto, prayer answered. Isn't HE amazing! Dan is thrilled to be there. Bozell is HUGE here & it's huge for Dan. He is loving it and I am loving seeing him this way.

Kids are great. We went to Florida for a week with my parents. What a great trip. Kids were fantastic on the plane (both ways), angels at the parks (only one melt down the whole time) and loved loungin' by the pool and hittin' a few golf balls in between. Another perk? This time around Dan was not self-employed which = Dan relaxing and being able to enjoy our vacation! Added bonus, we got a paycheck WHILE we were on vacation. Heck yeah!

I will try to keep up with this...I know I AM supermom and all, but I can only do so much.

PLEASE PRAY!

There is a link off to the right for this sweet baby boy,Stellan. I don't know him or his family. I have followed her blog because of what God has done.What I do know, is we serve an amazing God that will do what HE has planned. He is in serious need for us to get down on our knees and pray. He is in V-tach, extremely deadly state for his heart. Let's all storm the gates together for this sweet boy.

Visit her site and read more about Stellan. Thank you all.

Say that again?

All kids are different. Some do things earlier, some do things later. Boys are very different than girls. I am learning that fact as we speak.

Kyle is a bright little boy. You tell him something/show him ONCE, he will remember. For example: when he was about 18- 19 months old, I was holding him because we were about to walk out the door. I had the cd playing and needed to shut it off before we left. Well, the slacker part of me took over and I shut it off with my toe instead of bending over and doing it the proper way, with my finger. Cutting corners, you know how it is!
The next morning, I turn on the music and a few minutes later, what do I see? Kyle trying so hard to get his foot on the top of the cd player! Brilliant!

Kyle was never a talker. What I mean by that is, he didn't say words that anyone could understand. A LOT of babble. Cute, funny babble. He would stand in the middle of the room and be so serious about whatever it was and was convinced we understood him. Hailey~ she is a different story. The girl can talk.

Words Kyle could say at 16 months:
---------------------------------------
Mama
Dada
Bapa (Grandpa)
Mamos (Grandma)
Bye
Hot
No
Mo ( more)
Me-me (excuse me)
na-na (banana)

and then his own giberish: but Kyle did sign a lot more words too.


Words Hailey can say at 16 months:
------------------------------------
Hi
Bye
Mo ( more)
Peas (please)
No
Mommy
Daddy
Ba-pa ( Grandpa~ funny it's the same way as Kyle said it)
Mama ( grandma)
Tasha ( my parents dog & she says it perfectly)
Oye (Roy, my in-laws dog)
Hot
JJ (cousin)
A-yex (Alex..cousin)
dow (for sit down)
Tyol ( Kyle~ she says it so cute! sounds like tile)
Soos (shoes)
Baf ( Bath)
Eye
Doggie
Baby
Badul (bottle)
muck (milk)
chee (cheese)
--------------------------------------

Seriously? I don't know if it is a girl thing or just having an older sibling around too?! I am floored with some of the things she does. Dan and Kyle went to a hockey game the other night, so it was just me and peanut. I gave her a bath, which she loved not having to share it with brother. I got her out and she made a break for it~ in her birthday suit out to the living room. Me standing in the hall way in plain sight of her, was trying to coax her into her bedroom to get lotioned up and jammies on. She looked at me, patted her tummy and said..."otty, otty" then looked down and proceeded to pee on the carpet! WHAT?? Did she just say potty and then do it?! NO way, not at 16 months? I was baffled. I called the grandparents to tell of her shear genius! ;) Hey, that's another word to add to her ever growing list.

Kids are great~ now if they would only be little genius' when I need them to be......oh say, out in public instead of throwing tantrums, that would be great. But where's the fun in that?

Jackpot

**UPDATED** Photo of Kyle enjoying his animals. He even divided them so I could have some too!


I went to Toy-r-us today....which for us, never happens. Two kids in a toy store, yikes. I was in search of a doll for Hailey that she has been drooling over for the past month. Went in, found the doll, success.

I let the kids "play"...roam the isles and touch all the toys they could possibly get their chubby little fingers on. We are proceeding to make our way to the check out and Kyle spots a tube of "Safari" animals. He asks me if he can take them home. I look at the tube and take it to a scanner and look to see how much they are. $4.99. Geez....for some plastic animals. I agreed and he was thrilled! I never just up and buy something and he knows that. I almost always tell him "not today." We left the store, kids on cloud nine with their new friends and me feeling all good because I did something out of the ordinary for them.


Oh and we left at about 5:15.

He did not stop playing with his new found friends until lights went out at 8:30. He did put them down to eat dinner, but he ate about two bites of his taco and went right back to it. They even took a bath with him. I was so wishy-washy on even buying them, but now after seeing how much love and affection they are getting; I feel like Super Mom!

This picture is not the actual ones I bought. They look very similar. I may just have to post a picture of Kyle playing with them himself!

What is your best splurge? On yourself or the little ones.

How to throw the perfect tantrum....

.....written, illustrated and directed by Kyle Thomas Greve

I was having a great day and Mommy told me that after Hailey's nap, we would go to Cabella's before Daddy got home from work. I was so excited. I love going and seeing all the animals, but mostly I love to play the gun game. (mom explanation: a video game with rifles that you hunt deer...I know, judge me all you want!)

In the van I proceeded to appear fine, singing songs, being nice to my sister and even listening to my the store rules. Little did they know what was in store. We walk in and their it is in all its glory......the gun game.

"Mommy, I want to play the gun game." Hoping she will forget that she told me I had to wait until we were leaving.

"No, Kyle, we will play it after we see the animals and the fish."
I was fine with this...for now. I hurried along and looked at the animals, still having them fooled this whole time. I pointed out animals to Hailey. YES, now we are moving on to the fish. Me, still keeping my guise, I enjoy the fish with my sister. I see the opportunity and go for it.

"Mommy, can I go play the gun game now!" I give her my charming look that I know wins every time.

"Thank you Kyle for being patient and waiting, Yes we can. But you know the rules. After we play we are leaving.

Yes gun game. That is all I registered. All I see is that orange rifle and deer.....here I come! We arrive at the entrance and mommy lets me put in the dollar. She has to help me with the gun because it's too hard. We were laughing having a great time.

Then she said it.

Ok Kyle, it's time to go.

My secret is about to be exposed. I decided to throw a little bit of a fuss, but not too much. I have to save my energy for later and to just try and push my mom's buttons. The street and the parking lot, the best place. So, I oblige, hold her hand and walk out the door. The magic to all this, is to make sure mommy is holding sister. If she is in a stroller or cart, the effect isn't as great. Mommy was holding sister. Perfect.

There had to be about 10 ATV's out front and I was determined to sit in one. I asked, she said no, that we had to get home because Daddy would be home any minute.

Tears and whining are always a good start. Mommy tries to reason with me. I don't listen and start screaming. We are walking to the van and I try to run away, but somehow mommy has me good this time. Hopefully she hasn't figured me out. I fight to get in my carseat, and by this time, my face is red, snot is all over, sister is crying and Mommy isn't saying a word. She just has "a look." My mommy says that I am not allowed to watch my show when we get home and I continue to scream.....I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME. I WANT TO GET OUT!

It isn't that long of a drive, but to make it memorable I kick the back of mommy's seat AND scream.

Mommy still not saying anything. We get in the driveway and here is my cue. I stop crying right when we hit the garage and as soon as Mommy opens the door I say:

"Mommy, may I watch my show......PLEASE?!"

That is advanced tantrum throwing. Recommended only for those serious risk-takers.. Not to be used often; they must be caught off guard. Best locations: busy public places, entrances/exits are always good.

Happy tantruming!

Carbs, Carbs, wonderful carbs

Dan got the wonderful idea to steal borrow his mom's bread-maker. He has had the inkling to make his own bread. Honey Oat Wheat bread; that was the first batch. Not bad, but a little dense. The bread people, geez. I wouldn't talk like that to you all about my husband! ;)We think it may need a hint of more honey and may try next time to mix and match the flours. We used all wheat flour and some recipes I see called for 1/2 wheat, 1/2 white. So, mental note for next time.
Attempt #2 is in the making: sweet rolls. Yeah, you said it, my mouth is watering and all I smell is the dough, nothing even IN the oven. This is my husband's new obsession my husband's new passion and I am on board. Knife and a slab of butter waiting right along with me!

3 days to fast and pray...

Waypoint, my home church, is starting Monday the 19th to Wednesday the 21st, asking us to fast and pray and ask the Lord what He has for us, individually and corporately for 2009. (some of you may notice, the 21st IS the season premiere for LOST, but hey, I am sacrificing! He's worth it!) I will be fasting tv, facebook, and meat. Quite the array, right?!
I am really looking forward to this. I haven't been disciplined in this. It shouldn't take a church as a whole to get me to do this. I have always talked about doing it, but hey, we all fail. He knows our hearts! I want to hear from the Lord and I know I will, He is always faithful. But, it may not be in the three days that I am fasting/praying. 2008 was a rough year for Dan and I. Spiritually and financially. It's terrible when you are struggling financially, how much more you need to trust, but how much more difficult it is. Hmph! I am trusting the Lord for a fresh and a new. I know He has something for us this year, I just don't know what. He knows and he will reveal it, in his time. Which is always perfect.

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save! He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing! Zephaniah 3:17

How much is too much?

TV time? How much is too much? Everyone has their own ideas and rules on this, I have asked. "As long as it is teaching him something, what's the problem?" or "you shouldn't do more than two hours a day." I know myself, I enjoy sitting on the couch and enjoying a good program and then when that one is done, another show comes on. The next thing I know, it's 3 hours later. I feel like a slug. Some of the reasons we do not have cable! I could have used that time to do all sorts of things. So, with my kids I feel the same way. Kyle would love to watch show after show, if I didn't put the brake on it. He gets a half hour show in the morning when he first wakes up, a half hour show at lunch time, and then at 4:30 (which is "sour hour", kids tired of mommy and ready for daddy to be home) he gets his last half hour show. He gets an hour and a half or two hours of tv a day. Some days maybe more than others, and some days he doesn't watch any. Depends on the day and everyones attitude, mom included. ;)
And what is your tv convictions? Do tell.

Where or where can I be?

Man alive. It never ceases to amaze me how everyone I know keeps up to date with their blogs. They too have small children, some 2 more than me and they can do this just fine. Geez, what is wrong with me? I can do this. I am sorry I have not updated this in, oh boy, two months almost. I will try to be more disciplined in this. Trying is the best I can do.


So what is new in the Greve house? Hailey is taking a few steps. YAY! I say that, but internally I am screaming...NNNNOOOOOOO!! You are my baby, you can't be walking. You are still suppose to be nursing and making those little grunty noises that newborns make. I just want them to stay small, for just a little while. It just doesn't last long enough. Kyle is 150% boy. He likes to make guns, swords, knives, you name it, out of...well, you name it. Today a paper towel roll was a gun, then it was used for Captain Hook's hook. Yesterday it was a baseball bat. He asked me, Mom, where's my baseball bat gun? Not a bat, a bat gun. BOY, all boy. He loves to be outside and doesn't quite like the weather change. Nebraska is tricky too, the poor kid. One day it was almost 50, so we went out and played in the backyard. Sure enough two days later it's spitting snow! He was excited about that, but didn't quite grasp that it's cold too. I am enjoying my time with them. I love being at home and wouldn't trade it for the world. (Ok, I will admit, there are days. Like two days ago, neither one had a nap all day....well, Hailey had a 20 minute nap in the van, and it was only 2 in the afternoon. They were both hysterical, nothing was making either of them happy, they were getting on each other nerves, so what did I do....I left them in the basement, went out into the van, sat in the frontseat, held the steering wheel and screamed! WOW, did that feel good. But shhhhh, our little secret!)
I will leave you with a little treat, my sister-in-law took some photos of us and the kiddos. It was freezing the morning we did it and Hailey was not a fan of the cold. She was a trooper, but didn't like it one bit. Kyle on the other hand, loved it. It doesn't hurt when it is his aunt taking the pictures. So easy for us because he knows her and is comfortable with her...and did I mention she takes amazing photos. Enjoy them, we certainly do.

A YEAR ago today.....

***UPDATE***
Since I have been a little slacking in the blog department, I failed to notice the date of this post.....Hailey's birthday, however is the 24th of Oct, not the 18th when I posted this. I must have jumped the gun a little. Don't know how that happened. Sorry for the confusion. Just wanted to clarify. :)





.... I welcomed the perfect little 7lbs, 4oz,(@ 4:33 AM no less) squirmy, breath-takingly beautiful little girl into the world. Everything about that day was perfect. Well, I would have picked a different time, but that is not up to me.:) Funny how, it started subtly. Arriving at the hospital at 1:00 in the morning. My mid-wife then telling me: "oh Erin, you are only dilated to a 3. If you don't progress, then we will have to send you home!" That line...send you home....to a 40 week pregnant woman is like hearing there is no more chocolate in the world and you will have to eat broccoli instead! WHAT?! I was determined & I think Hailey was too! :) I'll spare you with the details but she was born a mere 3 hours later and it was perfect. What a miracle giving birth really is.
So here it is. Her first birthday! Not many of you get to see her like we do. So I thought it only fitting to share in all the delight of our little bug.Without further a-do~ Here are a few of my favorite things:



1. She is a snuggle bug. From the minute she came out of the womb, she snuggles. Anytime, anywhere. Finally, I got one and I never want it to end.
2. Just recently she has been bit of a mama's girl...is that a bad thing?! wink, wink.
3. Her teeth. I just LOVE seeing them when she smiles.
4. Her squishy, cute little butt. I will never forget the moment in the hospital, when she was placed on my belly, that was the first thing I felt. It fit perfectly in my hand. Still does. :)
5. Love the fact, that she is a bit of a drama queen. Always has to plead her case about everything; from wanting a tiny speck of grass that I took away or telling her no, when a certain toy that she shouldn't play with. Oh the drama.
6. Dainty. Everywhere we go, I hear "Oh, she's sooooo little! Just a little peanut." That's my girl!
7. Her face. maybe I'm partial, but I just think she is absolutely gorgeous. She has the most captivating blue eyes, followed with long dark eyelashes. And a smile that will melt your heart.
8. Watching her sleep. A picture of innocence and grace.
9. How happy she gets when she sees someone she loves. It does my heart good. To have a little person be so affected by you, it's moving. Why don't we do that as adults? ;)
10. Her sweet disposition. She is seriously just a breath of fresh air. She can bring a smile to my face or make me belly laugh like none other. And she always seems to know just when mommy needs it too.

So Happy 1st Birthday, Hailey Lucille. I I love you my sweet little peanut. Today we celebrate you! Thank you for being such a delight to our family. We would be lost without you. You are a gem and we love you more than we ever thought possible.
Now let's celebrate!

I just can't get enough of.......

I have never been one to say I am "in love" with a product or can't live without "fill in the blank". I change various things quite frequently. I have had to let go of a few of my "higher end" items, like salon brand shampoo and products, Clinique face products...budget cuts are brutal, but necessary. I have found new and just as good ( ok , not nearly the same, but my hair and my face are clean, right?!). BUT there are a few exceptions to the rule. These my friends are ones I WILL not give up. Ok, if the Lord told me to, then yes, but then and only then I would. Are you ready? Drumroll please.....................



LOVE #1 & #2

These two things my friends, is love in a bottle, I am not kidding. The Peppermint Mocha is seasonal and is only around during Thanksgiving thru New Years. I will sadly admit this, but when this does hit the dairy isle, I buy 3 at a time. They can't keep them stocked. I have even gone to different stores to see if they have more. Sad, I know. The Hazelnut Biscotti. Delish!



LOVE #3

There are NO exceptions with this one. I have strayed before and like the saying goes "you stray, you pay" and I do every time. I plan for this item in the budget, it is a little pricey, but oh so tasty!






LOVE #4
This is the BEST product ever created for, well, me! I hate to even say this, but I sweat all the time, I always have been like this. Doesn't matter the season either. Pit stains and big ol' pitted out shirts to prove it! BUT a friend of mine told me about this that I would never have a problem my sweating problem again if I used this AND she was right. Heaven in a deodorant bottle, who would have guessed?! Again, not budget friendly, but my shirts and I am sure my friends and family are all thankful for the purchase!

So my friends, what are some of things you can't live without? Tell me, tell me!!

I LOVE my kids!

Oh the joys of motherhood. I could list off a billion things why I adore my kids, but I won't. I can't type that fast and you don't want to read that much. But sometimes I catch myself looking at Kyle and thinking.....he's mine? really? Watching him play and figure out new and exciting things. I sit in the rocking chair at night with Hailey nursing her to sleep. Seeing her amazing blue eyes gaze back at me and that look, I can't explain it. It's a feeling that goes deep, that will forever be etched in my memory. I am thinking about these things because I know it won't last long. Kyle is 3. Next fall he will be heading off to preschool, like a big boy should. Sigh. Hailey will be one in October, where did that year go? I feel like I just left Methodist with a tiny 7lb, 4oz, bundle of sweetness. I will be slowly weaning her. That is a bittersweet change. A change of freedom for me, but the change of the sweet bonding mommy and daughter moments we've had. They grow up so fast. I don't want to take the time I am at home with them for granted. Days can be challenging, at times I want to pull out my hair in frustration, but that is when God gives me mercy and grace to see the beauty that I have. I love my kids, I really do.

Kyle has been talking about Jesus lately. We are trying to raise our kids to understand that no matter where you are Jesus is there and you can always talk to him. You don't have to just sing or pray at church, you don't just pray for your food, etc. So the other night, Dan was putting him to bed. (Daddy is more fun at bedtime than Mommy. I've been banned) They always sing a song and then pray. Dan asks Kyle who he wants to pray for...and it is always the same people (Aunt Patty, Nathan, Logan & Iris) and Dan prays for everyone else. After Kyle prayed, Dan said, rather enthusiastically, "Great prayer Kyle, Jesus is so proud of you and He loves you so much." Kyle's responds, his voice kinda whiny, begging like..."Daddy, I need Jesus!"
Don't you just want to eat him?! He has been saying things about Jesus a lot lately. The other day he was laying on the floor playing by himself. I was feeding Hailey her lunch and he looked up and exclaimed, "Mommy, Jesus is here!" I said, "Really Kyle, what is he doing?" Kyle: "just playing...a few seconds go by....Mommy, I need Jesus." Amen Kyle, Amen! Lately I have been asking him if he has had any dreams. So he got up from his nap the other afternoon, and Dan comes out and says" Kyle why don't you tell mommy about your dream." Kyle explains, eyes wide with excitement, " Kyle and grandpa and Jesus went to the museum. AND we saw dinosaurs. BIG dinosaurs and tiny dinosaurs. I said, "wow Kyle that's really neat. Did Jesus like the museum and the dinosaurs?" Kyle said, "Um, yes!" :) Just tellin' it like it is!

"from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise" Psalms 8:2

I am alive & well

Just wanted to clarify to everyone that I am here & alive. Life has been rather busy & to say the least a little challenging too. We are doing well, we are blessed beyond measure, but we are being pressed. Pressed to really understand the meaning of trust. Do I trust the Lord that HE will provide for my family. Do I trust Him in all final decisions & trusting Him enough to give Him control. Ouch. It's tough. It hurts, I get tired & I am ready to throw in the white towel & say I surrender. But what will I surrender & will it be to my flesh, my desires? What I think should happen & in this way? Oh the joys of being changed. God is good, ALL THE TIME!
I have a lot to share, some fun moments with Kyle, some fun pictures that I will post later. I have to get back to making dinner.....spaghetti & meatballs. YUM-O!

All about the Veggies....

The whole gang piled into the van for a little drive to the Bellevue library. Why Bellevue since I live in Millard? Oh that topic is in & of itself worth another blog, but long story short; I live a block south of 132nd & Harrison, so I am considered Sarpy county, I am considered outside city limits and "my taxes are not paying to support a library", so therefore we are banned from ANY library; unless of course we PAY to go. $45 for a year. Ridiculous. My sweet mother-in-law bought us libraries cards to the one in Bellevue. I am so close to getting Mike McKnight from Channel 6 involved. ;)

Back to the family event. We go into the library & go our seperate ways. Dan to audio books, Mom & tots to kids section. Kyle picks out a few books, but spots, like he always does, a HUGE stuffed tiger & proceeds to wrestle it on the floor. Nice. Hailey eggs him on, by making her "I am excited" raptor noise from the likes of her stroller. I politely quiet them down & ask Kyle if he wants to look at some DVD's they have. They always have a TON of Veggietales, Bob the Builder, Thomas, all his favorites. He looks at a few and says "Mommy, I want this one." I look at it and it's the "Snoodle's Tale"a Veggiestales one. It looks a little cheesy & girly. So I asked "Are you sure you want this one?" hoping he will get a different one. He says no, so I said ok.

We watched it at my in-laws that night. My mother-in-law told me they watched this once at a women's thing at church once & it brought her to tears. I thought, Really, a kid's video, seriously?! A few days later, we watched it again at home. On the video it has a different story, a silly song & then the Snoodles tale. This time I thought ok I will watch it this time. This story is maybe 10 minutes & I was in awe. What an amazing story. I cried & felt the love of God, as if I was a little girl watching it. This little snoodle is told he is ugly, no good, not worth it. With his "backpack" full of all the nasty pictures that all his "friends" tell him he looks like, he is so weighed down & sad, that he climbs a mountain to be alone. On top of this mountain he finds a "man". The man takes all the nasty pictures & throws them into the fire & gives him a picture he drew of what he thinks the little snoodle looks like. The snoodle is handsome, strong & radiant, just the way the man sees him! He puts that picture in the snoodles backpack, which is rather large & he thinks it's too heavy for him. But the "man" reassures him it's rather light & not burdensome. The snoodle flaps his wings & soars off the mountain, FREE from all the heaviness he had once carried! What a glorious picture! I was undone & from a little kid's video?! I recommend watching it. Kyle was really intigued by the whole thing. Really trying to understand all the different emotions in it.

It made me think of all the pictures I carry with me. All the little remarks that have been thrown my way & I have just thrown them right into my backpack, believing they were suppose to be a part of me. Not knowing any better. My backpack began to be really heavy, too much for me to bear. I was feeling the weight on my shoulders & ready to give up hope of EVER finding a way out. I was hopeless. Feeling like a failure. One day when I was at my worst, I was given a glimpes of hope. Hope that I could one day meet a "man" that would forever change my world. That would restore my soul and give me a new life. What? How can this be?A God that cares that much about me?But he does. He shows me everyday how much he loves me. He reminds me in the way Dan looks at me. I have never been loved the way my hasband loves me. He reminds me of how much He loves me by letting me be the mother of my two beautiful miracles. Watching Kyle sing, brings joy to my heart & watching Hailey, sleep so peacefully is refreshing. He is a good God and I am overwhelmed by His faithfulness to me. What an amazing God I serve. Thank you Jesus, for allowing me to see the real picture. You are an amazing artist.

Hailey, "The Speck Harvester"....

...that is what we have labeled her & she is taking FULL ownership of it as well. You see, I never had to worry about Kyle putting things in his mouth because he NEVER DID. One day, when he was about 9 months old, he got into my purse, dug into my wallet & spilled all the change onto the floor. Instead of immediately picking up a fistfull & shoving it into his mouth; instead he examined each penny with utmost curiosity. Hailey, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Every waking moment I am pulling something new out of her mouth. She has a full out-right fit! Arched back, screaming, big ol' crocodile tears, as if I've just ended her world. The funny part about it is what I am getting out of her mouth.

Let's list a few of the finer choices: old dried up macaroni noodle, grass, threads from the carpet, a chopped up piece of onion (at my in-laws), crumbs from the inner cracks of the kitchen floor, stem from a grape(just this morning), cardboard, ....the list could go on & on, but I think you get my drift. This girl is un-stoppable! I am constantly watching her, waiting to see what she will find next. Somedays, she comes crawling down the hall, with that mouth moving & I say "ok, Hailey, what is it this time!" I wonder where in the world she find these things! I keep all the doors closed (except for Kyle's room), so she can't get into too much. She's quick! What I just can't help but laugh about, is the tantrum she has when I take it out of her mouth. You'd think she'd get upset if the speck I was prying from her mouth was of some delight, like a chocolate chip or piece of a cookie, but a small chop of onion! Kyle's even helping out in our latest adventure of Hailey. He will come to me & say" Mommy, Hailey has a speck in her mouth!" What a riot. I am just thankful it hasn't been of any danger, the things she finds are the smallest speck, I can barely see it. She will be on the prowl & her eye catches just the tinest of specks & she is on a mission. Get speck ,put in hand, put in mouth, enjoy for a short moment, Mommy prys open my mouth, removes speck, I crawl on to find the next perfect speck.

Well, I hear my list speck harvester beckoning from her crib. She will be upset to find that Mommy swept the floor, but I am sure her little hands will find just the perfect speck. She always does. :)

To be or not to be...organic

The kids are napping, I have sweet potatoes cooking (waiting to mash into some baby food for the littlest sweet potato) & so I am taking the time to sit & contemplate.

Dan and I decided to try and do our own vegetable garden this year...chemical free. Our first attempt at it & SUCCESS! I will post pics of the yummy bounty later. My husband is so proud of himself. We were a little disappointent in our green bean & snap pea harvest, not as much as we would have liked. We went out of town for a week & when we returned the peas were slumped over. Bummer. Tried to promp them up, but didn't help too much. What is doing quite well , are our tomatoes, cucumbers & cayenne peppers. . Nothing better than slicing up a good ol' juicy red tomato, just picked from the garden! Making my mouth water. We have 5 different tomotoes.(one of the five is a grape tomato plant) Why so many? Well for starters I LOVE tomatoes & with this being our first time & all, we weren't sure how many would survive. So if you would like some yummy tomatoes, give me a holla and I will be more than happy to share.

As you see I said our garden is chemical free, Dan really wanted to try it without the use of any added chemicals, which got us to thinking about all our other food. Also, we went to Colorado & stayed with my Aunt Patty, who eats all organic & informed us of all the partially hydrogenated oils, etc......that REALLY got us thinking. Thanks Aunt Mango! :) We started small and replaced simple things...now we have natural peanut butter, using butter & olive oil, whole wheat pasta, organic cereals, fruit bars & waffles. Nothing too drastic. We went to Whole foods to check it out & not in our price range for a lot of things. Found a few reasonable things. Dan & Kyle LOVE this organic blueberry flax granola. Dan eats it like cereal & Kyle munches on it as a snack; and it's not bad price wise. Like a box of cereal. In moderation we are slowly moving into the crazy organic, healthy eaters. The only thing we haven't changed it milk. I would love to, but at $5.99 a gallon for organic milk, yikes. That hurts. Not workable in our budget as of now. Ok people, fire! I am ready for some feedback.

**just a side note, as I was typing, Kyle came out of his room & informed me that he needed to "bee-wax" out in the living room with me. Who rules the roost here?

Never a dull moment

Kyle is always saying something to make me smile. Here are a few funny moments with my little man.

MONDAY: crying this from his room, from where he is suppose to be napping:

Kyle: "Bee-wax, Mommy, Bee-wax!"
Mommy: "What honey? I don't understand what you are saying."
Kyle: "Bee-wax, Mommy" this time he is pointing at his door.
Mommy: "Kyle, why don't you show Mommy what you mean."
Kyle: goes to his door & points out the hallway- "Mommy, I want to go lay on the couch, watch a movie & bee-wax."
Mommy: giggling this time- "Oh, I get it you want to RELAX!"
Kyle:"Uh-huh!" with a sigh of relief because Mommy finally got it!

A FEW SATURDAYS AGO:

Kyle and Mommy "bee-waxing" on the floor & watching a movie (again, not wanting to take a nap that day)just laying there next to each other. He has his pillow and beloved blankie, we are snuggled in together. The rule is, we don't get up, it's not play time, we are relaxing. If we get up, we have to go in our rooms & lay in our beds. After a few minutes of relaxing, Kyle turns to me & whispers, "Mommy?" Mommy, full aware that he is going to ask if relaxing is all done, I answer him in a sort of monotone answer, "Yes, Kyle." Looking me square in the eyes & with full sincerity says, "I love you." My heart melted. Looking back into those soft brown eyes, I said "I love you too, Kyle." My heart ached after that, I felt the same way I did the day he was born; fully aware that my heart was forever his.

ALL THE TIME:

Kyle LOVES to play the guitar, sing & absolutely LOVES to listen to music. One of his favorite songs is a Matt Redman song, the chorus is what he always belts out.
These are the lyrics "Oh no, you never let go, thru the calm & thru the storm Oh no, you never let go, every high & every low, Oh no you never let go, Lord you never let go of me."

Kyle's interpretation: (keep in mind he says "w" for "l")
"Oh, no, wet get go, to the calm & to the store, Oh, no, wet get go, every high, every wo, oh no, wet get go,Ward, never wet go me."