2013

Wow. This past year has been full. Full of blessings. Full of challenges. Full.

Glancing back through my calender, I am reminded of all that God brought us through.
Starting in the very first week. I was on a date with my husband when I got a phone call that someone I loved had reached a point of despair where ending their life seemed better than going forward. God graciously spared his life and led him and those who loved him through a very dark time. I'm so thankful that God's arm is long enough to reach us in our lowest point. It has been a blessing to see God pull him through that and continue to draw him to Himself.

This year we took a leap of faith as we star\\ted looking for a house. We met with a mortgage lender on Valentine's Day and found a house in April. We looked at several houses over those few months and invited our family to come and give us counsel. As we brought them to this house which was a foreclosure, I was certain there would be something that would cause alarm. In fact, we almost decided not to show them at all. David walked them through the house and they pretty much told us to Buy. This. House. I was shocked and in tears because they also offered to help us get this house. We made the offer and we were told that it wasn't likely they would accept our terms so we were advised not to get our hopes up. Three days later they responded and they accepted our offer As. Is. We had 10 days to get a home inspection and see what was really going on with this house. The home inspector told us, don't get your hopes up. This is an old house and I feel like we will find some problems. Three hours later, the home inspector was shocked. There were repairs that needed to be made and updates needed, but nothing to cause major concern. He told us that if we didn't get this house to call him.He was interested. We took our paperwork to the bank. Our loan required that the house be appraised and meet certain qualifications. She looked at our home inspection and told us, the appraiser will probably require that these repairs be made by a certified professional before we can approve this loan. This was alarming because we had planned to make some of these simple repairs ourselves. She told us to be prepared for a long list of necessary repairs from the appraiser. The next day, she called us and she was shocked. The house passed his inspection As. Is. The next few months we waited for our closing date. Our Realtor told us that they always run late and we shouldn't get our hopes up to close on time. The bank called and told us that they were ready and we could close on the house a week early. We were thrilled and shocked because we were finally going to be homeowners! We had so much help from friends and family as we had a lot of work to do before we could move in the house. We moved in July and we still have a lot of work to do on this house, but we love it. It was such an awesome thing to see God provide.
We were so thankful to be in our house with a bathroom on the main floor, Praise the Lord! We started potty training Benjamin in August. That first week was rough. Sitting in a bathroom with no air condition at 6 months pregnant  all. day. long. was a challenge. We used a sticker chart and it worked for him but it was good motivation for me too. I needed to see how far we had come in those first few days because it. was. hard. We got through it. We prayed a lot that God would help him go potty and God answered our prayers. He has done great. We were still having accidents up until December but he finished the year strong and is Potty. Trained. WOOHOO! Gummy bears for everybody!!! (That's his reward of choice.)

During this year, we also watched our baby Jeremiah turn into a walking, running, talking toddler. He pushes buttons that have never been pushed. He knows no fear and ironically that scares me to death. I'm thankful that this year we had no accidents that required ER visits and no broken bones.

This fall we were blessed with the birth of our third son Joshua. The pregnancy had a bumpy start in March with an SCH that healed up by week 12. The rest of the pregnancy was normal and on  November 19, I gave birth to another healthy baby boy. He looks just like his brothers and his overall disposition reminds me of Benjamin. I'm excited to see how he will develop his own personality. I am so thankful for my three boys. They are full of excitement, energy, and mischief and our house is loud and messy. It is a challenge for me every single day. I can't do this. Not in my own strength. And I think that is the point. I'm not supposed to do this on my own. I have to come before the Lord everyday and seek His grace and strength to do what I need to do.

So my goals or resolutions for 2014 are as follows:
1. I'm asking the Lord to help me love others more. My family. My friends. My neighbors. The lost.
2. I want to limit my distractions so I can be more actively involved with my family and spend more time on things that really matter.


Thank the Lord for fresh starts and new years!

Meal Plan and "B" week

First of all, God is so good to me.
Last week I was anxious about my schedule this week, and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to accomplish what I needed to and God just worked it all out perfectly.

We are sending the children to stay with the grandparents the latter part of this week so David and I can sleep in, go on a late night date night and do some work on the house without them around. I only had to plan meals for half of the week. YAY!!!!!!!

Sunday- B- Applesauce Bread, Bacon and Eggs
             L- Family Dinner
              D- Breakfast for Dinner - (my kids LOVE this and it is so much easier when I'm in a hurry to get back for church)

Monday- B- Strawberry Muffins
               L- Finger foods- Lunchmeat, cheese, crackers and watermelon for kids
                     Late Lunch with my dad during naptime- chicken casserole, green beans, corn
               D- Leftovers

Tuesday  B- Baked Peach Oatmeal
               L- Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Bananas, Cucumbers, Blueberries
               D- Taco Tuesday

Wednesday B- Leftover Baked Peach Oatmeal- The recipe made ALOT
                   L- Banana Bread with Peanut Butter, Banana, Cucumbers, Blueberrries, Gummy Bears
                   D- Chicken Parmesan, Salad

Thursday-  B- Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits
                  L- Pigs-N-Blanket
                  D- Leftovers

Friday-    ???

Saturday - B?
                 L?
                 D- Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole, Broccoli

This week I also started working on some preschool with Benjamin. He isn't overly excited about it, but I knew that I needed to do something with him because if he doesn't have something to do...he will find something to do, and that is not always a good thing.

I ordered the Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve Curriculum from Heavenly Homemakers. I use what I like from her curriculum and add some other things that might interest him.
This is Benjamin on his first day of "preschool."

We have had so much fun this week. We have learned all about the letter B and had a theme of bears. Our favorite books were "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and "Brown Bear,  Brown Bear." We played basketball, learned about Jesus healing the blindman, made several bear crafts, counted gummy bears...and then ate them of course.
 We also had a special verse for the week, Ephesians 4:32, and we talked about the character trait of kindness. When daddy asked him what he learned, he told him the verse and that kindness means you have to share. I thought it was pretty funny, considering I tell him a dozen times a day, "Benjamin, share with your brother!"

      Jeremiah still takes a morning nap, so we have the time to do these fun activities while little brother is sleeping.

 We also thought of several people that Benjamin knew whose name started with B and prayed for them specifically this week. We used the suggestions from Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve and chose a few of those people to do service projects for this week. Specifically we made banana bread, and brownies to take to our "B" friends. I don't know about other kids, but Benjamin couldn't care less about helping mama in the kitchen. I mean he shows no interest at all, other than wanting to taste the finished product. Dumping the ingredients in the bowl, using the mixer, pouring into the pan...no. thank. you. So, needless to say I was pretty excited to learn yesterday that someone on our "B" prayer list was celebrating a birthday!! I told him the news and Benjamin practiced singing the birthday song through dinner until we called him and wished him a happy birthday. I just thought it was so neat that God worked it out for Benjamin to "bless" somebody in way that he could because baking just isn't his thing.
I'm so thankful God cares about the little things, like my schedule and providing the time and energy to do what I need to do, and giving a little boy the opportunity to be kind in way that he understands.

Meal Plan August 12-17

Since David was home last weekend, we threw out the meal plan and winged it all weekend. He let me sleep in on Saturday and made breakfast for the kids. We went to the lake for the day and although we brought food for dinner, the smell of hamburgers on the grill was much to hard to resist. We even celebrated National Smores Day with miniature smores made with vanilla wafers. The little store on Route 40 didn't carry graham crackers so we had to get creative. We had a great day playing in the water and visiting with David's parents. On Sunday we went to Wendy's after church and we had leftovers for dinner. I served the kids pancakes and Benjamin thought it was the coolest thing ever. Thank the Lord for fun weekends that happen without plans.

This is my plan for the week:

Monday- B- Baked Cinnamon Toast
               L- Chicken Tenders, Broccoli and Cauliflower
               D- Cowboy Beans

Tuesday B-Oatmeal
              L- Finger Foods, Leftovers
              D- Birthday dinner for Peepaw

Wednesday B-Breakfast Casserole
                   L-Grilled Cheese, Cucumbers
                   D- Barbecue Pork, Mac and Cheese, Broccoli

Thursday B-Applesauce Bread
               L- Finger Food, Sandwiches
               D-Fiesta Chicken and Rice

Friday B- Sausage Biscuits
           L-PB&J
           D- Homemade Hamburger Helper and Green Beans

Saturday B-Pancakes
              L-Pigs-N-Blanket
              D-Pizza Casserole, Salad

Meal Plan 08/03- 08/09

Praise the Lord we are all moved into our new house. I will post the story soon because I want to remember exactly how God provided for us in every step of the way.
We now live about 20 minutes from David's work, so he isn't able to come home for lunch anymore. That means I have the thrilling responsibility of packing lunches.

After the first week, I decided I needed to be more proactive in planning my lunches because it's much harder to pack a filling lunch when there is nothing prepared. I am also trying to look at this as an opportunity to bless my husband with something he will enjoy in the middle of his day.

Since my kids are starting to wake up earlier and hungrier,  I decided to start planning breakfasts too. I really don't want to be in the habit of eating poptarts everyday.

So here is my first attempt at Triple Meal Planning.


Saturday B- Pancakes, Bacon and Eggs
              L- PB and J
              D- Chicken Casserole, Green Beans, Corn, Bread

Sunday B- Cinnamon Buns, Bacon and Eggs
            L-Leftover Chicken Casserole, Green Beans, Corn
            D- Pigs in a Blanket, Fruit Salad


Monday- B- Toast, Bacon and Eggs
               L-Alfredo, Corn on the Cob
               D- Spaghetti, Salad

Tuesday B-Breakfast Casserole
              L - Sandwiches for grownups; turkey, crackers, cucumbers and grapes for kids
              D- Taco Tuesday

Wednesday B-French Toast
                   L-Fish Sticks and Broccoli
                   D- Cowboy Beans and Baked Potatoes

Thursday B-Strawberry Muffins
               L- Leftovers for Adults; Finger Foods for Kids
               D- Honey Chicken with Stuffing and Green Beans

Friday B- Poptarts and Cereal
           L-PB& J
           D- Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob


 

Meal Plan for July

Wow! It has been a long time since I updated my blog. In March, we found out we were expecting baby #3! Very early in the pregnancy I started to have some problems and I was diagnosed with an SCH which is common but scary none the less. Praise the Lord that He has healed me and at 21 weeks my morning sickness is long gone and I'm feeling pretty good. I am quite a bit more tired. I typically lay down with the boys everyday and carrying the laundry up and down the stairs leaves me out of breath, but otherwise I am very thankful for a healthy pregnancy.
It is about time to get back on track with my meal plan. We have a very busy month ahead so I planned every meal to save me time and frustration.
  Here it is!

Week 1
July 1- Homemade Hamburger Helper
July 2- Taco Tuesday
July 3- Leftovers
July 4- Hot dogs with fixins for lunch and birthday party for dinner
July 5- Chicken Quesadillas
July 6- Veggie Beef Casserole and Potatoes
July 7- Leftovers

Week 2
July 8- Barbecue Chicken, Broccoli, Rice
July 9- Taco Tuesday
July 10- Ham and Cheese Stromboli and Salad
July 11- Fish Sticks, Mac and cheese, Green Beans
July 12 - Out for birthday party!
July 13- Pizza Casserole and Salad
July 14- Leftovers

Week 3
July 15- Chicken Burritos, Rice, Corn
July 16- Taco Tuesday
July 17-Spaghetti and Salad
July 18- Barbecue Sandwiches, Potatoes
July 19-Chicken Tenders, Green Beans, Mac and Cheese
July 20- Divine Divan, Corn, Apples
July 21- Family Meal at Lake

Week 4
July 22- Meatloaf, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes
July 23- Birthday Party
July 24 -Italian Chicken, Rice, Squash  
July 25 - Chicken Alfredo, Broccoli
July 26 Pizza
July 27 Chicken Casserole, Broccoli, Corn
July 28 Leftovers

Week 5
July 29-Pot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Green beans
July 30- Taco Tuesday
July 31- Cheeseburgers on the grill

Jeremiah: 10 months

Jeremiah is 10 months old!
It is so hard to believe that his birthday is coming so soon. We have already begun to plan his first birthday celebration.

This month Jeremiah finally started eating cheerios on his own. We have not tried any other finger foods yet. Granny Franny bought us a Baby Bullet and we have been eating so much more table food. Last week he enjoyed chili beans with us. This week we made a roasted chicken for Sunday dinner and he enjoyed that as well. He wants to eat whatever we are having and many times will reach for the food on Benjamin's tray.
We have upgraded to regular oatmeal with applesauce.
He has four teeth. Two on the bottom and two on the top. 
He now drinks from a cup at lunch and dinner and has a bottle with breakfast and before bedtime.
Jeremiah is crawling at record speeds. He does not like to play on his own so you will either find him playing with his brother and crawling under Mama's feet. He crawls on his elbows and pushes off his feet. We call it the Commando crawl. He is not pulling himself up yet. He can sit on his bottom and will catch himself before he falls.
He maneuvers his way around the house well. Big brother likes to work puzzles. Jeremiah likes to eat puzzles. Benjamin will hide his puzzle pieces so Jeremiah can't find them to chew them up. Jeremiah loves this hide and seek game. The best hiding place so far has been under Daddy's feet while he is sitting at the table.

 

 Jeremiah's sleep habits have not changed.
He takes a short nap in the morning. He takes a nap with brother in the afternoon and he sleeps 11-12 hours at night. Jeremiah goes to bed with a blanket and a teddy bear. Big brother makes sure that we do not forget. If we do, he gets out of bed and gives Jeremiah the bear and blanket. Jeremiah also has an Elmo pillow pet that sits outside his crib. Since Big brother sleeps with his Cookie Monster pillow, Elmo has also started appearing in the crib with Jeremiah in the morning.

This child LOVES his Mama. If I leave his sight. it breaks his heart. He does well with others when I leave him, but he gets sooo excited to see me when I come back. His favorite place to be is in my arms snuggling on the couch. I am so thankful for this sweet boy who calls me Mamamamama.

Jeremiah : 9 Months

Jeremiah is crawling!!!!!!

He crawled first while Mama was away on a shopping trip. He does the full body crawl and only crawls a short distance if he can"t reach something. He only did it a few times a day.

Then, we went to stay with some friends while our heatpump got replaced, and they had hardwood floors. Jeremiah discovered his newly found freedom in crawling.

He learned to follow mama everywhere. He is under my feet when I cook, when I clean and if I DARE to sit down, I better be holding him. 

At 9 months, Jeremiah is drinking from a sippy cup!
He takes his water/juice in a sippy cup every night for dinner. 

He hasn't completely mastered holding it by himself. 

His schedule is pretty easy

8:00 - Wakeup time

8:30 Breakfast- 6 oz bottle with oatmeal and applesauce

10:00 nap for about an hour sometimes longer

12:00 6 oz bottle with vegetables and rice

2:00 nap for 2 hours

5:00 Vegetables, meat and grain with fruit with sippy cup

8:30 -8 oz bottle

Bedtime

Jeremiah is either VERY happy or VERY not happy. 

He has learned to clap and claps at everything. He laughs with his whole body. 

His whole face lights up when he grins. Everybody loves to be around him. 

He is learning new syllables. 

He can say dada, mama, blah blah, and hey! among other nonintelligible grunts. 

He likes to grunt while he eats in between bites. Silly baby. 

He has no fear. He would crawl right off the couch if we let him. He has pulled the lamp down on top of himself a few times. This adorable daredevil is keeping us on our toes. 

We love you Jeremiah!