Colds Colds Go Away

I always find it interesting that our "wellness" visit is followed by illness. For example, last week we took both boys to the doctor for checkups. We are always careful not to allow Benjamin to play with the "sick" toys at the doctor's office. Unfortunately, there are no toys on the "well" side,  so we have to settle for parenting magazines. Once we get in the examination room, we have to read the children's books because there are only a few pictures in the parenting magazine that interest two year old boys. I know, I know, I should be proactive and bring my own books, but I didn't. In fact, I really don't want to take my books there because we don't need anymore germs on them.

Anyway, we went to the doctor Wednesday and Benjamin got the Flumist which may have played a part in all this sickness. Benjamin started with a runny nose that turned into a cold which he is still fighting. David came home Thursday night with the cold and after several nights of Nyquil began to feel better, until yesterday when everything got worse. He visited his doctor today and found out that he is suffering from bronchitis and a sinus infection.

 Fortunately Jeremiah and I have been spared so far. I have had mild headaches and a sore throat off and on that could probably be attributed to seasonal allergies. Jeremiah has been a little stopped up, but it has not seemed to bother him.

Benjamin has no appetite so meal time is a struggle. David has an increased appetite and could eat a whole loaf of bread if I made it into grilled cheese sandwiches. I am trying to keep David from touching anything to stop the spread of this thing, but I really miss having one person in this house that could fix their own plate and pour their own drink.

Last night was the first night that Benjamin slept through the night without waking up for medicine. David was prescribed hydrocodone, so he could probably sleep until Monday. Hopefully with a few more nights of rest, everyone will feel better.

I have already gone over the house with Lysol earlier in the week. I think the next step would be to clear the house of all people and set off a bomb. Do they sell Lysol bombs? I should make one. I am going stir crazy waiting for everyone to get well so we can get out of the house!
In fact, we will probably break out tomorrow and head to the park. We need fresh air to maintain sanity! 

Meal Plan 09/16 -09/22

Sunday - Divine Divan and salad
Monday -Chicken soup and cheese toast
Tuesday - Date night
Wednesday- Homemade Sloppy Joe's and corn
Thursday - Meatloaf, green beans, potatoes
Friday - leftovers
Saturday - Sour cream beef casserole and salad

Dream House or Nightmare

One day a dear friend recommended that I read a book called the Total Money Makeover. I was engaged to my husband at the time and we had just made a really stupid purchase. I won't go into details, because it is really just too embarrassing to remember.
After we read that book, we had some serious talks about how we wanted to manage our money. We worked really hard and paid off all of our debt before our one year anniversary.
Since then we have been stuck on baby step three. The 3-6 month emergency fund.
Here's the short story.
We had it. We got an expensive apartment. We lost it. We moved to a cheaper place. We got it!

We thank the Lord for his provision and trust that He will take care of us. Lately, we have been praying for a house and that God will lead us to the house he wants us to have. Sometimes our wants get in the way of that. Like this past weekend.

We found this house. We loved it. The neighborhood was nice. It was a good distance from work and church. There was a big deck and a nice back yard that was flat. Benjamin loved running through the house. I could really picture our family there, until we went back for a second look.

We took a friend who was more knowledgeable about houses and structural aspects so he could give us a good idea of what would need to be repaired. We also took David's parents to give us their advice as well. It was a foreclosure, so we knew that there would be work involved. After walking through the house with them, we had a good idea of the repairs necessary to get the house in good condition.

I knew when we left that night that this was not a good idea for us, but I really wanted it so in my brain I was trying to make it work. We prayed about it and talked about making an offer and then David said, "I feel like Dave Ramsey is screaming at me." We want to be wise stewards of our finances and this would not have been a wise decision. Although the realtor was disappointed in our decision, we walked away.

I am thankful for my friend who told me to read the book. I am thankful for Dave Ramsey for yelling about managing money the right way. I am thankful for a husband who is willing to put his wants aside and make the right decision. I am thankful for the promise that God will provide.
 

Growing Boys

These are exciting times at our house! We are so thankful for the blessings in our life named Benjamin and Jeremiah. Although the responsibilities of caring for the boys can seem overwhelming at times, their laughs, hugs and kisses make it all worthwhile.
On the first of the month, Jeremiah turned 4 months old.

                                                               He was so excited!

 At four months old, Jeremiah is eating cereal twice a day with his bottles.
He loves to swing, laugh and suck his thumb.
He loves to watch brother play.
He takes three naps a day and sleeps 11 hours at night.
He weighs 18 pounds. 

On the fourth of the month, Benjamin turned two!

At two years old,
Benjamin can drink from a cup (with supervision) and tries to eat with utensils .
He is starting to say two word sentences.
He is picking up new words everyday.
He can usually put on one shoe by himself.

He loves trains, animals, books and fans!
His favorite animal is the zebra. 
He painstakingly lines his toys up in a particular way. (David thinks we have another perfectionist on our hands.)
He wants to have socks or shoes on most of the time.
He likes to push brother in the swing or stroller.
He naps in the afternoon for 2-3 hours and sleeps 10-11 hours at night.
He weighs 30 pounds.
He will typically eat everything except vegetable soup :)

 We are so thankful for our growing boys!

What's for Dinner 09/02-09/08

This week is exciting because Benjamin is turning 2! We will celebrate his actual birthday by eating his favorite foods and then have a family cookout on Thursday.
For my new recipe this week I am trying a Pinterest experiment. The picture looked so good that I was ready to get a fork and dig in! You can find the link to the picture and the recipe on my Pinterest board.
I love easy meal planning weeks!

Sunday- leftovers
Monday- Date Night
Tuesday- BIRTHDAY MEAL- Pizza, Salad 
Wednesday- Barbecue Chicken, Green Beans, Macaroni and Cheese
Thursday- Birthday Party Family Cookout
Friday- Pinterest Experiment "Better-than-takeout Chicken Fried Rice" with salad
Saturday- Sunday School Picnic

Breakfast Cake
Cookies for the Birthday Boy

Family Vacation 2012

Day 1 - We arrived at Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and got the keys to our house. The girls and Benjamin went to Walmart to stock up for the week and waited in line for over an hour to get checked out! Apparently everyone else had the same idea.

Day 2 - We went to church and then enjoyed a late breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, a requirement for vacation. It was rainy, but we still enjoyed a few hours on the beach.


 

Benjamin played in the water for a little bit, but he loved to play in the sand.  

  
Jeremiah followed his usual routine. 

Day 3- We went to  the beach early and soaked up some sunshine!

  Benjamin got to work on spreading the sand. If you built a castle, he quickly knocked it down. A little girl came up with a big shovel and offered to play in the sand with him, but he ran away from her. She tried to follow him and he just kept running away. I think he was scared of her because she was bigger than him!

                                                     Jeremiah working hard on his nap.

 

David and I enjoyed riding the waves with David's brother Kevin and his wife Shanna. We were thankful to have David's parents there to play with the boys so we could play in the water.

                            Benjamin stayed away from the ocean and watched other people.

  We went out to eat at Drunken Jack's Seafood at Murrels Inlet. The hushpuppies were fabulous. They were served warm with honey butter and I could have eaten them for a meal.
We went back to the campground and played BINGO. Barry won a game that night and then we took a victory cruise on the strip. There is nothing more fun than riding golfcarts down the strip and slapping hands at Ocean Lakes Campground.

Day 4- It was rainy so the girls went shopping with Jeremiah at the outlets and the men and Benjamin went to Bass Pro Shops. The girls enjoyed Steak-N-Shake burgers for lunch and milkshakes after a long day of shopping. Later that evening, we enjoyed watching fireworks on the beach.

Day 5- It was cloudy, but we still headed to the beach.

             I buried David in the sand and tried to get a picture before Benjamin dug him out! 

Jeremiah was sleeping peacefully on his blanket when a wave came and disturbed his slumber. Big Thanks to Granny Franny for rescuing him before he drifted out to sea.

It rained most of the afternoon, but we did take the boys on a golfcart cruise after naptime. Benjamin enjoyed watching the ducks and pointing out the fans on everyone's porches.
That night we went for our second round of BINGO and I won the first game and Shanna won the last game! We enjoyed another night of victory golf cart cruising.

Day 6 - The men left the house really early to go to on some fishing trip in the ocean. David put in the wrong address in the GPS and they ended up in Georgetown, SC at a traveling agency that hosted One Day Marsh Cruises with some guy named Cap'n Rod. They rushed back, but unfortunately they missed their fishing boat. We spent the morning at the pool and the playground.

Jeremiah had his morning nap on one of the chairs at the pool. By this point people were asking us what we did to him to make him sleep so much! He just knows how to relax, what can I say?
He started getting really hungry later in the week so we started cereal. He was so excited!

David and I played volleyball and jumped waves with Kevin and Shanna while the boys had naptime with Granny Franny. We all enjoyed burgers from River City Cafe for dinner, which is my favorite place to eat at the beach!

 Day 7 - The men headed out early to try the fishing trip again.They made it this time and they caught one sea bass each.  The girls went to the beach in the drizzling rain, because we were dedicated!

                                                         Jeremiah did the usual...
It started raining harder and the men were still out in the middle of the ocean somewhere, so the girls went out to eat at Chili's for lunch. We all gathered for some family pictures in the afternoon when the rain cleared.

        We all gathered in front of Sandy, who David insisted was the Hardee's star. David's dad Barry was taking the picture.

One of several attempts at a family picture where everyone is looking the same way and no one is crying.

                                                 Peepaw and Granny Franny with the boys.

                                           Our favorite beach buddies, Kevin and Shanna.

                                              Showing off our crazy jumping skills.

                                                      We had a great Family Vacation.

What's for Dinner? 08/26-09/01

We had a great time at the Beach and I am still trying to get back in the groove.
I had enough leftovers from the beach trip to get me through the weekend, and yesterday morning I took both boys to the grocery store.
Thank you Kroger for the awesome Car Carts. Benjamin can drive the car and Jeremiah's car seat can fit in the top and I still have room for groceries. Those awkward buggies may aggravate other shoppers, but we got the job done. I accidentally ran into a stocking cart and the Kroger stocker just smiled and complimented Benjamin on his driving. I think we probably could get through the store easier if those steering wheels actually did work.


Here is the meal plan for this week:
Monday- Cheesy Ham Strata, Sweet Potatoes
            FINALLY After  3 weeks of being on the meal plan, we had it last night. Delicious!
            Gooseberry Patch Recipe
Tuesday- Meatloaf, Green Beans, Rice
Wednesday-Spaghetti, Salad
Thursday-  Soup and Sandwiches
Friday- Taco Salads
Saturday-Cheesy Beef Casserole, Corn