The beach and.....stalling

We have had such a busy summer and I am sooo behind on catching up with our summer activities. We have been to Arizona, Atlanta, the beach, more doctor visits than I want to remember, and a few other places in between. With all that we have had going on this summer, we really were doubtful that we would even make it to the beach. Thankfully, we were able to go, have a wonderful trip, and didn't see a single tarball. I think we could move to beach. My kids, especially my oldest, could spend all day, everyday on the beach.

She immediately made friends with another 4 year old sitting next to us. Some days I wish we could all be more like young children. I think their conversation went like this;

4 year # 1 "I like your swimsuit"

4 year #2 "Thanks, I'm building sandcastles, want to build them with me?"

#1 "Yeah! Ok!"

Bam! Instant best friends.

They immediately started on their project, but it only involved prep-work. Somehow all they ended up doing was filling buckets with water and pouring it in the sand near our chairs. They never actually built a sandcastle, but they had plenty of wet sand. It ends up that her parents live about 10 minutes from us and her grandparents live 3 houses down the street from us.

After "sandcastle building," it was time for a raft ride. Sister asked to ride along, but we said that her friend should get to have the first ride alone with her dad......and this happened right as those words came out of our mouth. While swimming out, a wave hit them
Flipped the raft
And sent our new friend flying
Dad valiantly held on to the raft and pulled her out of the water. Everyone was fine, but the raft was retired for the day.
Next activity? Bury Papa in the sand! He was such a trooper for letting these kids bury him in the July heat in Florida.
See ya, be back after lunch. Just kidding, she just wanted to get more water to "set" the sand.
Thanks for being such a fun dad. He said it took days to be rid of all that sand.
One evening we went to Baytowne Wharf. Our plan was just to eat dinner, but right as walked in sister spotted the bungee trampolines. It was great bribery during dinner though for us! We went straight to the trampolines after dinner. Sister was just barely big enough to do it. I was a little concerned that she would get frightened once she got up there, but I was completely wrong-she was in heaven!
I don't know what type of 4 year old cuteness she pulled on the girls working there, but she had 3 turns of jumping. She would have jumped for hours.
She kept yelling "watch me do gymnastics!!!! Coach Krista would say I'm doing a great job!"
We had to spend a few evenings out on the beach. I love going out later in the evenings. Any time I can spend on the beach with my kids that I don't have to slather them up in sunscreen sounds good to me.

Such a fun trip. I'm ready to go back!

Ready or Not

Bottles and Pacis have been boiled

Bumper pad, sheets, and all other linens have been washed and put on the crib

The pack-n-play is up in our room

Bags are packed

Av has been punted to my SIL

Bought diapers, wipes, and new parts for the breastpump

We have to be at the hospital at 5 AM tomorrow

Somehow even though getting to check off this list makes me feel calmer, I don't think it's prepared us for adding another child to our family. We are so excited and I can't believe that the day is here.

Did I mention that we still don't have a name? I thought we had pretty much nailed it down.....until last night. At around 11 last night J decided that we needed to "think out of the box" and basically start from scratch with names. I thought I was going to lose my mind or strangle him--don't worry, neither one happened. J is still here and I think I'm still sane. Soooooo, we'll see. He might be baby boy Leonard for a little while.

I think we have WiFi in the hospital, so if I can give pics tomorrow I will! I would REALLY appreciate your prayers!

Farming Freedom

I thought I would share our last weekend as a one child family. Av was with J's side of the family at the beach last week. I love my daughter, but at 9 months preggers it was bliss for me to rest and get last minute things done without trying to keep up with a 3 year old. We spent part of the weekend at the farm. J just had to get a pic of me--again 9 months pregnant, sweaty, no make-up, AND by the tractor. J loved it, but I know he wished that I had on waders with either a shotgun or a fly fishing rod on my shoulder.We have had incredible amounts of rain, but thankfully the lake was not overflowing. I have to admit I was a tad concerned that we could get stuck in the mud and that I would go into labor out in the woods. Thankfully that didn't happen either.

The blackberry bushes have really benefited from all the rain, but not ready to pick just yet.

Most of the blueberry bushes are at the same stage as the blackberries.

There were a few blueberries ready to be picked and I wanted to get them before the farm bugs and critters did. We were able to get about a quart of the blueberries, and they were gone in 4 days! They don't last long around Av and me, I'm ready to go back for more.

Anyone want to join us next time? We don't have running water, but we do have this lovely toilet "chair" to take in the woods to avoid, um, squatting. What can I say? We're a high class crowd around here :).

Allie

She was J's first blonde and his first love. J says it was love at first sight when they met 12 years ago. She is his best friend. She is our beloved labrador retriever.
Today our vet told us she has metastatic cancer and, at best, she may be with us for 3-6 more months. I can't even write this without crying right now. I know that everyone loves their dog, but honestly, Allie is the best dog I have ever seen. I feel I can say that {somewhat} unbiased since I can't take any credit for how fantastic she is-J had her for 5 years before I came into the picture. One of J's family's friends actually offered J over $5K (yes, that's thousands) for Allie. J kept Allie and knew he had the better end of the deal.
Allie has been with J through highs and lows. She has given birth to champion puppies (best in show in California). She helped raise and train the other 7 dogs in our home and our families' homes. She is fiercely loyal and protective. At the end of my pregnancy with Av, when we had finished the nursery, Allie starting sleeping at the threshold of the nursery, as if to guard it. On another instance she and J were camping at the family farm. They were walking through the woods and spooked a coyote that charged J. Allie immediately defended J and attacked and killed the coyote.
Even though she is fierce, she matches it with her gentleness. She has allowed countless children to climb on her, ride her, pull her tail, and look in her ears. We even have a picture of our nephew, when he was a toddler, pulling her eyelid open to look into her eyes. Allie just continued to calmly rest on the floor while Samuel inspected her.
She has survived pancreatitis, attacks from other dogs, a coyote fight, a very traumatic birthing experience (she only had 6 puppies, but they were so large the vet had predicted she would have 12), and many other experiences I could continue to ramble on about, but now it is coming to an end.
She is more than just a dog to us. She is our friend and companion. She is Av's playmate. She is probably the best dog we will ever be blessed to be around.

If you have a pet in your home, give it a hug and some special attention today. Sorry to be so somber, but this is the outpouring of my heart today.

Back from the.....

Beach! We have been at the beach this past week and unfortunately I was sick for about 1/2 the trip. I felt like my body was staging a coup. The first 1/2 (sick part) was with J's family-13 of us! I love his family and am so blessed to have such wonderful in-laws. I spent the rest of the time at the beach with my college roommates while Av and J stayed with the fam.

One of the highlights of the week was Av absolutely loving the water. She wanted to jump in the water the second we got to the beach. I am so thankful we went ahead with swim lessons before the trip. I saw such a jump in her confidence in the water. While in the ocean she hung out on her own in her round floatie-enjoying the waves, kicking, splashing, and trying to chase her cousins. In the pool she would swim to the stairs with a little push, jump off the edge of the pool-even the deep end, and even purposely go under water! I am very proud and excited for a summer in the water.

Lots of unpacking to do! Hope everyone had a great week. Glad to be back in blogworld.

Recipe Box

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a few day, too many other things going on-and not having my charger cord-has kept us away. I am still so excited about Will and Jana's engagement. I love both of them so much and I'm so grateful for them. I love my brother more than I can say and I'm so proud of him. My friend Melissa also got engaged this past weekend, so we will be having a fun and busy summer/fall!
Earlier today J and I were working in the yard and Av was so cute. She loves being a helper. She would pick up sticks and take them to the wheelbarrow to clean up the yard. J and I were also drilling our remaining stumps and filling with stump grinder when Av brought our glasses of water to us (without being asked to do so), we drank some water, and then she carried the cups back to the patio for us..so cute. She really is at such a fun age. On the other hand, she is incredibly independent and is still talking to herself in crib 1.5 hours after we put her to bed!

I have been inspired by Darby's crafty posts, so I thought I might add some craftiness to ours. This is for those of you, who like me, love your magazines and the recipes/ideas in them...but what do with them is the problem. Copying all the recipes by hand takes too long, and I end up having magazines or pages I've torn out piled around my desk.I must admit, I'm not a crafty person, so you won't be seeing many ideas on here often :)...but here's what I've been doing tonight.




1.Tear page with recipe out of magazine










2. Cut out section with recipe/picture and tape to a notecard. I like to place the name of the recipe and a picture on the front side. I think this helps with presentation when serving and also gives me a better idea of the dish instead of just the name.









3. Tape ingredient list and instructions on back of notecard. Of course sometimes I don't have room for pic and recipe, and have to use front and back of card with just the recipe.








4. File in recipe box with alphabetized tabs! I know many of you probably already do this (or have better systems than this one:)), but this is a great time saver for me that clears out the magazines! Another way to do it is keep the whole page, insert in clear, plastic cover, and file in 3-ring binder.

The End of Camp Maggie

It's our last night without the kiddo and I sure do miss that little girl! We have gotten a lot of work done at our own schedule and been able to play music loud while doing it, but I know the week has not been as entertaining as it is when Av is here, and I know I haven't laughed as much as I do when she's here. I miss having a fun Av story to think about at the end of every day. The ironic part of this week is that we're actually more tired now than we are after a normal week. I think we've tried to get so much accomplished around the house that we've worn ourselves out instead of enjoying a nice relaxing week. The good part of this is that we finally cleaned out all the closets, including repainting and building new shelves for some of the closets, and we threw in some yard work.

This afternoon I did get to have a little "me" time. Since my NCAA bracket beat J's I got a facial today and tried out a new place a friend recommended. The part of this facial that I haven't experienced before...was that it was at the lady's home..actually trailer. My first facial in a trailer park-only in Dothan folks! It was a great facial, and I must say for a good price. Don't worry, very professional, a whole room is devoted to facials and once I was on the massage table, listening to peaceful music it was just like being at Serenity (beach spa)! I highly recommend it to any Dothanites and those of you visiting/driving through Dothan. It is called Bello Giorno Spa # 334.596.8946. If you go, please say I sent you-referrals get a discount!

I was also able to go for a run today. This Saturday will mark the 2 week countdown to the 1/2 marathon-yikes! Please pray for me as I finish training and the race. I'm really excited, but want to complete this with strength that I know is provided by God and bring Him glory with this experience. I'm so thankful to Ashley and my other friends/family that have gotten me interested running and encouraged me along the way.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Freedom!!!

Home again after a great weekend with the family...and looking forward to a great childless week! Av is staying with J's mom this week. I love my child more than I can say, but I also love a break from motherhood every once in a while:). The drive home was so nice..listened to sermons by Tim Keller without having to tend to a 2 year old and hear "The Jungle Book" in the background. When we got home I went for a run and not pushing a 30lb. toddler in a jog stroller makes the run so much easier-apparently running with Av is great training. I ran faster and for a mile more than usual! We're hoping we can get to some of those around the house projects that we always mean to get done, but they never quite make it to the top of the priority list-like cleaning out closets. Then again, maybe we'll just spend the week sleeping in, lounging around the house, and having date nights every night. It will probably end up a little of both. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Avery thoroughly enjoyed the cake. In fact, she enjoyed it so much that she decided to forgo telling me she needed to go potty so that she could finish her cake. Shortly after this photo was taken I felt a warm, wet sensation on my lap! That's right she peed on me...at a wedding!!! Did I mention that it's nice to have a break from motherhood this week?

I know what you're thinking...shouldn't this photo go the trash bin and instead put one of all the kids smiling here? I would do that...if that photo existed. This is as good as it gets with 5 cousins age 10 and under.

Howdy Neighbor

Here are the after photos of the yard. You can see why we're trying to get the fence put up quickly. Thankfully the house behind us is being remodeled and nobody is living in it right now.You can compare these to the pics posted a few days ago to see the difference.

Av helped by carrying sticks to the street

Life with a toddler is so fun. I feel like I learn new things to appreciate daily. Av loves music, loves to sing, and loves to dance. When we're in the car and the radio is on she sings along with the music. Does she know the words? Nope, she justs makes up her own. She's not feeling well today and I put The Wiggles on for her this evening, but had the sound turned down. So since the sound wasn't on, she sang while she danced. What did she sing you're thinking? Maybe ABC's, Row Your Boat, Jesus Loves Me.....no she belted out Shake, shake, shake...shake, shake, shake...shake your booty-with her hands on her hips and, of course, shaking her booty. I wonder if she could give me lessons.

She is so girly, which to me is funny that J and I have a girly girl. She LOVES to play dress-up, pick out her own clothes, and she hates bugs (yesterday there was carpet fuzz she thought was a bug-it was 20 ft. away from her and she wanted me to throw it outside before she would eat lunch). Tonight topped it all. After her bath in her bathroom we went into my bathroom to brush teeth, but instead she told me that she wanted me brush and dry her hair and put makeup on her!!!!!! She even picked up my eyelash curler and tried to curl her lashes. What?!?! Just so you know, the only "makeup" I've ever put on her is chapstick. Now that I think about it, she did do a little of her own makeup the other day when she got into a drawer I thought had nothing more than chapstick. Turns out there was one tube I thought was gloss when she picked it up...ended up it was lipstick..Avery's self application.

"Man, I look good! I bet I could get a job at Lancome"

Full Friday

1. Had a great playdate at Darby's house this morning with lots of fun kids and moms


2. Jonathan and I finished cutting down the last trees today-making the grand total 17. At around tree 12 we figured out that J is much better at pulling the rope to get the tree down..so I was relegated to chainsaw duty..scary but successful. We are both sooo tired. I haven't been to the gym at all and have only run once this week, but I think all this yard work counts for workouts! Almost everything has been taken to the street, stumps/roots have been taken care of..so were almost ready for the new fence!!! Yeah!!!!!

This is one of the biggest trees:


Avery "helped mommy" by raking the sandbox while I raked the yard

Then my big helper made enchiladas with me

3. Now we're watching the NCAA tournament. Tenn, Davidson, and W. Virginia did some major damage to my bracket. Jonathan might have a round of golf on me this year.

Easter

Hope that everyone had a nice Easter. We had an egg hunt at Ann's house. It was more Avery and Reed wandering around the yard. Avery would pick up eggs, but then put them in Reed's basket instead of her own. After a while she was more interested in playing with a beach ball, sand pail, and dress-up hats! That afternoon we had a great time with Beba and Big Papa. Avery loved dying easter eggs. On Easter we went to church and that afternoon Jonathan and I cut down 7 trees in the yard! I was at least able to get one photo posted. I tried to get others and was told there was an "internal error" and blogger could not post the other pictured. I still consider this a success since I have at least added one photo!
As of today we only have one tree left to cut down! Jonathan got a pretty bad cut on his forearm from one of the branches. Avery treated it by scratching it with plastic rake from the sandbox and saying "here Papa, here Papa, I'll fix it" Thankfully after all we have done our worst injuries are scrapes and bruises.