They definitely got the lazy end of the deal last weekend...
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: How Babies Do Garage Sales
They definitely got the lazy end of the deal last weekend...
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wild and Wooly Wednesdays
It started with a bang this morning... we were running late because I over slept and then Noah came to get help with his last few bites of oatmeal and instead upended his bowl. On the carpet of course.
The baby wouldn't nurse right and I didn't have time to help her patiently because her sister needed to be at the chiropractor. And I was supposed to be there a few minutes early to trade another mom some clothes.
I ate my oatmeal out of the pot with the wooden spoon every time I went through the kitchen (yes, my mouth is that big), but finally we got out the door and I chilled out in the car.
Then, after meeting another mom near the mall I was leaving a message and got pulled over for talking on the cell phone while driving. Why yes, officer, I have an extra $124 laying around for your city to have...
I do have a blue tooth system in my car, but unfortunately that doesn't work real well when you also have children with you. Children who are either screaming (babies) or want to talk too (Noah). I guess my headset is going to have to start living in the car.
At Costco I made the wrong cart choice so Noah had to walk, with harness. He decided to climb under the cart, which was fine until I noticed he was dragging his hands along the floor as we went. Gross!
We did make it home in one piece, Daddy arrived, and naps were had. Then after naptime Noah and Daddy were playing and all was well until he decided to walk around with his blankie on his head. He tripped over one of the boxes I have out (garage sale this weekend, finally!) and smashed chin first into our cedar chest. A trip to the walk-in clinic and 7 stitches later the doctor pronounced him one of the very few 2 year olds he'd ever had sit still enough for stitches! Poor Noah!
But Daddy took him out for ice cream afterwards and he doesn't seem too much the worse for wear!
I'm not sure what it is, but many weeks it does seem like Wednesday is out to get me. I even wrote another post about it awhile back, but of course I can't find it right now. It's Wednesday!
The baby wouldn't nurse right and I didn't have time to help her patiently because her sister needed to be at the chiropractor. And I was supposed to be there a few minutes early to trade another mom some clothes.
I ate my oatmeal out of the pot with the wooden spoon every time I went through the kitchen (yes, my mouth is that big), but finally we got out the door and I chilled out in the car.
Then, after meeting another mom near the mall I was leaving a message and got pulled over for talking on the cell phone while driving. Why yes, officer, I have an extra $124 laying around for your city to have...
I do have a blue tooth system in my car, but unfortunately that doesn't work real well when you also have children with you. Children who are either screaming (babies) or want to talk too (Noah). I guess my headset is going to have to start living in the car.
At Costco I made the wrong cart choice so Noah had to walk, with harness. He decided to climb under the cart, which was fine until I noticed he was dragging his hands along the floor as we went. Gross!
We did make it home in one piece, Daddy arrived, and naps were had. Then after naptime Noah and Daddy were playing and all was well until he decided to walk around with his blankie on his head. He tripped over one of the boxes I have out (garage sale this weekend, finally!) and smashed chin first into our cedar chest. A trip to the walk-in clinic and 7 stitches later the doctor pronounced him one of the very few 2 year olds he'd ever had sit still enough for stitches! Poor Noah!
But Daddy took him out for ice cream afterwards and he doesn't seem too much the worse for wear!
I'm not sure what it is, but many weeks it does seem like Wednesday is out to get me. I even wrote another post about it awhile back, but of course I can't find it right now. It's Wednesday!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Big Brother
Cory talking to the sisters!
Actually both of the boys are quite helpful and solicitous when it comes to the girls. They are so cute with them!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Three Month Stats
Taking pictures with the bunny is a bit more complicated now...
It was hard to get them both to sit up and look at me at the same time... (these are the best of the 60 pictures I took!)
And then to also see their smiles! This was Hope while I was setting the lighting. Much more interactive when they can actually see my face.
On June 1st (when we were in Seattle) they weighed 11 lbs 4 oz (Hope) and 11 lbs 2 oz (Joy).
On Friday at their 3 months checkup they both weighed in at 12 lbs 2 oz and right around 23 inches. Yes, that's a pound in two weeks... Joy might also be slightly shorter, but it's also hard to get an accurate length on a wiggling baby! Not a weight problem with these girls - 50th percentiles and look at those double chins!
So, even with all the nursing issues it seems they are doing just fine. The doctor said he isn't worried that Joy isn't getting enough to eat and apparently it can be perfectly normal for a baby to go 3 or 4 days or even more without pooping. It's just a big difference from the boys who pooped every time they ate!
Now if I could just convince her to suck right and it didn't hurt we'd be just fine! I have a few more options of people to see and it does seem to be slightly better...
Still wearing 3 month clothes, but not for much longer. I'm glad I found these adorable matching outfits last week from my friend Edna, or they would have outgrown them before they got to wear them. And I probably have twice as many 3-6 month clothes... I guess that's one advantage to spit up queens... they get to wear more cute clothes!
Oh, and sleeping for longer stretches at night, last night 8 hours each, but starting at 8pm... and sometimes they like to offset each other for 2 hours... so no, I'm still not getting much sleep, but it is better than before!
It was hard to get them both to sit up and look at me at the same time... (these are the best of the 60 pictures I took!)
And then to also see their smiles! This was Hope while I was setting the lighting. Much more interactive when they can actually see my face.
What's over there, Mom?
One smile, one not so sure!
What big eyes we have!
On June 1st (when we were in Seattle) they weighed 11 lbs 4 oz (Hope) and 11 lbs 2 oz (Joy).
On Friday at their 3 months checkup they both weighed in at 12 lbs 2 oz and right around 23 inches. Yes, that's a pound in two weeks... Joy might also be slightly shorter, but it's also hard to get an accurate length on a wiggling baby! Not a weight problem with these girls - 50th percentiles and look at those double chins!
Just prior to a sneeze!
So, even with all the nursing issues it seems they are doing just fine. The doctor said he isn't worried that Joy isn't getting enough to eat and apparently it can be perfectly normal for a baby to go 3 or 4 days or even more without pooping. It's just a big difference from the boys who pooped every time they ate!
Now if I could just convince her to suck right and it didn't hurt we'd be just fine! I have a few more options of people to see and it does seem to be slightly better...
Still wearing 3 month clothes, but not for much longer. I'm glad I found these adorable matching outfits last week from my friend Edna, or they would have outgrown them before they got to wear them. And I probably have twice as many 3-6 month clothes... I guess that's one advantage to spit up queens... they get to wear more cute clothes!
Oh, and sleeping for longer stretches at night, last night 8 hours each, but starting at 8pm... and sometimes they like to offset each other for 2 hours... so no, I'm still not getting much sleep, but it is better than before!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Book: Short-Straw Bride
Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again.
***
I'm sure you'll understand if I tell you I haven't had a chance to read this book yet... However, I requested it on the strength of a previous book by this author, A Tailor-Made Bride, that I did finally have a chance to read after that review. Old West, quirky, quick paced, and funny. A fairly light read and I'm expecting the same of this one. A fun summer read!
***
If you would like to read the first chapter of Short-Straw Bride, go HERE.
Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife and mother of three who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid- to late1800s.
Karen is living her dream by writing Christian historical romance novels for Bethany House.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Highs and Lows
A week ago Saturday we picked up my dear penpal friend Amy at the airport. True story: when she came to visit for the first time 6 years ago I was pregnant with Cory and so needed to use the restroom as soon as we got there. I walked in as she was coming out of a stall and we recognized each other. What a way to first meet your penpal since the second grade... in an airport bathroom! This time it was regular baggage claim meeting!
The day before we'd spent 4 hours at a specialist's office in north Seattle where we eventually got the girls' tongues clipped. There was no way to tell 100% if they were tongue tied until we did it, but the doctor said they were since they popped up when clipped. However... nursing for the past week has actually been worse than it was before.
Hope has slowly gotten better, but Joy is about as bad as she ever was on the worst days. I'm really not sure what to do now as I'm back to pumping since it seems like she's not getting enough to eat. I would really appreciate any and all prayers.
Other than that it was very fun to have my penpal here all week. The boys adored her and I'm pretty sure the girls liked all the extra attention too! It's a good thing we did all the "touristy" things last time she was here because we just did normal mom things this week! However, I think we actually had a better time talking and we watched a couple of old movies that we each picked out that the other hadn't seen. I introduced her to The Princess Bride (yay!) and she introduced me to Strictly Ballroom (I like it).
Hopefully it won't be another 6 years before we see each other again!
The day before we'd spent 4 hours at a specialist's office in north Seattle where we eventually got the girls' tongues clipped. There was no way to tell 100% if they were tongue tied until we did it, but the doctor said they were since they popped up when clipped. However... nursing for the past week has actually been worse than it was before.
Hope has slowly gotten better, but Joy is about as bad as she ever was on the worst days. I'm really not sure what to do now as I'm back to pumping since it seems like she's not getting enough to eat. I would really appreciate any and all prayers.
Other than that it was very fun to have my penpal here all week. The boys adored her and I'm pretty sure the girls liked all the extra attention too! It's a good thing we did all the "touristy" things last time she was here because we just did normal mom things this week! However, I think we actually had a better time talking and we watched a couple of old movies that we each picked out that the other hadn't seen. I introduced her to The Princess Bride (yay!) and she introduced me to Strictly Ballroom (I like it).
Hopefully it won't be another 6 years before we see each other again!
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Boy Entertainer
My penpal, Amy, is back for another visit. This time's not quite so exciting as last time since we aren't visiting tourist attractions. Instead she's helping me entertain my children for a week! She does a very good job!
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Book: Harvest of Rubies
The prophet Nehemiah’s cousin can speak several languages, keep complex accounts, write on tablets of clay, and solve mysteries. Her accomplishments catapult her into the center of the Persian court – working long hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and becoming the queen’s favorite scribe.
Not bad for a woman living in a man’s world: so why does Sarah feel like a failure?
A devastating past has left Sarah with two conclusions: that God does not love her, and that her achievements are the measure of her worth – a measure she can never quite live up to.
Darius Pasargadae is accustomed to having his way. A wealthy and admired aristocrat, the last thing he expects is a wife who scorns him.
Can two such different people help one another overcome the idols that bind them?
***
I read Tessa's first novel, Pearl in the Sand (my review), and absolutely loved it so I was quick to jump on this one. The setting is some years after the story of Esther in the kingdom of Persia. It's fascinating and fast paced. I read it in less than 24 hours... yes, even with twins! And along the way it really spoke to me as well. It definitely has "Christian-ese" in it, but I didn't find it over the top like in some books. This is another one that will stay in my personal collection!
***
If you would like to read the first chapter of Harvest of Rubies, go HERE.
Tessa Afshar was voted "New Author of the Year" by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.
Monday, June 04, 2012
PROBAR Fruition Review and Giveaway
Most of you are aware by now that my boys have to be gluten free and I have been for the past few weeks as well to see if it would help the girls. The jury's still out on that one, but I haven't tested it yet since we've also been dealing with so many nursing issues.
However... going gluten free myself it really hit home how much gluten is in literally everything. So it was very fortuitous that I had just received some samples in the mail of a new gluten free fruit bar. Created by PROBAR, this line is called Fruition and is certified gluten free*. Hooray!
I am super impressed by these bars. Of course I love that they are gluten free so the boys can have them. Second, the base is a date paste which is naturally sweet so they're actually not very high in sugar, but plenty sweet to the taste. Third, they are non-GMO and don't have any soy products in them. And finally, they are soft without large chunks so even my toddler can eat them easily (as compared to some other granola type bars that have large nuts in them).
PROBAR comes in seven flavors and I got to try them all. Of course my favorite really was the chocolate orange, but blueberry definitely came in a strong second! The other flavors are cherry, lemon, cran-raspberry, peach, and strawberry. I tend not to like peach anyway so my family ate those and the only one I didn't care for was the lemon. I think because lemon is a tart flavor to me and the bar was still relatively sweet I didn't like it as much.
Each bar contains a full serving of fruit and was chosen as Prevention Magazine's "Best Bar" for 2012's Healthy Food Awards. They actually have really strict guidelines for their food awards including less than 400 calories (these bars only have 170), less than 500mg of salt (they have 10mg), and no more than 10g of added sugar per serving as well as no genetically modified ingredients.
If you're interested in trying Fruition for yourself there's two ways you can. First, enter the giveaway below for a mixed box of flavors. Second, get 40% off your first order from the PROBAR shop by entering code "blogger" at checkout. I know I'll be ordering a few boxes here soon!
WIN IT!
To win your own mixed box of Fruition please leave me a comment stating which flavor you think you'd like best! You are also encouraged to "like" PROBAR on facebook to keep up with all the latest they have to offer. (and it looks like they run giveaways over there too!)
Winner will be chosen next Monday June 11th at midnight. Please make sure I have a way to contact you!
This post was written as part of the Family Review Network. I was not compensated in any way other than the product I received to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own!
*For my gluten free friends. The label is misleading as it does state that it was produced on equipment that processes wheat, however they are certified and it was checked with the quality assurance manager that all equipment is 3rd party certified as gluten free before production of these bars begins.
However... going gluten free myself it really hit home how much gluten is in literally everything. So it was very fortuitous that I had just received some samples in the mail of a new gluten free fruit bar. Created by PROBAR, this line is called Fruition and is certified gluten free*. Hooray!
PROBAR comes in seven flavors and I got to try them all. Of course my favorite really was the chocolate orange, but blueberry definitely came in a strong second! The other flavors are cherry, lemon, cran-raspberry, peach, and strawberry. I tend not to like peach anyway so my family ate those and the only one I didn't care for was the lemon. I think because lemon is a tart flavor to me and the bar was still relatively sweet I didn't like it as much. Each bar contains a full serving of fruit and was chosen as Prevention Magazine's "Best Bar" for 2012's Healthy Food Awards. They actually have really strict guidelines for their food awards including less than 400 calories (these bars only have 170), less than 500mg of salt (they have 10mg), and no more than 10g of added sugar per serving as well as no genetically modified ingredients.
If you're interested in trying Fruition for yourself there's two ways you can. First, enter the giveaway below for a mixed box of flavors. Second, get 40% off your first order from the PROBAR shop by entering code "blogger" at checkout. I know I'll be ordering a few boxes here soon!
WIN IT!
To win your own mixed box of Fruition please leave me a comment stating which flavor you think you'd like best! You are also encouraged to "like" PROBAR on facebook to keep up with all the latest they have to offer. (and it looks like they run giveaways over there too!)
Winner will be chosen next Monday June 11th at midnight. Please make sure I have a way to contact you!
This post was written as part of the Family Review Network. I was not compensated in any way other than the product I received to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own!
*For my gluten free friends. The label is misleading as it does state that it was produced on equipment that processes wheat, however they are certified and it was checked with the quality assurance manager that all equipment is 3rd party certified as gluten free before production of these bars begins.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
