smack dab in the middle of life

Lovin Daddy

2010-02-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

Some great pictures of a soldier and his ladies.

Also, my first attempt at storyboards - suggestions welcome!

Old Friends

2010-01-28T09:35:00.001-08:00

It's tough to have old friends when you're only 4. But Juli and Samuel have been buds since about nine months before they were born :)

Here's some fun at the playplace with Juli, Samuel and both their little Gabrielle sisters!

Does it get any cuter than this munchkin? (pressing her face up to the glass to say "hi" :)

Yay for friends and for McDonalds PlayPlace in the wintertime!!

5 Months

2010-01-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

The days continue to fly by, and my Esther is now 5 months old.

Just take a good look at this girl and tell me how you can resist squeezing her. 'Cause I haven't found a way yet.

When Esther wakes up from her naps I walk in and this smile is what's waiting for me:

Esther's smile is ready and contagious and goofy.

And irresistible.

Just like her.

It Happens

2010-01-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

I know, I disappeared from blog-land again. Sorry. It happens.
Well, lots of things happened, actually.

First, a trip to NY happened.
I grew up in a little town in upstate New York. (As my friend Andrea says, it's the dairy cow and apple part of NY - not the city. Go check out her pics if you want a great glimpse!). It's the area where the leaves are amazing in autumn. Where there are miles and miles of farms and orchards and vineyards. Where I know the roads by heart.
Unfortunately, I came in December. When there are no leaves, the apples and grapes are gone and the roads are so covered with snow and ice that it doesn't matter that I know them so well - I'm driving white-knuckled anyway!
But fortunately, my favorite part of NY is still here - family I love and friends who have known me and loved me through a lot of years.
We came in time for Christmas. It was the first in four years that we were able to spend the day with our family here. When we were out in Seattle the tickets were so expensive that we couldn't come at actual Christmas time. But, we made it a tradition to come and celebrate with them the beginning of January each year. Having the visit to look forward to made it easier to be so far away for the holiday. And buying tickets that were about half the price made it possible to have presents! But this year, we drove (gotta love being closer!), so we could come for Christmas.
It was great to be here. Christmas dinner with family and the Christmas Eve service at church are two of my favorite traditions. It was so nice to be in on them again. At the service they had a live nativity, and Gabby spent the entire service begging anyone to take her back to the "COW!!" We visited him many times :)
Christmas-Eve-Day we got to see all Jordan's siblings and their families at the same time. 5 kids under the age of 5 and 3 dogs. Crazy, but great!
Christmas morning back at my parents house was lovely. We missed my sister and nephew in Seattle and my brother in Asia, but it was great none the less. The older girls are old enough now to have fun with the presents, and they were overwhelmed with all they were given!
Then after Christmas I got to spend a "girls night" with some friends I've known since I was like 8 years old. There's just nothing like that. We haven't always been able to stay close, and there are parts of eachother's life now that we don't know - but these people know me at my roots. It was great.

Once Christmas was done we thought things would normalize a little, but life hit little Esther hard. A time change, a cold, a first tooth working through, a growth spurt and totally new surroundings. All at the same time. I didn't sleep for two weeks! Seriously, it has taken me almost the whole visit to get her sleeping at night again. I walked around in an exhausted daze for weeks. But, we are seeing the light. Last night she slept 11 hours straight. Hallelujah!

And, on the 6th Jordan headed to Louisiana for JRTC (a pre-deployment training. Bleh.) He can't have his cellphone there, so I haven't heard from him other than a quick call he was able to sneak on someone's smuggled phone. He is there, he is good, he misses us. That's all I know! He will be back the end of the month.

So, that's why I haven't posted. I've been in that place where my life and mind and heart are so full, but I've been too tired to make coherant sense of it all. If I tried to write, I think it would come out all garbled and end up saying something that's not really what I meant at all.

Oh, and the other reason is that - I have no pictures! (And what's a mommy-blog without pictures, really?) I don't know how to download my pictures to this computer because I didn't bring the camera software and I don't have a card reader. Is there a way?? If not, I'll have a lot to share when I get back!!

Virtual Recipe Exchange

2009-12-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

I am joining in with Carrie for a virtual Christmas Recipe Exchange!

And my contribution is . . . Molasses Cookies!
You may wonder why so humble a cookie is my "must have" this time of year. There are two reasons:

I'm pulling for the underdog. Molasses cookies are the oft' forgotten one. The unnoticed in a plate of "flashier" competitors. But every time I have one (especially if it is soft and moist), I remember that I love them.
No sugar coma. So many christmas cookies are so overwhelmingly sweet!! After a few sugar cookies or coconut balls, I really enjoy the rich, warm, sightly salty, savory taste of molasses.

And here's my favorite recipe:

Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup Butter*
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses and mix well. Fold in dry ingredients. Cover and chill until firm (1-2 hours)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll dough into small balls (melon baller works great for this). Roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets.
Bake 9-10 minutes. Leavve on sheet at least one more minute until set.

* The original recipe calls for shortening, which I don't generally use. You can if you like, or butter and Smart Balance both work fine in this recipe.

If you'd like to join in the fun, post a recipe on your blog and then leave a comment that you did and I will post the link to it on here. The recipe can be anything you make for the holidays-- dessert, side dish, you name it! Just as long as it's your ultimate favorite. It would also be great if you could post something on your blog about WHY it's a must-have in your holiday home.

I Should Be Ripped By Now

2009-12-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that I actually do LOTS of exercise in my day-to-day life.

Lifting enormous children . . .

Squatting to pick up the endless toys . . .

Running through the laundry . . .

Crunching so much into each day . . .

Lunging for whatever's about to fall on the baby . . .

Pressing my luck as I take all three kids into Walmart . . .

I really think all this should count.

I should look like this by now:

Our Plunge into Ministry

2009-11-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

So, our journey here in Kentucky has taken an interesting turn. But to tell you about it, I have to go back a bit:

When Jordan first came to Ft. Campbell (before we got here), he started searching for a church. He visited a couple and just wasn't sure where we would fit.
Jordan especially doesn't seem to fit in the standard church setting - it's just the way God made him. He loves God and has a call on his life, but he doesn't fit the mold. We had such a hard time getting connected in a church in Seattle. We just couldn't seem to find our niche, and it was so frustrating! We started to think it was something wrong with us.
Jordan's second priority (besides finding a church), was finding a MMA training center! He saw there there were two in the area, and decided to try Clarksville Mixed Martial Arts first. When he got there, he was so surprised to find that it was run by a church!! Could there really be a church that was into MMA? To Jordan, this sounded too good to be true :)
That week, the girls and I arrived in KY and went to check out this crazy church our first Sunday. Turns out the pastor, was a former MMA fighter and Army Combatives instructor with a heart to reach the fighting and Army populations. Jordan was home :) And it was mostly young families - a small church where we could start getting connected and be a help. We were home.
The first couple months we weren't able to do a whole lot. Jordan was getting settled in with his unit, and I was birthing baby #3. Busy time. But, Jordan was able to get to know the pastor some - they got together a few times and Jordan went over to his house for UFC fights. It seemed like a connection was there.
We felt like this was such a God-thing.
The pastor inevitably found out that we are Bible-school grads, and was interested in us getting involved. However, we said that we needed to chill out for awhile - have the baby, get settled in, find our place. We have done a good job of hiding from ministry these last few years, but it seemed like maybe this church was a place we could ease into being more involved again.

And then, one Sunday in October, it all hit the fan.
We came to church one Sunday morning to find out that the pastor had confessed to having an affair and had stepped down from his position at the church.
We felt like we had been punched in the gut.
We were grieved for him and his family, concerned for the church, and confused ourselves. We felt like this was a connection and placement from God - what now?
The week after this news "broke", Jordan got together with the pastor to see how he was doing and encourage him if he could. During that visit, the pastor told Jordan that he wanted him to consider stepping in as pastor. They knew that Jordan was planning on deploying in May and couldn't take over the position permanently, but wanted him to consider doing it until then.
After a few weeks of the elders looking for someone to step in permanently and considering whether they'd have to close the doors if they couldn't find a long-term pastor, the church has officially asked Jordan to serve as the interim pastor. We don't know what will happen in May, but we're going to do what we can between now and then and trust God to bring along the right person to take over at that point.
Wow. We were thinking about easing in, but it looks like we're diving in head-first instead :)
This Sunday is Jordan's first week "in the pulpit". (Most the people think he's a kinda quiet guy - they don't yet know he can preach!)
Taking over a church in this kind of situation can be really hard. It's complicated. But it seems like there is an amazing core of people who see this church as their home and are commited to it. And they have already been so welcoming and thankful to us for stepping in!
Please be praying for us as you think of it. This is pushing us way outside our comfort zone, and pushing our limitations for sure. But that's where you meet God, right? We're counting on it.

Falling for You

2009-11-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

We headed to the park to snap some family shots. Which is hard to do since we had no one else to take the pictures. But, put them all together and you get the big picture :)

Give me lots of slack on these pictures - I am a newbie still. Good thing my family is so cute!

So, my photog friends - feel free to give me some advice. I know the pics aren't all very sharp. I'm working on that. Other than that, what should I focus on? (no pun intended :) And I pulled down the color saturation on these because I kinds liked it - what do you think? Does it work?

Three Months Have Flown By

2009-11-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

Can you believe she's 3 months old already? What a big girl!!

For memory's sake, here's a snapshot of Esther at 3 months:

She smiles and coos and bubbles and giggles - everything adorable about babies is encapsulated in this girl
She sleeps! 11 or 12 hours a night with just one quick nursing somewhere in the middle :)
She is generally sweet-tempered and peaceful - this new stage is a much better one
She still cries loud enough to make baby monitors unnecessary!
She has carved herself an irremovable place in our family and hearts

Autumn Update

2009-11-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your awesome decorating suggestions!! I wish I could have incorporated more of them, but I had to stick (for now), with what I had around the house.

I am already looking forward to Christmas, though! Can we brainstorm decorating ideas again then?? :)

A Delight and a Half

2009-11-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

"My sweet Gabby.

You actually turned 18 months several days ago. And I have been intending to write this for several days, it just hasn't happened. Somehow this is fitting, since you are the main reason so many things go undone right now!

At one-and-a-half, you are a handful-and-a-half and a delight-and-a-half.

I commented to your dad the other day how, for such a little girl, you are such a BIG person. Your emotions are big, (and loud). Your affection is big, (and sweet). Your personality is big, (and delightful).

We love you so much, Gabba-girl! You light up our life."

Autumn on the Inside

2009-11-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

(For the one person who still reads my blog - I'm going to try to ease back in to posting once in a while!)

Halloween is over, which means that the fall decorating officially begins.

And I need help.

I always have grand visions for what I'd like to do. The problem is making some semblance of my grand dreams using only items that are around the house or can be purchased for $3 at Walmart. Some people are masters at this. Me, not so much. Maybe I need new items around the house :)

This is how far I've gotten on an imitation Pottery Barn centerpiece. What does it need? other than $15 dried pomegranates?

Other than the fact that the flower arranging needs help, and the leaf vase needs a different color ribbon (maybe bright yellow?) What else? I need ideas. How can I make it look nice?

Many thanks :)

Does Posting This Make Me a Bad Mommy?

2009-10-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

I seriously don't think Juli picked her nose (at least not in front of me) until she was like 3 1/2. I
don't know if it just didn't occur to her or what.

Gabby, on the other hand, has been knuckle-deep from the time she could maneuver those little digits.

This one makes me laugh every time. So intent. And do you notice the bruise on her head? Remnants of a particularly rough face-plant.

And this is the look I get if I try to tell her not to. Yikes.

I sure love that girl.

Challenges are Challenging

2009-10-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

I have learned two things during this challenge:

Number One: Unless I get up an hour before my children, exercising and having some "me & God time" DOES NOT HAPPEN.

Number Two: I DO NOT like to get up an hour before my children. I'm tired. The bed is warm. Sleep is good.

SO, I'm working on it.
At least I have stopped trying to convince myself that I can find time later in the day (ha!), and am living in reality. But in this reality, I have to make myself get out of bed.

My Baby Barks

2009-10-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

I am in awe of Gabrielle.

She's not even 18 months old, and she already has us cracking up with her sense of humor. She's the definition of spunky. She's a powerhouse in a little package.

And she's way more than I can handle right now.

Along with her affectionate sweetness came an in-your-face defiance that has got me on my toes, and on my knees.

I am in need of some wisdom with this one.

Our neighbors got a dog and Gabby went right over to the fence to visit. The dog immediately started growling and barking at her. So, what did Gabby do? She barked right back.

They are now great friends.

Update Overload

2009-10-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

The challenge is going okay - I am eating pretty well and exercising more than I was. Unfortunately, it's still not close to every day. I feel like a slacker, but the days go so fast and the nights are still too short. At this point, it's about continuing to try for me.
My sis-in-law gave me a devotional with very short devotions for each day. (She's knows where I'm at :) I have been enjoying it and figure I can at least do that much each day.
This next week is supposed to warm up a little and stop raining, so I am hoping that some walks can be worked in.
And I ditched the Facebook updates. I got tired of myself :) I'll try to update on here each week.

Eight Years

2009-10-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago today I put on a beautiful dress and got together with like 300 of my closest family and friends to make official what everyone already knew: Jordan Fulton and I were meant to be together.
What a beautiful day!
The years since then have been full.
We have added three kids, lived in three different states, had numerous jobs, various incomes, many fights and even more laughs.
We've had moments when we wondered if we made a mistake, and moments when we wondered if anyone in the world was quite so happy.
And in between, we've had the day-in and day-out of making a life and marriage with your best friend.
It's been a good eight years.

It Is Time

2009-09-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

I hit the six-week mark on Sunday. Do you know what that means?
It means that it's time to kick this butt into gear!!
I decided to do a 30-day workout streak. This means that I have to do something for at least 20 minutes every day.

Some days this will just be a good walk.
And since I don't own any Richard Simmons, I am going to do Jillian's "Shred" workout at least twice a week. And probably die. It has been a long time, people!
So anyway, I was set to do this streak and then I read a post by my friend Melanie over at "Falco Mania". She also has a 6-week old beautiful girl, and she read my accountability-needing mind. I am going to join in and do her challenge.
For the next 30 days (starting today) I have 3 goals: exercise, spend time with Jesus and eat healthy. These are all three areas that have been seriously neglected these past couple months.
Like I said, the exercise means at least 20 minutes of some activity.
The time with Jesus means at least 20 minutes reading the Word and praying, preferably in the morning.
Eating healthy for me right now means getting at least a serving of veggies with each meal (6 a day), and cutting down on refined sugar.
And I'll have to confess on facebook each day.
So that's the plan.
Wanna join me? You could do the same goals or set your own. It would be so much more fun with you!
Leave me a message and let me know what your 30-day plan is!

Cousin Fun

2009-09-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Jordan's brother, Aaron, came to visit on his way to Mississippi. He brought his wife and their two boys.
We got to meet Seth who was born just days before Esther, and the girls got to play with their cousin, Noah. What cuties!

Can you handle how handsome this little guy is?

Juli got hurt at one point, and Gabby came right over to comfort her. It was just too cute.

One Month

2009-09-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Esther Isabelle is one month old today!

I go back and forth between thinking that the month has flown by, and thinking that it can't have only been a month since we first saw this cute face.

We have all fallen in love with sweet Esther. She has been a handful (what with hospital visits and latch problems and sleep issues!), but we are finding a rhythm. I think she just knew that she is a third-born, and she wanted to make sure she got plenty of mom's attention. (It worked!)

Happy one-month birthday, Esther-belle. I love you and am so thankful for you!

My Man

2009-09-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how much I love this guy?

He has taken on so much extra these past few weeks, and done it with a smile.

Nothing sexier than a hot husband doing dishes :)

Day at the Zoo

2009-09-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

We had our first real outing as a family of 5 today! Fun with the animals at the Nashville Zoo, "stocking up" at Trader Joe's and Thai Pizza at Cali Pizza Kitchen. Great Day!!

This is how Esther looked most of the day - the zoo isn't so much fun when you're so little!

My sweet Gabby

The First Campout

2009-09-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Juliana has been needing some Daddy time lately, so last night they had their very first "campout" (in the backyard!). After we had promised Juli she could sleep in the tent, we realized that we couldn't find it! Somehow it got lost in the move (along with several other things). So, off to Walmart we went and got a new tent. Glad for end-of-summer sales!

Juli "helped" Jordan put up the tent. Which mostly consisted of walking around the yard watching and drinking her "Juli coffee"!

Gabby, on the other hand, had her ideas of exactly how it should be put up!

Almost ready!

Gabby taking a trike break after her "overseer" responsibilities were done!

Daddy's other Walmart purchase - a new princess sleeping bag. All ready for her first over-nighter :)

Update: They had a great time! They ate M&Ms and played UNO by flashlight until sleeping time, and then slept to the lullaby of the 1 million crickets that live in our forrest!

Birth Story

2009-09-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today I'm not up to writing about our second trip to the hospital with Esther, but I thought it would be a good day to tell you about the first one.

It was almost 5AM. I didn't know how long I'd been lying there, half awake, half asleep; not able to really rest because of the contractions. The same contractions that had been a daily thing for almost 6 weeks. The same contractions that had prevented me from sleeping much for the last 2 weeks. I didn't count them or time them anymore - they were just annoying.

I was now a full week past my due date. I knew this baby had to be at least 9 lbs - I had never been anywhere near this uncomfortable with the first two! I had started to contemplate going the full two weeks past - could I handle that? Did I have the fortitude to stick to my "no interventions" philosophy when the rubber really met the road? I was still hoping to not have to find out.

5AM. Jordan's alarm went off, bringing me out of my half-conscious state enough to pay more attention to the contractions. They felt different. Not stronger, really. Just different.

"Honey, can I use your watch? I think I ought to time these". The contractions were about 5 minutes apart, but only about 30 seconds to the peak. I knew from my Bradley class that contractions generally aren't doing much until they are at least a minute long. I tried to go back to sleep. Something (on Someone), wouldn't let me.

At about 5:30 I got out of bed. I ate some breakfast and walked around a little. Still 5 minutes apart. Jordan kept watching me for some clue of what was going on. At 5:45 he said, "okay, I have to either leave for work or tell them I'm not coming". I replied, "I'm not sure, but I think this is it".

We woke up Jordan's mother (who, thank God, was staying with us for one more day before heading back to NY). We grabbed the bag and hopped in the car for the 10 min. trip to the hospital. We got there about 6AM.

When we got there, the contractions were getting stronger. They took us into an exam room and checked me - I was 5 centimeters and 90% effaced. (Yay! All those contractions had been doing something!) They said "Yup, you're in labor", and took us to a delivery room.

For the next 3 hours, Jordan and I worked through the contractions together. All back labor AGAIN. I know for a fact that I wouldn't be able to go all natural with back labor if Jordan didn't know how to do counter pressure during the contractions. It saved me again. The last hour got intense - the contractions were only about a minute apart and came two at a time. But still, I figured we had a while to go and the real stuff was coming.

And then, all of the sudden, it stopped. In the next half hour I only had like 2 or 3 contractions. I snoozed. (I was so exhausted at that point!) I knew that my body was just getting ready for the "sprint to the finish line", and I was grateful for the break.

At about 9:30 things picked up again. The contractions were strong and had a slight "urge to push" with them. They came in to check me - I was about 8 centimeters, maybe 9. Not time to push. I went in to go to the bathroom.

While I was in there, I had another contraction with more of an urge to push. I tried to hold back. Jordan came in to check on me and wanted to call the nurse. I figured I still had a while to go, so I said, "let's just do a few more contractions and then we'll call them".

The next contraction came, but there wasn't an urge to push - my body just pushed! There was no holding back, and my water broke like a huge water balloon bursting!

Jordan hit the call button and the nurse and midwife came running in. The midwife asked, "is this baby coming?" and bent down to check - "okay" she said, "we don't have time to move - we're doing this here". In the bathroom.

I was really uncomfortable so I stood up and leaned on the nurse and Jordan. The next contraction came and I swore I could feel the baby's head crowning. Was that possible?? I had pushed for an hour both the other times. By the end of the contraction the head was out, one more push and Esther was here. I pushed for a total of 4 minutes.

We waddled our way back to the bed and I got to hold our perfect, pink little daughter. "She's here - it's over and I did it". That's all I could think! What a rush that moment is! I just stared at her. Amazed once again that we were entrusted with a little life.

We tried to nurse but she wasn't into it yet. They took her for a minute to weigh her and clean her off. 9lbs 2oz. I told you.

We had a name in mind, but weren't totally set on it. Still wavering a little. But the minute they took the baby to clean her up she started wailing at the top of her lungs and without thought what came out of my mouth was "it's okay, Esther!" Once she was here, we knew that was her name. It was right.

The next little while wasn't so great. The placenta broke apart coming out and my uterus wouldn't clamp down. So, the midwife did a lot of pushing and poking and checking and more pressing - plus some stitching mixed in. Ouch! I just wanted them to leave me alone so I could be with my baby!

But finally they were done. And besides having to be hooked up to an IV because I lost enough blood, we were able to settle in and spend some time getting to know our sweet Esther Isabelle.

And So We Called Her Esther

2009-08-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Esther was definitely our surprise baby. We planned to have more kids, and were happy and excited about her, but the timing wasn't what we would have picked. We found out Esther was on her way just six months after Gabrielle's birth, and two days after Jordan swore in to the Army. Talk about overwhelming.

A few months later I was living at my parents with two kids while Jordan completed Basic training. I was exhausted and hurting and scared - how in the world was I going to handle three kids living at some random Army post with no friends or support system and a husband gone training a lot? I started to question God in it all. I mean, we had done our part in the whole "not time to have another baby" scenario - it seemed like God had just overridden it. Why? Didn't He know that this was probably going to make me go batty?

As I sat ranting to Him a little bit about how I wasn't ready and this wasn't a good time, all of the sudden I started thinking about the story of Esther.

If you don't know it, the story of Esther in the Bible is about an ordinary girl who (through a series of events totally out of her control), becomes the Queen of Persia. This puts her in a position of influence with the king at just the right time to save her people, the Jews, from being totally wiped out. Right place, right time.

I felt really impressed by the timing in the story. And how, until the end, no one had any idea the pieces that God was putting in place to save His people. Esther's life being one of those pieces.

I swallowed my petty griping at that point.

I knew God was telling me that HE chose the timing of this baby's life. That HE had a purpose in it. And someday we would look at what He had done with her life and realize that He had put her in our family and in this world "for such a time as this".

And so we called her Esther.

A Week In . . .

2009-08-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

We are doing well. After a few days stuck in a bad eating/sleeping cycle, we have found a new rhythm and are feeling pretty good.

checking out the baby's toes

Juli & Gabby watching their new Baby Einstein

Jordan has been home from work all week, which has been amazing. He has totally taken over the older girls and the house to let me get sleep when I can and focus on Esther.

I am a little (read: a LOT) overwhelmed by what life is going to look like once he goes back to work. How in the world am I going to do this? What do you do when you have more kids than you have hands? I guess I am going to find out. If any one has some good tips, especially if you've done the "two under the age of two" thing, I would appreciate it!
In the meantime, I am enjoying the help and enjoying this sweet baby.

Esther Isabelle

2009-08-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

She is here! Esther Isabelle arrived at 9:48 Sunday morning. She is just perfect, and mom is doing great. More info and pics soon!

Still Here

2009-08-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Waiting :)

Baby is due any day now. Everything has become very uncomfortable, so I find myself just making it through the days, hoping she comes soon.

Last weekend we got hit with a stomach bug. I spent Saturday night going back and forth between Jordan and Juliana as they threw up. They felt so awful! Luckily, (although I felt pretty yucky for a couple days), I didn't get sick like they did. And it looks like we're on the mend now.

We got over that just in time for my sister, Deb, to come visit (yay!!). She is staying for almost two weeks to help out - I am soooo grateful. She is so great with the girls and so much fun to have around - I can't think of anyone I'd rather have here.

It has been hot this week! I am so thankful for air conditioning. We are mostly hanging out inside or finding water to play in. This afternoon we opted for the water. Here are a few pics of us at the splash park they just put in on post (lovely addition!).

A Birthday Wish

2009-07-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

A good friend of ours has a birthday tomorrow, and we are one stop along the way in a virtual scavenger hunt :)

Now go HERE

or start at the beginning

Bathing Beauties

2009-07-23T16:18:00.001-07:00

We got a little wading pool for the back yard (it gets hot!!)
Here are a couple quick pics of my little swimmers:

I call these "Hopeful". The pool was almost as much fun before the water!

Almost, but not quite!

Check out my little patriotic girl too.

Officially Kentuckians - can you hear the drawl?

2009-07-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

So, we're here! We officially live in Kentucky (still not used to that idea). And best of all, we get to live in the same house with Jordan again!
The girls can't get enough of him. When they hear the door open, they both go running as fast as they possibly can; Juli doing her half-run, half-jump-up-and-down and Gabby practically quivering with excitment saying "DADA! DADA!". What could be better than coming home to that!

The house is good. It's Army housing and it's older, but there's lots of space and we're making it homey.

Here is a few of my favorite things so far:

Our fenced-in postage-stamp yard. There's a little covered patio that will be great for grilling and eating out in the evenings. And it's an ugly chain-link fence, but it does the job and keeps my kiddos corraled. We got a baby pool and are on the lookout for a sandbox.
My own kitchen. Most of the appliances are pretty new and there are nice new counter-tops. I am loving having my Kitchen-aid and other kitchen stuff back. I did a pretty good job of taking over my mom's kitchen :), but there's something about having my own. It's kind of my domain, ya know?
The deer. There are a bunch of deer living in the woods right behind our house, and they just hang out by our fence every day. Like 20 feet out my back door. It is becoming as common to see deer as it is to see a squirrel in NY! Juli blows them kisses.
The stores. No fun specialty shops or Whole Foods, but the Commissary is big and cheap, and there is a Super Walmart like 3 minutes away. We'll have to go to Nashville now and then for the fun stuff, but getting the basics for cheap is great.
The space. We have rooms for everyone. I am loving that! Juli is reveling in having her own space, and we're working on making it really cute. The girls have different bedtimes and wakeup times, so, although we made sharing a room work fine, it is nice that they don't have to for awhile.
And my number one favorite thing - having my husband back! I just like life better with him. It has been a little bit of a crazy time, but it's nice to do the everyday life stuff together again. I wasn't sure how the transition would go. I had a lot of support living with my family in NY - a lot of other people to do things or hold kiddos (or give me massages!). But Jordan has been so great. He has really stepped up and taken on the majority of the cleaning and house-stuff, and when he's home he is Mr. Mom for the girls. I am so grateful because my hips have made walking a real chore these last few weeks. (Not to mention chasing one-year-olds).

I would post pictures of all these new favorites, but somehow my camera cord got lost in the shuffle. I'm still hopeful that it will turn up soon.

So, we're here. We're alive :) We're slowly transitioning and trying to figure out what our new normal looks like. For a couple weeks - and then this baby is going to come and turn the world upside down again!

Kentucky Update

2009-07-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

Our computer is in KY right now, along with my photo downloading stuff, so no pictures until we get settled (it's too bad, 'cuz I've got some great 4th of July ones! They'll just have to be put up later).
Jordan is in Seattle right now, seeing my sister and nephew, visiting friends, and getting ready to load up the truck today. Please be praying for him for the next few days - he has a long drive ahead of him!
He got in the house on Wednesday, and said everything looks great! It's older, but clean and bright wth some new floors and fresh (white) paint. We didn't want to paint much because we'd just have to paint it back when we move, but he went and got a pretty olive-y green and painted the livingroom. We figured that one room would have the most impact.
The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a fenced in yard and woods behind. Yay! I can't wait to see what it all looks like and get settled in.
Jordan is coming back to KY on Wed. (hopefully!) and is going to get things set up as much as he can. Then the girls and I fly in on Friday!
We will be there exactly 4 weeks from my due date (not a lot of time to get settled and set with a midwife, but we'll get there.) I'm glad this is baby #3 and I feel like I know my way around the whole birth process a little more. (Not that I'm looking forward to it, but at least it doesn't make me too nervous :).

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

A Glimpse of Juliana, on Her Birthday

2009-06-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

I have been jolted out of my non-blogging funk by a very important event: my baby turned 4 years old today!

Juliana Grace, what can I say about you on your birthday?

This last weekend we were in a situation with a lot of people you had never met before, and it gave me a chance to view you from a stranger's perspective. As your mom, I feel like I know you inside and out but it was fun to take a step back and see what other people see.

Here's what I saw: At first glance, of course, there's how beautiful you are. Really and truly beautiful. From the huge, blue, dark-lashed eyes that remind me of something in a Disney movie, to the mass of curly hair that refuses to be tamed, to your sweet mouth with so much personality lurking in the little smirk. You are lovely, little girl. Timeless.

But once that stranger gets up off the floor (from becoming a puddle upon meeting you), they might not get a lot in the way of social niceties. In fact, the chances are pretty good that you will ignore them completely when they first try to talk to you. We have been working on this, and it is improving, but your Daddy has also cautioned me not to push you to hard. He has known since you were tiny that one of your gifts is discernment. And how that plays out as a 3 (or 4) yr old is that you hang back at first - check people out for a while, sniff the air a little bit. And I am learning that this is a good thing. We will continue to work on basic politeness :), but I am starting to appreciate your insight into people and situations. Keep being who you are, baby.

After the initial checking out, (if you have decided you like this stranger), you usually are ready to play. Silliness is one of your main connecting points. If someone is willing to be goofy or do slapstick for you, or even belly laugh at your antics, they are in. We'll have to rent some "Three Stooges" soon - they are right up your alley.

And once the goofy-connection has been made, any new aquaintence would probably find themselves in some sort of make-believe. You have a fantastic imagination, little girl. And what makes it fun is that you have a matching vocabulary to express those imaginings. You could be a writer if you wanted to. Long car trips or hours alone in the back yard are no problem for you - you just get lost in imaginings and create whole worlds around you. I love, love, LOVE this about you!

After watching you for awhile, Juli, I was struck by your honesty and genuineness. Sometimes it comes across a little harsh. You don't pretend to like people before you've decided you do. You don't give courtesy laughs. You don't answer with the most acceptable answer. You are very much like your dad that way. But the wonderful flip side of that is when you do like someone, it is a whole-hearted liking. When you laugh with someone it is usually a belly-laugh. And you answer with heartfelt honesty. There is no wondering if you mean what you say.

All in all, do you want to know what I left this little experiment with? I like you, Juliana! Sometimes I have a hard time understanding you, but you are worth the work.

Four years ago today, you made me a mommy. And our journey together in walking that out has been one of the most rewarding and fun journeys of my life. I am honestly impatient to see you develop and grow and become the person you were made to be. And at the same time, I desperately want you to stay little and keep these days forever.

I love you so much, sweet girl. You are so very precious to me.
Happy Birthday!

Our House, Is a Very Fine House (I think :)

2009-06-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

Jordan is in KY "preparing a place for us".

And getting totally hooked up in the housing dept!

We decided that for us right now, it would be best to live on post. (The gates at Ft. Campbell are really crowded, so if we're off post Jordan couldn't come home for lunch and it would add a commute to his day. We're jealous of his time right now! Plus, we are really needing to get connected in quickly - hopefully being on post will help with that. Plus, Jordan will probably be deployed early next year, and either the girls and I will move closer to family or we'll appreciate the security of being on post.)

Anyway, it wasn't looking good. The wait list for housing is 6-8 months. For some reason Jordan didn't get assigned a detail his first morning so they let him go run errands. He went straight to the housing office and decided to go ahead and start the process. He "just happened" to be there at the right time to get bumped ahead on the list for a 4-bedroom house that the people had just moved out of two days before! It took a couple days to finish everything, but yesterday he got a confirmation call that he can move in July 1st! Yay!

It's a cute little 1/2 brick house at the end of a dead-end street in a quiet area. There's several parks, a water-play area and a starbucks all within a couple blocks (hello?!) And a yard! And enough rooms! (We have done a lot of tiny-apartment living, so neither of my babies have had a room or a crib until they were like 6 months. They mostly slept in the living room! This baby will have a room.) Jordan can't even see inside until the first so I have no idea what it looks like, but the floorplan is great.

To be honest, I'm totally overwhelmed with the idea of moving to a town I've never seen, into a house I've never seen, knowing no one.

But at least now we know what town we're moving to, we have a house to move into, and I'll be with my favorite person soon.

Graduation and Orders

2009-06-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Jordan's Graduation was great. It was fun to see him up there in uniform. We were so proud of him! Jordan's dad, Terry, got to be there. It was so good to see him! The girls loved having some time with Grandpa, and Jordan was so glad to have his dad there to see him graduate.

So happy to be together!

And, big news: after lots of waiting, Jordan finally got his orders the day before graduation. We are headed to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky!

Jordan will be part of the 101st, which is an Air Assault unit. (They repel out of helicopters) He's pretty excited about that :)

Neither of us ever considered living in KY, so this came a little out of the blue, but surprisingly we both feel really good about it.

Jordan is heading down there tomorrow to start looking for housing. We're thinking that we'd like to be on post for now, but we'll see what's available.

The girls and I probably won't go down until next month - we'll let Daddy move all our stuff and get it set up for us first :) But, it looks like I'll be having this baby in Kentucky, so I'm checking out midwives in that area. I hope I'll be able to get connected with a good practice quickly.

It's kind of funny - all 5 members of our family will have been born in completely different states. Jordan in FL, me in IL, Juli in NY, Gabby in WA and now this one in KY. We're a diverse bunch!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us - please keep it up! Pray for Jordan - he finished his training and promptly got really sick (of course - you can only push your body like that for so long). He is on an antibiotic now and starting to feel better. He has to start the drive down to KY tomorrow, so he needs to be feeling up to par. Also, please pray for favor in the housing department, for everything to go smoothly with the move, and grace as we do another couple weeks apart.

This really is a crazy life we've chosen.

A Good Life

2009-06-03T05:21:00.000-07:00

Every couple days I will sit down to write on here. And then delete it.

I want to keep up with this blog. I want to remember this time in our life and document it for our kids. I want to share what I'm living with people who care.

But these past couple weeks have been hard. I'm sick of having my husband gone, I'm frustrated with all the uncertainty, I'm tired and my body's hurting.

And as much as I want to be real on this blog, that isn't how I want to remember this period in our life.

Even though I struggle with frustration and loneliness, I want to remember the rest of the story.

I want to remember countless sunny days that Juli has spent in the "park" that Nana and Papa have in their back yard; picking dandelions, jumping and imagining. And wandering around the yard in a pink dress-up dress and her black winter boots. Or a tu-tu and Converse.

I want to remember Gabby learning to crawl, making a new best friend in my parent's dog, and stealing the hearts of every member of my family. To remember her new words and new teeth.

And her new-found love of a good sandbox.

I want to remember the good talks with my siblings. The kind that only happen when you're living in the same house. What amazing people they are!

And I want to remember the love that my parents have shown to us. Opening their home and making light of the inconveniences, cherishing the time with their grandkids. And doing their best to be sensitive - helping when needed but letting us be our own family too.

I want to remember that we made a good life even missing Jordan so badly. Because even though the hard feelings are true, this is more true.

We're headed down to GA today for Jordan's graduation. Yay! We still don't know much about what's next, but we're going to enjoy the days that we have with him.

Congratulations, Baby!

Two Down, One to Go

2009-05-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

It's a bittersweet day. Gabby is really done nursing.

Once we got about to the 1 year mark I started letting her take the lead and ask for it when she wanted to nurse. I figured that if it was important to her, we could keep it up for awhile. Slowly but surely, she stopped asking. And it has been 3 days of no nursing at all.

On one hand, I'm really glad. This gives me a couple months' break before I have to start again. Plus, my body was showing signs that it just wasn't keeping up with all the demands. It needed a break!

But still, I'm hanging on to every moment of Gabrielle being my baby. I won't be able to call her "the baby" in just a couple months. And I know that all of the sudden she will look so big once little sister is here. It seems like she didn't get to be "the baby" for long. And quitting nursing just seems to solidify that even more.

Sweet Gabrielle - no matter how many I have, you'll always be my baby!

Honor Hill

2009-05-20T05:51:00.001-07:00

Update: I FINALLY heard from Jordan 4 days later! Someone on his squad did something stupid and so they all got their phones taken away. I was going a little crazy!
Jordan made it through the FTX and was proud of himself. And now he's really done! Graduation is June 5th, and between now and then he basically just cleans things and recovers. Thank you all who prayed for him!

Everyone, please be praying for Jordan today!
He has spent the last 5 days on a Field Training Exercise (also called FTX. It is living outdoors, battle simulation, land navigation . . . sounds like camping meets a live video game to me :)
Today they finish the FTX with a 12 mile ruck march (marching with all their gear in a heavy pack on their back). This march is one of the things Jordan was kind of dreading. Rucking is hard, and 12 miles is long. But, after he hikes up Honor Hill at the end of the march, he is done! His training is officially complete at that point and he made it.
Please pray for strength and health for Jordan today - freedom from injury and encouragement too!
I'll update as soon as I hear from him again. Thanks everyone!

Dandelion Days

2009-05-14T05:15:00.000-07:00

I love that I'm in that stage.

The wonderful stage where you have a 3 yr. old bringing you bouquets of dandelions from the yard saying, "Here beautiful Mommy, I brought you these beautiful flowers. Just for you!"

(Although her understanding of the word beautiful in the first use is severely called in to question by the second use, it does wonderful things to my heart just the same!)

The other day, Juli brought some dandelions in for my grandmother and it made her remember long ago days when my mom was the bouquet-bearer.

I'm soaking in these days for my memories.

What wonderful memories they will be.

Wordless Thursday

2009-05-07T09:38:00.001-07:00

Happy First, Gabrielle

2009-05-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today, my sweet Gabrielle turns 1. That means an entire year has flown by since the night we first got a glimpse of this beautiful, funny, spunky, determined little bundle. How did we ever think our life was anywhere near complete without a Gabrielle Elizabeth in it?

fantastically fun 1 year pics done by Carrie Stroud Photography

Here's a little Gabby update:

She is crawling and cruising the furniture like a pro. She could probably walk if she felt so inclined, but crawling or getting someone to come carry her are both so much faster.

She has 8 teeth (including 2 molars), each of which has been won with sweat and tears.

She eats EVERYTHING (and I mean everything). Each night at dinner, my mom (her Nana) and I sit on either side of her and spend the entire meal cutting up food and shoveling it onto her plate as fast as we can. She out-eats her sister, Juli, on a daily basis. Her favorite things right now are bananas, raisins, sweet potatoes, eggs in any form and pasta. She loves a good piece of lasagna!

My favorite accomplishment right now is that she is sleeping so well! (With a newborn coming in 3 months, this is obviously crucial). Last month Gabby started sleeping 11 hours straight every night. That means she wakes at 6am, but if I don't see her in the middle of the night, I can handle the early wake up call!

So, that's what she's doing. On to who she is:

Gabrielle is a little lover. Although she can't take time for extended snuggles, she will frequently throughout the day crawl up in my arms and give me a squeeze or lay her head on my shoulder. And then after about 20 seconds she's on her way again. It still melts me every time. She will also randomly grab someone's arm (especially Nana’s) and get their attention so that she can gaze up at them lovingly for a second. And then she's gone again. What a girl!

Gabby especially loves her sister. She squeals when she sees Juli, laughs quickly at her silly antics, and gets goofy with her at night when they're supposed to be going to bed. Juliana has blossomed in her role as big sister and is so loving toward Gabby. I am so thrilled with the relationship they have and fervently hope it will always be that way!

Gabrielle is determined. And persistent. When she has something in mind, she is un-distractable. If there is a toy she’s after, she will climb over anything in her path to get there. She sees baby gates and blocking pieces of furniture not as roadblocks but as challenges to be overcome. If there is something that she’s not allowed to play with, she doesn’t let the fact that Mommy keeps telling her "no" and moving her to another room deter her. Within seconds she is right back at her pursuit; quietly and determinedly working toward her goal. What a handful, but what a powerful force if put in the right direction!

And Gabrielle is spunky. She has a quick sense of humor that permeates everything she does. She loves fun and games, and LOVES to laugh, (great big belly laughs that you have to laugh along with). That girl has been like a little ray of sunshine in our family. Everything is warmer and lighter and happier because she’s here.

"Gabba-girl, I love you so! I am so thankful that you were given to me and that I get to be part of your life. I watch with anticipation to see how you’ll grow and the amazing things that God has planned for you. Thank you for being just who you are. Happy First Birthday!"

Missing Him Already

2009-05-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

We're home from a wonderful, emotional, too-short visit with Jordan.

The weekend started on Thursday when the girls and I got on the plane to GA. (Don't ask me why I thought it would be no big deal to fly with a busy 3 yr. old and a 1 yr. old who NEVER stops moving - all by myself. Not any more!) We eventually got there and then spent Thursday night and Friday with my friend Carrie, her crazy, beautiful kids, and her wonderful mother-in-law, Annette who let us stay with her all weekend. It was soooo good to see them!

We basically chased kids the whole time (that's what you do when you have 3 kids under the age of 3!), but it was a blast anyway. I had my first Chick-fil-a experience, we walked along the Chattahoochee River (trying our best to keep anyone from falling in), and stayed up too late watching a chick flick.

Saturday morning, we headed to Ft. Benning to FINALLY get my husband! After much hassle with passes and check points, I had the hug I've been waiting 11 wks for.

I couldn't believe how different Jordan looked. Thin and tan and in uniform, part of me almost didn't recognize him. MUCH too good looking!

Juli just hugged him and hugged him. I could tell it was coming home for her.

Gabby stared with a half-smile on her face for a little while, but by the time we got back to the house she was fully warmed up to him.

Thanks, Carrie, for the beautiful picture!

And then we spent our 36 hrs just being. Together. We played and talked and snuggled and laughed and cried.

And then we had to take him back and fly away. That part really sucked.

I am so thankful that this next phase is only a month and that he will get more freedom (like more phone time!).

If there's one thing this separation has confirmed, it's the fact that I like life so much better when I get to live it with him!

Jordan Update

2009-04-29T10:52:00.001-07:00

Jordan is in his last week of Basic Training! And it looks like he's not just going to survive, but thrive :)
Little wife-bragging here: In addition to being a team-leader, Jordan was selected to be trained as a combatives instructor (which he is loving), and was one of the only ones to receive a score of over 300 on their last Physical Fitness Test. Yay! He's putting these young guys to shame, even though he's 10 yrs. older than most of them.
The girls and I are hopping on a plane tomorrow to see Jordan during his 36 hr. pass (it's going to be like a tease to see him for so short a time, but it's way better than nothing). After that he goes to AIT (Advanced Infantry Training), for a month and then he officially graduates. At least this time apart is less than half as long.
While we're in GA, we get to see our lovely friend, Carrie. We haven't seen her or her family since she deserted us in Seattle last October. I mean, since she moved to FL. It will be so good to hang out, even though it's just for the weekend.
Plus, her so-kind mother-in-law, (who conveniently lives in Columbus, GA), is letting us stay with her so we don't even have to get a hotel. Thank you, Annette!
We'll be back on Monday with updates and pictures. Maybe even Carrie pictures if we get lucky :)
See you then!

The First Weekend of "Summer"

2009-04-26T16:11:00.001-07:00

At least it felt like summer. And we soaked up every minute we could.

"The mood of New Englanders is delicately hinged to the weather; nowhere else is winter so trying, the mud season so endless, spring so giddy, summer so brief, fall so glorious. Tuned to the caprices of weather, New Englanders' moods swing as the climate does."

Pregnancy Update

2009-04-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah, haven't really done the belly pictures this time. Partly I've been busy, but partly it's because I look EXACTLY like I did both the other times.

It's funny, some things have been so different each pregnancy, but my weight gain and shape have been exactly the same.

Right now I am almost 26 wks. along. Getting on to the third trimester, and I can feel it. My energy levels are dropping rapidly. Otherwise, though, these last couple months have been great. Once I got over the "morning" sickness (that would last all day!), I have almost forgotten I'm pregnant. Most of the time I feel totally normal.

This last couple weeks, though, I've started with the hip pain I had last time. Not too bad - I can still walk!, but I'm hurting pretty good by the end of the day. I don't really remember when it started last time, and I'm hoping and praying it doesn't get worse. Being bed ridden with two kids and no hubby would not work.

We're still thinking about names for this little lady. It's kind of hard since Jordan and I can't really just sit and have a conversation about it (we usually can only talk once a week for about 10 min, so we cram all the "necessary" info). Mostly we have to just send ideas and responses back and forth in letters. Oh well, we have a while!

Easter Pics - A Week Late

2009-04-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

We didn't get to take real Easter pictures, but I wanted to share our "snapshots" showing how pretty my girls looked:

My nephew Elisha was here too, so we got to get one of all three together:

And here I am in my 24 wk. glory. Yup, that's definitely a belly!

Happy 200th, Dear Blog!

2009-04-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is my 200th post. (Only took me a year and a half to get there!).
Here's to my continued attempts to document the crazy life of the Fulton family!

The Van is Back

2009-04-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

We have joined the minivan-nation.
We bought a Honda Odyssey. Definitely the largest purchase I have ever made, and I had to do it all by myself! (well, not really - my parents came to help me)

With #3 coming, the third row seating became essential. Rebelling against the minivan stereotype, we first looked exclusively at SUVs with the third seat. Have you seen how expensive they are? Very quickly minivans started looking good!

And then we started looking at them. Those things are just so stinkin' family-friendly.
How great is dual-side sliding doors that remote open?
Or a third row that folds into the floor?
Or the built-in DVD player?

I may never be able to go back.

Separation Anxiety - Juli Style

2009-03-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Having Jordan gone is hitting Juli a little more. She will just sigh every once in awhile and say "Am I ever going to see my Daddy again?" Absolutely kills me every time.

And lately she has been pretending about him a lot. "Pretend" is a constant word around our house. At least 10x a day I hear "Pretend you're Aslan and I'm Lucy", or "I'm Belle, and you pretend you're Snow While" or her favorite: "Pretend I'm the mommy and you are the Juli".

But lately it has been "Pretend you're Daddy and I'm still Juli". And then she'll take my hand and talk to him about what she's doing that day and tell him that she misses him and loves him. Then she'll say something like "Do you love me too, Daddy?" - something that makes me want to run in my room and cry my little eyes out, but instead I take the opportunity to tell her I love her TOO much, and give her a Daddy-style hug and maybe a tickle or wrestle.

And somehow it seems to reassure her. Like she really did have a minute with him.

Last week, we started with some separation anxiety. She has never done much of that. As long as she was with someone she knew and loved, not real worried if mom leaves. But this week she has started randomly looking around and if she can't see where I am she'll run find me crying "Mommy! I thought you were lost! I couldn't find you!" But then she settles down really quick and wants to run play. I'm not sure the best way to help her other than reassure her.

What cracked me up, though was when she woke up in the night a few nights ago. I walked by her room and heard her start crying - "Mommy!" I went in and hugged her and told her "I'm right here, baby!", thinking that I'd need to stay with her for awhile to help her calm down.

She looked up at me after about 10 seconds and said, "Mommy, I have tell you something".

"Okay, honey, what is it?".

"Can you leave now? I want to go to sleep."

So Juli.

Hopefully this means that her separation issues don't run very deep!

Feelin' Girly

2009-03-26T10:49:00.001-07:00

It appears that God thinks Jordan and I are made to parent little girls.
We just found out that Fulton Girl #3 is on her way!

Everything looked great at the ultrasound. Baby was sleeping all curled up, so I had to move around for awhile to get her to shift so that we could see all that we needed to. She is measuring just right.

She kept her little legs curled up tight most of the time (my modest little girl!), but gave us a flash at the very end so that we could confirm the "girl parts".
There's a part of me that is not looking forward to 10+ years from now when we have 3 teenage girls at the same time :) But, I know God planned this little lady and I can't wait to meet her!

Sweet Feet

One Month

2009-03-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked one month. One month from the day that I herded my kiddos on a plane and left rainy Seattle for snowy NY (I seriously need to explore some other areas of the country! I hear there are some places where the sunny days outnumber the cloudy ones. What would that be like??)
The day before yesterday marked the night that I drove Jordan to the recruiting station, hugged him goodbye and watched him walk in carrying his ARMY pack filled with the few things he could bring to Basic Training. Yuck.
I then walked around the mall (because it was across the street and I quickly realized that it wasn't safe for me to drive any further since I couldn't see very well for all the crying). I walked through the hallways in a sort of daze, feeling like everything was upside down and didn't everyone know that life had just changed dramatically?
It has been a month. And in most ways, it has passed quickly and more easily than I could have guessed. My family has been so great to make us more than welcome. Their home is busy and happy and distracting. And distraction is wonderful in times like this!
We're taking it a week at a time.
Moving and settling in and seeing everyone knocked out a week for us right off the bat.
A nasty cold we passed around put me in a sleep-deprived state that made another week pass by almost unnoticed.
And the fact that I don't have to work anymore!! - I can read a book, or take walks with my kids, or go to bed early, or get together with friends - enjoying this realization eased another week past.
But then we got to this week. The distractions aren't so distracting anymore. We're back to healthy and life is settling in to a "normal" pattern. And that's the worst part - trying to set up a new normal that doesn't include Jordan. It feels horribly wrong.
And it's only been a month!

On the upside, Jordan seems to be doing well. He was quite sick for the first couple weeks (I guess a lot of them were), and that had to make it so much harder. Having to get up and run in the cold when you have a fever and feel so yucky . . . but he seems to be pulling out of it. The hardest phase of Basic is ending and he make it through without major incident. He said the Drill Sargents still don't know his name (a really good thing!). He has been able to call once a week on Sundays. It's only for about 5 minutes, but it is so good to hear his voice! He has also been way better about letter writing than I have - I'm trying, but he's beating me for sure.
Basic is definitly something that you survive. And he is. And so are we.

Gabby Girl

2009-03-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 10 months, Gabrielle Elizabeth! (actually, you turned 10 months on the 6th, but Mama is a little slow with everything right now).

10 months is looking good on you, baby girl.

You are such a little social butterfly. Your smile is quick and ready for everyone. Having your grandparents and aunts around all the time has been such fun. You love talking and visiting with them, and sharing whatever fun thing you've discovered. When you're nursing, you pull off every few minutes to see who else is around that you can smile at and share this wonderful experience with :) (Makes public nursing difficult, but it makes me laugh!)

It doesn't surprise me that you're such a talker. You imitate sounds all the time and have added two new words since coming to NY: "Dog" and "Angel".

Angel is the name of Nana's dog - your new best friend in the WHOLE world. We knew you liked dogs, but it went to a whole new level when you got one of your very own. For the first week after we came to NY you would hyperventilate every time Angel came into the room! Your little legs would kick so fast and you'd cry "Hi!, Hi!, Hi!" at the top of your lungs. The dog was a bit overwhelmed by you, I think! You've mellowed a little now, and you and Angel have become such friends.

You've got the crawling thing down pat. I think that's partly thanks to the dog too - chasing her around the house became your inspiration. It's funny to watch you try to navigate the slippery wood floors in soft baby pants. You keep trying, though. You are so persistant.

Daddy's girl that you are, I know your world doesn't seem right without him here. I'll show you the little video that he made for you, and your face lights up as you try to grab and kiss the camera. 9 weeks is a long time when you're so little. Keep remembering, baby - he misses you too!

I am so very thankful for you, Gabrielle. Your laid-back style and sense of humor have been a blessing during these crazy months. You make me smile when I'm down and bring a laugh when I need it so much. Your chubby little arms around me while you bury your face in my neck is so sweet, I almost can't breathe. I've never known a baby who hugs like you! Thank you for being you - I can't imagine what we ever did without our Gabby Girl.

Update

2009-03-03T05:12:00.000-08:00

I have a new blogging philosophy - if I only post every week or two, I can call all posts "Update" and no longer waste any time thinking of clever titles. What do you think?

Greetings from the frozen north! Seriously - it is COLD here! I had just gotten in the mood for spring in Seattle; the bulbs were sprouting, the leaves budding . . . here it is 10 degrees when I wake up. But, however cold it may be out, being with my family and seeing good friends has been warm enough to make up for it :)
We got in to Rochester after a long but (thankfully) uneventful trip. Having my dad and sister, Becca, fly with us was great. I could pass one or the other of the girls off to them during the flight and have only one to entertain at a time. Piece of cake!
And now we're here. Adjusting still to the time change a little - mostly Gabby. She decided to overcompensate for the time difference and start waking up at like 5:30 eastern time (that's like 2:30 Seattle time). And she has kept that up the whole time. It has got me looking forward to "springing ahead" next week - 6:30 isn't so bad, I can get that to 7am, and 7 is an hour I don't mind greeting in the morning.
After we got here, I basically just crashed. I think, (actually, I know), that I had been pushing way to hard for the month or two before the move. Especially being pregnant. I felt like I just woke up every morning already going full speed and didn't stop until bedtime again. God definitely gave me the strength I needed at the time, but once I got here, I was spent.
So, I've been hanging out in my sweats, reading books that I don't have to read for anything, drinking coffee, taking a few naps!, spending time with friends and getting a chance to actually enjoy my kiddos. I have done almost nothing productive - I'm not even all the way unpacked yet! I have been doing a lot of cooking, but I enjoy that.
We had someone give us a whole case of bread dough, and we didn't have any room in the freezer. So, I turned it into almost every bread related thing we could think of: sweet rolls, pizza, stromboli, dinner rolls, and a few lovely loaves of fresh bread. We've been carb-loading for a week now. Bring on the marathon.

Jordan Update: True to Army form, I have heard almost nothing from Jordan since he left. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks! I got a letter from him while he was in processing saying things were fine and then a call from him this last Sunday. He only had 5 minutes to talk, but it was so good to hear his voice! He's making it. In his works, "Basic sucks". But, we knew that going in, right? That seems to be the general consensus of everyone I know who has gone through it. He said he is doing as well as anyone. He follows orders and is naturally a person who pays attention to detail, so he hasn't been singled out at all yet. But, it's hard be doing what you're supposed to and still getting in trouble because of immature kids who don't follow orders. I guess it's all part of the process. It was been snowing (in Georgia) when he called, and a lot of the guys, including him, were sick. Hopefully he's feeling better by now!
Do you know what the hardest part has been for me? Not being able to be there for him. Jordan has been there for me during so many hard things, not the least of which was the birth of my girls. Jordan was a true coach: encouraging me, being involved in every part, praying for me and continuing to hold in front of my eyes the reason I was doing all this - the healthy little girl I would be holding so soon. I really don't think I would have been able to have two unmedicated births without his support and help. (As my mom reminds me, I have a very low pain tolerance :)
I wish I could be there for him in the same way. Even just to hug him at the end of the day and tell him I'm proud of him, that he's doing a good job. To remind him of the call on his life and the reason he's going through all this. At least I can pray for him. And please, you do too as you think of him!

Well, I have lots of pictures to upload as soon as I get the everything set to do it on my parent's computer. Pictures from our "goodbyes" to Seattle and the time with my dad and sister. Plus lots of my cute girls, (because who doesn't love that :)

Welcome to Crazy Town

2009-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

Hey All-
Just wanted to take a quick minute to ask everyone to be praying for us these next couple days.
My dad and sister, Becca, are here from NY to help us pack all our earthly possessions into a 10x10 storage space, and then to take the girls and I to NY with them on Thursday.
Jordan leaves for Basic TOMORROW! (A fact that I am definitely repressing at the current moment).
Please pray for strength and energy as we pack and get all the last minute things finished, sleep for everyone, and safe traveling.
I will be putting regular updates about Jordan's training on this blog, (along with resuming regular blogging!), as soon as we are settled in NY, so please check back. We will need all the support and prayers we can get!

Chilling with Rachel the Pig at Pike Place

Okay - on to more packing :)

Happy 9 Months, Sweet Girl!

2009-02-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Would you believe my little Gabrielle turned 9 months old yesterday? Man, the months fly by!

This girl has become ACTIVE this last month. Although she doesn't technically crawl yet (still stuck in reverse), she can move herself around a room, no problem. If I set her down in one spot and walk away for 5 seconds, I have to search for her when I come back!

She has also become a little social butterfly. On the plane back from NY, there were, (of course), so many people wanting to wave and say "hi" to the cute baby. And somehow she figured it out! By halfway through the trip she was waving and saying "hi" to everyone - and she still does. The best is when Jordan comes home from work - as soon as he walks in the door her little face lights up and the wave starts in earnest and she says "hi, hi, hi!"

She is showing definite signs of becoming a handful - diaper changes have become a wrestling match and she already insists on trying to feed herself - doesn't work so well with yogurt or oatmeal!

But she is also so sweet and tender. When she's ready for bed she will snuggle up and wrap one hand in my hair, and stroke my cheek with the other (I've never known a baby who stroked). And she just laughs so much - she finds life, (and her family), endlessly amusing. Especially Juli. They make a great pair: Gabby loves to be entertained and there's nothing Juli loves more than an audience!

Sweet "Gabba-wabba", happy 9 months! We love you so very much and are enjoying every day of finding out more about our crazy, sweet, funny little girl.

She Does Exist!

2009-01-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

I am back. Back from NY and a blogging break. I finally got to start catching up on all the wonderful things you all have written in the last two weeks. And now, I suppose, I shall write something wonderful myself. . .

We had a really good trip to NY. My family made us feel so welcome, loved on the girls, and didn't mind that we were running out all the time trying to connect with so many special people before Jordan leaves. Thanks, guys!

This trip was timed so well. We wanted to be able to see our friends in person to tell them our news. We wanted to see the shocked look on their faces when we told them that BABY #3 is already on his or her way!
Yup, I'm pregnant again! It was definitely a surprise, but a very welcome one. I am about 12 weeks along - already almost at the end of the first trimester - and feeling good. And, if you're wondering, this will put my babies about 15 months apart. I guess I'll get a glimpse of what twins would be like. Except one of my twins will be running around the house and not staying where I put her!

That news helped us to make a decision that we had been waffling about: the girls and I are going to move back to NY to live with my family while Jordan is in training. (Between all the different training segments he has to do, it will be about 6 months before it would be feasible for us to move and be with him. We are hopeful that he will be able to come visit here and there between parts.) So, doing the math, it looks like I will be having a baby in NY! We are PRAYING that there won't be any holdups in his training schedule, and Jordan will be able to be there for the birth. But, if not, my family is there, and Jordan will come right away.

So, that's what's new at our house! Coming back from NY it hit me that I have 1 month to get my job ready for another to take over, pack up the whole house, and figure out how to get the essentials to NY.
I don't know if the first trimester is like this for any of you, but I am just tired! As my mom would say, "My 'get up and go' got up and went". Somehow it will all happen!

You'll forgive me if blogging is scarce these next few weeks. After I am moved and settled, I have hopes of becoming a much more regular blogger when I get to be a SAHM.

Christmas '08

2009-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas at the Fultons!

Here are a few snapshots of our Christmas day:

My beautiful girls in their Christmas jammies :)

Her first try at opening presents

These pictures are my favorites.

She was really tired at this point and ready for a nap. This toy turned out to be one of her favorites, but you couldn't tell it by her face!:
"What, this is the best you can do? Seriously, guys."

Juli giving Mommy her favorite chocolate :)

Mommy giving Juli some sugar back.

I took Juli "shopping" for Daddy in the $1 section of Target so she could buy something with her own money. She found a package of "Jack Daniels" flavored coffee and was sure it would be perfect.

Jordan giving me the face that says "You don't have to take a picture of every present."

I found Jordan a set of "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em" Robots. Too fun!

We took them over to Rachael and Elisha's house to try them out.

Pretty Rachael in her new sweater and gloves.

I hope your Christmas was as Merry as ours!

More Snow!

2008-12-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

I've been intending to post more snow pictures, but Christmas got in the way! I have a Christmas post and pictures coming, but I just have to post these first. It's chronological that way :)

So, after my last post about getting snowed in, we got . . . more snow! We were stuck at home for a week!

Jordan decided to go out and clear the driveway for us, and took Juli to play in the snow.

See, Mom? I'm all ready - I've got my mittens!

What are they doing all huddled up there?

He wouldn't.

He did.
(Notice the snowball sailing through the air in the left corner. )

And plastered on the window, right in front of my face.
Nice aim, honey :)

It was at this point that I decided I had better bundle up and get out there - hold my own, you know? Plus I needed to teach my poor, Seattle-raised daughter that there's more to snow than throwing snowballs at Mommy!

Although, it looks like she was already corrupted

Her handprints in the snow

Our attempt at a snow angel.

And our loverly snowman. Daddy taught Juli that if you find some really clean snow you can eat it. I think she ate her body weight in snow and has been asking for more ever since.

My hunky husband breaking out his mad Oswego-born shoveling skills.

Snowed In!

2008-12-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

(No, I didn't take this picture - but it sure is pretty, isn't it!)

We have been hit by major snowstorms these past few days! I keep looking outside and having to remind myself that we're not in NY. I've never seen Seattle like this!

In some ways it's worse than NY - they don't have the amazingly efficient plow system here (I think Seattle owns like 3 plows, total.) They don't salt, and NO ONE knows how to drive in this stuff! So, 2 inches on the ground means the world shuts down. And we have a lot more than 2 inches!

Out my window I overlook a cul-de-sac that hasn't seen much traffic for days and is still completely white. A dad has his three kids out there - they have tied a big inner-tube to a rope connected to a motor bike and he's giving them rides all around. I can hear the screams of joy from here!

So, the snowy roads meant we had to stay home from church today, the last minute shopping keeps being postponed, and we are all getting a slight case of cabin-fever.

Even though all this snow has got us feeling like we are back in NY, we decided a real trip back was in order anyway. We, (like other years), were not up for the cost of a trip at Christmas, so we bought tickets to come the second week in January. It's kinda nice - it makes Christmas stretch on for a couple extra weeks :) We are really looking forward to seeing everyone!!

Fun At Chuck E's

2008-12-16T20:57:00.000-08:00

We went to Chuck E Cheese with my sister, Rachael & nephew, Elisha.

How many of you have birthday party memories from there? Pull Chuck E's tail anyone? Or get freaked out by the old moving "puppets" that would come alive and sing songs every once in a while? Play Whack-a-mole and Skee Ball until you had 400 tickets and could trade them in for a gum ball? Good times.

We forgot the camera, but climbed in to the "sketch booth" and tried for a family pic. Here's how it went:

But then later Juli and I tried it again:

Our New Adventure

2008-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

So, have you been dying to know our news?

If you are merely a blog stalker, here is the summary: Jordan will be joining the Army in February.
Crazy, here we come!

If you want (much) more info, here's the whole story:

From the time Jordan was little he's wanted to be in the military. He only wanted to play soldier as a kid and never really outgrew it. There has always been a part of him that wonders if he should have joined right out of highschool. (I, of course, remind him that he would never have met me, so it would have been a tragic mistake ;)

Several times in our married life we have picked up the idea of the military, only to put it down again (because of all the reasons I'm sure popped into your head when I said he was going in): He could be deployed, he could get injured or see horrible things, he'd be away from his family, long training, etc.
On the other hand, I have known from the time I married Jordan that those things would be part of our life whether he ever went into the military or not. Jordan's call is to go into the hard places of the world - to lead missions teams into areas where Christianity is illegal and bring light to the darkest places. I knew what I was getting into when I married him, and from day one I have had to realize that he will always be "safe" doing what God has called him to do. (Even if something happens to him). Trusting the Lord will never be just a theological idea for me!

About 3 months ago we were visiting some long-time friends and discussing what the next step was for us. And we just couldn't get away from the fact that this dream of joining the military was still so strong in Jordan. As we thought about it, the military is an amazing way to get the training he needs to do the crazy things God has put on his heart. (In many ways, he'll be much safer going into these places with military training and back up than any other way!)

So we began a 3 month investigation reading everything Jordan could get his hands on: books, articles, internet; and talking with people enlisted in several different branches.
At first he didn't really look at the different Special Operations Forces (SEALS, Army Special Forces, etc.) because of the added training and risk - he is a family man after all! But once we started looking at the Special Forces in depth, we knew we had found it.
The moto of the Special Forces is: "To Free the Oppressed". This refers to one of their main objectives which is to go into areas of the world where a people group is being oppressed and is in danger, and train their military to defend itself. They learn the language, they learn the customs and live with the people, gaining their respect, and then are able to come alongside them and teach them. Does this sound like Jordan, or what??
The more we read about SF (Special Forces, aka Green Berets) the more we thought, "Jordan was made for this". One of Jordan's life-long struggles has been, "God, why did You make me the way You did?" God has given him such an unusual combination of gifts and dreams, it was hard to see how they could all fit together. The idea of going into the SF and then using the things he learns for missions puts it all together.

Now, don't get me wrong, the whole idea is somewhat terrifying. The training is soooo long, and during most of it we won't be able to be with him. (I really never wanted to be a single parent, but it looks like I'll get my taste).
And, he'll be deployed every couple years. On a good note, though, SF is only deployed for 6 month missions. Plus, if he's going to go, I feel better knowing that he has the best training and is going with the best that the Army has to send.
There are also so many good things about the military. He will be paid well with great benefits, especially once he makes it into SF. We will be able to travel and live in new places. I WON'T HAVE TO WORK!! Plus, while he's training or gone, I'll have lots of time to visit my family & friends :)

Have you ever seen the Pixar move "The Incredibles"? At the beginning Mr. Incredible is stuck in a dead end job feeling like there is so much more in him and frustrated by his inablility to do what he was made for. And then, the door opens for him to be a "hero" again, and he comes alive. He has a vision, he's happier, he's healthier, he's a better husband and father . . .
Jordan is Mr. Incredible. There is part of him that has come alive through this process. His relationship with God is growing leaps and bounds, he is cherishing time with "his ladies" knowing that he won't always have it, and he is a man with a purpose.

More than anything else, I want my husband to fulfill the plan the God made him for. As hard as the road ahead might be, I really belive this is it.

And Suddenly . . .

2008-12-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

You know that glass door we slammed into last week? Well, after a few days of nursing a broken nose, it just swung wide open.

More to come soon . . .

On To Lighter Things

2008-12-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

We were at a restaurant the other night when Juli announced she needed to go to the bathroom. We made our way to the crowded room and I put Juli in a stall and then took the one next to her. I whispered to her to stay in the stall and wait for me to come help her.
"okay, Mommy"
As she said, "okay, Mommy", she remembered how much she loves the echo of a public bathroom. And how much better the echo is if you talk REALLY LOUD.
So, she belted out in a sing-song voice:

"I am going to stay HERE until my Mommy COMES. BeCAUSE, I don't want anyone to see my naked BUMMM! Nobody is allowed to see me naKED, Except my momMY and my dadDY and my SISTER. Only THEY can SEEEEEE my NAked BUUMMMM!"

By this time, the women in the other stalls aren't even trying to hide their laughter. I think there were several snorts. One of them may have been me.

Just Like the Windex Bird

2008-12-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever walked into a glass door thinking it was open?

I have one vivid childhood memory of my sister doing this. She had come out into our sunroom to get something and then I left the room, closing the sliding glass door behind me.

I can remember watching her walking towards the door and thinking, "She knows it's closed, right? She saw me close it? Aaahhh! She doesn't know it's closed!!!"

SMACK.

I felt so bad! The look on her face as her knee (and nose) suddenly hit the glass . . . a combination of shock, slight embarrassment, and a lot of hurt. I think her knee was bruised for a week.

Well, that is what happened to us this week, (metaphorically speaking); we walked into a glass door. Hard.

We had been going towards what looked like an open door for us, career-wise. The way seemed paved, we could see the other side, no roadblocks in sight, when suddenly: SMACK!

Totally shut down, door closed, bruised knee.

And now we're sitting here in shock, hurting. Especially Jordan. He has been ready for a change for awhile now and this job opportunity seemed like an amazing answer. It would give him the experience he needed, and us the stability and security we're needing. He was so excited, and then: smack.

If you remember, this is a somewhat familiar scenario. A little too familiar. It's honestly got us feeling really frustrated. We've been having a hard time hearing any kind of direction from God lately - we just find out we were going the wrong way by slamming into glass and getting a bloody nose. Isn't there an easier way?

Gabby Girl

2008-12-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

Gabrielle has been overwhelming us with her cuteness lately.

The past few days she has been working hard on her top two teeth, (read: cranky, not sleeping, etc.)

If you look close here, you can catch a glimpse of the first two!

And yet, all it takes is one of these looks, and I forget it all.

She's just so sweet, even when she's fussy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm exhausted, but I'm in love still.

(Don't the two usually go together anyway?)

And, come on, have you ever seen anything this squeezable?

Amazing.

So Thankful

2008-11-26T09:01:00.001-08:00

Juli is REALLY 3 Now

2008-11-20T15:07:00.001-08:00

Oh, Juliana . . .

I love so many things about you!

My sweet-hearted, refreshingly honest, startlingly beautiful, super-silly, strong girl.

Juliana's birthday was almost 6 months ago, but last week she really turned 3. All of the sudden, it's like she entered a new phase, one full of stereotypes.
The questions are CONSTANT! She wants to know "why?" for everything. And then she wants to know "why?" for every answer I give. I've gotten good at eventually saying, "I don't know, honey - what do you think?
She is determined to perfect things. She'll do a puzzle 10 times in a row until she has completely memorized it. She'll work for an hour or more on a house of LEGOs (no jumbo ones for her - she went straight for the normal sized ones and handles them amazingly well).
And, suddenly, clothes are optional. I can't seem to keep her dressed! We keep our house cool, and yet she has decided that she loves to strip down. I asked her why she kept taking her clothes off, and she answered, "I don't know, Mama - I just love being naked!" Oh dear.
What a stage!

Today

2008-11-13T17:44:00.001-08:00

Today is a much better day than the last time I posted :)

Gabrielle pushed through tooth number 2 last night, and then proceeded to sleep 10 hours straight. Thank you! She is absolutely facinated with her teeth - she plays with them with her tongue all day long. Which means that she looks like a little lizard most of the time. The rest of the time she forgets to take it back in and sits with her tongue hanging out, (we all know what an intellegent look that is). She's so funny :)

Juliana is growing up way too fast. She was pretending to talk on her little pink cell phone today when I asked her to go pick up a toy. It went something like this:
Me: "Juliana, can you please go take care of your toy?"
Juli: "Mom, I'm on the phone right now, can it wait?"
Me (trying to keep it together): "No, honey, you can talk on the phone after you obey"
Juli (slight groan): "okay" - picks up toy
Juli (on the phone): "Sorry about that . . . yeah I know . . . so anyway, what were we talking about?"
HELLO! When did you turn 15? You're 3!!!
Her imagination has really taken off - we're at the stage where it's hard for anyone to tell what's reality and what's imagined (I think her included). Everything is done with "friends" and she makes up intricate stories all the time. I love it!

I made cornbread and black bean soup for dinner. The soup had mixed reviews. Juliana didn't like the look of it and wouldn't try it, Jordan said it was good but wondered where the meat for dinner was, I thought it was good but not great. (If you have any great recipes for black bean soup, send 'em over!)
The cornbread, on the other hand, was as amazing as always. I make this recipe at least once a week. It, like so many of the best things in life, starts with a stick of butter. We're not talking low fat, but when did I ever talk low fat?
I eat too much of this at dinner, spread a little honey on it for dessert, grap a slice as a bedtime snack, and then crumble it up with milk for breakfast. Oh, yum. Somehow, the pan never seems to last long!

Real Life

2008-11-11T20:03:00.001-08:00

Michelle, over at Not So Daily Chronicles has a recurring segment of her blog called "Real Life" posts. Not trying to pretend life's perfect . . sharing the nitty-gritty of life with kiddos . . . you know.
Today I'm stealing the idea. This is definitely a "Real Life" post.
My very long day actually started last night. Why do my kids occasionally conspire to give me a sleepless night?

We'll go through night after night of Juli doing an uninterrupted 12 hours, and Gabby doing a not-too inturrupted 12. And then, all of the sudden, we'll have a night where I can't find two hours together!
I gave up the fight and faced the day groggily at 6:30. Gabby just couldn't be convinced that it was no-where-near time to get up.
Looking back, I should have just started the coffee brewing then.
During the time Juli was awake in the night I had given her a cup of milk. She then proceeded to sleep in until 9am (lucky). Do you have any guesses for how unbelievably soaked she was by the time she woke up? Her, the bed, her comforter, her stuffed animal. Everything.
Yay.
I had barely gotten that contained and Juli in the bath when I checked on Gabby - major explosion in the lower hemisphere, (if you know what I mean). I got that under control, amazed at the amount of laundry we had created in less than an hour.
I started to brew the coffee.
The power cut out.
Now, I had gotten warning that the power company was going to be doing some work in our area, but it was supposed to be later. And for about 2 hours.
Now, they let me know that they were estimating the power would be back on by 7pm. 7PM!
I knew I should have started that coffee earlier!
I started to put on my shoes to go post notices, letting my tenants know what was going on. Luckily, I glanced in my shoe as it was going on.
It looked a little funny, so I examined closer.
Evidentally, when Gabby had been sitting on the floor near my shoe, she thought it looked like a convenient target.
It was coated inside with spit-up.
Ewwww!
I sat there for a minute, too tired to cry.

And then, luckily, it all struck me as hilarious. It was just too much not to laugh.
I stuck the shoe in the wash and found my slip ons, all the while humming, "it's just one of them days . . . that a girl goes through . . ."
Real Life. Fun, ain't it?

Beautiful

2008-11-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Here's what made me tear up first thing in the morning:
Carrie's Post

Amazing New Cleaning Product!

2008-11-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Are your carpets Dirty? Dingy? Smelly?

Well, look no further.

Introducing the newest, easiest way to clean, fresh smelling carpets!

Included in purchase is one adorable 3 yr old.

(Other ages may be substituted. Child shown is for demonstration purposes. Actual child will differ with each purchase.)

Place one bowl filled with baking soda in front of child in the middle of carpet to be cleaned.

Let the child work her magic.

There is no need for additional instruction or involvement, the child has already been pre-programmed.

Within minutes, the baking soda will have been spread out and ground fully into the carpet.

Just like magic!

(Do not be fooled if the child appears to be having more fun than a day on the beach. She is just doing her job.)

Once the baking soda has all made it's way into the carpet, feel free to spread some on to any areas that may have been missed (if there are any).
Then, vaccuum.

Voila! Clean, fresh smelling carpets!

This product has also been shown to be a cure for rainy-day cabin fever.

Update

2008-11-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

So I feel the need to do an update post - there are just too many things going on, and I've stopped kidding myself that I'm going to do separate posts on all of them!

The biggest thing going on is that my sister, Rachael, and her son Elisha have moved back to this area!

Aunt Rachael with Gabby

Rachael took the job that Carrie used to do, managing an apartment complex in town. It is an awesome setup for her and I'm really excited to have her close. They are sad about being so far from my parents, though. Why do Seattle and Rochester have to be so far apart?

Elisha doing his signature "I Love You!" sign.

Gabrielle is rocking 6 months. She pushed her first tooth through on her half-birthday. What a way to celebrate! She sits on her own and reaches her hands up when she wants to be picked up. She likes rice cereal and today she devoured a bowl of the pumpkin I pureed. She says "mama" all the time, and I'm loving pretending that it is on purpose :)

We survived a minor stomach bug last weekend (thank goodness neither of the kids got sick!). I guess it's a bad one that has been going around, but we fought it off pretty fast - I was only sick about 12 hours, and Jordan about 24. It wasn't fun while it lasted, though!

Rachael arriving to take over the other apartment complex marks the end of a full month of me working almost full time! I have been taking care of my complex and doing the bare minimum at the other one since Carrie left, and it has kept me busy. I worked over 35 hours each week while being the full-time caregiver, cook and homemaker. And I did it all without biting my husband's head off too many times :) I'm very ready to go back to just my 20+ a week job.

I've been on a mini cooking spree this weekend! I guess the fall weather just put me in the mood, plus my sister has been here quite a bit, and there's nothing like having another hand with the kids (and the dishes!). I started out of necessity because I had a chicken carcass that needed to be made into broth. (Does anyone else hate the word carcass?) Then I made some of it into soup. I also had a pumpkin from our day at the patch that was ready to be pureed. (And of course, if you have pumpkin puree, you have to make a pumpkin pie. Or two. And pumpkin bread. And then you put the rest in the freezer in ice cube trays for yummy cheap baby food.)

Help!

2008-11-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

So, I have so many "BSN" ideas rolling around in my brain, but somehow they are having a hard time making it onto paper. (Or screen). I need some help - what do you want to read about? Do you have questions or things that you'd like my opinion on? Weight loss, healthy meals, nutrition ed.? Give me some feedback!

6 Months

2008-11-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

Gabrielle Elizabeth, 6 months old already. Half a year has passed since the day you entered the world. You entered it in your own way. I have a feeling you'll do so many things in your own way.

You are pure sweetness. Even your cries are sweet, as though you hate to bother us with your concerns. And your smiles - almost more than I can handle.

Almost daily, you put your unbelievably soft, chubby hands alongside my cheeks, look into my eyes, and murmur something in baby gibberish - something that sounds remarkably like "I love you, Mama" to my heart.

I'm so thankful for you, sweet Gabby. And so head-over-heels in love with who you are.

I can't wait for more.

Today

2008-11-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

There's a story in the book of 2 Samuel about King David. This was after he had an affair with Bathsheba and the baby that she had with him was really sick.
King David prayed and fasted and wept for the baby.
When the child eventually died, his servants were scared to tell him because he was already so upset - they were afraid this would put him over the edge.
But, once he knew the baby was gone, he got up, washed his face, got dressed and worshipped the Lord.
When his advisors thought he was crazy, he told them: "I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, 'Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.' But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again?"
That is the story that has been on my mind today.
It is a good picture of how I feel.
While the election was still in question, I prayed and cried and asked the Lord for a different outcome.
But now that it is over, I got up, washed my face, and got on with what's next: praising God, and praying for our new leader.

Trying Not to Worry

2008-11-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

At church on Sunday, our pastor encouraged us to try to not worry about the election. "Pray, Vote, and trust the Lord" was his advice.

But man, is it hard!

I have been up since 4 this morning. I woke up with a little one, and instead of falling right back into the pit, I laid awake thinking. And praying. And worrying. How can I not worry when our country stands at such a turning point? The two men in question today will take our country in such drastically different directions.

The question of abortion stands in the balance. Obama plans to pass legislature removing even the little bit of restriction that remains - allowing abortion at all stages, without parental consent or informed consent. McCain, on the other hand, would have the opportunity to appoint a conservative justice to the Supreme court, giving us for the first time a real chance to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Wow. Even if that was the only issue, it would be decided for me. But there are so many others.

The economic policies of capitalism vs. socialism would be a clincher.

The foreign policies of conviction vs. compromise alone would make it a no-brainer.

And even if I knew nothing else of the politics, the fact that communists in Cuba, extreme socialists in Kenya and Islamic militants in the Middle East are rooting for Obama would make me run the other way!

okay - I'm off the soapbox for now. And I really am trying to trust the Lord and remember that He is in control. But those knots in my stomach won't seem to go away. The results of today will change so much.

Please pray and vote!

Time Change

2008-11-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Daylight savings time used to be so fun - "fall back", get an extra hour of sleep, right?

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the button to change my alarm clocks to the new time!

Pumpkins

2008-11-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Happy All Saints Day!

As always, one of my favorite days of the year. The end of black decor everywhere, and the official (to me) start of the holiday season.

At the Pumpkin Patch

We pet the animals, played on the park, ate roasted corn, went on a hay ride, and had an all around great day. Amazing weather!!

Our friend, London, with his kids

Our friend, Renae's dad lives close to the pumpkin patch so after we were done with all our fun there we headed over to his house. Because he has . . . (wait for it) . . . buffalo. That's right, he raises buffalo. Have you ever seen a buffalo up close? I have - they're big!

Juli really liked the chickens. She liked to feed them (I think she was hopeful this one was going to fly up for the handful of grass she was offering. No such luck.)

"Country Girl"

When we got home, we painted our pumkin Pretty cute, huh?

I'm Lovin' It

2008-10-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a few things I'm loving lately. I just like sharing the love.

Tazo Awake Tea

This has become my beverage of choice. Great flavor, and just enough caffeine to kick my behind into gear on the mornings I'd rather curl back in bed. Which is why I drink it most every morning :) I have this in the morning or afternoon, and then Sleepytime at night. It feels like I have my uppers and downers :)

Odwalla Bars

These are a lifesaver at my house. They're so yummy, and the ingredient list makes me smile :)

(If you're being really careful about sugar, a few of them do have evaporated cane juice, but most of them are sweetend with just fruit purees! The ingredients list "natural flavors", but I actually called the 800-number and was assured that Odwalla uses NO MSG in any of their products). Chocolate Chip Peanut and Banana Nut are my current favorites. But, it changes regularly.

Hyland's Teething Tablets

If you have (or ever will have) a teething baby, read on. Hyland's Teething Tablets are wonderful! All natural, homeopathic, they contain beautiful ingredients like Chamomile and Belladonna. The best part - they work! When Gabby is just plain cranky from her gums, I put a couple of these under her tongue. They dissolve instantly and it is only minutes before she's better. (Actually, she's better right away because she loves the taste of them!) Totally worth a try - they'll save you from having to use Tylenol.

Mountain High Yogurt

I've never been that big on plain yogurt. Loved the idea, not so much the taste (or texture). It's always thin and has too much of a bite to the flavor. I'd end up loading it up with honey or preserves to make it taste okay. Not any more. I gulp down this stuff as is - so thick and creamy with a mild taste. I have no idea how they do it, but I'm not asking questions. I'm too busy eating. (Does great things for recipes, too) If your store doesn't carry it, fill out one of those little request cards and get them to start. You'll be glad you did!

And the last one, the one that I'm totally psyched out of my mind about (what's that from? Elf??):

Barlean's Omega Swirl

Oh. my. I am so excited about this stuff. I have been looking for a way to get fish oil in Juliana, and I've finally found it. A fish oil supplement with a great taste and texture. We have the lemon one, and I'm totally trying the strawberry next. It is thick and creamy, with a yummy taste. I give Juliana a spoonful each day, and every time she asks if she can have more. Yay! Now I have to stop using it myself and try to stick to the less expensive capsules. Yah, good luck with that :)

That's all I got for now. I'd love to know what you're digging lately!

If anyone comes looking for me today . . .

2008-10-22T09:52:00.001-07:00

. . . check under the enormous laundy pile. I might be lost in there.

Quick Note About Flu Shots

2008-10-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Quick warning: if you're planning to get a flu shot, check them out first.

A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo .
Two thirds of this year's flu shots contain 25 micrograms of mercury; an amount considered unsafe for anyone weighing less than 550 pounds! (that's along with aluminum, formaldehyde and several antibiotics)

If you look at it as a benefit/risk evaluation, the chance of benefiting from a flu shot is small, and the risk is big.

If you're looking for safer ways to prevent the flu, Vitamin D deficiency is being shown as a major factor in many of the "winter diseases" (colds, flu, pneumonia). If you (like us) live in a place with very limited sunshine (hello, Rochester!), get all you can outside and take a supplement. Just last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled it's recommended dose of Vitamin D, and many experts say it should be much larger than that - around 2,000 units per day.

Other "stay healthy" tips from Dr. Mercola:

Eliminate sugar from your diet
Eat garlic regularly
Consume a fish oil supplement daily
Exercise
Get adequate sleep
Address emotional stress
Wash your hands regularly (but not excessively)

Got any other stay-healthy tips you could share?

Dealing With Bitterness Against Florida

2008-10-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

Something sad happened last week. I've been stalling writing about it because, somehow, blogging about it makes it more real. If it's real, that means I have to get on with dealing with it. And I really don't want to.

My friend Carrie moved away.

And not just "away". FLORIDA away. That's really far. Right now I hate Florida.

See, you have to understand, Carrie has not just been my friend. She's been my West-coast family, the friend who knows me best, my photographer, the one who decorates my house, loves my children, makes me laugh and comes up with spontaneous fun when I need it most.

Who are we supposed to do holidays with now? (Especially the obscure ones that, to us, are just an excuse to eat her husband Aaron's amazing BBQ?)

I met Carrie as the slightly stressed-out manager of our apartment complex. Soon I found out why she had that half-crazed, half-exhausted look in her eye. She was working full time with a pre-schooler, a newborn, and a husband who had just received a devastating medical diagnosis.

We had just moved from NY a couple months before. I was a stay-at-home mom with a baby, a husband working long hours, and no friends. It was a match made in heaven.

We became friends through those days of me helping her out so that she could stay sane. And she more than repaid me with wonderful photo shoots, fantastic thrift-store finds for Juliana, and what I needed most at that point: a real friend.

Over the following 2 1/2 years we spent so much time together. We mothered each other's children, cleaned each other's houses, and shared a lot of laughs (and tears).

I'm old enough now to realize that friendships like that don't come along very often. People are busy, life is hurried, and it's too easy to keep friends on the surface - to only show the good stuff and pretend you've got it all together.

I met Carrie at a point in her life when she couldn't pretend she had it all together. And I'm so glad. If she'd had it all together, we never would have become the kind of friends we did. But she was willing to open herself up and be real, and that allowed a real friendship to happen.

And now, she's gone. With no warning at all. (Well, okay - they told us they were thinking of moving months in advance. But I never thought they were serious. It turns out they were.)

Although I'm really sad for me, at the same time I'm so happy for them! They moved closer to family that they love, Aaron's got a good job, Carrie doesn't have to work so much, and they have a house!! I couldn't be more thrilled about all that.

But, there's a part of me that's just lonely. And no matter how many friends I have, a part of me will be. Because you don't come across friends like Carrie every day.

Pool Time with the Fam

2008-10-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

After the wedding (see below), we spent the rest of our 4-day trip hanging out at the pool, eating (sushi!) from famous Las Vegas buffets and checking out the sights. What a place it is! I got to see the Bellagio fountains for the first time in person - they really are amazing!

Here are some snapshots from our fun time!

Jordan and the girls with his dad, "Gwampa"

"Gabby and "Gwamma"

Juli and Aunt Jodi (Jordan's sister)

Gabby with Jordan's dad's wife - Juli calls her Abuela, but it comes out more like "Awewah"

Gabby played with these bracelets for a good part of the trip!

Our little bathing beauty

Las Vegas Wedding

2008-10-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I finally have a minute to post about our Las Vegas trip.
I have realized that I am a very bad blogger. Going a week between posts is pretty standard for me! It's not that I don't think about it, or have ideas, I'm just so busy.
Sometimes I fantasize about all the amazing things I would do if I didn't work. How would I use that extra 5 or 6 hours a day? (That's a lot!) In my dream world, my house is kept perfectly clean, amazing meals are prepped ahead, I do creative, educational activities with my girls on a daily basis, have friends that I get to spend meaningful time with, and I exercise every day. Ahhhhh. But, then I wake up and thank the Lord for the blessing that my job is, and realize that even when I had more time my life didn't usually look like that! So, here's to making the best of what we've got.

We headed to Las Vegas on Saturday. We're pretty used to cross-country flights, so this one felt really quick (It was great to travel and still be in our own time zone, too!) We got there just in time to pick up a sub for dinner and get ready for the wedding. (Somehow I missed getting a good picture of Juliana in her dress. Too bad, because she looked amazing!)We weren't allowed to take any pictures in the chapel, but I got a few after the wedding. Erin looked beautiful and the wedding was short but sweet.

This little guy is their son, Noah. He ran around looking way too cute in his little tuxedo with tails! Good thing grandma was there to keep an eye on him!

Baby Zoolander

2008-10-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Gabrielle has been working on her modeling poses lately.

I call this one "Blue Steel":

"Ferrari":

"Le Tigre" :

And she's working on my favorite, "Magnum":

"What? I can't help it if I'm really, really, ridiculously good looking."

Disclaimer: if you haven't seen the movie, "Zoolander", please ignore this post altogether!

Today, in History

2008-10-06T08:20:00.001-07:00

We had a great vacation. I took hundreds of pictures, and they will make their way off my camera and on to this computer as soon as I can get myself pulled together and enough office work done to ease my conscience.

In the meantime . . .

Today marks 5 months since baby Gabrielle made her entrance in our world.

And today marks our seventh year of marriage. (Seven whole years. That's a long time!)

Seven years of walking through life with my best friend.

Seven years of laughter, tears, frustration and love.

Seven years of being confronted with the best and the worst of ourselves and eachother.

And seven years of learning how to really love another person.

Thank you, honey, for continuing to love me all these years! We made it through our seventh year and past the itch - it's clear sailing from here :) I love you more than ever.

Vegas, Baby

2008-09-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

We're leaving this morning for Las Vegas. (I just checked the weather forecast - 94 degrees and sunny.)
Jordan's brother, Aaron, is getting married tonight and we're really excited to be there with them!
None of us have ever been to Vegas. (Not being the gambling, strip-show watching, Elvis-impersonating type, it never held a lot of appeal. However, I hear there's a little more to it :) We're excited for our first trip.
We're also excited to visit Benny Perez's Church in South Las Vegas. Awesome things happening there!
We come back on Tuesday, and then Thursday we leave for NY!
We'll get there just in time to watch the first episode of The Office. I mean, to spend lots of time with our family and friends. (Just kidding - we're really excited to be seeing everyone! But for real, we'll be watching the office too. Anyone having us over for it?)
Probably not a whole lot of blogging in the meantime, but there will be lots of picture taking and memory making while we're there, so I'm sure the blogs will be flowing when we get back!

With a Flower in Her Hair

2008-09-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Gabrielle working her new flowered headbands. When you have a baby with a big, beautiful, bald head, you need big beautiful flowers to put on it.

Can you believe this girl is 4 1/2 months already? She has officially joined the ranks of the "rollers" , and does a mean tripod sit with only some assistance. She blows bubbles and smiles most of the day. Her giggles are contagious :) We already can't really remember life without our Gabby-cakes.

"Mom, the tripod sit isn't working. I'm tipping!"

I Could Have Guessed . . .

2008-09-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

"You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see."

Dancing with Prince Daddy

2008-09-13T11:37:00.001-07:00

Thes pictures make me wish I was a better photographer! But, I had to share them anyway.

Some Supplemental Advice

2008-09-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Some people say that you should eat a balanced diet and get everything you need from that, so you don't need any supplement. Some say "eat what you want" and then gulp down enough supplements to choke a horse to make sure you're getting your nutritional requirements.

I tend to be somewhere in the middle.

Eating well is my first priority. I try to get 7-10 servings of veggies and fruits a day. I eat good lean protein, and whole grains. Real, whole foods are going to give you the stuff you need like no pill can.

However, I'm also a realist. The produce we have access to today is grown in worn out soil, (most likely with pesticides and chemicals), picked long before it's ripe and then left to hang out on a store shelf. Not your ideal situation.

I also am honest with myself about the fact that I don't eat perfectly. Sometimes I don't eat the fruits and veggies I should (and I definitely don't get enough variety to ensure I'm getting all the nutrients I need - I get stuck in ruts.)

So, I take supplements.

But what supplements do you really need?

Here are my top two, everyday, no-matter-what:

A Multi-vitamin - This one is a necessity in my book. It gets overlooked a lot. A good multi every day, for everyone. Unless you can be sure that you're getting everything you need through your diet, a multi can help fill in the holes. However, don't take one of the "super multi" (one of the ones with like 900% of everything - if you are eating a healthy diet, that's overkill).

We love Apex. They are designed to complement a healthy diet, have a great release system, and are tested by an independent pharmaceutical company. (Did you know that most nutritional supplements are not tested by a third party? And that there are basically no requirements for purity and potency? So, you really have no guarantee that what your vitamin says is what's really in there. That's why we take Apex.)

Fish Oil - I spent most of my life not really knowing or comprehending the benefits of fish oil and Omega-3 fatty acids. They are unreal!

Here is a breakdown of just some of the known benefits: Fish oil boosts your immunity, reduces inflammation, helps prevent cancer and arthritis, boosts blood circulation, treats depression and anxiety, and helps prevent heart disease.

Plus, it makes you look good! Fish oil improves the condition of your skin, treats acne, makes your hair beautiful and aids in weight loss. (A new study shows that ingesting the proper amount of fish oil boosts your metabolism by 400 calories! It also helps your body to lose fat and make the most of your workout.)

It is the closest thing to a miracle drug out there.

I am loving this one. Because I am a wimp and need the capsules instead of the straight oil. And because it contains an "orange essence" (read: no fish burps :)

So, if you take nothing else, take fish oil! Just grab a capsule with each of your five meals.

Those are my "every day, no matter what" supplements.

I also take calcium, vitamin C (esp. during cold season), flax oil and a probiotic.

What do you take? What have you found indispensable?

Live Wide-Eyed

2008-09-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body.
If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief,
your body fills up with light.
If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust,
your body is a dank cellar.
Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning,
so you don’t get musty and murky.
Keep your life as well-lighted
as your best-lighted room.

Luke 11 (the Msg)

Today Seven Years Ago

2008-09-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

For the generation before mine, it was individual people's deaths. Everyone remembers where they were when JFK was shot, when John Lennon died, when they found out that Elvis was gone.

For my generation, it was the death of a multitude. The morning of 9-11 is seared on our memories.

I was scheduled to work a shift at the Olive Garden that morning. I decided to drop my car off at the shop next door to have something done. I walked into the shop and no one even noticed I was there. They were glued to the screen, so I started watching too. And found out an airplane had flown into a tower. My first thought was "what a horrible accident". There wasn't even a place in my mind for the idea that this could have been on purpose. And then, the second plane hit. And my mind flashed to: "Someone is trying to do this!".

I glanced at my watched and realized that I was already late for work, and walked across the parking lot in a daze. The restaurant was a gathering of stunned people huddled around a TV. I walked in just in time to see the first tower fall. I don't think I had any coherent thoughts at that moment, other than "oh, Jesus. Help us." I just remember the distinct feeling that life would never be the same.

The year before, I had spent 8 weeks in NYC as an internship. The next years student were currently there. My mind flashed to them. Had any of them decided to tour the tower that day?

I was currently living in Upstate NY - we were hours from the city, but all of the sudden it didn't feel far. It felt frighteningly close.
And now, seven years later, it still feels close.

The One Thing

2008-09-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get overwhelmed by all the things you need to be working on? Oh my goodness, I do.

I need to eat better, exercise more, read my Bible and pray more, spend more time with my husband, be a better apartment manager, be better with our finances, spend more time with my kids, do more activities with them, blog more, clean a lot more, read more, call or write my family and friends more, (and on and on and on).

And that's just the outward things. What's worse is thinking about all the inward things that need to change. My bad attitudes and impatience. My yucky motives and resentments. My inconsistencies and dishonesty.

Every once in a while it all gangs up on me. And when it does, I quickly become a pile of motivation-less self pity, huddled in the corner with a bowl of ice cream.

Anyone with me?

I start feeling so overwhelmed with how many areas I have to work on, and how far I have to go, that I just feel like giving up.

I had one of those days recently. I was sitting on the floor in the morning with my Bible, feeling guilty for the days that had passed without reading it. And this guilty feeling started making a tour of my life, taking in work and relationships and health and housekeeping as it went. I felt like such a loser. I have so much to work on!

Luckily, I pulled out "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. The section I read that morning talked about God always having one thing that He is putting His finger on. Just one. One thing that He is bringing back to our attention over and over. One thing that His focus is on. One thing.

This idea is so freeing to me! Yes, there are a hundred things I need to work on. (And that's only the things I'm aware of!)

But right now, there is only one thing. One thing that God is pointing to in my heart. One thing He has His eye on. And the great thing is, where He is asking me to change He is also giving strength to succeed.

What an awesome thought! I don't have to make myself perfect right now!

I just have to walk out the things that He has done in me already, and take the strength that He is giving me today to suceed in a new area.

As I sat on my floor with the book open, I quieted my heart and asked "okay - what's the one thing? What is your finger on right now?" And as I waited, I felt my random, scattered thoughts clear away and I knew what it was.

And I didn't have to be overwhelmed with everything anymore. There was just one thing. I can do one thing.

Where's the Beef?

2008-09-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

I happen to be a protein lover. I'm one of those girls who can dive in to the ribs at a BBQ joint with the best of them. No "just a salad" for me! And it turns out, this is a good thing. (Well, eating a rack of ribs by myself probably isn't a good thing. But liking protein sure is!)

What does protein do? Protein stimulates your metabolism, improves your muscle, and helps reduce body fat, just to name a few. Yay!

So, those 5-a-day feedings I told you to do? They need to each have a complete protein. This is so important! Focus on getting some good protein in each time you eat.

It's not hard - there are lots of great protein sources: lean meat & fish, eggs, low fat dairy (cottage cheese and yogurt especially), tofu & soy, and protein supplements (like a whey protein shake). You can also add in the "incomplete" sources: beans, nuts & nut butters, and seeds. These are incomplete because they don't contain all the amino acids, but they are still valuable. Don't tell them they're incomplete - it might damage their little protein self-esteems.

Here are some ideas:
For breakfast have an omelette or some oatmeal with turkey bacon on the side.
Some yogurt with berries mid-morning.
Some strips of chicken on your salad for lunch.
Cottage cheese with sliced veggies or an apple with peanut butter mid-afternoon.
A steak or chicken breast for dinner.
And you've done it!

Today, as you're staring into the fridge or cupboard wondering what in the world to eat, think "protein". If you can eat good protein 5 times a day, you will find your energy staying consistent and your body will be much more willing to let go of any fat stores it has been hoarding!

So, give it a try. Beef up a little bit :)

And I Thought I Was Busy

2008-09-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Update: Did anyone else watch the Nat. Convention last night and get introduced to Sarah Palin?
She did a great job! Her speach was well done and she came across as spunky, intelligent and capable. She showed that she would be able to handle herself in a debate. And she used humor very well. My favorite line was "the presidency is not supposed to be a journey of self discovery".
Overall, I liked her a lot.
Plus, we Sarahs have to stick together :)

So, the political scene has become much more interesting to me with the addition of VP candidate Sarah Palin. Her strong social stand and ethical reform platform make me feel much better about McCain as president. (In general I look at McCain as the lesser of two evils :)

But what I'm really impressed by is the fact that this woman is a mother of FIVE with a baby (who has Down syndrome), only a month older than Gabby. And she's running for Vice President! I'm guessing this woman has a housekeeper/cook/nanny team going. Talk about trying to do it all!

So, what do you think about the idea of a woman VP (possibly President - McCain is REALLY old, after all :)
I appreciated this link from Sara over at Stories & Songs. It pretty much sums up where I'm at. I like Palin. Not sure what the biblical applications are. What's your take?

The First Bite

2008-08-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

Any of you who have ever asked me a nutrition question and then received back a 47 page response know the I can have a lot to say on the subject :)

I love to dig in and find all the info I can. To figure out the PERFECT plan and be incredibly ambitious. The problem with that is it's really hard to stay at that level of determination past, say, breakfast. Think of how many times you've started a diet or new eating plan.

So, I am going to try to break up what I know and am learning about nutrition in to "Bite Size" posts. I'll try to do them about once a week. (Not going to promise a day, we'll see how life goes!)

If you are a person who is trying to makeover your eating habits, I'm giving you a challage: Take the "tidbit" I post about and put it to the test for the week. Don't worry about changing anything else. I promise you - this stuff works. Start one new habit at a time and see what happens. And then let me know!

Welcome to the first edition of "Bite Size Nutrition"

The first habit isn't so much a matter of what you eat. It's a matter of when you eat. And when should you eat? All the time!

Make it a habit for a week to eat every 2-3 hours. This means you'll be eating about 6 times a day. And no, this doesn't mean that you eat twice as much food! It just means you break up your 3 meals into 6. If you normally have a sandwich for lunch, eat half and save half for a couple hours later. Eat a half portion of dinner and then have the other half in the evening. You get the idea.

Why should we eat every couple hours?

1. You are never starving and so you won't overeat without realizing that you were full a while ago. Ever done that one: where you sit down to an enormous portion of food like 4 hours after you should have eaten, and before you know it it's all gone? And then they have to roll you out of the restaurant?

2. You are much more likely to make good food choices if you aren't ready to pass out from hunger. When the cabinet is spinning and hazy, you grab the first thing you see. Even if it's a bag of Reese's.

3. It will kick-start your metabolism. your body knows that more food is coming soon, so it doesn't have to hold on to every scrap you give it! Believe it or not, it is much easier to get to a healthy weight eating more meals through the day.

So, everyone who doesn't already eat this way, give it a try! It takes a little more planning, but it's really worth it. It's a good first step on the path to looking and feeling like a hot mama :)

I've Been Thinking

2008-08-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't been blogging much lately. Part of the reason is I am working almost full time AND trying to be a mom of two, a wife of one, keep us out of the pigsty and fed, all at the same time.

But, I think there's more to it.

The fact is I have a minute here and there that I could post. To be honest, most of the time I figure the things I'm thinking about no one really cares to read about.

However, I have come to a conclusion this week: that's okay!

For me, the purpose of this blog is to catch a "snapshot" of our life now. For the people we don't see often. For me to look back on. And for my kids to someday have a window into their childhood and to who their mother is.

So, I'm going to do more writing about what I'm thinking about.

For example, at this point in my life I'm doing a lot of thinking about parenting - it is my first full-time job, after all. I'm interested in my kids. I think they are fascinating and adorable, so I write about them. I'm also interested in parenting theory - learning how to walk out this trust we've been given in a purposeful, responsible, creative way. I love learning and reading and sharing about parenting.

I also love theology. (It's sad that the word sounds so boring, isn't it?) To me, that just means that I think about God a lot. (This is what I went to school for, after all! :)

This last few years and our move to Seattle have been a whirlwind when it comes to our relationship with Him. We have had our "religious roots" tested to what we thought would be the breaking point - and found that (although there was some pruning that needed done), they held strong. We have also had to re-examine our thoughts about God down to the very foundational ones that we hadn't looked at in a long time. And we found that there was a lot of "fluff" that didn't hold up. But we also found that we really do believe the Bible, we really do love Jesus, and we really do want to walk with Him. Good things to find out! :)

All the re-examining and testing has caused me to look at the Bible and at Christianity from a different perspective. Truths that I heard my whole life became new again as I experienced them from a different place. And I love sharing this stuff! This is the stuff that gets me excited to talk about. So, I'll write about that.

The other thing that I find myself thinking about a lot is nutrition. Crazy, huh? I love it! If I look at what books I pick up, what articles I flip to, what I could talk about for hours - it usually has to do with nutrition. I know that's not normal, so I figure that it's something God put in me. So, I'll write about that.

I have also decided that if nutrition is something I love, I might as well do it. So I'm working on becoming a certified nutrition-and-wellness coach. My personal-trainer-husband and I will make a good team, won't we?

I am studying a nutrition system now and I'd love to share with you what I'm learning. I'm not as interested in sharing all the chemical and scientific breakdowns of nutrition. I'm more interested in learning about how to fuel your body so that you have energy, keep a healthy weight, and feel your best. And learning how to do it in real life!
After that is done, I'll start the "official" certification course. I've heard that the best way to learn something is to teach it. Is it alright if I teach it here?

So, no, I'm not going to turn this into a parenting blog, or a Bible study blog, or a nutrition blog.

I just want it to be more of a "me" blog. This is what I bring to the table. Here's a little bit of me.

The Fultastic Four

2008-08-24T15:54:00.001-07:00

Our first Family Pics as a family of FOUR!
Thanks Carrie :)
(to see the rest, click here)