100 thing challenge

We are going to participate in the 100 thing challenge and see how it will help us get rid of things we don't really need.
http://www.guynameddave.com/100-thing-challenge.html
I thought it meant throw/give away 100 things but really it is getting rid of all BUT 100 things-personal items only, shared items like linens, dishes, furniture etc do not count.
We will update the list as we start it.

It's a ...

GIRL!

Chloe will be here in late April 2010

Lily is excited about sharing a room with her little sister and she will be the best big sister ever.

Here is our side view of Chloe. I had to flip the picture because she was head down.

Here is Lily test driving the double stroller.

She can ride in the front or the back if she wants.

And here am I so far.

I look much bigger after

eating anything :)

What a great Fall!

We had a great time at Susie and Dwight's church pumpkin patch taking pictures with Lily. A cold front had just blown in so it actually felt like autumn. She got all dressed up as a butterfly for Halloween and we celebrated a fall fun fest at church, complete with a "Krunk your Trunk" trick or treating. We even decorated our trunk. Our bible study came together to set up a balloon bust booth. The kids had a great time tossing the darts at the tiny balloons. Some of those kids are a pretty good aim!

Lily was so sugared out at the end I can't believe she went to sleep at all.

Can I borrow $5

A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for her at the door

SON: 'Mummy, may I ask you a
question?'
MUM: 'Yeah sure, what it is?'
replied the woman.
SON: 'Mummy, how much
do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the woman said
angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'If you must know, I make $20 an hour'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: "Mummy, may I please
borrow $5?"
The mother was furious, 'If
the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door...

The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down , and started to think:
Maybe there was something
he really needed to buy with that $5 and he really didn't ask for money very often.The woman went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
'Are you asleep, son?' She asked.
'No Mummy, I'm awake,'
replied the boy.
'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the woman. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $5 you asked for.'
The little boy sat straight up,
smiling. 'Oh, thank you Mummy!' he yelled. Then,
reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.
The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.
'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mother grumbled.
'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.
'Mummy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have
dinner with you.'
The mother was crushed. She put his arms around her little son, and she begged for his
forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all
of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip
through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to
us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $20 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family
& friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

any cheese with that swine?

Corey got a cold that lasted more than a few days and since he works at a hospital, they strongly suggested that he go to the doctor. The initial diagnosis was an upper respiratory infection, but the nurse returned to say he had a slight positive for the flu. Yes, H1N1. His fever never broke 101 and he never got vomiting or anything like that. Had we Googled Tamiflu before spending $90 on medication, we would have treated it the old fashioned way, with chicken noodle soup and some Vitamin C. The medication itself is worthless if you don't start it within 48 hours. Why the doctor did not disclose that fact is a bit baffling. So Lily and I got the bed to ourselves while Corey suffered the night on the couch (suffering due to the couch being leather and therefore not very breathable).

He starts back to work tomorrow, and will be sure to let his boss know that she caused him to use all his paid time off because she refused to cover her mouth when she coughed when she was working with the flu.

Lily and I have been punctual with our vitamins so we didn't catch the flu...you better believe Corey will take his supplements from now on!

Deadly- no, time consuming- yes and the medication- worthless and it made Corey super tired.

JUMP!!!

Lily has finally learned to jump and get both feet off the ground. She used to just hop her body and one leg would come up but everything else stayed put. We were watching Cars (for the hundredth time) and when Mater jumps at the tractors and honks she started jumping with him. We got so excited we told her to do it again, it was so neat to see her jump like a big girl. It is amazing that she is going to be two in just two and a half weeks.

The season is upon us

It is official, fall is on the way! As the drought is ravaging our water supply and the 62+ days of 100 weather I am welcoming the cooler weather. The elms are tinged yellow already, whether from the cooler air, or the lack of water I'm not sure. I do hope the rain comes on in the next few weeks to cool us off further. Bring on the weather, the cold fronts and the sweaters!

Here we go again

Well, it is time to come clean I am not getting fat, I am growing a baby! We are expecting a baby brother or sister for Lily in late April. We will now have two spring birthdays and two fall birthdays. This did not catch us off guard because we were wanting another addition to our family. If God blesses us with a boy, we will be done with the baby making and our family will be complete (minus a few dogs and cats over the years).

Fantasy Baseball?-NO! Firecracker Baseball!

We had a wonderful 4th of July with Susie and Josh and Kristin. We had great burgers (Josh is really getting this cooking thing down to an art), oven fries and grilled sweet potato rounds. MMGood!

Lily was not to interested in the fireworks. She instead wanted to watch- you guessed it- Nemo. Over and over and over again. She did venture into the bedroom to watch Daddy and Uncle Josh dance around the flasher signals

We got her to hold a sparkler ~finally~ only to realize it was the very last one and we had no camera. She watched a few fountains and the rest of the flashers while we called to her from the other side of the glass.

Daddy and Uncle Josh then decided to start throwing firecrackers at each other to see if they could swing at them in the complete darkness and get a hit. They actually hit a few, you could hear the tink and then the crack as they exploded. Most of them sailed through the air and landed with a blast at their feet, or sometimes close to their head.

The last game was a bright (but not so smart) idea- Roman Candle baseball, with Josh as the "pitcher" and Corey at bat. This I wish I had gotten on video. These were the fastest flying Roman Candles I had ever seen. I was able to get one picture of Corey ducking, still clutching the bat, trying to get out of the way.

He ended up with singed hair and a small burn in his shorts and lots of laughter

Prayers needed

My 2nd cousin Seth and his wife Jace (JC) were in a bad accident on Wednesday on their way to New Mexico for vacation. Jace broke her back and leg and Seth broke both legs and punctured his spleen. He was in ICU last night for internal bleeding. Jace has been transferred to Austin, but Seth is still trying to get stable, then they will move him to Houston. There was another man involved in the wreck who is doing ok, with some compound fractures of his ankles.
Thank the Lord that everyone was wearing their seatbelts.
A truck pulled out in front of the other driver, who in swerving, hit Seth and Jace head on.
The driver that caused all this left the scene, but was found yesteday.
Please keep them in your prayers as they heal. Their kids are with family.

Dirty diapers be gone

Lily is potty trained, finally!
This is the third day of her using big girl panties, the toilet and no accidents on the floor. Today, she used the potty twice to go poo. That is a big deal. I can see already that she is going to be one of those children who are not able to be coaxed into things. She weaned when she felt like it and now used the potty when she felt like it. She has been in pull ups for 2 months (total waste of money, they are useless for trainers) and just now decided she would use big girl panties like mom. The big test will come today when I drop her off at a friends for watching. Let's see if she can ride in the car to her house without peeing in the carseat.

No more diapers! No more diapers!

Jingle Bells

Can you believe we are halfway to Christmas already. I don't mean the actual day, but the festivities, the spirit, the decorating. Lily will be two this year, so cutting down a real tree will be much more fun. Last year was wonderful, but I am looking forward to seeing her pick out a tree and say "this one!".
I know it is only June and the mercury has only just risen to 100, but thinking about how quickly the days have gone by reminds me of just how much there is to do before Turkey and Gravy, Tinsel and Lights, and Fireworks bringing on 2010.

Part Timer

Here goes nothing. I have an interview today at Target for a part time job. I don't want to leave Lily for 25 hours during the week, but we are really trying to get a house and right now we need to show more income during the month. If it is God's will, we can get in our own place before Thanksgiving. I know that it is all in his hands and Lily is in his hands too. It is just for a little while and I will probably miss her more than she will miss me. She is going to be playing at a friends house with two other girls she adores. She will probably be like "Momma who-I got Jurni and Sara".

I can do this. I can do this. I can. It's only temporary!
Think about the good things, like the Bible says. OK Lord, I can sacrifice for what's to come :)

Oooohhh that hurts

We had a wonderful, albeit late, Memorial Day BBQ at Landa Park this weekend. We had our church and the three other churches in our region there. Corey was a cooking maniac, throwing Chicken and Kabobs and Corn everywhere. I felt like a school girl watching him play softball too. I have never seen him participate in any sport besides rock climbing, so to watch him run the bases and hit the ball was so very attractive. I even told him that his huge strawberry from sliding home was hot! Then me and Grammy took Lily swimming. My arms are still aching from paddling all around. I must be out of shape, but it was refreshing to be able to get in the river again. I love New Braunfels and grew up there. It has been 10 years since I last visited Landa and it had changed so much. Gone were the numerous slides and playscapes, replaced by picnic tables and one large scape which we never tried out. I will say though, the pools make up for it!

What does a Lemur say?

Corey treated Lily and I to the San Antonio Zoo on Saturday for Mother's Day. We had such a great time looking at all the animals and reptiles and birds. Lily wanted to walk and run and take off her shoes and she really wanted to pet all the animals. At first she called them all puppy (expect the leopards, they were "kitty, kitty").

When we got to the Lemur area, they were up close and started barking, so daddy asks her what Lemurs do and she says "bub bub bub bub". Her absolute favorite however was the aquarium. She named all the fish, you know "Dory, Nemo, Gill, Bubble bubble all those. I think if she could have gotten in the tank she would have. The Bald Eagle was very serene sitting on a log just 15 feet from visitors. He was unable to fly due to an injury and still sat as proud as ever as some people snapped photos and others just walked right past.
How can you walk past a bald eagle?

We visited the elephants and zebras and the small lions. And I recalled a few of the areas from my childhood so we set out to find my favorite- the Hippo. He opens his mouth WIDE so you can toss in a handful of pelleted food. We looked on the map and circled around and around and never found him. I was a little bummed, but there is always next time.
Corey told his co-worker about our trip and she said" oh we went there last week, my kids loved the hippo most." Well, they didn't get to see the elephants- so there!

Power

There's power in the precious blood of Jesus.
There's power in the precious blood of the lamb.
Power to tear down principalities,
Power to set those prisoners free,
Power to cast those demons out,
The blood of Jesus, there is no doubt.
There is power, power, the blood, the blood, the blood, it gives us power.
There is power, power, the blood, be blood will never lose it's power.

Corey's Friday

Top 10 ways to waste the last 30 minutes of the day

1. Empty your shred bin one page at a time.
2. Make paper clip action figures
3. Modify said action figures with rubber bands for "karate chop action"
4. Stage a war at your desk
5. Empty your co-worker's shred bin.. One sheet at a time
6. Search for signs of intelligent life in the dust cloud behind your computer
7. Turn the speaker volume to max on all computers in the department.
8. Turn everything upside down on a selected co-workers desk.
9. Strike up a conversation with anyone… it will last longer than you need it to.
10. hide.

How now brown cow?

Today it feels like Summer. The sun rays are shining, the mercury rising. Then the thought occurs to me- 'Aww man, it's bathing suit season'. As much as I want a nice golden tan, I am just not pool or beach ready. I wonder how much thinner I could be by August, in time to hit up the beach when all the kids are back in school.

I'm glad for the nice cover ups and trendy two-piece suits that cover all rather than bare it. I'm sure Corey would prefer I wear a itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny- yellow polka dot bikini. Sorry babe, last year's suit is pretty teeny since I out grew it!

I wish our yard had a privacy fence all the way around it, then I could venture out in the sun with Lily in my suit in the pool and not feel like eyes were on me. You know how lighter colors reflect light? Well, if you stare directly at my stomach in the middle of summer, you will be blinded by the light refracting.

Although, I never see the neighbors outside except at 2 am, and there is no sun then! Maybe I could steal away some sunlight and achieve the illusion of being tone. I saw a billboard once that summed it up: Fat looks better tan.

The days are long but the year is short

I heard that quote from a friend and thought "how true". It seems like just the other day when I was waiting for Lily to hold her head up and then call me mom. Now I run around listening to her tell me "No! Trouble" like I am the one who needs a spanking. In another two days she will be 19 month, which is just 4 months shy of graduating to the Toddler class in church, and 3 years away from Kindergarden, which she will actually start late because of an October birthday, but I'll cover that much later.

When I was waiting for her to kick in my womb and then waiting to actually look pregnant and not "heavy" I thought the day would be forever away that I would hear her cry for Daddy when he went to work. After 8 hours of active labor (and 2 full hours in transition) I should have guessed that she would grow fast when I only pushed for 24 minutes. I also should have known that she was going to have a mind of her own when she marked Corey with her fresh newborn baby poo. Good thing he has a strong stomach, or was overwhelmed with emotion as a new dad.

If I could slow down time though, I don't think I would. I am excited to see where we are going to go after this. I am also ready for another, but a boy this time- I don't think I could handle Lily and a sister just like her. Lord please help me now! I know that in just a few years we will be teaching them to drive and taking away the keys to the car.

Are those normal boogers?

With all the hype about the "swine flu" I can't help but watch all the kids in church with a keener eye. Are the boogers they have normal, from crying, from teething, from a small cold, allergies or the dreaded flu?
I am not one who runs to the doctor everytime I have a fever or cough. I have only taken Lily in one time when she was 5 months old and had a cough Corey swore was in her chest. That turned out to be a "normal" cough. So when do we decide what is the everyday sicknesses and when do we have a pandemic panic and rush with masks adorned to the ER? Normally I would wait it out, especially since the last time I had the flu was 5 years ago and Lily has only had one fever in her life and it was gone in 4 hours. Runny noses are king around here, allergies take hold for many months and will not let go. I even seem to be prone to nasal infections, making my boogers not normal. Even then, I don't go on antibiotics, I let it run its course and use a nasal flush. However, the media has a small hold on me and this man made flu has me a bit concerned. I am also glad none of us has had the flu shot so we are a bit more immune to this one-I hope.
This may actually be a time when I won't wait to see a fever break, not because of fear of death or sickness, but because I don't want to get anyone else's kids sick!

Color Color Color

It's 8:30 am and I am in an out of sleep. I know Lily is in the room because she closed the bedroom door. I figure she is safe from getting into anything harmful and the computer is shut off. I feel her leaning against me and hear in the softest voice "color color color" and when I open my eyes I see it- green sharpie! All over the cream colored 400 thread count sheets and pillowcases. All over Lily and even on me. I jump up and tell her she is in trouble and ask where the lid is. She looks around with her hands up and says "uhhhh?" I return the sharpie to it's hiding spot and she proudly presents the lid-"here!" I spray the sheets with Oxyclean- no avail. I google "sharpie removal" I have none of the remedies called for.
Corey gets home and puts on his good jeans- "why is there marker on my jeans?" So I tell him the story and what I need to get...he says " oh, I have rubbing alcohol in my shop"

Now to find where he hid the alcohol.

One income in a two income world

How was it done so many years ago? Why is it that in the 50's and 60's mothers were able to stay home and families thrived on the income that the father brought home? Why has "bringing home the bacon" turned into a two person job? One to cut and carry and one to clean and cook.
I know it can be done, that is for one person to earn and the other carry on the duties of the house hold. But why does it seem so difficult?
I can't decide if it would be worth the hassle of finding a job that will allow me to bring Lily just to bring in an extra $1000 or not. Can I get her out of bed in the morning? Would it be fair to her to play with other kids while I taught if I worked at a daycare? Can I get out of bed in the morning?
This pretty much has started because we want to get in a house this year. The lender tried to qualify us for a $100,000 loan and said we are short some moolah a month. I understand and don't want that much home. I think if we can bite the bullet for a few months with me working, maybe we can qualify, pay off the car and I can quit and go back to being at home with Lily and me and the pets.
God will do what He wants to do, so I'll leave it in his hands.