Life on Legacy Fare

Productivity

2012-02-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

Another title I thought about for this post was "Quality and Quantity" but that reminded me too much of school so I chose the first one. I would like to think as I've gotten older that I've become a little more organized as a person, a little neater, maybe, than I was as a kid. If you knew me as a teenager I'm sure you would say that I couldn't have gotten any worse (rarely could you see the floor in my room), but compared to some people I know I'm still pretty disorganized and "messy." I don't know if I just didn't care or I didn't know how to keep a room picked up, but even when Steven and I were first married I only seemed to really clean the house well for company. Now I look back on that and think - what in the world did I do all the time? Did I really not have time to pick up my clothes off the floor? For some reason, with every child I have had the desire for my house to be clean has grown. As most of you know, those two things (children and cleanliness) do NOT go hand in hand. I have literally entered my just cleaned house (my wonderful husband lets me pay to have the house deep cleaned every 2-4 weeks) and as I carried the infant carrier through the house there was liquid poop seeping through the carseat and dripping onto the floor, to be discovered by Sadie walking in it and letting me know her foot had something on it. If it's not poop, some kind of red sauce inevitably spills on the kitchen floor, or the kids get cracker crumbs all in the carpet. And a vehicle that carries children? Don't even get me started on how dirty that can get....real quick. So why do I care now? Maybe it's simply wanting what you can't have, and right now...that's a perfectly kept house, and being supre-productive. But what I do have, I remind myself often, is a sweet husband (who does not share my affinity for clean, it seems), and 3 precious, dirty, children. So I try to keep a balance. I try to stay somewhat organized (at least know where my wallet, cell phone, lipstick, and children are at all times). Pick up the toys at night, except for all the ones Sadie gets out in secret and hides in her bed. But some nights, like the other day when I watched each one of my children fall asleep, it just doesn't happen. I know I could do better at running this ship, there are many better Moms out there that get so much more done than I. But I am improving on my productivity...and enjoying my "non-productive" time even more. Goodnight!

Resolutions

2012-01-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

I know that people are all over the map about New Year's Resolutions. I have some friends that never make them, and other people that are revved up every year at the fresh new start they get on January 1. I like making resolutions, however, please don't check out my track record on how well I keep them. I guess I am the eternal optimist, thinking that this year will be different. I like being able to work toward a goal, even if that goal gets a little tweaked throughout the year. My resolutions for 2012 (and how they're going at 3 weeks in), are the following:
1. Read through the Bible in a year. I have attempted this before without success but this year am making this a priority, I will finish! I am using Tabletalk devotional as a guide and so far am keeping up.
2. Read a daily bible story to my kids. I am using Stepping Stones for this which is a little over Sadie's head and definitely over Eli's, but it's a great book that we will enjoy as they get older, especially.
3. Learn 26 verses as a family. I am using a template from icanteachmychild.com that I printed into notecards with a verse for each letter of the alphabet. I am trying to put them all to song (thanks, Mandy for that idea!) which helps tremendously! Even for me. :)
4. Lose 5 pounds. I weigh about 10 pounds more right now than I did when we got married. It's easy to think it's not a big deal but if I gain 10 pounds every 7 years it will not be pretty when I'm 60.

I think that's enough for one year. I have 3 kids, I can't set the bar too high or there's no way I'll make it. That's my advice to Moms when they have baby #2 or 3...lower your expectations of yourself. Sometimes Steven asks me "what do you have to do today?" I hate that question. This morning, for example, I had changed 4 poopy diapers by 8:30.
Speaking of poop (I'm sorry it gets mentioned so much in my blogging, surely that will come to an end soon). Eli pooped in his diaper tonight and Steven was talking to him about going in the potty, and he said "Eli, why did you poop in your diaper?" Eli looked at him for a minute and said "Because I said so." I assume he hears my answer when the kids are asking me "why?" and thought that was the standard reply. It's hard to convey just how cute he is when he walks in our room in the morning and says "Wake up Mommy, it's mor-ingtime!" Carolyn was laying down with him yesterday afternoon and finally gave up on getting him to sleep. She said they could go back downstairs and he said "Grandma, that was a dood (good) nap!"
Sadie has been questioning a lot lately about spiritual things, leading to a lot of interesting and sweet conversations. Apparently she's been listening. She wanted to stay in the nursery at my parent's church the other night and had not been listening very well to me during dinner. I asked her "Sadie, why should I believe you will listen any better to the nursery workers than you've been listening to me?" She quickly replied "I've been saving my good energy for them." A few nights later I was again, encouraging her behavior to improve, and she tried to reassure me by saying "I was just getting my sin out." She's a mess.
David is now officially on the go. He is crawling and pulling up on anything he can reach. He's also chanting "Dadada" which is really cute. Not as cute as "Mamama" would be, but I'll take it.

I remembered my last resolution.... it is to ENJOY my children. I was thinking about this at work yesterday, that we just love our children so much. I love all kids, always have, but there is just something different about your own. Every parent knows this to be true. I was thinking that the Lord has obviously created us to be this way, this indescribable adoration we have of our offspring, however they became ours.... then the thought struck me that we are HIS children, so how much does He love us? What a humbling thought! I know my kids are nothing special in the grand scheme of things, but they are to me, just as we are to our Heavenly Father. Pretty cool, to love mine and be loved by Him. Hopefully I'll do a good job of it this year.

Much belated Christmas post!

2012-01-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

The holidays have taken their toll on me, as it has been a month and a half since I last blogged! This will be a quick post, to catch up on our month. It is actually harder to blog after it's been so long so I thought I would just use my favorite pictures from Christmas to help tell it. The picture above is our family on Christmas Eve at my parent's house. We had spent the day having our Harrell Christmas as Leslie's house. Eli was so sad to leave his cousins that he didn't even want Santa to come, he fell asleep shortly thereafter, in his "Eli the Incredible" cape made by Aunt Leslie. Unfortunately he couldn't take "Brave Bennett" or "Mighty Morris."

After the evening nap we managed to get the kids in their pjs, read the Christmas story, then leave cookies and milk for Santa.

The kids woke up the next morning ready to see what Santa brought, although Eli was actually expecting to SEE Santa and was quite disappointed when he couldn't find him anywhere downstairs. After Sadie opened her first couple of presents she deemed Santa a "good bringer!". Eli got so caught up in whatever present he received that he had to be reminded to open the next one....tip for next child - get a 2 year old 2 presents! We went to church with my parents then spent the afternoon getting ready for our trip to Cashiers. We drove up after what seemed like hours of windy roads to this beautiful place, and once we stepped inside it was all worth it! (I deleted this picture after what seems like hours tonight of trying to get it in the right place....sorry).

The next couple days we enjoyed a few games of Cornhole....

Esther had her first experience with roasting marshmellows.....

little buddies watched the snow fall.....

How we love our cousins!

Visiting a waterfall....

Hopefully we've started a family tradition with this trip, which we did in lieu of gifts this year. Making memories with the family is worth much more than present! After we left Cashier's we went to Franklin to visit some good friends from the Bible Conference. They have 5 children and one on the way and handled 6 overnight guests amazingly. We put the kids down and played games as long as we could keep our eyes open, it was great.

As for January news; D is crawling, Sadie is very interested in learning her letters, and Eli has made some small progress in potty training. More later....uploading pictures always leaves me frazzled so I hope they were enjoyed! Merry Christmas several weeks late.....

peace and quiet

2011-12-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is December 1st already! My keyboard is messing up so I'm not sure how long this will be, but the house is quiet, Steven is playing soccer, so it seemed like a good time to blog. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week in Charlotte. I was using my Mom's digital scale to follow my weight and I was pleased to have lost 3 pounds in the month of November by not eating sweets.....which I promptly put right back on in the next few days. Oh well, gold star for effort, right? My new goal is to either allow myself to have dessert or sweet tea, but not both, each day. I'm doing ok with that. The good news is that David is now 6 months old (I can't believe it!) and I ventured back out to the gym today with all 3 kids. When I came to pick them up Sadie asked if they could stay longer, so I think they're glad to be back. Sometimes it's just nice to get out of the house. Sadie managed, in one morning at home, to fill up each one of our stockings with "gifts", then "wrap" several more things in walmart bags and put them under the tree. It was a cute idea, but quite a mess as it ended up all over the floor once everything was "opened". Oh the excitement of Christmas! She will be in her preschool play and also one at church so I am hoping that we will have lots of conversation this month about Christ and try to minimize the commercial aspects of it all, but it's hard. They are kids, and they like to get new toys. We all did. So as much as I would like to produce children that are selfless and giving at a young age... I don't see it happening with mine this year. Hopefully we'll score high on thankfulness at least, and the other important lessons will come with time and maturity.
Speaking of maturity, Eli has GOT to stop pooping in his diaper. His little bottom simply cannot take the constant pooping, which he is doing again for some reason (I think yogurt may be the culprit). I know I have blogged way too much about my son's bowel habits but I can't help it, it's MY LIFE right now. But despite the flailing and wrestling at diaper changes and frequent whining and pouting of a 2 year old, when he fell asleep in my arms for a rare nap today I couldn't help but fall in love with the little guy all over again. He's just that sweet sometimes. As are the others two, especially David. (Sadie is known for lots of great things but sweet doesn't usually top the chart). My computer is beeping at me and I am super tired so I think I'm going to close this rambling post.....

goodnight!

Photo Card

2011-11-30T12:11:00.001-08:00

Love Hope Faith Religious

Team up: Design your photo Christmas cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Head above water

2011-11-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

I was beginning to think my little chunker was never going to sleep though the night...then last week he did it! He has gone without a middle of the night feeding for the past 6 nights! Yea! I probably shouldn't talk about it but I'm hoping it's going to last. That doesn't mean this Mama has slept through the night yet, for some reason or another (the children shall remain nameless) I have been awakened a few times the past few nights. However, the 1 or 2 long stretches of sleep have been fabulous and I am very thankful for them. I feel like I've been swimming under the surface for awhile and now my head is above water. (3 kids are heavy to swim with, hee...hee.., pardon the bad joke I am a little tired tonight).
On a serious note, the Lord has truly blessed us with Esther, and I am actually getting pretty spoiled. I haven't asked her to do much at all but every time I turn around she is cleaning the kitchen or folding clothes. I think she's becoming comfortable and hopefully enjoying her time here. She's said several times that people are very friendly. Tomorrow I will take her to Reading Connections in town where she will figure out what English classes she should take, she's excited about school. I'm hoping when D starts talking it will be in Korean.
Only 5 more days until Thanksgiving, which I'm excited about for several reasons. One of those is because I haven't had sweets this month and Steven hasn't had any soda - and we're stopping that nonsense on Thanksgiving. We've been drinking a lot of Sweet Tea lately, so the "diets" probably haven't been too successful. Oh well, if we did lose a lot of weight I'm sure we'd gain it back over the holidays. Oh how I love to eat over the holidays! Thankfully David will be 6 months old soon and I can go back to the gym. I can't believe how fast my little guy is growing up, this time is sweet and fleeting. I'm going to end this rambling post and head to bed so I can enjoy this phase whenever it starts in the morning. Until next time!

Crazy week...+1 more in the fam

2011-11-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

This week has proved to be interesting for the Harrells. I worked a record long 32 hour shift in Charlotte, from Wednesday morning at 8am to Thursday afternoon at 4pm. Obviously, this would not be possible at most NICUs, but this particular hospital is a little slower paced. I generally get a full night's sleep, plus Mama brought David up to nurse a couple of times. I left the big kids in Charlotte with Steven and his Mom, whenever the kids are split up it makes it much easier on the caregivers. I guess since I birthed them I don't usually get that option. Ha.
Anyways, while I was gone Steven called me about an email he had received, regarding a young Korean girl who needed a place to stay. She had come to America to work on her English, but the medical clinic she was going to be involved with did not work out as she had planned. Through some missionary contacts in Korea she was "rescued" by an older couple in West Virginia, where she has been staying for the past month or so. The email stated that she would like to live with a family that she could help with household chores or childcare in exchange for room and board, and she wanted to be involved in a local meeting like the kind Steven and I go to. After a moderate amount of prayer and even less discussion, we drove to Asheboro on Friday afternoon and brought her home to live with us, until June. It's interesting how the Lord works. I had recently been feeling like I wasn't doing anything to serve the Lord, besides what I do for my family. Steven has the prison ministry and his speaking ministry, but I had nothing. Then on Sunday we heard a sermon about how Jesus blessed the little children and how we too should reach out to the orphans. Esther isn't exactly an orphan, but she did need a family and a place to live! I noticed her sweet spirit immediately and feel very good about the situation. Her English is not bad and she is very easy to be around. I hope the Lord uses us as a blessing in her life but I think the opposite might be more true in the end!
In addition to our new "family member", we had Leslie and her kids in town this weekend, another friend spend the night last night from Raleigh, and Steven had to go to Richmond, VA, last minute, to speak at a Youth Conference today. Sometimes I think it would be nice if things slowed down, but for the most part we are enjoying the ride! I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds. Until then....

Halloween without the pictures

2011-11-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what's wrong with blogger tonight but I can't get the pictures from Halloween to upload. Oh well, they weren't that cute (the costumes were but the kids wouldn't smile for the camera). Picture this - a 4 year old bumblebee, a 2 year old monkey, and a 5 month old chicken. Well, it was pretty cute. I have to say that by the time Halloween rolls around I am pretty tired of the holiday. I am not one for scary stuff, never have been. I made my friends in high school leave the haunted house before going in on more than one occasion. I always avoid horror movies. And is it just me, or have the yard decorations gotten a little out of hand? A neighbor of my Mom's had 3 "dead people" hanging from their trees. Really? How am I supposed to explain that to my 4 year old? I mean, carve a pumpkin, people, and keep your death obsession inside your home. I just don't get why so many people enjoy being frightened, but I think I am in the minority these days since the box office is full of horror flicks. There's enough evil in this world by our true foe, the Devil, that I don't care to indulge in any extra. Sorry, I will get off my soap box now...all that to say, Halloween was a fun night for the Harrells. We went to a church around the corner and participated in "Trunk or Treat" (a great alternative for tiny legs), then came home and went trick or treating to about 4 of our neighbor's homes. David was pretty tired of being a chicken by that time. I am going to do my best to keep Halloween G-rated in my home as my kids get older....maybe I'll continue dressing them in fluffy animal costumes if they want to trick or treat, I'm sure that will go over really well.
I have decided that it would be ok if the kids didn't grow up....most of the time. I know it's inevitable but they can be so sweet now. I have a few hours of just Eli time every week when Sadie's in school and David's taking a nap. I give him lots of hugs and tell him he's my sweet boy. Today he told me "you're my tweet girl". He also said I was a "dood" (good) Mommy. Tonight he said "I wuv you dooo (so) much". Yea, I'll keep him 2 as long as possible!

Go Figure

2011-10-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

I've often heard mother's say "Just when I had this sleep (feeding, carseat, etc) thing figured out the kid goes and does something totally different!" Parenting is all about flexibility, it seems, as our carefully construed schedules for our children are (at least in my house) rarely followed. I admit, schedules for kids are not totally overrated as sleep and food are usually necessities in a toddler's life. But as predictable as some things in life seem, my kids are NOT.
Sadie has seen a total of 4 movies in her life, at the movie theatre, only 2 of those were with me. So far she has wept many tears at each movie, usually in fear of "the bad guy", but also when Simba's dad died (which prompted a very sweet conversation between her and Steven regarding his mortality). We took her and 3 of her cousins to see "The Smurfs" at the dollar movie last weekend and pretty much every time Gargamel made an appearance she held onto Steven for dear life. She ended up in my lap by the end of the movie for the big fight scene where the smurfs defeat Gargamel once and for all and throw him in a heap of garbage. Literally 2 minutes before she was begging to go home, weeping over captured Papa Smurf, then at the end of the movie she turns around and says "I loved it, that was my favorite movie and I want to watch it everyday." Go figure.

Eli, as I have mentioned, has given us some sleep and diaper issues lately. He used to be so easy putting to bed and a great sleeper so I'm not sure where we went wrong, but lately he's discovered he doesn't have to stay in bed, he can get up and walk around, play, usually he just crawls really slowly through the hall. We have found him asleep many times at the top of the stairs, in the hall, or on the floor next to Sadie's bed. The other night we let Sadie fall asleep in her bed and put Eli in ours (usually we do it the other way around since they share rooms, the move Sadie to her bed after she's asleep). We came upstairs to check on them and go to bed and Eli wasn't in our bed. Where was he? In his, fast asleep. Go figure. And tonight, after weeks of talking about potty training, occasional peeing in the potty (and pooping once), Eli NEVER mentioning that he has to go, I turn around while giving David a bath and he is sitting naked on the potty, peeing and pooping all by himself, with no prompting. Go figure.

Now for David, he is perplexing me as well. From the beginning he gave me pretty good stretches of sleep, but the last month he has seemed to go backwards and wanting to wake up and nurse more in the middle of the night. So the last few weeks I bit the bullet and started putting him to bed in his own room, in his crib, and feeding him in there in the middle of the night (vs. taking him back to our bed). He was not improving, in fact he seemed to be waking up more. (Crying it out wasn't really working, either). So, last night he was up by the time I was turning out the lights to go to bed. I let him cry for a few minutes then just gave up and went and got him and brought him to our bed. He ate a little, then fell asleep between us and slept until 7:15 the next morning. Go figure.

To conclude, one of my favorite parenting quotes "you just gotta find what works." That's the theme of my home lately, it seems. If I figure it all out, I'll let you know. :)

Circle of Life

2011-10-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Shannon Hills is having special meetings this week and showing a video series entitled "The Truth Project." We went tonight and I thoroughly enjoyed being intellecutally challenged about philosophy and biblical worldviews, it was great reminder about "renewing our minds" (Romans 12:2). A good deal of the lecture was about the definition of philosophy and Carl Sagan's view of the "cosmos." Ironically, as we were walking through the parking lot to our car Sadie was singing "Circle of Life" (from the Lion King, eerily familiar to the humanist's God-less perspective on life). We have some work to do.
To Sadie's defense, she did just go see "The Lion King" (in 3D!) with her Daddy. A couple weekends ago I got a call and decided to work a 24 at the Charlotte job instead of travel to Richmond, VA, where Steven was speaking the following day. The boys went to Charlotte with me and Sadie got a "special trip" with Daddy. When I asked if she was behaving Steven replied "of course she is, I'm giving her everything she asks for today" The trip started out with a Dollar General run to stock up on Candy and Fruit Loops. She talked the entire 3 hour trip and after they dropped their stuff off at the church (they have this great little apartment attached to the church that the speaker stays in), they went to McDonald's for dinner and then the movies. I talked to her that night and she was in no way missing Mama, she told me she was going to send me a postcard. Steven says she was wired and probably not quite asleep before he was. I hope that was the first of many sweet trips they get to take together.
Eli is still cracking us up most of the time. He is quite dramatic and can be such a whiner (who ever said girls whine and boys don't was wrong, at least in the Harrell family). He gives lots of kisses and likes his "pogams" on tv but spends most of his time finding the highest horizontal surface, climbing onto it, then jumping off. No broken bones yet, but he did break a lamp this week. He is loving to read lately and I've just had to get used to his constant repeating of every word I say. His favorite one right now is "Uncle Bigtoot (bigfoot)" We are still doing a lot more talking about potty training than actually doing it, I tell him most days how big boys (which he is, he has no doubt) pee in the potty. The other day he walked in on Steven using the bathroom and after looking him up and down to make sure he knew what was going on he replied with certainty "you a big boy!"
Speaking of big boys,I took David to the doctor today and he weighs in at 15 pounds, 5 ounces! It's only the 50th percentile but he seems huge to me! After scrawny Sadie I never thought I'd have such a chunky monkey. I also thought if I ever had a fat baby that surely he would sleep through the night by now, but apparently I was wrong about that too. That being said I should close this out so I can get some sleep while I can. Between my night owl, my early riser, and my night feeder my sleep is quite deprived at the moment. But I know this too shall pass... and then I'll just miss them being babies! Goodnight~

Vipers (and a lot of poop) in diapers

2011-10-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

My old pastor used to refer to young children as "vipers in diapers" referring, of course, to the depravity of man and how our sinfulness becomes evident pretty early in life. That is definitely the case in our kids, and if you think your children are sinless you must not be paying very good attention. Steven was asked to fill in and speak at a church down the street that we had never attended. It was a sweet group of people and Sadie had enjoyed her time in the children's church and nursery. As we were leaving I noticed she had something under her papers and discovered it was a box of crayons. I told her to put them back and, to my dismay, had to keep telling her to as she was very determined to steal the crayons. I'm sure they'll have us back, the young preacher and his thief of a daughter. :)
Meanwhile, our Eli is having a bit of trouble in the potty department. He has this pooping issue where he will go several times a day which inevitably makes his bottom red. He has learned several responses to try to get us not to change him, including "I'm not done yet!" and "it's just gas!" Once he realizes his rear is going to get cleaned, he then yells "gentle!" and "I need keem! (cream)". I told him the other day that this was ridiculous, and he needed to poop in the potty. I sat him on there and he actually peed and pooped a little - I felt like I was witnessing a birth. I was cheering, chanting "push, push"....it's amazing what I've succumbed to as a mom! Unfortunately, that was the last time we had any potty success. Oh well.
David is, as usual, perfect. The only thing he does slightly wrong is needing to eat in the middle of the night. But I'll take it as opposed to the sneaky stealer and constant pooper. I know his days are coming, too, I need to prepare myself for 3 little sinners in my care. Hopefully, I can instruct them and show them a fraction of the grace and mercy my Lord has shown me. I am daily thankful for the task and pray for His help as I lead these little ones.

To Coupon or Not to coupon....that is my question

2011-09-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I need to get a real problem. But Steven recently overhead someone (who will remain nameless) talk about all the money she saved with couponing so he has decided that I should try it. He has been very discontent with our Walmart bill as of late, and so I agreed to at least look at the websites and see. I know people save a lot of money doing this but I am just not convinced that it is for me....and here are my reasons....
1. I shop at Walmart and Food Lion, which I have heard that neither of these places double or triple coupons. The closest Harris Teeter is 20 minutes and I don't even know where to find Kroger and BiLo.
2. I don't buy very much of the food that is in the coupon fliers, the yogurt and diapers that I do buy I use coupons for. Everything else, for me, is cheaper to buy generic at Walmart.
3. I have 3 children that make a very simple grocery store run quite exhausting, I can't imagine spending even more time looking for the exact brand, size, and quantity of items that (I have heard) are often sold out of if it's a really good deal.
Ok, so those are my reasons, but....I will give it a good ole college try, for Steven's sake. Or maybe I should make him do it. Just reading the SouthernSavers website has made me tired. I will say, I am growing fond of Aldi's. I shopped there today with Eli and David and thought I was prepared. I had my quarter for the buggy and bags for the food (last trip there I was 8 months pregnant, carrying everything, with Sadie and Eli running around). I was feeling quite smug until I finished checking out and was reminded they take only debit or cash (who carries cash these days?), and I haven't used my debit card in so long I had forgotten my pin. It was quite embarrasing, but thankfully the lady at the bank was familiar with Aldi's and kindly reset my password right there so I could use my debit card. Lesson learned.
Eli is quite the handful these days. I think age 2 is the cutest but also the most trying age (I say that, but I don't currently have a 3 year old - so I might retract this statement next year). He constantly says things like "I a big boy" and "I wanna do it by mydelf" but just as quickly whines like a baby when he can't get his shoe on or spills syrup on his shirt. He has so many funny things he says, I'll try to list a few: pee-cool (preschool), dunday cool (sunday school), yo-rick (yogurt), pampakes (pancakes), and tousins (cousins). Of course right now I can't think of anymore, how is that possible when he talks all day long? I'll ask him if I should coupon. I'm sure he'll have an answer for me. Comments are welcome, as well, on the issue. Goodnight!

Sibling Love

2011-09-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe I have 3 offspring, but I have to say it is starting to sink in. For the kids too, they are getting pretty attached to each other. Steven and I just spent a few days in California and just took the baby. It was a great weekend in Tiburon for my cousin's wedding, then we spent a couple days in San Fran with Steven's high school buddy and his wife. Lil D traveled pretty well but I have to say I am pretty ready to just be home for awhile now. The big kids stayed with my in-laws and were excited to see us, but especially David, when we got home. It was cute.

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with my post, I just thought it was too cute not to include. She was the flower girl in a wedding last month and this is her at the rehearsal dinner.

And here is my little man, getting bigger all the time! He's the only one that's hit the 50th percentile on growth so far. Sadie is 4 years old and 32 pounds, which puts her just under the 3rd percentile - par for her course. Eli's about 27-28 pounds, so not far behind Sadie.

As you can see, David is quite enamored with his big brother. The 100-200 "tisses" every day from Eli don't seem to bother him. Below is a kiss in action (Eli prefers to give fish kisses, if possible, and to me he says "I want to tiss you on da mouf!"). Yeah, I will definitely pull this picture out when they're all tough and playing high school baseball together.

Now these 2 are quite the pair these days. They have fun together and get in trouble together. Sadie is pretty bossy but Eli usually doesn't mind and for the most part they play well together. The other day Sadie was on a special trip with Daddy and Eli and I were having lunch together while David took a nap. I said a quick blessing for our food and time together and he immdiately shouted "Mommy you didn't pay fa Dadie!" (pray for Sadie, if you don't regularly interpret Eli).

Sadie's first day of preschool was today! She was very excited and had a great day. She said she even climbed under the bathroom stall to "rescue" a little girl that couldn't unlock the door. The only reason I believe her is because that's a pretty elaborate story to make up if it's not true. She has several "old friends" in her class from last year but assured me she was going to make some new ones too. I get that Girl Scout song in my head every time we talk about that, you remember, "make new friends....but keep the o-ld....one is silver and the o-ther gold". At least it replaces the Fresh Beat Band songs, which are usually playing (in my head, embarrasingly).

I have to mention a little cousin love, mainly because I couldn't not put this picture up. We actually saw a little pee-pee out of this experience, but in general potty training is pretty much at a standstill. I'm not worried about it, he wont wear diapers to kindergarten.....right?

This has been a very random post but my brain is working sub-par these days, so forgive me please. My camera is again in my posession so I am trying to take more pictures these days (it was left at a church for about 3&1/2 weeks in August, and hiding in my pocketbook for a couple weeks in July). Until next time!!

Enough Sweets!

2011-08-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

August is birthday month, there are 5 people in our family that have birthdays (1 neice, 2 nephews, and both of my parents). My dad's birthday was a big one, the big 6-0. A great tennis score and hopefully a great age, thankfully he still plays great tennis at his age. We had a party for him the night before his birthday and it was full of surprises, which is pretty different for him (usually his Christmas present is something he picked out himself, oftentimes even bought himself). But this year Mom really outdid herself and planned a surprise trip to the US Open in New York City, booking the hotel, flights, and tennis match tickets in secret. She had a great scavenger hunt that led back into the kitchen where we had set up the adorable tennis court cake my sister-in-law made, surrounded by the "stadium" made of styrofoam and pictures of crowds. She had cut out a picture of the two of them, glued it to a toothpick, and stuck it in the top of the "stands". The tickets were rolled up next to the cake. He also received, in his scavenger hunt with 6 little helpers, a book that I put together with input from everybody else "60 Reasons Why We Love Papa". I think he felt the love, so the night was a success.

My Mom's birthday was this past Thursday, and Mandy and I managed to surprise her a little as well. We took a train ride downtown to Imaginon (this great public library in Charlotte), listened to Storytime, had lunch at Fuel's Pizza, then after some nap/rest time at her house had a picnic dinner at a neighborhood park. Since spending time her family kinda tops the chart for her I think it was a great birthday, as well. Giving gifts is NOT my specialty and it has gotten even worse now that shopping is near impossible. Mandy, however, is the world's best at giving gifts and her children have not hindered her at all....with each child she has I think she actually improves the thoughtfulness of the gifts. I basically gave Mom an "IOU" for her birthday (which I did make good on the following day), but Mandy had several presents throughout the day. She is amazing!

All of these parties coupled with my pregnant mentality of eating whatever I want has led to some self discovery. I am addicted to dessert. I like to have people over to socialize, yes, but also because it's a good excuse to make a pan of brownies. Isn't that awful? I started working out again a few weeks ago and the scale has been stubbornly not moving at all. I finally came to realize the cold hard truth - I cannot eat dessert with 1-2 meals a day and expect to lose weight. I am not 16 anymore. So, Mom and I made a pact to eat no dessert until our trip to San Francisco, starting yesterday. (We couldn't start on her birthday because Mandy brought these awesome cakepops...). We leave for San Francisco next Friday in 6 days, but don't laugh. Giving up sweets is pretty serious for me so I am taking baby steps. Today was my first true temptation (I actually felt like I was on The Biggest Loser!), take a look at the picture below from our MOPS planning meeting. I will confess that I popped 1 M&M before remembering my sweets fast but that was my only indiscretion. I feel very proud of myself for this dieting accomplishment. Hopefully I wont eat my weight in cake next weekend.......

The New Normal

2011-08-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my good friend the other day that just recently had her 3rd baby, as well, and I asked her how she was adjusting. She said it well, that she was getting used to the new normal, slowly but surely. My new normal consists of a few differences that I have noticed so far. My hair is always air-dried and rarely brushed. Sometimes my makeup can last for 2 days. My pocketbook is the same thing as the diaper bag. Most of my shirts smell like spit up for a good part of the day. So does David. An afternoon or evening swim = bath. And so the list goes on.

Here is a picture of David from our trip to camp. Steven was the speaker for Junior Boys this year so we went up with him on Sunday. Eli lasted until Tuesday night and went home with my in-laws; Sadie, David and I came home Wednesday night. It was refreshing to be up there, around so many godly young people that are on staff and a bunch of excited little boys, but it is just not the easiest place to be with toddlers. Plus I got Mastitis.....again.

A couple nights before camp we dressed up like cows (don't make fun, these are what you call "home-made" outfits) in order to get free Chick-fil-a food. We really didn't feel that stupid as most of the people in the restaurant looked nearly as silly as we did. The only stupid people in there were the ones that had to pay for their food. This will most definitely be an annual event.

The last night Steven was at camp we met my dear friend and her little ones for dinner and Cook-Out milkshakes...a fun evening. Here are our boys (minus David) and the girls below. Sweet friends.

And on the days that we spend at home, we do a lot of this. Feeding babies. It's been a great summer so far, and I think I'm going to like the new normal.

The rest of June....

2011-07-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

2 weeks and 5 days after having David, we loaded up the rented Mazda 5 (it's a long story and not blog-worthy) and left before 8am for Skyland Bible Conference in Dayton, Tennessee. It was a great week of family time, good Bible teaching, and way too much ice cream. Sadie was her normal social self and it was near impossible to keep her at our table at mealtimes, she was off talking to people before we knew it (and often talking them into getting her some dessert). I was very thankful for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who helped me a lot, especially with my big kids, so I could get some much needed rest. Despite the rest I did get Mastitis again but, thankfully, had come prepared with a 3rd round of antibiotics. Here is a picture of the Harrell grandkids, all 7 of them. They have such a good time together and it is great to watch them make these memories.

Steven was worn out from the trip so he and David snuck in a quick nap after we got there. Do they look alike or what?

We decided not to go home after the Conference but go visit some great friends that recently moved to Statesboro, GA. We had a great night with them and a yummy breakfast the next morning before heading to Hilton Head. Sadie and Lily were very happy to see each other.

Most of Hilton Head was spent in the pool, especially the kids. We vacationed with most of my Mom's side of the family, everyone was there except one aunt and 2 cousins. We've been doing this for like 30 years now and had almost as many people in the house for dinner most nights. I celebrated my 32nd birthday while down there, which Sadie decided to bust her chin open for. Mom and I were putting the finishing touches on my birthday dinner when Jesse (my cousin's wonderful husband) came walking in from the pool with a bleeding Sadie. She apparently said "hey guys, watch this", then proceeded to jump in backwards, catching her chin on the side of the pool. Thankfully, Jesse is an ER Pediatrician who deals with this all the time and he was able to "glue" it back together, avoiding stitches. Which was great for the wallet but especially for Sadie. We avoided the water for 24 hours then covered it up with waterproof bandages after that. My Mom kept trying to tell her she was brave but she refuted it, saying "No I wasn't Nana, I cried."

Sadie and Eli had 3 other second cousins to play with, and the girls did quite well together (Lucy is 5 and Sophia is almost 3). Eli and Benjamin, however, showed their 2 year old-ness and had a weeklong competition with who could say "mine" the most. Benjamin even took it to a new level when his Mom was changing his diaper and Eli came in the room he yelled "My poop!" As if Eli wanted it, but, you never know with these guys. Eli can be quite the drama queen but he keeps us laughing. He got up early every morning and had breakfast with Papa, even developing a taste for Daddy's OatBran cereal. It was a great week and the picture below really says it better than I can.

It's getting harder to get a good picture of everyone, and this one isn't the best but it shows how much Sadie and David look alike. David's changed so much even since this picture so I will blog again soon with a more recent one. And some tales of our July days, which have been just as busy as June!

Adjusting

2011-06-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our new little man is almost 2 weeks old! We are slowly getting used to having another person in the house, although he is such a good baby that when chaos is erupting around us we tend to forget he is even there. Unfortunately, as par for my course, I developed Mastitis last Saturday (I also got this about 5 days post-partum after Sadie and Eli). I woke up chilled and feverish in the middle of the night, shaking like after the baby was born. My Mom was a huge help as Steven was out of town for a family wedding (he was the officiant!), my Dad also came back up for the weekend. For those of you who don't like for someone to stay with you after you have a baby YOU ARE CRAZY, especially with other kids in the house. Physically and emotionally, I couldn't have managed that first week and a half without my Mom! Many tears were shed on Thursday when she left, everyone but Steven and David I believe (although Steven was definitely in favor of her staying, as long as she was willing). I was beginning to gain some confidence that I could handle mothering 3 until today, when my fever shot back up with a recurrence of Mastitis (hello, new antibiotics). Thankfully my in-laws are in town and were planning on having the big kids spend the night tonight and taking them to church tomorrow, and Steven is here to take care of me. David's my little bed-buddy, he's happy as a lark to lounge around in the bed with me all day, snoozing and nursing.
The big kids are doing well the baby, minus a few mishaps in behavior. They both seem to really love him, especially Sadie, who has spent a lot of time holding and singing songs to David, usually about her being his sister and how much she loves him, etc.. Eli leans over and gives him kisses about 25 times a day, and seems to have gentle intentions, at least. He's had a little bit of a hard time with nursing, (does he remember?) and has appeared very interested in trying it himself. He asked me soon after we were home "what doin' Mommy?" and I said "nursing the baby, but he doesn't seem very hungry right now," Eli quickly responded "I hungry!" I've also made sure to trade out holding the baby, when possible, for some good snuggles with Eli. One day I was by myself with the boys and he was walking around singing "Hol' me, hol' me, hol' me" to the tune of "Holy, Holy, Holy". Too cute. I've felt especially sorry for him at times, though, as he seems to have changed from the apple of Sadie's eye to the bad guy. She has some displaced anger, I think, and has been quite mean to him at times. Her way of adjusting, I'm sure, but we are still attempting to nip in the bud. For the most part she has been quite the little helper, and for that I am glad. Today when I was feeling my worst I think they were feeling the effects of some mild neglect. They both climbed into the bottom of new co-sleeper and zipped themselves inside, unable to get out. If I wasn't worried they were going to break it I would have left them in there a while, to teach them a lesson. But I didn't.
We are blessed to have grandparents near and far to help in times like this, but I am ready to feel better, get my house in order, and have my big babies sleeping in their own beds again. For now I will snuggle with my sweet bundle and concentrate on fighting off the Mastitis once and for all, or, until next time.

And Then There Were Three

2011-06-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

A quick disclaimer to this birth story is that I have some help remembering the details. My mom is a birth doula and keeps a notebook of her client's births, jotting down notes as she can during the labor process. So, her notebook is by my side as I recount the details of May 30th, 2011, one of the best days of my life! Truly, the story starts early Saturday morning as I woke up with contractions and began to worry I was going to have to cancel Sadie's birthday party. We had a huge day planned with lots of guests and a new (used) swingset being brought up and put together by my Dad. I worried through several contractions then finally, an hour or two later, went back to sleep. I continued to cramp on and off throughout the day as well as have other "labor signs" but we enjoyed a great birthday party with 14 kids and 12 adults and a very happy Sadie. Steven was preaching the next day in Winston Salem and again, in the middle of the night, I woke up with contractions and just knew we were going to have to make other arrangements. Much to my disappointment, the labor slowed. My parents came anyways that afternoon and we just sat around and waited. That night I lost some more sleep due to contractions so I decided enough was enough, he was ready to come out my body just must be oxytocin-deficient. I had an induction scheduled for Friday the 3rd and knew my doctor was on call that Monday. I called her first thing that morning and begged her to let me come in to get checked. She agreed and Mom and I were off, in the truck, to the hospital.

I got checked in to MAU and thankfully was at least having contractions, however it was definitely early labor. Dr. R. wasn't overly optimistic but agreed to let me stay and start Pitocin to see what I would do. I was so excited, even though I knew what was in store I was ready to have my baby. We started the Pitocin about 1:30 (oh and I was only 1cm and 50% effaced in MAU), I did some walking and began to have some good contractions. They continued to turn the Pitocin up every 30 minutes and at 3pm Dr. R. came in and broke my water...there was no turning back now! I was only 2cm. The labor intensified and I called Steven (who was at home taking a nap) and told him it was time to come in. He is a great husband but sort of shuts down during all this labor stuff, he hates to see me in pain. My Mom is a great doula, however, and doesn't leave my side. I stayed 2cm for most of the afternoon and did progressively worse with my contractions. Steven and Dad went to get some dinner about 6:15 and before my daytime nurse left I decided to get an epidural. By the time I got it, a little after 7:30, I was shaking constantly and unable to relax even between the contractions. 15 minutes after the epidural I had already progressed to 3.5cm (I am convinced I don't dilate well until I get the epidural). At 8:45 I was still 4cm so I tried to rest for awhile, which is hard to do mentally. We turned on the tv and watched the last few minutes of The Bachelorette, then Steven started watching The Office at 10. Dr. R. checked me again at 10:20 and I was 6-7, and with the next few contractions I was about to jump off the bed with pressure. The nurse checked me and calmly paged the doc that I was ready to push. Steven was at the moment laughing hysterically at a scene from The Office, but he did turn off the tv to watch the birth of his son. A couple pushes later and David was born at 10:41pm! They put him skin to skin, then did a quick weight/assessment, and brought him back to me. He nursed like a champ and was sweet from the word go. I am thankful that things worked out well, that he came out healty as my little May baby. He does look just like his Daddy, so watch out ladies in a few years! He is a blessing from the Lord and we are so thankful for another healthy baby.

I have a 4 year old? And 3 kids?

2011-06-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has been 4 years now since Sadie entered our lives. What a happy day that was! For a good part of this pregnancy I thought that Sadie and David would share a birthday, but he decided to be my May baby instead (I will do his birth story with my next post). I'm glad it worked out that way that Sadie has her own day, and she probably is too. We had her party last weekend, a mere 14 kids and 12 adults, I guess it was no surprise that 48ish hours later I would have a baby. It has been a crazy week, but I want to pay tribute to my little girl. She is my firstborn, my social butterfly, my helper, and my "chocolate cake buddy". It has been a wonderful 4 years. I could write many many paragraphs about her but my new little man is not on board with that plan....will blog more later!

Daddy = protector

2011-05-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged about Steven in a while, I'm sure it's time. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful husband and friend, and it's fun now to see him as a loving father. Sadie will frequently climb in our bed in the middle of the night, which I don't mind since she usually falls right back to sleep and isn't quite the wiggler she once was. I remember doing the same thing as a child, and actually, I wont tell you how old I was the last time I did it!

Last night, Sadie crawled in our bed and was more awake than usual. I heard her ask her Daddy if there were any scary things around. He gave her a sleepy answer and I chimed in too, although it became clear she was just talking to him. She said she was afraid of a witch. He very sweetly told her there was nothing to be scared of, and the Lord is with us, as well. I felt a little left out as I realized she had no intentions of snuggling with me.

However, I woke up in the early morning light to see her and Steven snuggled up on the same pillow, her asleep in his outstretched arm and holding onto his hand. I suddenly realized that Mom is not all-encompassing. She didn't need me at all last night, she needed him, her protector. I am so thankful that she, and we, have such a good one!

Thank you Lord that we have a man in our home that protects, loves, and provides for us, showing us through these actions Your grace poured out on our family.

Spring is here!

2011-05-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't lef the blogging world, I've just been busy trying to finish all these last minute projects before little D decides to come. I'm pretty positive I wont go early with my history (9 days late with Sadie, 8 with Eli), but, I can't plan on it. We've had a fun few weeks....here the kids are at a Grasshopper's game (the minor league team in Greensboro). It isn't really about watching baseball anymore, Steven has realized, but the grassy lawn, snow cones, music, and awesome playground make it a fun family event.

We had a pre-Easter get together in Charlotte at my parent's house, 2 of my girlfriends and my sister-in-law came over with their kids to dye eggs, go on an Easter egg hunt, and make resurrection rolls. We had 10 kids 7 and under, it was great! Here are the 8 of them, not sure what happened to the other 2....

Steven and I got to take a nice trip to Sunset Beach for a couple nights, just the 2 of us, on a company trip. It was a sweet time together with good food and pretty sunshine, I can't lay out like I used to but I did manage to get a little sun on the arms. Mama always said "tan fat looks better than white fat" and I need whatever help I can get right now! :)

Last weekend my parents came up for the weekend, to visit but also to help with my latest project.....that has gotten me started on many home projects this week (nesting, maybe?). Apparently I am not very good at keeping the kids quiet while Steven works from home in his downstairs office. My personal opinion is no one could keep our 2 quiet for that long but the obvious answer to the problem was to move his office upstaris to the bonus room and move the kid's toys to the downstairs office, the "new bonus room" as Sadie now calls it. I told Steven it would be an easy move but I underestimated the amount of stuff he had collected in his office over the past 2 years. Thankfully, we got it done, and just a week later almost everything is into place. I had a thrilling day of organizing every toy in the house, unfortunately the kids want to play with them now, which messes everything up! They are not content, as I am, to just look at them in their rightful place. Oh well.

After a hard's day work last Saturday we enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day Sunday, here's a picture of 3 generations....I just hope the Mommy on the right can live up to the one on the left!

Our sweet neighbors have given us many hand-me-downs, and this might win the prize for the Spring. They love this little jeep and Eli is quite content to ride in the passenger seat, for now, although I can't imagine he would be a worse driver then she is....

Typical girl....my Dad said, on the phone while driving and not paying attention!

As for little D, he's a busy as ever and puts on a quite a show at times. He was bouncing the hymn book all over my belly the other day at church, it's fun to watch. I've been getting the baby things out, including all the cute clothes....and it's making me excited to meet him! Less than 3 weeks now, and I'll take him anytime he wants to come. In the meantime I'll try to improve my blogging frequency....

The terrible 2s and a fun girl's weekend

2011-04-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Last year some of my best girlfriends, Julie and Rachel, and I flew to Louisiana for a surprise trip to see our other friend Rachel who was about to get married. This year, she is expecting her first baby (a day after me!) so we decided to go see her again, this time in Georgia where her parents live. It was a shorter trip but the time spent with dear friends, minus kids, was priceless. Of course the subjects of conversation rarely veered away from our families, even though we were states away from them. I drove down to Charlotte Friday morning and the three of us spent a girl's day in Charlotte, a little shopping, a pedicure, and a yummy dinner at The Cheesecake Factory before heading to Columbia, SC, where we spent the night. The next morning we got up and drove the rest of the way to GA in time for Rachel B.'s baby shower and a few hours of visiting. I am so happy for Rachel and Reagan as they get ready to welcome their first little blessing into the world! They will be wonderful parents and are in for a good time. Here we are below at her baby shower, showing off our bellies!

The kids stayed mostly with my wonderful mother-in-law since Steven traveled to Richmond, VA, to speak at a youth rally there. They got to go to Charlotte and stay with Aunt Leslie, which is super-fun, especially since it included a soccer game and Chick-fil-a, as well as some amateur wrestling between Eli and Leslie's youngest. Since they got home Sadie has been saying that she doesn't really live with me, Eli is her cousin and I am her aunt. She also has a dog named Hooch (coincidentally that is Leslie's dog's name). She has not let up on her dog pleas, lately she has been promising that she will take care of it all by herself. The other day I told her I didn't have the money to pay for a dog and she immediately responded with "Daddy has money to get a dog, he takes all your money so he can buy a dog." I laughed for awhile at that one. She has actually been pretty grown-up acting lately, and Eli has been my handful. I should never have bragged about what a good sleeper he was....because he is starting to show his true colors with fussy bedtimes, early waking up, and faking naps. And of course, poor sleeping = whiny 2 year old. I was beginning to wish I could cap him out at how many times he can say "Mommy" in one day, especially with no real request. But then I laid down with his exhausted little self and watched him fall asleep and realized anew the blessing it is to raise a child. Or two, or three. God bless all you mommies! It's trying at times but wonderful all the same. Thank you, Lord, for the honor of raising these you've given me, for now. Goodnight!

Anniversaries and Birthdays!

2011-03-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was great. Steven took the kids to Charlotte on Thursday afternoon since I had to work Thursday night and he was going down for work anyways. Obviously they had a great time, as always, at Nana and Papa's house.

Friday I had a (routine) doctor's appointment then was able to sleep until Steven and I left for his TEST. Obviously, Sadie has very little concern (here she is while he is taking the test, helping Papa water the plants).

The dreaded exam that he had poured hours of his life into. It was a stressful and prayerfilled 2 hours and thankfully..... HE PASSED! I have my husband back and am so excited. And if he ever considers higher education I just might have to put my foot down. After that we headed down to Catawba, SC, to the Harmony House Bed and Breakfast. A lovely little B&B just south of Rock Hill, in celebration of our 7th anniversary. We went to downtown Rock Hill for a nice dinner, pulled through the Baskin Robbins drive thru for dessert, and had a delicious breakfast the next morning. I tried to upload pictures from the beautiful

Harmony House Bed and Breakfast but all I could get to work was the link. Check it out!

On the way back to my parent's house we found out that Eli had thrown up overnight....and Sadie was going to follow suit a little bit later. Unfortunately we had to postpone his party until the next day, but to be honest it was kinda sweet since they both just wanted me to hold them for several hours each. Even though sick kids are pitiful, unless they're in a whiny mood, it's also enjoyable.Thankfully by Sunday everyone was well so after church we had Eli's party. Here are most of us, 9 adults and 10 kids! And that's just family. Mama and Sadie had made the cake on Friday and decorated it with farm animals. After blowing out the candles (actually Bennett got to them first, we re-lit them so Eli could have a fair shot), we let every child pick an animal off the cake. That seemed exciting enough, I shouldn't have bothered to get party favors!

Here's my little man being shy during the Happy Birthday song, something Sadie never would do!

But he ended up a pretty happy guy! Happy Birthday to the sweetest 2 year old I know!

Pregnant Sadie and Girl's Night.

2011-03-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

As I know I've mentioned in the past, Sadie is very resistant to going to sleep. This is usually what her bed looks like when I go in to check on her and turn off her light. This was done with very little light, too, if you're wondering. The other night when my Mom was in town she went to check on her and told me to come up and bring my camera. Looking closer at her I realized what was so funny......

Apparently Sadie is now expecting too....and not just 1, but 2 of her favorite stuffed animals! The next day I was at work and my Mom asked her about it. She put them back under her shirt then starting jumping around, saying that's how they come out. I wish.

This weekend marks the annual guy's beach trip that Steven has planned for several years now, 8 maybe? (I posted about this trip last year in "boys will be boys...") Last year Jenn and Maegan came for a short visit during the beach trip so we decided to do it again this year. The more the kids multiply the more fun it is to get out of the house while our husbands are gone. This year 5 of us got together at my house on Friday afternoon with the kiddos, most of them spending the night (which meant 4 moms and 9 kids!). We had a total of 10 kids in the house, ages and 5 and younger. In a few years we might feel like the Duggars when we get together!

We had three precious ones less than 6 months old and they were troopers, here they are on their baby mats, trying to survive the rest of the gang running around.

Eli is quite outnumbered, as you can see. Evan (in the first baby picture) is only 4 months old but in a year or two will help balance out the girly-ness. He seems perfectly happy here, though!

Not sure where Sadie's clothes went (that was popular all weekend), but apparently it was time to chill out and read a book.

We had a great time together, thanks girls for being willing to pack up your families and bring them over! Sadie can't stop talking about her friends. Hopefully no one had any serious meltdowns and everyone got a good nap in Saturday. It was well worth it and I think we have us a tradition...

Single Parenting

2011-03-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

Steven's work has been crazy the past few months, and we are both getting quite tired of it (especially me!). There is an end in sight, so he says, in the next month or two. Sitting here tonight by myself, after pretty much single parenting it all day, makes me so thankful that I don't do that all the time. It was one of the hardest things to do tonight getting Sadie to go to bed, I'm not sure how we created such a monster, maybe it's genetic, or maybe it's payback (that's my parent's vote I'm sure). She finally stopped asking to come down and watch one of her shows to "sometimes Daddy lets me watch American Idol with him....". Wrong night, babe. And the answer is still "No!". Eli, on the other hand, has started sleeping in a big boy bed and couldn't be better about it. No tears, no getting up until morning, it's amazing. Here's my guys, Eli is getting ready to watch his Daddy play indoor soccer. Now every time he sees a sporting event he says "Dough Daddy!"

In other news, we are trying to make sure our kids learn loyalty and how to handle disappointment, so we've turned them into Wolfpack fans. Sadie's first experience was a good one, however, since Steven took her to the NC State/Clemson game and they actually won! She was excited, but truly it had nothing to do with the victory and everything to do with meeting Mr. Wolf and holding one of the cheerleader's pom-poms. Being a cute 3 year old helps you get on the floor without tickets, apparently.

We love you Daddy, and are ready for you to slow down and spend more time with us again! In the meantime, I'm off to bed.

Contentment....and overdue pictures.

2011-02-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

I am reading a book called "The Secret of Contentment" by Dr. Barcley, the pastor at my parent's church. It is a great book and has challenged me already to get a better life-perspective. I believe this is one of Satan's best tricks, to lure us into pity parties over what's not perfect in our lives, which leads to grumbling, bitterness, and the sin of discontent. Thankfully the Lord gave me a husband who lovingly corrects my attitude when the complaining flares up again. Look at these boys, they look pretty content! Eli had a blast his little buddies, the Hendley boys.

And here is an overdue pregnancy picture, one of the only ones I think I've taken this time. I'm good if I can remember which week I'm in, much less remember to chronicle the pregnancy with pictures. Poor little 3rd child. He's hard to ignore though, he's quite the mover and making me feel quite wimpy these days as I huff and puff up the stairs. We haven't been as good about going to the gym lately except for the mistake of trying "Boot Camp" last week. Probably too hard of a class when I'm not pregnant, my calf muscles felt like they were in a constant cramp for a week! Another short-lived item....my bangs. They lasted not quite 2 months and I've officially began growing them out again. I didn't mind the way they looked I just felt like I was in hair prison, when I lifted them up I felt freedom and just couldn't go back. Maybe when I'm 40 I'll finally find a hairstyle I like on myself.

In preparing for our whirlwind weekend last weekend I did some baking (we drove to SC on Friday for a family reunion on Saturday, then Steven and I drove 5 hours to Richmond, VA, for him to speak on Sunday). After the kids "helped me" make the chocolate cake, they willingly cleaned the bowl, too. Needless to say another quick load of laundry had to be done that morning. By the time I made a jello fruit salad, chocolate cake, and banana bread, packed and loaded the car, and cleaned up the house I was pooped. But it turned out to be a nice weekend. Steven's stress level has been maximum the past couple of weeks due to work stress so it was nice to get away from it all, especially for me!

My parents talked us into leaving the kids with them in SC which saved them about 7 hours of car time. A GREAT decision, I missed them but it was nice for Steven and I to have time together and the kids had a blast with my parents.
This little rascal learned how to climb out of the crib this weekend. It started with the pack-n-play while we were in SC, he apparently climbed out and went running through the house waking up his cousins....at 6:40am. Sorry Byron and Mandy! I'm not used to my kids being the early risers.

I thought for sure Eli wouldn't be able to get out of the crib at home, there is nothing to grip your feet on and the railing comes up to eye-level on him. However, this morning I heard him talking and was waiting to see if he would go back to sleep, until I heard the doorknob rattling. Sure enough, I opened his door and he was calmly standing on the other side. He's officially not my baby anymore! So sad. I dragged the extra mattress in at naptime and had to do a little threatening but.....amazingly....he fell asleep! We'll see how tonight goes.

In case you looked closely, please don't tell him he's sleeping on pink sheets. He looks pretty content to me. And, with the good Lord's help, I am too!

Goodnight, sleep tight!

Bedtime prayers

2011-02-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

"Thank you God for our wonderful day, for Daddy's stress (that's just how she prays for everything), for me and Mommy and Eli, thank you God that God doesn't do anything wrong and that the snakes wont get us because they're on the ark, and the mean bears, thank you God for our families, Amen. "
There was more but of course I can't remember it all. It doesn't help that I worked last night and even though I had a relatively "good night" at work, we went to Charlotte and had a busy day so I am hitting a wall about now. Or maybe it's pregnancy brain. Thankfully with little kids their books are pretty easy to read so you can hide your exhaustion fairly well. It was a busy January, despite the yucky weather. Last weekend we had a great Harrell family get together which included 20 adults and 9 kids, 7 of those were 3 and under (from 5 original siblings!). It was a great time, it is fun to see families grow. If Steven's aunt BJ could have come with her family it would have been perfect attendance. As we were wrapping up the party Sadie was talking to one of Steven's aunts about her Daddy, she said he couldn't help us clean up much because he had to work hard, so he could make money to pay for preschool and skittles. A beginning level on economics, I guess you could say. Eli is hammin' it up, as well. He loves to sing "Jesus Loves Me" and even though you can only understand "Jesus" "Bible" and "strong" somehow it is obvious what he's singing. He definitely has a language, I'm not sure if Sadie or I understand him better. "Mon, Dadie" = "Come on, Sadie"...."deenk!" = "drink"...."ov u mommy" = "love you Mommy". And his all time favorite is when he is getting in trouble he immediately puts on a smile and waves and says "Hey Mommy". The name changes for whoever is fussing at him at the time, he thinks he's a smooth operator. Ok, enough about the kiddos, although they are kind of all consuming at this time in life. And pretty darn funny. Last one, then I'll close this disconnected post.....the other day Sadie and Eli were playing together and Sadie couldn't get Eli to stay still, I heard her say "Eli, I'm going to tie you up", in the very next breath she said "Mommy, can I have some tape?".
Hopefully I'll be able to collect my thoughts a little better next time, thanks for hanging in with me.
Sallie :)

It's a boy!

2011-01-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

This is probably not news to most, but we had our ultrasound on Monday and found out that we are having another BOY!!! He appears to be healthy, too, which is the real blessing. Steven is pretty pumped about having another son, and I have to admit it will be fun to see Eli and little D grow up together, just 2 years apart. We are going to call him David, just haven't decided on the middle name yet. He's quite a mover, that's about all I know about him for now. I do hope my Mom is correct in her prediction that he will have curly blonde hair, but if I have another one with stick straight blonde hair or dark hair and a double crown I will love it too.
We broke the news to Sadie and she took it very well, she has mentioned several times about my tummy getting bigger and when I told her that the baby was going to grow and grow until it was time for him to be born she smiled really big and said "I can't wait!". As for Eli, I think he's in denial. Whenever I ask him where the baby is and try to point to my belly he just looks around the room and behind me like, "what, I don't see a baby!". He is talking more and more these days, trying to say more than is understood but nonetheless it is cute. He loves his books and gets very animated when we read the same ones over and over. Sadie is into her puzzles and pretending, as well as her all time favorite - bossing Eli around. She thinks she outsmarts us when she finds him an appealing toy only so she can play with the one he currently has. They are cute little buddies though, for the most part. I had sent her to her room the other day for a bad attitude then went upstairs because I couldn't find Eli. He had accompanied her to her room and when I stuck my head in the door he waved and said "Bye Mommy!" then shut the door in my face. I guess they're sticking together, for now.
I remember being pregnant with Eli but overwhelmed with love for Sadie and thinking "can I possibly love another child like I love this one?" Of course, I discovered that I can, and do, love Eli just as much as Sadie. So this pregnancy is exciting, when I actually take a breath and have time to think about it, because I don't wonder if I'll love David like I love the others. I know I will! And what a sweet blessing from the Lord. Praise HIM from whom all blessings flow! Goodnight all.

Last Minute Romantic Get-Away

2010-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

No, I am not advertising a mountain cabin somewhere. The title actually describes my weekend! Well, sort of. I am working this weekend but when I got off work yesterday afternoon Steven and I drove to Raleigh. He was speaking at a church in Apex this morning so we decided to send the kids to Charlotte via his Mom and go by ourselves, since I had to work and drive back seperately today. It was a great decision. The kids are having a blast with cousins and grandparents (we are so thankful for parents who are willing and able to take care of our kids!). My sweet husband, who is by nature pretty tight, spoiled me last night. We got a cozy hotel room and went to the Melting Pot for dinner, which is probably my favorite restaurant. We don't go much since it is pretty pricey, but it's where we went the night we got engaged so it holds a special place....plus it's just incredible food. I love the atmosphere too, the booths are very private and the atmosphere is relaxed, something about cooking your own food, slowly, makes you enjoy it more. We had a great complimentary breakfast at the hotel this morning then headed off to church, getting out the door is a breeze when we are by ourselves. We enjoyed a nice lunch then I headed back to Pleasant Garden for a quick nap before work tonight. It was a sweet 24 hours and I am thankful for my husband. As he said from the pulpit this morning, we can't really conceive of God's ways, they are higher than ours. His main point was not about how the Lord sovereignly brought us together, which He did, but how He designed the plan of salvation, beginning with the birth a little baby in a manger. Nothing we could have ever come up with, but what an awesome thing it is. Thank you baby for a great date night! And everyone else....Merry Christmas!

Pregnant, painting, and shopping.

2010-12-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

Well it's that time of year again. I'm pregnant! I'm pretty sure I have told most people in my life but since it is pretty monumental I think I should blog about it, too. It has been a pretty smooth pregnancy so far, I am one of the lucky ones that does NOT get morning sickness, and other than living for naptime (aka - snoozing on the couch during Dora) and bedtime, the first trimester goes pretty well for me. I am 15 weeks tomorrow so the energy is actually starting to pick up a little, which is good since I took on a new project after Thanksgiving....painting my dining room. I am obviously not an experienced painter since after I had primed the walls I realized I was using oil based paint, and I also didn't put down drop cloths. NOT SMART! Needless to say my floors have a little color in them now. After that the job went very well and I am pleased with the results (from the base molding up). Especially pleased to have it done. The house also got decorated in there sometime for Christmas, which I love. We have a new addition of a lighted deer in the front yard thanks to my mother-in-law (we can't pass the thing without Eli saying "Dee! Mawmaw!") I love it.
Backtracking a little, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We drove to SC on Wednesday and spent Thanksgiving at my Grandma DuBose's house with my parents, my brother and his family, and one of my uncles and his family. My mom and I were so organized that we even had time for a brisk walk before lunch was served! The next day we saw most of the Nash side at a post-thanksgiving barbeque lunch. I have to say I cried many a tear as we drove away from the home that used to be my grandparent's, losing both Grandmas in one year makes me sad but also thankful for the years and years of memories I do have with them. It is fun to see my parents and in-laws making those same memories for my kids to cherish when they are grown.
Speaking of kids, mine are keeping me busy as usual. Sadie is very excited about the baby. I took her with me to an appointment the day before Thanksgiving and she was thrilled to get to hear the "new baby's heartbeep". Her vote is definitely for a girl and she informed us today that Eli wants a boy (not sure how she knows this, his vocabulary hasn't picked up that much in the past month). Even though he only has a few new words he has taken to singing quite a bit. No real words, but there is usually a tune and it is very loud. He gets that from his Daddy. I took them shopping with me today at Kohls, by myself, to knock out some Christmas shopping. I actually got quite a few things and was feeling a little smug about my accomplishments, with my kids in tow, when I went to crank up the car and realized I didn't have my cell phone. Thankfully, an honest person found it and left it for me at customer service, but I was nonetheless humbled by the experience and again reminded that shopping without kids is much preferable. On our way out of Sams today with my Mom we gave Sadie and Eli some change to put in the Salvation Army jar. I, again, was becoming slightly prideful at this wonderful teaching moment when a lady passed by and handed Sadie a bill to put in the jar. I was quickly reminded of my child's depravity when she looked at it and said "I think I'll keep this." Lesson learned.
It is a sweet time of year. Despite the commercialism and craziness I do love the decorations, the food and fellowship, and of course, and most importantly, the many reminders of the truth behind Christmas, the salvation that was started with the birth of Christ. I hope you are enjoying this time as well. It wont be another month before the next post....I promise. Goodnight!

October update....in November.

2010-11-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

I counted the nights the other day and figured out I spent more nights away from home in October than I did sleeping in my own bed (that counts working once a week, too). Lots of trips, some planned, some not. I will tell about it mostly with pictures. We started out the month by going to Hilton Head for a few days with my parents. It was a great time, Eli enjoyed his donuts in the morning with Daddy, as you can see, as well as a park trip and lots of Papa Nana time.

On the last day of our trip my Grandma Nash got sick and had to go to the hospital. Daddy left early that day and we packed up and came a few hours behind him. I'm glad I got to see her that night and the next morning, because that was the last time, this side of heaven. The next week was a sad one and ended in another trip to SC for the funeral. A sad time but yet it was sweet to be with the family and honor her with our memories. Sadie even made a new one and got to fly in Uncle Mike's plane. I couldn't wait to hear how much she liked it, only to find out she fell asleep a few minutes into the flight.

Our next trip was to the mountains, a beautiful rental cabin about 30 miles north of Boone that we shared with Leslie and her family as well as a few friends. The Harrell cousins had a great time together, Sadie and Bennett played very well together and would spend hours in the basement jumping on the couches and whatnot. The big boys did some 4-wheeling but it was quite steep so Steven didn't do a whole lot of riding. We got a couple good walks in that really kicked our butts on the way back up. It was a great couple of days, a nice getaway. This is the house.

Here are Laine and Sadie trying on the fake mustaches.

The very next week Sadie was out of preschool on Thursday so my Mom and I went to Greenville and Atlanta to see a friend and some family for a couple days. It was a whirlwind trip but quite fun. Our first stop was in Greenville to see my dear friend Julie, and her family. Sadie and Mary Addison had a great time together, minus a few normal 3 year old behavior issues. Eli and Raylie didn't have a whole lot of interaction but they were really cute.

The Harrells and Edwards kiddos.

Julie and I have been friends since 1997 when we met our first week of college at Appalachian State. She's a keeper!

We spent the night that night in Greenville with my cousin, Ryian, and her husband Keelan. We didn't take any pictures but Sadie was in hog heaven with their 2 little dogs to play with. Eli was scared of the 2 pound dogs so he just watched them from my lap, for the most part. The next morning we got up and drove to Atlanta to another cousin's house. Alison and Jesse spent the week at Hilton Head with us and their kids, Lucy and Benjamin, are great little buddies for my two. Here are Eli and Benjamin hammin' it up.

Lucy is a year older than Sadie but they have a great time together.

I got home just in time for Halloween but since it fell on a Sunday this year the kids didn't actually get to trick or treat. In case you're tempted to feel sorry for them.....don't. They get plenty of attention and plenty of sweets. And I made them dress up the next day in their costumes because they were just so darn cute.

We should be home for most of November, which will be good, even though our travels were quite fun. I can't believe it's November! More blog posts will be coming soon...I've been putting off this big one for a while but actually have lots of little things to blog about. With my record lately, don't hold your breath! Until next time......

Too blessed to be depressed

2010-10-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

I am way overdue on a post, I know, but things have been a little busy. My beloved Grandma Nash passed away about a week and a half ago. Below are a few pictures from last summer, and a tribute I wrote about her the day after she died. I will post again soon about the other happenings in our lives.

I was blessed to be the 2nd grandchild born to Thelma and Homer Nash. I was a bit of a surprise, being a girl, since Thelma had birthed 4 boys and then my brother came along. Being around so many boys, however, Grandma did not lose her femininity. She loved cooking, jewelry, flowers, and clothes. It was like heaven itself to visit Grandma and Granddaddy’s house as a kid. We were greeted with fresh sweet tea, and often a spaghetti dinner followed by chocolate cake. One of my favorite memories was waking up to the smell of breakfast, and not just any breakfast. Grandma’s famous grits, which she could keep in perfect consistency for hours on the stove, awaited us as we straggled in one by one. There were also eggs, bacon, and toast. Grandma was the picture of southern hospitality, but it was truly genuine. I never once heard her gossip or talk badly about anyone. She loved people unconditionally and had great relationships with her daughters-in-law. She taught me those unspoken but valuable lessons of what a family should look like, by her love. She lost her beloved after 50 years of marriage, and it was a privilege for me to watch them together. As a child I used to tell my parents to “kiss like Grandma and Granddaddy.” Any time one of them left they would kiss three quick times, which meant “I love you.” To honor her, on our wedding day, Steven and I gave each other three quick kisses after our vows.

I am sitting in the room that my grandparents shared for most of their married life, just one day after Grandma went to be with the Lord. Earlier today I saw the dry-erase board in the kitchen, which Grandma wrote on several years ago. Thankfully no one has erased it, as I believe it was a theme in her life. Several years ago Grandma was struck with a disease that severely weakened her, and she has been unable to get out of bed without assistance, living in a hospital or nursing home for years. Despite all this, she has maintained her sweet smile, enjoying life as much as she could. I never heard her complain. Looking back on it, I hope I would be that brave. She truly had a humble, grateful spirit, and honestly believed she was “too blessed to be depressed.” What a legacy.

This 31 year chapter in my life is ending, the one with my grandparents. From the blessed childhood of growing up on their knees, to learning valuable lessons from them as a teenager, to watching my own children bring them joy, it has been a gift. Hopefully I can pay it forward one day if the Lord sees fit to give me grandchildren.

Too much cuteness.

2010-09-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to "write these things down" that my kids have been doing/saying or I'm going to forget them. Who should I start with? Eli, I guess, since I don't have as many things on him...yet. I have the feeling he's going to be a ham. The other day I heard him call for me and, lo and behold, I turned the corner in my room and he was laying down on the floor with a diaper in one hand and the Desitin in the other. He did need both, smart little fella. My best friend Julie visited today and has a little boy that is 8 months old. Eli waved at him and immediately brought him a ball. It's like an unspoken code, I think. He is getting more interested in books lately, too, which is exciting to me. One of his favorites is a very cute little Sandra Boynton book called "Moo, Baa, La La La" in which the "cow says moo, the sheep says baa, three singing pigs say la la la." I was reading a different book to him today and pointed to a pig, asking him what a pig says. He answered immediately "la la la". And finally, his most (in?)famous moment these last couple weeks, is the following....A picture is worth a thousand words.

Now for Sadie. As I'm sure I have mentioned in the past, Sadie is our little night owl. If she takes a nap, or even sometimes if she doesn't, that girl can easily see 10, 11pm at night. The other night she was really wired but was obediently staying in her room. I went up around 10:30 and she had cleaned her entire room (it had been quite messy). I was very impressed, and will no longer take the excuse that she can't pick up. I gave her 30 more minutes to wind down then was ready for bed myself. I went in and laid down with her, thinking surely that would get her to go to sleep. She kept wiggling and I told her she needed to stay quiet if she wanted me to stay in there. Her reply "I just can't keep my eyes and my mouth shut." The story of her life! She was in the nursery at another church just last night and there was a little bitty baby there. The nursery worker was asking her very kindly to not get too close to the baby. Sadie was a little confused so she said "is she allergic to people?". I apoligize if these are not new stories (they usually make it briefly to facebook before I get around to blogging). As I mentioned earlier we had some great company today. Sadie loves Anna and Abbey Hylton but at times the two 3 year olds are a little too strong-willed and forget how much they like each other. We worked through it though and I think in time these 3 little girls will be best buddies - if they're not already. Here is a picture of a good moment.

Until next time.....Goodnight!

The difference between boys and girls...

2010-09-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

My cousin told me this summer about a book she read, talking about gender differences. The author of the book had a little girl and determined to raise her gender neutral (she didn't buy her "girl toys"). She thought she had proved her point that culture creates the feminism of little girl's interest, until she came into the room finding her daughter putting the fire truck to bed. It was tucked under a blanket and the little girl was telling it goodnight in a completely motherly way. If I had any doubts that we are born girls or born boys, from the inside out, they have been erased since having Sadie and Eli. She is so maternal, almost always carrying some sort of "baby" around with her. I have realized this week that the only toy necessary for Eli is a ball. He was throwing apples around today in the kitchen. That and beating things with his golf clubs (usually Sadie). Here are some pictures to prove my point:

You can see the buggy behind Eli, filled with balls (lemons and oranges, actually)

Meanwhile, Sadie's buggy is filled with a good assortment of grains, veggies, and fruit.

Eli's choice of profession, I guess, includes wearing a hat and yelling.

Sadie's profession, as suspected, involves babies.

They did work quite well together at the pizza shop (part time job in a few years??)

And putting on a wild animal show.

Just a hunch, but I'm pretty sure Papa is the favorite in Charlotte.

And clearly the admiraion is quite mutual with these two.

I am thankful for my girl and my boy, and that the Lord made them just as they should be!
p.s. Isn't Sadie's new haircut cute? :)

Preschool!!

2010-09-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but Sadie started preschool today! She usually embraces life, anything new, so she surprised me this morning by saying she didn't want to go. I woke her up a little after 8 and she tried to go back to bed. So Steven started talking to her and said that she at least needed to go to get his money back, since he'd already paid for a month of preschool. She thought about that a little, then told me that she'd get some other money for Daddy. I was making pancakes, not making a big deal about it, when Sadie spotted her new lunchbox. I told her she wouldn't need that if she didn't want to go to school....so she said "maybe I'll go for just a little while". Carrying her backpack and lunchbox was very exciting, and she did great with the drop off. Eli, on the other hand, had a very concerned look on his face the whole time, and when we got back into the car he looked at her car seat with a sad face and said "dadie" Again at home he seemed to be looking for her, so I think he took it the hardest. He was very happy to have her home this afternoon. She bounded into the car, very excited, and seemed a little more grown up. She was very proud of her sticker, and told me she got it because "I beed good and sat still". I'm hoping this extra authority and structure will be good for her because her behavior has been unusually good today. Even in the bed tonight she told me, when I tucked her in, that she was being still (all except for her feet).
I am guilty of living a little in the future, always looking forward to the next thing. Too much so, and I am doing better lately of enjoying the present. Especially when it seems like just yesterday that we found out we were pregnant with Sadie (but it's been almost 4 years!) and today I packed her up and sent her to preschool. I (finally) weaned Eli just last week. My babies are growing up right before my eyes! And I'm loving every minute of it.

Blackie Romeo

2010-08-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I've already blogged about Sadie's maternal instincts. Most every day hours are spent carrying babies around (be it actual baby dolls or stuffed animals, the preference changes daily), tucking them in with blankets, packing a pocketbook with their things, and telling everyone to be quiet because they are sleeping. For quite some time she has been attached to a little black dog (stuffed animal) appropriately named Blackie. For some reason Blackie didn't like my parents for awhile, but they've since made up. Blackie accompanied us to Virginia this weekend where we went to visit Steven's grandma. On the way up we were talking about who all we were going to see, which included a (real) dog that Sadie is also very fond of named Romeo. Suddenly Blackie's name was changed to Romeo, which often happens in Sadie's world. What made me laugh was that when we got to Roanoke and Sadie was talking to Robin (owner of the real Romeo), I prompted Sadie to tell Robin what her dog's name was. She slipped up and answered "Blackie" so I said "Oh, I thought you changed her name to Romeo?" She hesitated for just a moment before saying "That's her last name. She's Blackie Romeo." I worry about the stories she might come up as a teenager....
Meanwhile Eli's vocabulary is growing.....louder. Does that count if the words aren't new but he yells them now? Actually, he does have a couple of new words. He can officially say Mama (or Mimi), Dada, Nana, Papa, Sadie (Dadie), uh-oh, hot (ot ot), ball, Jude (dude), and supposedly has said "yogurt" and "all gone" but I can't get him to repeat those. He is a mess, but a cute one.
We had a great weekend in Virginia. Steven's grandma has some lake property at Smith Mountain Lake so after staying at her house in Roanoke we spent Saturday at the lake. We took the kids on the Sea-doo and the paddle boat (Sadie wasn't impressed with the paddle boat after riding the sea-doo), and Eli got a kick out of Steven wakeboarding (I think the falls were the real entertainment). Sadie kept saying, "let's get him back in the boat," I think she might have been worried about him. It was a fun day and we are thankful to have his Grandma as well as the rest of the family in our lives.
It is officially tomorrow so I need to get to bed. Until next time!

Back to one...

2010-08-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

Sadie is staying with my parents for a few days in Charlotte, so we have just Eli for a couple of days. You wouldn't think it would be so strange to go back to having 1 kid, I had just 1 kid for 22 months before little man came along. But it just doesn't feel quite right around here without her. I know she's having fun though, so it's worth it. We have had a fun couple of weeks, lots of pool days, a family reunion, dinner with friends. I took both of the kids to a well check up and it's official, they're scrawny. Approximately 97 percent of 3 year olds weigh more than Sadie. Eli is a whopping 22 pounds, which puts him in the 10th percentile. Oh well, they sure are easier to carry around this way! And thankfully they checked out ok. I do thank the Lord for healthy chidlren. In other news, Eli (sort of) said his first sentence. Which is amazing because he only says like 6 words (mama, dada, dadie (sadie), nana, papa, and ball) but the other morning we were trying to get Sadie up to go to SC and Eli went up to her face and said "hey dadie". Very cute, and fitting, since he's pretty enamored with her. He isn't such an easy playmate these days, though, his newest joy is taking whatever Sadie is playing with and either taking off with it or throwing it across the room, much to her dismay. He's getting her back, I think. Gone is the little boy that cries from a cross look, he is showing his true colors now and being a bit defiant at times. The sinner in us comes out way too soon, if you ask me :). Speaking of sinners, Sadie has been trying my patience these last couple of weeks as well. It is something most people refer to as "temper tantrums". I like to call them "demonic episodes". Thankfully she usually just does them for me, although my mom and a couple of good friends have also witnessed them. Hopefully this too shall soon pass, as we are trying hard to nip it in the bud as ole Barney would say. I thought it was cute this week when she was pretending to be a puppy. I was going along, nurturing her imagination, when suddenly the puppy wanted a fudge ram (a fudge round, a little debbie chocolate cookie) and to watch Max and Ruby. Pretty clever little manipulator.
We went to a family reunion this week, as I already mentioned, and it is definitely worth a quick paragraph. My Grandma Nash was the youngest of 8 kids, her parents were Sadie (hence our Sadie) and T. Eddie Lee. There are 23 first cousins (my Dad being one of them) and 21 of them came on Saturday for the reunion, as well as many 2nd and 3rd cousins. My Grandma is the only one of her silblings still living. All told there were about 125 people. It's a little strange to be in a room with so many people that you're related to but don't know. They had a lot of neat stuff for the kids, delicious food (about 4 trays of fried chicken), and sweet fellowship. I am thankful to be a part of the Lee family.
I guess I better wrap this up. I am thankful that we have a few more weeks of summer, lazy days to take the kids swimming and enjoy no schedule. In just 2 short years we will be getting Sadie ready for Kindergarten (yikes!) so I am enjoying this time now. I hope you are too.
Goodnight!

2nd post in July

2010-07-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

2 more hours left in July and I am determined to have a 2nd post for this month...pretty pitiful blogging these days! We have had a busy month - a trip to Hilton Head, Steven went to camp for a week, then we went to Orlando last week for a few days. Hilton Head was fun but bittersweet since it was our DuBose vacation and the first one without Grandma in 30 years. Almost all of the cousins were there and we had 5 of her great-grandkids (4 and under) running around so it was pretty cute. Sadie and Eli had a blast and Sadie learned how to swim quite far (8 feet?) with no assistance. As her Daddy put it, it was "50% swimming, 50% drowning". My cousin is a pediatrician and married to an ER pediatrician, but despite the monkeys that I call my children, we did not need their services (thankfully). Grandma was dearly missed this year. One night my cousins and uncle cooked several of her recipes in her honor and my Mom gave out 5 or her pearl necklaces to her 5 granddaughters. I don't really think that once we get to heaven we have any interest in turning our gaze away from our Lord, however, she would have loved to get a peek at her ever-growing family and I know she would be honored in the fact that we all still love to be together. On a lighter note, Steven's parents decided to come to Hilton Head for the last couple days of our trip (they were first-timers) to see what the fuss is all about. It was great to have them there and I think they enjoyed seeing a little bit of this vacation they've heard about for years.
The day after we returned from Hilton Head Steven left for Jr. Boys Week at MTYC (Mountain Top Youth Camp). Sadly, I passed the baton this year on the job as a camp nurse (I have done it the past 3 years). Even though Steven thinks I am capable of way more than I can really do, it was the right decision I believe to pass on the job for now. My 2 kids would have been way to much to keep up with on that mountain for me to be able to do anything for the campers. My Mom spent the week with us, a little in Charlotte and a little at home, and it spoiled me to have her around for that long. It doesn't really count as a week of single parenting since I wasn't really alone with them, at all. We did go visit Steven at camp but kept a slight distance from him since he showers less than the 8 year olds while he's up there. Even though he reverts back to boyhood, it is nice to see him so relaxed and stress-free, away from the pressures of work.
As if we haven't taken enough vacation, we took yet one more last weekend to Orlando, through Steven's work. The trip was great, we got to take the kids to Disney and despite the almost 100 degree weather we had a blast. Sadie told Cinderella that "my daddy wanted to spin fast on the tea cup but he couldn't because he would fro up," the photographer actually laughed out loud at that one. I never thought I would wait in line for 30 minutes with 2 tired children to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse, but hey, your priorities really do change when you have kids. And her excitement at meeting these Disney employees dressed up in hot costumes was worth it all. Eli didn't think it was so great, however, the closer we got the more terrified he was. He was a trooper, though.
We are now home for a while, thankfully. I peeked out of the shower this morning to check on Eli to find him standing on the toilet, toothbrush in hand. He can climb onto the kitchen table and his new favorite thing to do is jump off the ottoman in the den landing squarely on his bottom. He is an ER visit waiting to happen, I hate to say it, but it's true. Sadie is hard at work taking care of her babies, animals, or anything she can feed and put to bed. She told Steven's boss on our trip that soon she's going to be 4 and a Mama. It is fun at our house, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Goodnight!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-07-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, I just had a birthday. Yesterday, in fact. Birthdays have changed a lot over my lifetime...I no longer count down the days with anticipated joy, wondering what great presents I will receive and who all will come to my party. It's a much smaller blip on my radar now as I've become an adult. That being said, I truly did have a wonderful birthday. We recently returned from a vacation in Dayton, Tennessee, with the Harrell family. We attended Skyland Bible Conference, a great family conference that Steven and his family have been to all of his life, and more than a decade now of mine. We had great speakers, the kids had a blast despite very little sleep, it was soooo exciting for them to wake up and be across the hall from not only Grandma and Grandpa, but also their cousins.

While I was gone I was thrilled to hear that my new niece was born. Byron and Mandy had their 4th child, a little girl, last Monday night. Since we were out of town and I worked the weekend we got back, Monday was the first chance I had to go see her. She is absolutely beautiful and we had a sweet visit with the fam in Tega Cay. I then stopped by Julie's house on my way home (she had made me some fudge...yummy) and the kids enjoyed playing with hers while my Mom and I enjoyed visiting with Julie. I dropped Mom off and headed back to Pleasant Garden where my dear mother-in-law was making me a birthday dinner. A very elaborate one complete with balloons to decorate! Two of my friends came as well last night for a "TMI reunion" (we all met the summer of 1998 while working at a camp in Virginia called The Master's Inn...aka TMI). Joni and Kristen are dear to my heart and even though our lives keep us busy it is great to spend time with them every so often. We were way overdue. We put the kids to bed (except Sadie, of course) and watched "The Bachelorette" together, which was quite entertaining. It was great spending my birthday with friends!

Steven is a wondeful husband in so many ways but flowers and gifts are not necessarily his love language. So on my birthday yesterday I got 3 of the sweetest gifts. My first bouquet of flowers was from my Daddy at lunch, he picked them from his yard and they are so sweet. I got home and Steven, too, had gotten me a dozen roses, pink and white. Then a few minutes later Joni arrives and is also carrying a beautiful bouquet of brightly colored flowers. I felt hugely blessed and will never forget this birthday and the love that was shown to me, mostly in the little things. The Lord is good and I am so thankful for the family and friends that he has placed in my life.

Goodnight!

Day is never finished....(master got me workin')

2010-06-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

I am trying hard to prove to Steven that I work hard around here... so today I went above and beyond the call of duty. My mother-in-law retired on Monday and has been working in our yard some this week. I helped her weed this morning and we did some other things, then decided to push mow our 1 acre yard. Now, I accepted a long time ago that I can never outwork my mother-in-law, or her mother, for that matter. But today I tried. Mowing the grass is pretty gratifying, I like doing work when the results are immediate. However, after about 30 to 45 minutes I was kinda over that. But, we got the job done. I came in, took a shower, and then proceeded to fix supper. After church I came home and was finishing cleaning the kitchen only to discover my dishwasher is not working. I mean, really. Didn't I work hard enough today? I guess not. But as you can see, I did not unload all of the dirty dishes and wash them. I left them there in the hopes that it will magically start working tomorrow. I finally understand now how my Grandma used to leave a sink full of dirty dishes until the next morning after a day of teaching and then fixing supper. My daily quota of work is met and I can not wash another dish. Literally. Wimpy? Maybe. But it's the best I can do.

Plus, I have to leave some time to enjoy these cute young'uns of mine.

Here's Sadie and Steven at a Greensboro Grasshopper's Game that we didn't even get to go to (don't ask, it's another long, boring, story).

I thought it was a good idea to give the kids an oreo on the way back from Walmart. I was wrong.

My little girl is growing up and riding a big girl bike! This was her birthday present from my parents and she loves it. Being 3 suits her. She is more and more fun every day.

Goodnight!

A thankful heart is a happy heart.

2010-06-10T20:22:00.001-07:00

I have received my first (and maybe only) piece of Grandma's estate this week..... her barely used VCR. I have tons of old videos and the VCR part of my DVD/VCR player quit working this year. I have been meaning to buy a new one but now I don't have to. Mama came for a visit this week and we pulled out an old Veggie Tales video for Sadie to watch while we cleaned and organized the bonus room. We picked Madame Blueberry, which is one my favorites as well as Sadie's. The video is about a spoiled blueberry who thinks happiness is equal to accumulating more stuff. Of course, throughout the movie she learns that the stuff wont make her any less "blue". The theme of the video is the title of this post "a thankful heart is a happy heart." I have been singing it the rest of the day and I have to say it is so true. I am very content and happy right now. Even though I am sad when I think of the passing of my beloved Grandma, I cannot help but count the many blessings around me, especially in the form of people. I am extremely thankful and proud of my parents and extended family of whom I'm from. And my sweet husband, who let me cry on his shoulder this weekend and has spent hours and hours letting me talk about Grandma and all the memories I have. Sadie too, has shown compassion. The night that Grandma died we tucked Sadie into bed and Steven explained death, as well as you can to a 3 year old. I told her through my tears that I was sad because I would miss Grandma 'Bose, Sadie sat up in bed and put her little arms around me, to comfort me. She then wanted to read "Love you forever," which of course I cried through, but all the while she was patting my hand. Eli has his own form of comfort, too, as he has started holding my face in his hands and giving me kisses right on the mouth, over and over, with lips open wide. A little messy, but very sweet. And last and most important, my biggest blessing, is the comfort of our Lord, who Grandma herself is in the presence of at this very moment! How sweet that has been to ponder. I hope I continue to... "count my blessings, name the one by one, count my blessings, see what God has done!"
Goodnight!

A tribute to Grandma

2010-06-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

My grandma, Fannie Louise DuBose,went to be with the Lord last Tuesday night after almost 93 years on this earth. She was a wonderful lady, she lived a long time, and got to see so much. She had 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and 8 (almost 9 - Mandy is due any day now!) great-grandchildren. She was an educator, a homemaker, an avid reader, and she could do a cross-word puzzle in 10 minutes flat. I always loved getting cards from her because she always took time to write the sweetest things, literally filling up the inside of the card. She was from a little town called Blythewood but spent most of her life in Gable, SC, in the house my Granddaddy was born in over 100 years ago. She lived there independently until last November.

I have so many sweet memories and am thankful to have had her in my life for over 30 years. We spent this past weekend in SC at her home, and it was strange being there without her. When someone lives in a home for nearly 70 years the house just emanates the the essence of that person. Every time I turned the corner or looked over at her chair I could almost see her sitting and reading or bustling in the kitchen preparing a meal. The funeral was beautiful, just like her. The little country church was packed, the music was perfect, and the words spoken by the pastor and the family truly highlighted her rich life and heritage she has left behind. I am more thankful than ever to be her granddaughter, and I hope to pass on the things that she lived and taught to her children and grandchildren in word and deed. As you can see with these pictures she was able to spend a lot of time with my children and she loved every minute. Steven is also thankful that he had gotten to know her these past 11 years. It feels like the end of an era with her gone, and it will be sad for quite a while, but we know that she is now with her Lord and in complete peace. I pray my life will be half the testimony hers and that whenever the Lord calls me home that my funeral will give him honor and glory, just like hers did.

My 8 on 8

2010-05-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've read this kind of thing but never done it, so here goes nothin' (inspired by my friend from work, Katie)

8 TV shows I like to watch:
1. The Biggest Loser
2. American Idol
3. The Office
4. The Bachelor/Bachelorette
5. The Duggars
6. What I Like About You
I can't think of anymore other than kid shows.

8 Favorite Places to Eat:
1. La Fiesta
2. Roly Poly
3. Main Street South
4. Kabutos
5. Jason's Deli
6. Cold Stone
7. Cracker Barrell
8. Elizabeth's Pizza
(I tried to have 9...I obviously have lots of places I like to eat out:]).

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. The beach
2. Watching my kids swim this summer
3. Disney World in July
4. Riding the 4-wheeler
5. Sadie's birthday party
6. The Lord's return!
7. naps
8. eating out

8 Things that happened to me yesterday:
1. Changed a record number of poopy diapers.
2. Went to a baseball game and didn't get to go in.
3. I somehow didn't have to pay my copay at the dr.
4. Had yummy Mexican for dinner.
5. Played at the park.
6. Steven and I watched The Office.
7. Had exactly 1/2 cup of ice cream.
8. Went to bed before midnight!

8 Words or phrases I use often:
1. Seriously?
2. I love you.
3. No sir.
4. No maam.
5. Hands to yourself!
6. You're driving me crazy!
7. Hey stinker.
8. I was just resting my eyes.

8 Things I have learned from the past:
1. Enjoy your life today.
2. Be the friend that you would like to have.
3. Don't smell underwear to see if it needs washing.
4. Silent children = mischief.
5. Parents have so much more wisdom than they used to.
6. Do not be anxious for ANYTHING (Phil. 4)
7. Husbands need TLC as much as your babies do.
8. God is good, always.

8 Places I would like to visit/see:
1. Hawaii.
2. Scotland with Steven.
3. Sadie's face at Disney World.
4. Mission field.
5. Colorado ski trip.
6. Jamaica (honeymoon spot!).
??

8 Things I currently want/need:
1. Sleep.
2. Bar stools.
3. A flat belly.
4. Organizing bins for the playroom.
5. New shoes.
6. To play tennis.
7. A vegetable garden.
8. Date night.

Hope this wasn't TMI. It was fun. (most of the phrases I use are directed to my children, if you couldn't guess). Goodnight!

Sadie's Logic

2010-05-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

I love to hear what will come out of my daughter's mouth from day to day. Sometimes it doesn't make sense, she has started rambling now and making up stories with no truth to it (like the deer that bites her foot in the middle of the night, or that Papa cried at Chick-Fil-A because he was scared of the cow). But her little wheels are turning sometimes and it is funny to see it. Before I tell her two funnies I will have to share one that my Mom told me today. When I was about 3 I was riding in the car with her and we passed a very big yard sale. I asked her what it was and she told me, "that's a yard sale, honey". She said I replied "somebody is selling their yard?".
Sadie asks repeatedly why people park their cars in the grass, we see the same ones on the way to church. I have tried to explain several times that they are for sale, and the other night I thought I put it well when I said "They don't want their cars anymore, so they're trying to sell them to someone else." Her reply "They want to walk?"
Today I was getting ready for work and was drying my hair and then using the flat iron, layer by layer (my hair is ridiculously thick). She wanted to climb up on the counter and I kept telling her that the flat iron was hot and I didn't want her to get burned, or me. She calmly states "You just want to burn your hair". That was true and a little disturbing!
We had a busy, fun weekend. My cousin came with her 2 kids Friday for a quick lunch (and dress up in princess clothes, of course). That night we drove to Roanoke for dinner with some family. Saturday we had a dear friend take pictures, you can see them on my Facebook. Every other year I have to twist Steven's arm to take family photos, and I love the way these turned out! He even smiled with his teeth on a few, which is very hard for him, apparently. That afternoon we drove to Raleigh for a birthday party and had a great time with friends. By Sunday I was semi-sick with Mastitis, but a couple of quiet days later and I'm feeling better. I guess I have my limits on how much I can go go go. Speaking of going, I need to run and check on a baby (yes, I am at work, as usual). Goodnight!

Cruisin' it up!

2010-05-12T11:09:00.001-07:00

Let me say, I love my life. Steven and I are richly blessed to have each other, our kids, and a home that we enjoy immensely. It was wonderful, however, to get away for a few days with my beloved on a beautiful cruise to the Bahamas....with no kids! We adapted quickly to not having them with us and it felt like another honeymoon. We slept until we woke up, ate whatever we wanted, laid out, read, dressed up for dinner, and had a blast. We even made some new friends. Here we are the first night at dinner...

After a day at sea we stopped at our first port called Half Moon Cay, a deserted island owned by Carnival. Here we are on the little ferry, taking us to the island.

Half Moon Cay, the beautiful blue water!

Relaxing on the beach!

We are working on getting Steven to smile with his teeth.

Eating outside with a view of Atlantis

"Cruise elegant" attire.

the perfect way to end the post, the same way I ended every dinner....warm chocolate melting cake.....yummmmm!!! (with an extra scoop of ice cream). Steven had orange sherbert, although he alternated with lime a couple nights. He didn't know what he was missing!

So much for working so hard to lose weight before the cruise. Oh well. That cake right there (x5) was worth every bite:). Thanks baby for a great trip!

Sallie

Self-checkout

2010-05-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a wonderful trip, just Steven and I, that I will dedicate a post too as soon as I have my new power cord for my laptop and can download pictures. Until then, I have a subject to complain about...very quickly since I'm sharing Steven's computer and he is waiting for me to finish :).
There is something about the Self Checkout at the grocery store that is so appealing to me, and against my better judgement I have been drawn to it several times. Yesterday was one of those times. I was getting some things at Walmart with both of the kids and they were actually being very good. I'm not sure why I like the self check out, I think it's partly because I love scanning groceries (I'm just a big 3 year old) and also because I like to bag my things a certain way. Two items into this I knew I'd made a mistake, every other thing I scanned had an error message about weight that the employee had to come put her number in over, and over. I'm sure she was getting frustrated, too, but she actually had the audicity to tell me that "FYI, these lanes are for people with less than 20 items...". I wanted to punch the stupid computer if it told me one more time "unexpected item in bagging area, please remove...". So, hours (not really) later, we finally leave Walmart, and I promised myself I would NEVER again do self check out....no matter how tempting. I'm a slow learner, what can I say.
Goodnight!

A busted lip x 2

2010-04-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

I am at work tonight, as I often am when I blog. When it's quiet in the unit I have the time it takes to sit down and generate thoughts with clarity enough to write. We have been enjoying the spring time weather, playing outside, and today took the kids to the local Children's Museum. I highly recommend this to anyone locally who has not taken their kids. Eli liked it but Sadie absolutely LOVED it. It was basically real life condensed down to little people level where pretend play was at a maximum...perfect for an almost 3 year old. We walked in to the "medical" section and saw 2 little girls, 4 or younger, very solemnly rocking their babies. Sadie quickly joined them and Steven had a little moment when he realized that it truly is built into us, the mothering nature. Meanwhile, Eli is climbing onto the rocker to see how fast he can make it go, with no regard for the babies. Which is why he currently has a busted lip. He received the first injury last night while playing outside and trying to climb the steps. Tonight Steven said he came in the bathroom to find Sadie playing with water (her favorite act of disbodience) and Eli crying, with a busted lip on the other side of his mouth. Apparently it quickly became bedtime.

Eli is truly all boy, he shrieks if he hears the door chiming open, even if it's 10:00 at night and pitch black outside. He can't stand the thought of someone going out without taking him outside to play. And if anyone goes near the shed with the 4-wheeler in it he really goes crazy. He could ride that thing for hours, without making a peep. It is quickly becoming a family tradition to take a 4 wheeler ride around the neighborhood and through the field.

Steven was putting Sadie to bed the other night after a meltdown over her pink paci (it was MIA, and the blue one was just not cutting it that night). After she calmed down he asked her to tell him a story, maybe one about Noah. She replies "There was a man named Noah, he had a beard like Byron (my brother, who almost always has facial hair), and he threw his pink paci over the boat." We tell her the right stories, I promise, she just has an active imagination. This is getting long enough and even thought Sadie makes me laugh every day I can't seem to think of anything else funny. Goodnight!

My favorite man

2010-04-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

The other night I was getting ready to put Sadie to bed and she was telling her Daddy goodnight. Their conversation went something like this....
Steven- "Goodnight baby, I love you. You know you're my favorite little girl, right?"
Sadie- "Yes, Daddy. And you're my favorite man."
It was a sweet moment to witness and it made me reflect on their relationship and how it has progressed over the past 3 years. Steven wasn't really sure what to think of Sadie as a newborn, and to be honest the bond probably wasn't instant. But right after we brought her home from the hospital they laid on the floor and had a serious heart to heart.

That first year of her life she was all about Mommy. Steven thought she was cute but wasn't sure if she really cared if he was around or not. But she was watching him, realizing that this man that came home every night was pretty special. Here they are when she was just 1 and she's starting to get the idea that Daddy is fun!

It only took another year and me being pregnant with #2 for their bond to grow even stronger. He started putting her to bed and telling her Bible stories, having tickling/wrestling matches, and playing "something's on my back" (she rides on his back, he pretends to be a deer and says "something's on my back!".

One of my favorite things to see is my sweetheart with our babies. They both get so excited when he comes home. Sadie now gives Steven "a hug, a kiss, and a backscratch" (which consists of a very brief scratch and 2 pats). He takes her to the bank and post office in the truck. And of course the 4 wheeler rides take his popularity up a hugh notch. She is definitely on her way, or quite possibly already there, to being a big time Daddy's girl.

I am thankful for my husband, now turned Daddy, and our sweet little life here. Soon coming will be some pics and tales from Eli's first birthday party last weekend.

Goodnight!

Girl's Weekend

2010-04-01T18:30:00.003-07:00

I can finally post about this now because it's over (sadly), but I just had a wonderful weekend in Lafayette, Louisiana, with 3 of my favorite girlfriends. How did we end up there, you ask? Well, it all started with a little romance. My friend, Rachel Thorpe, decided to move out to Louisiana for A BOY several months ago, and apparently it was the right decision because she is now happily engaged to be married in May. We four have been friends since we were kids/teenagers and not had a get together with all of us in almost 7 years. So....Rachel Price suggested to Julie Hylton and I that we make a surprise trip out to see Rachel T. for a girls weekend in Louisiana. Amazingly we worked out all the details, leaving 3 husbands and 7 children behind (Jonathan, Julie's youngest, got to tag along since he's only 8 weeks old - he was a great traveling buddy!). Rachel T. was surprised to tears and we spent the next 60 hours talking, laughing, shopping, and getting to know Reagan, Rachel's soon to be husband.
We've come along way from MTYC Senior Teen week and Skyland Bible Conference, but we still know how to have late night chats.

Rachel Price and Rachel Thorpe

Julie Hylton and me...

Eating at Prejeans...yes, we ate alligator!

Reagan!!! So cute together. We approve, Rach. :)

I can't leave out Jonathan, our handsome little traveling companion. He did great!

The bond of true friendship is strong, and I am so thankful for these girls! May we have many more fun weekends. Love you girls!!

This is how we play these days!

2010-03-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some overdue pictures of our winter fun....
At Storytime...

Jumping on the new (used) trampoline...

Playing under the trampoline....

It's all about pretend play right now...

She'll only pose with her babies (the pink monkey on the right is Harvey Apple)

All the toys in the world aren't as fun as this...

We got a snowsuit from a friend after the big snow, but she had fun it in anyways.

Some cousin fun!

And finally resting on Sunday afternoon...

Here's a vidoe of my little man in action...

Love,

Sallie

boys will be boys...

2010-03-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am at work tonight, and it is somewhat quiet so I thought would write a quick post. (my co-workers tonight would kill me if they know I used the word "quiet", although I am a firm believer that I am not going to change the course of the night by the words I choose to use). Anyways, it has been a busy week but a good one. Steven went out of town on Thursday morning for his annual beach trip with 8 of his high school or college buddies. Most of them are married with kids but I am proud of them for continuing this tradition as I know it is good for Steven to get away and just be a guy, without work or kids or me to worry about. They are very guy-ish, on this trip, too. They begin their day (much later than usual) with a hearty (aka, greasy) breakfast at a place called The Golden Griddle. Apparently the food is cheap and good, which is all Steven could ask for. They watch a lot of basketball, talk late into the night, and incorporate as many competitions as possible. Steven is quite competitive, for those of you who do not know, as are many of his friends. Those who don't care to win have known Steven long enough that it's fun for them to watch just in case he loses. I think this year included par 3 golf, Bocci ball (sp?), Golden Tee, and arm wrestling. Steven came in 2nd in arm wrestling, out of sheer determination I think.

As for the kids and I, we went to Charlotte for a neonatal conference I had on Thursday. The kids did great with my parents, as usual, Sadie didn't even ask about me (should I be concerned about this?). I got in some tennis with my Dad (in preparation for my ladies tennis league), it was nice to play again. We came home on Friday and two of my friends, Jenn and Maegan, came to hang out with their babies (their husbands went to NC State with Steven and were also at the beach). We had 5 kids at the house and Sadie was the oldest, but amazingly we had them mostly asleep by 7! Which allowed for some great, uninterrupted conversation as well as a second helping of Jenn's delicious blackberry cobbler. I took Sadie upstairs after dinner to put her to bed and when I came back was pleasantly surprised to find that my dear friends had almost completely cleaned up the kitchen. Maegan responded with "yes, there would be some nice things about polygamy." Yes, there is truth to that statement!

This quick post has gotten quite lengthy so I am going to close it out...with a promise (again) to post some pictures soon... and a quick funny from Sadie. Last night my dear mother-in-law was putting her to bed and Sadie was not in favor of it. She told Sadie she needed to stay in her room and read her books. Sadie responded with "Grandma, you need to go home. Pawpaw has his car and he can take you." Apparently Sadie has conditional grandparent love. :)
Goodnight!

I love you forever

2010-03-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, so apparently a couple of people read this blog, which not only inspires me to write a little more but it also intimidates me a little. I started this blog because I like to write and I wanted to capture the cute and memorable things my kids do, and even though I will never be MckMama, it does make me happy that people take time out of their day to read it. So, thank you readers!
I found my camera and took some new pictures as well as a video of Eli walking, but now I can't find the cord to download the pics. Oh, how I wish I was more organized! I think I'm getting there sometimes... just don't look at my car right now. Anyways, not what I was attempting to blog about.
I try to always keep a good Mom attitude, enjoying my kids, not getting caught up in silly frustrations, but Sadie had to give me a lesson in it last night. I was rushing around after work, trying to get the kids in bed and pick up a little. Our friends were coming over to watch the Bachelor season finale (important stuff) and I wanted to make cookies. I go upstairs to see if Sadie has finally put her pajamas on and she is sitting on her bed with her little legs crossed reading a book. It happened to be "I love you forever", which we have been reading at night for the past few days. I stopped and watched, unbeknownst to her, as she did her best to read each page. "back and forth, back and forth, back and forth....then she's driving in her car, then the big daddy rocks his mommy, back and forth, back and forth...." I was touched by how well she had absorbed the meaning of the book and reminded ever so gently how precious this time is with my children. The evening went well as we enjoyed our friends and our shallow show, but I went to sleep thinking of my sweet girl and her little voice.
Pics and a video of Eli walking will eventually make it to the blog...
Goodnight!
p.s. MckMama, in case you didn't know, is a blogger who is now famous and making money for blogging, she's very good if you want to check her out!

Eli's walking!

2010-02-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

If I was more computer savvy (and could find my camera), I would post a video to go with this post. Eli took his first steps this week and it is so cute, you forget just how cute the first steps are because they get good at it so fast. He is quite proud, as well, as he usually takes a few steps and then stops to clap for himself, which by itself is pretty impressive balance. As I watched him show his Daddy his new trick last Monday night my Mom and I were cheering him on and I looked down and saw Sadie joining in as his cheerleader. She has continued to encourage him to walk this week (sometimes a little too much), but it warmed my heart to see it. I couldn't help but think of Steven's old wrestling videos and usually the loudest voice was that of his sister, cheering on the sidelines. She was a great cheerleader for him and I can just see Sadie in a few years, cheering on little Eli in whatever sport he chooses to pursue (surely he'll do at least 1 for his sports lovin' Daddy).

Speaking of sports, I have decided to join a weekly ladies tennis group, which I am quite excited about. I played in high school and even though I am not very good I do enjoy it. My Dad taught himself how to play tennis around college age and has played all my life. He loves it and it's kept him very much in shape (and he's pretty good, I'm hoping I'll eventually be able to beat him when he's old...). I need to get out there and practice so I don't embarrass myself!

We enjoyed a great visit with my Mom last week, she came down on Monday and stayed for a few days. Sadie fell asleep to her Nana reading to her 3 nights in a row (a great advantage to no nap!). Mama was getting ready to leave Thursday and telling Sadie she was sad to go, so Sadie said "well you can stay here," I love 2 year old logic. Nana told her that unfortunately, she had to go, so then Sadie said "well, we can talk on the phone." Problem solved! I don't think I put this on my blog, but Sadie's prayers are getting longer and cuter at bedtime. Steven started her praying by just telling her to say "Thank you God", so she still starts that way and just adds people, usually, that we have just been with or she's thinking about. So this was her prayer a couple weeks ago..."Thank you God for Harvey Apple, thank you God for the Baileys, thank you God for church, and for the white donuts, and for the black donuts". Just when you think your kid is showing some spiritual depth....:)

Goodnight!

Sadie Sadie Sadie

2010-02-01T20:25:00.000-08:00

Over the course of the weekend she Sadie has said so many cute things and since I use this blog as a sort of journal for my kids, I have to repeat them here so I wont forget them.
I have started feeding Eli some real people food but often tell Sadie that he doesn't have enough teeth for whatever it is she is trying to feed him, so the other day I fixed Sadie some peanut butter Ritz crackers (quite a treat) and she didn't finish them. She told me she wanted to give them to Molly and Maddie (our neighbor's dogs, she loves them). I told her that they couldn't have them and she promptly replied "I tink they have enough teeth."
Saturday night some of our friends were coming for dinner so I was trying to dry my hair and put on some make-up while Sadie and Eli were rummaging through my bathroom cabinets (as I'm sure other mothers can testify at times you don't pay real close attention to what they are getting into as long as they are letting you get ready). I heard Sadie say "Eli, sit here, it's comfy," and I looked down to find an unwrapped maxi pad stuck to the bathroom floor with Sadie dragging Eli over to sit on it. If only she knew that they're not just tiny little seat cushions.
Sunday morning I called my parents and found out that my Mom had a stomach bug. I told Sadie a little later that Nana was sick. I watched her face and couldn't figure out what she was thinking, I began to wonder if she was possibly not very compassionate, when she says "let's pray for her right now." Yes, it was a sweet little moment. I probably wouldn't have forgotten that one.
I know I don't talk about Eli as much as Sadie right now, so here's a quick update on him. He's waving. He loves Ritz crackers. He's working on his 4th tooth and the other 3 are so cute. He's very tender-hearted and sticks his bottom lip out with just a reprimand, quite different from his sister. He's my little buddy. He is also excited to welcome a new little friend, although he doesn't know it yet. My best friend from home just had a little boy this weekend, she already has 2 little girls that Sadie absolutely loves. We went to Charlotte specifically to spend some time with them before she had the baby and Sadie was in little girl heaven. Now as soon as baby Jonathan grows up a little he and Eli can run around and irritate their big sisters, I still can't believe Julie and I have grown up and produced 5 more little people! Crazy.

Here are Sadie and her friends, Anna and Abbey... playing dress up was never so fun!

They tried to make Eli join in but he wasn't very interested.

Here's my cuties in the tub, Eli is almost a big as Sadie!

Off to fix some supper, until next time!

Recovering

2010-01-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I took Eli to the doctor for a cough and wheeze. I always second-guess myself when I go or I take my kids for a sick appointment....are we really sick enough to come? I hate going, then being sent home with a pat on the back and a "prescription" for Tylenol. But, apparently my little man was pretty sick. He had an ear infection and some significant wheezing, requiring 2 breathing treatments in the office, which was most likely RSV (a respiratory virus that looks like a cold to a healthy adult but makes kids/babies pretty sick). Unfortunately, I had to work that night so Steven got his first crash course in single parenting a sick baby. After a "lose it" moment (no judgement here, I have plenty of those) a sweet friend came over to help with the next med administration, so all in all they had a pretty good night. The next night we pulled a futon in his room and slept on the floor... Eli was delighted to look through his crib at 4am and see Mommy and Daddy right there! By the end of the weekend he was much better. I figure that every time Steven learns new parenting tips without me there it probably sticks much better, when I'm home I think he tries really hard not to learn any mommy techniques (bathing the kids, cooking, washing bottles). Tonight I walked him through making some mac and cheese on the stove (he has already mastered Easy Mac, but we are currently out of it), we are truly progessing in the Harrell household! To Steven's defense, he has the Daddy role down pat, which I would take any day over the other "Mommy duties". Sadie and Steven are getting pretty tight and Eli, even at 9 months, knows that Daddy is pretty cool. So dishes, laundry, bathtime, bring it on...I am thankful for my manly man who will get on the floor to play with the kids, be a great disciplinarian, teach Sadie Bible stories, provide a wonderful life for us, and love me. I just hope I can be the "prize" he deserves. Oh my, I'm getting mushy... I better go! Until next time...

Dear Subway

2010-01-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Subway. I love that it is a fresh and healthy fast food restaurant. Most Subways have great veggies and freshly baked bread. They also have good sweet tea when I indulge. Since the New Year we have probably bought 20-25 subs from Subway due to Steven's New Years resolution to lose weight and get healthy. Sadie doesn't really eat the kid's sub very well but she does love the fact that she gets undiluted juice in a box. And of course cookies. I visited a Subway today with my little buddy who had helped me with the kids while I got my haircut. I was trying to stay "on budget" (it's a long story but Steven has a crazy little money system that I try to adhere to) and was going to order waters to keep it cheap. The kind lady at the register told me we could only buy bottled water. I looked just past her at the faucet, which appeared to work just fine, and asked her why we couldn't have tap water. She said she could do that but she would have to charge me for a drink ($1.49), which I obviously was not going to do. I told her I would be happy to pay 10 cents for the price of the cup (I know they are not free) but she became less nice and told me she could not do that either. I was going to just not get drinks (I guess we could have taken sips from Sadie's juice box) but the final straw was that my gift card with exactly 9.72 on it didn't work. So, I gave in, upgraded to a combo, and got a drink. Subway won! I do plan on going to the website and putting in a complaint. How can they brag about being healthy and people losing weight when they make it that dififcult to drink water, which is obviously the most healthy choice of beverage. It has long bothered me that the "complimentary" water cup at most restaurants is significantly smaller than the drink cups, I guess the CEOs of these companies don't realize that water drinkers are just as thirsty as their other customers. But alas, at least they provide a way to drink the tap water, as opposed to the restaurant I visited today. Maybe I'll start buying bread and deli meat....or just take my own water.

Thankfully the health kick seems to be working, especially for me since I got a stomach bug Sunday night and threw up more calories than I took in for the next 24 hours (I always see the sliver lining with that illness). My kids thankfully did NOT get that bug but are still dealing with some yucky sounding coughs. I long for a healthy house! But I know it could be so much worse. A friend of a friend's daughter just had a brain tumor removed, and she is just a couple months older than Sadie. Thank the Lord our troubles are minor. Like frustration at a silly restaurant.

Steven was watching something crazy on TV last night and exclaimed "Holy Cow!" Sadie sweetly responded with "Daddy why you say holy cow?" I am thankful for a husband with a clean mouth. Tonight Eli was getting into something and I heard Sadie say to him "No sir, bud." What a cute little Mama! With a cute new haircut. Eli too, although his was done by my Dad's Flobee (sp?) this weekend (very amusing). I will post pics soon.
Goodnight!

In the Lord's hands

2010-01-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have to say I am so thankful for a garage. And heat, in our cars and our homes. So many luxuries that I take for granted every day! I am trying hard to begin my days with a better attitude, and hopefully this blog will be reflective of that. I took my little Eli to the doctor today for his 9 month check up and he was almost 18 pounds, officially dropping to the 10th percentile (the highest Sadie ever was!). I attribute this to his recent illness and the fact that he is only still if he is sleeping or almost asleep on my lap. He checked out great otherwise and I was hesitant but did end up giving him the flu vaccine. Such difficult decisions when you can scare yourself to death reading the internet. Who's right? And how to people get so passionate about these things? Maybe I'm just not a passionate person, or maybe I worry too little. I sure hope I am making the right decisions for my children but I guess I just know in the end that I'm not ultimately in control, the Lord is. I do realize I have been given a very serious responsibility with my little charges, sometimes I still can't believe that I'm a mother. I told Steven the other night that if I weren't saved by God's grace and believe in His sovereign care then I would never sleep, I would stay awake for hours with worry after worry. Which kid was that coughing? Should I check on them? That expression Eli makes, is it an early sign of something bad? Sadie is especially thirsty today, does she have diabetes? Should I vaccinate? The list goes on and on. And so, thankfully, the truths I rest on are that the Lord is good, He has given me a wonderful family, and even if my blessings are all gone tomorrow He will still be holding me in His hand.
Goodnight!
Sallie

a real mama

2009-12-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

I have discovered something this weekend. I don't know why this is but something about having sick babies makes you feel like a real mama. It started at 2am Christmas morning when Sadie started crying. Usually Steven handles her in the middle of the night since Eli is always my job (I got the raw end of the deal on that one), but he came back to bed and said she was burning up. I took her temperature and sure enough - 103.7. I spent most of the night in her bed then eventually moved her to ours since she was so pitiful. Steven made the comment that it was probably the last Christmas morning in a while that we would be in the bed until almost 9am. She rallied some when the Tylenol kicked in and did enjoy Christmas, her grandparents, and her new presents. But a good portion of the day all she wanted was to be in my arms....which was kind of like a Christmas present to me. We both napped curled up together that afternoon and she slept in our bed again that night and finally started feeling better yesterday, right about the time Eli spiked a fever. He landed his little febrile self in our bed last night and I barely got to put him down long enough to brush my teeth this morning. Even though I am exhausted and do want my babies to be well again, when they are feeling bad and too little to know why it validates me somehow to be able to provide them comfort. Maybe it's being so needed that makes motherhood all the more real. I do love being a mother. And a wife, of course. But I do hope Steven is not next because husbands are not nearly as sweet when they are sick....
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, I will post some belated Christmas pics soon,
Love,
Sallie

Snow!

2009-12-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

It's funny how having kids makes you remember how fun things used to be, but at the same time gives you a different perspective on how things really were for your parents. Snow is a good example of this. As a kid I used to get sooooo excited over the prospect of snow. Waking up and running to the window to see if the forecast was correct... if there was a white blanket out there it was almost as exciting as Christmas morning. Getting out of school, sledding, it was all just sort of magical. As I got older and was in college it all began to change. I remember a big snow in Charlotte when I was in nursing school. My classes were cancelled but all I did that day was study. "How boring!" (a younger version of myself would have chastised). Then as I became a nurse snow turned into an inconvenience, I still had to work but now just came the challenge of safely getting there. This week, however, we got a pretty decent snow in Pleasant Garden. Saturday morning we searched for warm clothes and dressed the kids and ourselves in layers, then headed out. That might sound easy, but by the time we were actually ready to walk out the door I was ready to can the whole thing. Sadie couldn't get her thumb in the right spot of her gloves, Eli was fussing, etc... But, we did it, and it all came rushing back to me of why snow is so much fun. Eli stopped crying and was happy as a lark out there, even though his little nose was freezing. Sadie had a blast, playing with the neighborhood friends and sledding behind the 4 wheeler. Her pants were soaked by the time we came in for lunch but it was well worth it. We warmed up and ate lunch and I again remembered the magic and the beauty, of snow....

Happy winter, everyone!!! Go out and enjoy playing in the snow, if you have any.

Love,

Sallie

"You're driving me crazy"

2009-12-01T19:39:00.001-08:00

Apparently sometimes Sadie gets on my nerves. I tell you that because this afternoon, as I was attempting to fix dinner, Eli was army crawling all over the house (it's like a whole new world for him now). He went into the laundry room and Sadie ran in after him. She found her pink scooter which had been outside for a while and was trying to get it past him and the mound of towels on the floor. Quite a difficult task for her, and I could tell she was getting frustrated. The next thing I hear is "Eli! You're driving me crazy!" I had to laugh and I realized that I must have said that to her at some point. Those things sound so different (or do they?) coming out of little mouths!

Thanksgiving has past and it was a nice one. We went to Charlotte and got to spend a couple days there, where I proceeded to get Mastitis. Getting started on antibiotics and 10 hours of sleep Wednesday night did the trick and I was feeling much better by Thursday. Unfortunately (?) I wasn't able to do much to prepare the food but my Mom pulled through by herself (with the help of Mandy, my sister-in-law, and my aunt Tricia) and we had a delicious meal. That night we watched our friend Dickson (Doc) Hendley on the CNN Heroes Award show which was super cool, he was one of the top 10 heroes for 2009 for his non-profit organization, Wine to Water. Check it out! We came home and I worked on Friday night then got to hang out with our friends Todd and Rhonda, Matt and Jenn, and their baby Claire on Saturday. We watched NC State pull through for once and beat Carolina in football. Steven lost his shirt over that one, something that anyone who knows him has seen him do.

Now it is officially Christmas time! I love it. I don't particularly love the decorating, but I do love the results. I almost broke a window today trying to put my new outdoor wreaths up, and the lights I strung over my front door don't work (you really should plug them in first to check). Oh well, the inside is mostly done. I will try again tomorrow! (Or this weekend if my Dad comes up). The children are sleeping, so must I!
Love,
Sallie

Fall Wrap Up

2009-11-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

I have been a slack blogger lately, mostly because every time I open this laptop my 2 year old just cannot keep her hands off the buttons. She is pushing many buttons these days, as a matter of fact, and I'm not sure what happened to my seemingly innocent baby girl. Now she screams like we're strangling her simply because I wont let her lift the toilet seat and sit directly on the bowl to pee. Or because I buckle her in the car seat when she wanted to do it "myself!". The battle of the wills has begun, and though I am exhausted at the end of the day, I WILL PREVAIL!. Even though I know my little girl is a sinner, I didn't realize just how evident it would be this soon. I'm sure the Lord looks at me the same way as I look at her sometimes and it humbles me and makes me thankful for His mercy!
To make up for her current issues, she does have a few sweet moments, too. The other day my parents were here for a visit and we were all eating dinner. She climbed up in a chair between Steven and my Mom, putting her hand on both of their shoulders, and said "I love all ya'll". What a great little moment.
Eli is getting huge and sweeter every day. He can do pat-a-cake and is quite proud of himself. He's sitting up and army crawling, too. Too fast!! Here are some pictures of the last few weeks...

Sadie and little B, Doc Hendley's little boy.

Would my Dad have crawled in my dollhouse to pretend play? Oh we love Papas.

A fun family visit to the corn maze, we spent quite a lot of time in here since it was off and on raining.

How do you get them to both sit still, look at the camera, and smile?

Oh the fun.

Hand-me-down (free) Halloween costumes = a great night!

Friends make it so much more fun!

Cute little pumpkin!

Becoming quite the Daddy's girl.

And to top it off, a pony ride at a friend's birthday party.

I will try and be a more faithful blogger....

goodnight!

The game of Life

2009-10-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

When I was in the 4th grade I was invited to AWANA Bible Club by Julie L. What developed from that was a true BFF friendship, including lots of diary reading, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and Friday night sleepovers. On these famous sleepovers Julie and I often pulled out her game, called Life, which is quite a fun little game. We played our own version, however, and would often plan out our own lives. We would start with the current crush, that we were sure we would marry one day. Then we proceeded to name our many children, pick their spouses (from each other's list), and name our grandchildren. Obviously, and thankfully, this is not the way life works. High school, college, husbands, and children later we are still best friends. Though it is still too early to tell if our children might possibly ever marry, it is delightful to get together and watch our children befriend each other.

Here is a picture of Sadie and Anna Grace, Julie's oldest, walking to see the cows.

Having a fun breakfast on the most recent trip Julie and the girls made to Pleasant Garden. Julie has come 3 times now since we moved. The first time she rolled up her sleeves and helped me finish painting closets in my 8 1/2 month pregnant and frazzled stage. After Eli was born she came again and brought food, lots of yummy food, and helped me immensely as I adjusted to 2 kids. This last time I had it a little more together and was able to actually host appropriately.

Hopefully our girls are also making friendships for life. Sadie is 21 months younger than Anna Grace and 3 months older than Abbey.

It is such a blessing to rest in the comfortable presence of good friends.

Love you Jules!

-Sallie

Top five reasons to live in the South.

2009-10-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

Top 5 reasons to live in the South....

5. Street names actually have names.

4. Sweet tea (with lots of ice).

3. Car ownership.

2. Backyards.

1. It's cheap and friendly.

That being said, we actually had a very enjoyable time north of the Mason-Dixon line this weekend. We brought Sadie to Charlotte on Thursday morning where she proceeded to spend 3 very fun days with my parents. Eli, Steven, and I then boarded a plane and headed to New York City. Eli enjoyed his first plane ride, as you can see.

Once arriving in NY, we successfully hailed a cab and arrived at my cousin's apartment in Manhattan (a very cool place on the Upper West Side with a 3rd floor rooftop view). Steven then ditched us and dabbled in some public transportation in order to meet up with his friends for the bachelor party. We borrowed a stroller and went for a great walk to Central Park with my cousin, his wife, and their 13 month old. Here is Eli and his cousin in Central Park and a NY skyline! He is a little distracted by the blanket he's chewing on, I think.

Steven (thankfully) made it back safely to the apartment and the next morning we headed out again, via the subway, to meet his buddies and take a train into New Jersey, where we spent the rest of the weekend. While New York was beautiful and unique, it was nice to arrive at the small town of Montvale, NJ, where the wedding would take place. Here is Steven and Eli in his favorite mode of transportation, the Bjorn.

The rehearsal dinner and truly the entire weekend were lovely, even with Eli in tow. Amber, pictured below, also brought her offspring but she wisely brought a babysitter, as well. Eli and Beattie are still a little young to pay much attention to each other but in time we feel they will be great friends, as their fathers are. I just hope they don't get into near the amount of mischief that Steven and Dickson did....

Obviously, the reason for the trip was a wedding, our friends Bobby and Larissa. She is from NJ, he grew up with Steven and was part of the infamous 4 pictured above (the first picture). From the left; Kyle, Dickson, Bobby, and Steven. Kyle is the only one left, ladies, so you better act fast! :) Steven appears to travel back in time with his buddies, not only do they reminisce constantly but he seems to think he can live on 3 hours of sleep for 3 nights straight. However, he is 30 now and that is way harder than it was when he was 16. All that said, these are great friends and ones for life, I do believe.

Speaking of friends for life, I am overdue a post on a sweet visit with my bff from childhood and her 2 sweet girls. That, and some more pictures, are soon to come. I'm still struggling a bit with the pictures (the first picture was supposed to be the last, but oh well...). I don't think super famous blogger is in my future, and that's ok. It is good to be home. Goodnight!

Waitin' on pee pee

2009-09-23T20:16:00.001-07:00

It is amazing what is exciting to you after you become a Mom. We are currently potty-training Sadie (of course she picks the weekend we go out of town to decide to start wearing her panties, as if my Mom didn't have enough on her hands with Sadie, Eli, and my 92 year old Grandma to take care of). Despite a few accidents (one doesn't count, she was stuck in Eli's closet and couldn't get out in time), Sadie is doing quite well with using the potty. Anyone that knows Sadie knows she can't sit still for long, so I had to make up a song for those times that the pee pee doesn't come immediately. "Waitin' on pee pee" is the name of the song, the lyrics vary with the mood of the day. Sadie seems to like it. She also seems to like big girl panties, although they don't make them small enough to really fit her. She also would prefer "deer panties" to little mermaid, but they don't make those either. The picture above (in case you're looking at the date), was actually taken several weeks ago, when it was just fun to sit on the potty and read magazines. Now she's so quick I don't have time to take pictures!

Steven and I went away to Baltimore, Maryland this weekend for Todd's wedding. Todd and Steven were roomates at NC State all 4 years, and had been high school buddies since the 9th grade. I will not tell you how they became friends, it is only funny in a 9th grade boy sort of way. We got to hang out with our "NC State friends", including Matt and Jenn (on the left), Maegan and Lee (on our right), and Scott and Katie (not pictured as they didn't quite make it to the wedding). Jenn, Maegan, and I left 5 babies 2 and under (between the 3 of us) so it was quite a night to be out without them. The wedding was beautiful and it was a quick but fun get-away for Steven and I. Eli began chanting "Mamamama" this weekend and one time Sadie looked at him and said "Mama is on a TRIP!" Their first conversation? Maybe. Thank you Mom for being Super Nana this weekend and taking care of my kids! They loved it and we love YOU. Ok it is way past my bedtime so I am out!

Sadie-isms

2009-09-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

The children are asleep and I assume Steven is too since he never resurfaced after putting Sadie to bed. I will eventually go get him but he must be exhausted to have fallen asleep in his normal prime working time. Now I'm siting in his quiet office and spent way too much time on Facebook, so I decided to write a quick blog and then go to bed. No pictures tonight but I thought I'd record some of Sadie's latest funnies.
-We were driving in the car when she told one of our friends that "Sometimes, cows poop and dey don't wipe themselves" (an observation she made with her Grandpa, I believe).
-She has learned to "blow like a deer" as she and her Daddy crawl around the floor pretending to be "sawn deers and doe deers and buck deers" ("S" for "F" in Sadie language). I dread the day when she discovers what hunting is all about and why Daddy is always looking for them in the fields.
-"Go to da left and go to da right" whenever we are driving, the first time was on a beltline around Atlanta when Steven and I were trying to get to Hilton Head, Sadie pipes in with her directions. It's always the same.
-I asked Sadie if she heard Eli crying on the monitor while he was napping in his crib. A few minutes went by and I couldn't find her. I went upstairs and she is sitting IN his crib. She's answers "Eli's awake!" I couldn't fuss at her for waking him up because he was having a ball with her in the crib. Just hope it doesn't happen in the middle of the night!
-Steven as since corrected her (much to my dismay) but for a while she would ask for "Lucky Arms" for breakfast, this is also revealing my bad parenting I realize....
This is all I can think of for now. Thank the Lord for children and the many laughs they provide!
Goodnight!

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T19:06:00.001-07:00

This post is way overdue, but we have finished our summer with a bang and a lot of traveling. We went to Hilton Head last week with my parents for a few days and after coming home and working we seemed to take all week to get the house back in order. Vacations didn't seem to be that much work when I was a kid, I'm not sure what happened to change that, I guess I grew up. Here is a picture of Eli and my Dad at Hilton Head.

This long weekend has been great, Friday night we went to dinner with some friends and my parents came up from Charlotte. My brother and his family joined us Saturday for a great family day of swimming, riding the four wheeler, and going to see the cows in the back of the truck (www.armoredsquirrel.com for a picture). Sadie faked her nap so was quite tired by the time her cousins left and actually fell asleep in my Mom's arms (she didn't mind a bit). Yesterday was Steven's parents 40th anniversary (Congratulations Benne and Carolyn!) and we spent the day with them as well as Leslie's oldest 3 kids so Sadie had yet another fun cousin day. Today we went to Mountain Top for the annual Labor Day Picnic and enjoyed the day up there. I was a little embarrased, however, because the brochure said "bring a picnic lunch, drinks will be provided" So I got up this morning and made sandwiches, threw an open bag of chips and some grapes in the cooler, and we were off. I was dismayed to find out it actually was a PotLuck lunch and there was a beautiful spread of food that I couldn't contribute to (I wasn't about to cut up my boring ham and cheese sandwiches and put an open bag of chips on the table). So we sat in the corner and quietly ate our sandwiches, if anyone asked I was tempted to tell them we were "gluten-free" or something but thankfully no one noticed. I did hit the dessert table though, I couldn't resist. Oh well, live and learn.

Tonight we got home and enoyed a few hours outside, coloring, playing with play-dough, and working in the yard. As usual our little tomboy ended up shirtless, thankfully no peeing in the grass tonight, and had a blast helping Daddy with the yardwork.

You can see the famous cows that Sadie loves across the street here, as she carries dirt to the bush that apparently needed some.

And finally, my sweet Eli, who hit 5 months the other day! Such a happy baby.

I am thankful for this life that the good Lord has provided for us, thankful most of all for His salvation and His love for us. Goodnight!

A new way to shop.

2009-08-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

I took the kids shopping with me today (which I rarely do these days) and we went to Babies R Us for a gift. I was standing in front of the strollers, holding Eli, trying to figure out what to do with him while I put the box in the shopping cart. I decided to let Sadie hold him on her lap for just a minute, but it worked out so well that we finished our shopping trip that way, all the way out to the car! I might just venture out again tomorrow, who says a 2 year old can't be a helpful big sister?

We are having a good week here on Legacy Fare. Sadie took a special trip with Daddy yesterday to Charlotte to spend the night with Nana and Papa while he took a short business trip to Atlanta. Eli stayed in Greensboro and Steven's parents kept him while I worked overnight at the hospital. Oddly enough, my brother came to crash at our empty house on his way to a job in Raleigh today, so we were just all over the state of NC last night. Sadie got to see her Nana on her birthday as well as 3 of her cousins and 2 friends this morning. She had a blast, but I did miss her. I'm so thankful we have such wonderful parents that take such great care of our children for us when we need them to! Apparently though my parents did something to offend Blackie, Sadie's stuffed dog that she took with her to Charlotte, because Sadie told me twice tonight that "Blackie doesn't like Nana and Papa". Interesting.

We took a short trip to Pinehurst to see the Kirbys and meet their new little one, Claire. She's precious, as expected. I have been reading Jenn's blog for quite a while now (I am so proud of myself, I think I figured out how to change the color and make a link!) and she is a big reason I do this now. Matt and Steven went to NC State together and since college they have become some of our favorite couple friends.

As I said before I did work last night and I have spent way too much time trying to upload the picture above so I think I'll call it a night. The kids are sleeping and so must I! Goodnight!

I don't live in Texas...

2009-08-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Steven left on Tuesday to go to San Antonio, Texas, for a trip through work. I worked Monday night, met him for breakfast and to get the kids Tuesday morning, then we headed to Charlotte as he waited for his plane to board. He took his Grandma on this trip, as she has taken him on many adventures, and I think they've had a great time together. They went to a rodeo at a ranch tonight and as we were talking on the phone I heard baby goats in the background. They took a boat ride around the river, visited the Alamo (embarrasingly, I don't know enough about that particular point of history to know if I've spelled it right), and probably Steven's favorite was watching the Dallas Cowboys practice at a training camp.

As for the kids and I, we had a marvlous trip to Charlotte to see many loved ones there. In just 3 days Sadie got to see all 7 of her cousins, which by itself is quite a treat. Her oldest Nash cousin, Dickson, turned 5 on Wednesday and my Dad turned 58. Needless to say I've eaten way too much cake. But to offset that, I bought a double jogging stroller at a consignment shop. Along with seeing the fam, I also got a sweet visit in with Joni and her hubby, and a crazy girls morning with Julie H. and Rachel P. (Julie has 2 girls and Rachel has 3, all 5 and under-so including Sadie it was quite entertaining).

We drove home to Pleasant Garden last evening and my wonderful mother-in-law met me here so she could spend the night and then keep the kids for me today while I worked. I really am blessed in how little of this trip I have had to be by myself, as Steven comes home around lunch time tomorrow! I can't wait. It seems to me we were having silly arguments before he left but I just can't remember what they were, and now it certainly does not matter as I am SO ready to have him home. Maybe after Sadie's nap tomorrow we can take a family ride on the "soar-wheeler" (Sadie says "s" for "f") to go to "Mr. Pete's" pool. Then perhaps we will have a peaceful evening after dinner, on the porch swing, watching Sadie draw with sidewalk chalk in her bare feet. It is quite the life here on Legacy Fare, which makes me contemplate changing the name of my blog....

I almost forgot to explain the title of this post, oh my wandering thoughts...While we were in Charlotte Sadie was asked where she lived. Her answer? "I don't live in Texas." Good to know, sweetheart. Another funny...she woke up in the middle of the night and my Mom was lying down with her to try and get her back to sleep. It was quiet for quite a while and Mom thought she was out, then Sadie blurts out "I don't like zebras". What a funny child. Ok, I'm truly ending this now. Goodnight!

Can't get me

2009-08-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

I had a great week this week. I worked on Sunday then had off until tonight (Saturday night). I'm obviously not working too hard if I have time to blog :). I started running again this week with the jogging stroller (Sadie calls it the "dragon stroller) which has been great. I ran 3 days in a row and was doing 1.5 miles by the last day. I took Sadie 2 days and Eli the other, they both loved it. I can no longer smugly look at other mothers when they complain about their early risers as both my children now like to wake up before 7, Sadie used to sleep until 8 or 9 but those days seem long gone. Very sad. But I decided I need to stop fighting it and just get out of bed and be productive. So the running has started. And cleaning. And making dinners. However, it caught up to me. I woke up Thursday morning, the day I had a fun baby shower for a friend from work planned, with sore breasts and a headache (the beginning of Mastitis for me). I finished cleaning but was determined not to get sick, so I took a nap that afternoon and was in bed by 9 that night after the shower (which turned out great). I have learned that nursing as much as possible and going to bed are the tools I need to fight off Mastitis...and it has worked! I won this one, thank the Lord, and did not get sick. I do have to give Eli some credit, he is a great little eater.

More excitement from the week, Sadie is making some progress on the potty training. We bought her some panties at Walmart and she decided to wear them on Thursday morning. She stayed dry for about 4 hours, peed twice in the potty, then got in trouble and peed all over the floor. I was still proud of her and thought she looked so cute with her panties on (although they are way to big for her). She hasn't worn them since, but we're not pushing her. My goal is to clean up as few accidents as possible. It's funny to me that her vocabulary is much better than her potty skills, some examples: "don't boder me, I not finished", or "I need a diaper change", or "da poop is coming!!". So fun.

We have a fun week planned as Steven heads to Texas with his Grandma (a work trip) and I take the kids to Charlotte. We'll hang out with the family, including Dickson on his 5th (I can't believe that!) birthday and my Dad who also shares the birthday (which has been forever overshadowed). Hopefully we'll see several other friends as well while we're down there. Until then.....

Needed

2009-07-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have always liked to feel needed, and I certainly felt that this week. My 2 year old and 3 month old are always quite needy; I must immediately (and exactly on the right spot) kiss Sadie's injuries, she is not completely potty trained, she wont eat much unless I make her, and Eli is still pretty much completely helpless. You would think this would be enough for me, however, this week I was especially in demand. Every 6 months, you see, I travel with Steven to Reidsville where we go to the much dreaded dentist. He will not go alone. He also will not come back for a filling so when he comes for a cleaning they make him stay to take care of it. I had just finished with my cleaning and went in to check on him as I knew he was having the cavity filled. He had already been numbed but the drill was just starting up. I walked in to hold his hand because at this point he turns from a professional, strong, manly man into a scared little boy. Sure enough he held tight and as I stood there comforting him I was fulfilled to think that my husband also needs me. Maybe it's just nice to think, even if it's not true, that your loved ones just can't make it without you. I am thankful that for now, the Lord has entrusted my dear husband and children into my care, and I pray that I do a job well done.

Parties

2009-07-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

I love to have parties at my house, for several reasons. The planning and cooking, the clean house (usually just a few minutes before the party begins), the excuse to eat good food, but most importantly I love spending time with people that are important to me. The Lord has blessed us with a good house to host and lately we have made good use of it. Steven's cousin just adopted a new baby boy so we threw a last minute shower/cookout for her to celebrate. We ended up with a great turn out and had 5 babies 7 months and under attend (there has been quite the baby boom in the Harrell family this year). Leslie even made the trip with her 4 (including her new baby of 2 weeks) and even brough 5 monogrammed bibs for all the new babies. She is amazing (see the picture to the left). My mom and Grandma came up for a visit this week, and now we have some friends of ours staying with us as well for a couple of days. It's going to be really quiet when all of our company has left! Until next Thursday....when I have another baby shower for my friend at work. :)

Camp for toddlers

2009-07-12T18:01:00.001-07:00

We as a family just spent most of the week at Mountain Top Youth Camp, a wonderful place to be....for people over 3 feet tall. Steven was the speaker this week for a population of about 70 8-10 year old little boys. I was the camp nurse, except for a 24 hour period in which I came home to work a shift at the hospital. The camp nursing job is not usually hard, it consists mainly of bandaids and doling out ADD/asthma meds. Camp is such a fun place to be, Steven and I both went to MTYC when we were young (we in fact shared our first kiss on the porch of Cabin 6 the summer of 1995) and have many good memories from camp. I learned this week, however, that there is a reason the campers must be 8 to attend. Eli didn't do too badly, he just mainly likes to nurse and cuddle with me at night and he's fine. Sadie, however, didn't adapt so easily. She loved watching "the boys", seeing the dogs, and playing with her buddies Anna and Abbey Hylton. It was sleeping that didn't come so easily, which in turn leads to meltdowns and severe attitude issues. After a few days at home her old self is starting to come back, which we are thankful. A small child returning home after vacation is so cute to watch, they run to every toy in the house as if it's brand new. With the installation of our new porch swing (thanks Mom and Dad!) and some much needed cleaning (thanks Carolyn!) I am pretty happy to be home, too.

Back to work...

2009-07-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

I never thought I wouldn't be a "stay at home mom", however, I find myself at work tonight with 2 little children at home. I have 2 choices about this, I can pout and complain and become very emotional about leaving them (which I am guilty of doing at times), or I can count my blessings. Even though I don't prefer working over being with my family, I do enjoy what I do. I have a boss that is very understanding about priorities. I am now working part time, which consists of one 10 hour day shift and one 16 hour night shift per week... not bad. When I leave my children it is usually with a grandmother, their daddy, or a dear friend, all people that love to be with my kids and who I trust completely. I was walking through the NICU my first night back, feeling sorry for myself, when I saw a mother reluctant to put her premie back in his isolette for the night, but it was "shift change" and time for her to go home. I realized that these poor mothers have to leave their babies here every night, which now that I have children I know how hard that is to do. I should be thankful that the Lord has blessed me with 2 healthy children and truly,I have missed very little of their lives. It is a wonderful bond that connects mothers with their children, and I am thankful to experience it!

A Blog is Born

2009-06-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

So I have tossed around the idea in the past about having a blog, I do like to write, and I do like to read other people's blogs....I just always wondered who would want to read mine, and how would I decide what to write about? I recently starting using Picasa for my digital pictures and there are several cool buttons at the bottom of the screen. Last night an orange one caught my eye that says BlogThis!. I decided to hit the button and bam, my blog was born.
This past year I have started writing a little journal for Sadie about the cute things she does and says, to keep a record of them (not my idea, I got it from a book). I don't remember to do it very often, but maybe with this blog I'll remember more and can write about the funny things that are happening in our lives. I don't think of myself as a very philosophical person, I'm definitely not political, but every now and then hopefully I can share something that is worth the few minutes it takes to read it. I will return, when more thoughts come in my head.....