I'm not in my usual CHRISTMAS spirit. It'll come, I hope. But, I'm not even really in the mood to shop. SAY WHAT? My decorations aren't up yet as planned because November was full of rain and busy-ness. But, what's new? We had lots of rain. We had lots of dance. We had projects for school. We helped with the grand opening of WEC Newport News. We had helping friends. We had prayer. LOTS of prayer especially for people like Chris Carter and her sweet baby Nora. In my last post, I talked about setting up an advent calendar full of activities to help us SLOW DOWN and enjoy the season with each other, help others, be kind to others and remember that Christmas is about Jesus' birth but also all of the things above too.
So, I sat down at work today to get my calendar finalized and I think I like it. I just gotta figure out a cheap, easy way to display it. I pinned some on Pinterest today but time is of the essence and I just picked up 2 days of subbing at my mom's school. This means NO laziness for me this week. I've got too much to do, which makes me grumpy and I'm back to fighting the bah humbugs. You see Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year but I get discouraged when I can't fit everything in, the house doesn't look like I want it to and I want to be CRAFTY on top of it. But, I need to be GRATEFUL in this season of thanks. WHY? I have an amazing family. I have an amazing church. And, I serve and amazing God. It's not the a big deal if ALL the Christmas decorations don't go out. It's not a huge deal that I don't know what I'm getting Anna or my parents this year. It's just not the way I want it. But, I do know this. Christmas WILL come anyway and it's not about what I want. It's about Jesus.
So, without further ado, here's the final list of our activities for the month of December. They're about FAMILY. They're about GIVING. They're about DOING. They're about BEING THE HANDS OF JESUS.
1. Anna and Daddy date
2. Mommy and Anna date to The Nutcracker
3. Donate food to the food pantry
4. Do something nice for your mail carrier
5. Send a card to a deployed soldier, sailor or airman.
6. Go out for hot chocolate, buy an extra for a Red Cross bell ringer and take it to them and donate some change.
7. Go to the Coleman's Nursery exhibit at the PACC
8. Family Game Night
9. BAKING with Ashley and her grandmother
10. Do something to help a friend
11. Look at Christmas lights (either around town or thru NN Park)
12. Take baked goods to the Firehouse
13. Be a Secret Santa to someone
14. Make Christmas ornaments together
15. Watch Elf and The Grinch
16. Christmas Town
17. Invite someone we don't know to Christmas Eve at WEC
18. Take goodies to the WEC staff (hopefully, we can make it to all 3 campuses and central office!)
19. Make a Gingerbread house
20. Do something with my babysitting kids
21. Have a birthday party for Jesus
22. Read the Christmas Story together.
23. Serve at WEC (2 services)
24. Open stockings and attend church together as a family at WEC.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
I keep blogging-
No, really, I do but I just can't get them finished. I blogged about Disney. But it started to get really long so I gave up. I blogged about Anna's birthday but then her birthday passed and I got busy and didn't finish it. BUT, I thought today is THE day! I am GOING to finish a blog today.
Last year, I was really bummed about our Christmas season. (YES! I'm talking about Christmas in October. Get over it!) The house wasn't it's fullest Christmas-y self. I was stressed and grouchy because of it. This year, I am determined to change that. HOW? Well, first, we are going to start decorating on Nov. 2nd. The big tree isn't going up until closer to Thanksgiving but I'm hoping the rest of the house is done by then! WHY? Well, I have bigger things I want to accomplish in December and I always fall in love with my house when it's decorated for Christmas and I could use a house pick me up, if you know what I mean. So, what's the BIGGER things I want to accomplish this December? I have decided that we will do something special EVERY day from Dec. 1st to Dec. 24th to celebrate and I'm pretty excited about that. They will range in variety from doing something fun as a family to doing service projects or just something nice for someone else. I wanted to go ahead and get this out there in blog-land so that you can either make your own plans to celebrate Christmas differently this year or help me with different ideas. Some of mine are a little iffy. Here's the list that I've come up with so far:
1. Family Game Night (hoping this will help us SLOW down during such a busy season so we can spend time with each other)
2. Do something nice for our postal worker (they work EXTRA hard during this season and our postal carrier was working after 6pm the other night...they need a slap on the back for all their hard work!)
3. The Nutcracker (a tradition I plan on keeping with Anna)
4. Take goodies to our church staff (they work EXTRA hard too during this season)
5. Set up for church (our church is multi-site which means that we only go to church together on major holidays and we have to rent out the convention center to have church on Christmas Eve. that means setting it up to look as much like our regular church buildings as possible.)
6. Invite someone we don't know to church on Christmas Eve.
7. Donate food to the food pantry.
8. Daddy and Anna date (they haven't done this in awhile. we all believe it's important for Reed and Anna to spend one on one time so we're going to make sure that happens this Christmas. her relationship with her dad will determine the kinds of relationships she has with other men in her life so this is a BIGGIE!)
9. Go out for hot chocolate. (simple and easy but it helps us spend time together)
10. Make ornaments together (something we used to do every year but have missed the past year or so- we have fun and everyone gets one!)
11. Decorate Christmas Cookies (we did this with Ashley last year and had a BLAST!)
12. Bake cookies for our fire department (i'll be honest. they will probably NOT be homemade OR they will likely be the same cookies we have decorated. either way, we'll take cookies to the fire department. we love firefighters in this family since my dad was one for most of my life.)
13. Send a Christmas card to a deployed soldier or sailor. (surely, we'll know someone who will be gone this holiday season that would appreciate some Christmas cheer. I already have someone in mind!)
14. Watch our favorite Christmas movie---ELF! (we love this. we don't limit it to Christmas either.)
15. Go to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens.
16. Make a gingerbread house.
17. Look at Christmas lights around town
18. Visit the Coleman's Nursery exhibit in Portsmouth (this is something i did as a girl and something i loved! they moved it from the nursery to downtown Portsmouth in 2004. we've taken anna several times but it's been a few years. last time she went, she cried because many of the exhibits scared her. no joke!)
19. Be a secret Santa to someone and drop a little gift off as a surprise. (this will be a small gift- maybe a $5 starbucks card, a candy bar and an ornament)
20. Read the Christmas Story from the Bible as a family.
21. Help a friend in need.
22. Have a birthday party for the big JESUS!
23. Make another country's traditional Christmas dinner together. (oh, this one should be FUN! maybe we can do Canada since they eat just the same stuff! no, really, if you have a better idea, let me know!)
24. Get a new book and read some of it together.
Because of our hectic schedule, I'm going to have to pick wisely when we'll do each activity. When I get a better idea about our month, I'll add them to a calendar of sorts so that we can mark them off. I'm really excited about it though. And, some of these may change. I'm not sure about that foreign dinner. If someone has a better suggestion, I'm all ears. We also do a candy advent that I made several years ago. You can see some of them here: Stockings I am hoping though that by making our Christmas more purposeful that we don't feel so rushed and frazzled during what is always a hectic time. What are you going to do differently during this holiday season to make it MORE memorable and LESS stressful? It's time to start thinking about it! Dec. 1st will be here before you know it.
Last year, I was really bummed about our Christmas season. (YES! I'm talking about Christmas in October. Get over it!) The house wasn't it's fullest Christmas-y self. I was stressed and grouchy because of it. This year, I am determined to change that. HOW? Well, first, we are going to start decorating on Nov. 2nd. The big tree isn't going up until closer to Thanksgiving but I'm hoping the rest of the house is done by then! WHY? Well, I have bigger things I want to accomplish in December and I always fall in love with my house when it's decorated for Christmas and I could use a house pick me up, if you know what I mean. So, what's the BIGGER things I want to accomplish this December? I have decided that we will do something special EVERY day from Dec. 1st to Dec. 24th to celebrate and I'm pretty excited about that. They will range in variety from doing something fun as a family to doing service projects or just something nice for someone else. I wanted to go ahead and get this out there in blog-land so that you can either make your own plans to celebrate Christmas differently this year or help me with different ideas. Some of mine are a little iffy. Here's the list that I've come up with so far:
1. Family Game Night (hoping this will help us SLOW down during such a busy season so we can spend time with each other)
2. Do something nice for our postal worker (they work EXTRA hard during this season and our postal carrier was working after 6pm the other night...they need a slap on the back for all their hard work!)
3. The Nutcracker (a tradition I plan on keeping with Anna)
4. Take goodies to our church staff (they work EXTRA hard too during this season)
5. Set up for church (our church is multi-site which means that we only go to church together on major holidays and we have to rent out the convention center to have church on Christmas Eve. that means setting it up to look as much like our regular church buildings as possible.)
6. Invite someone we don't know to church on Christmas Eve.
7. Donate food to the food pantry.
8. Daddy and Anna date (they haven't done this in awhile. we all believe it's important for Reed and Anna to spend one on one time so we're going to make sure that happens this Christmas. her relationship with her dad will determine the kinds of relationships she has with other men in her life so this is a BIGGIE!)
9. Go out for hot chocolate. (simple and easy but it helps us spend time together)
10. Make ornaments together (something we used to do every year but have missed the past year or so- we have fun and everyone gets one!)
 |
| These are salt dough ornaments we made several years ago. They still hang on our tree! |
13. Send a Christmas card to a deployed soldier or sailor. (surely, we'll know someone who will be gone this holiday season that would appreciate some Christmas cheer. I already have someone in mind!)
14. Watch our favorite Christmas movie---ELF! (we love this. we don't limit it to Christmas either.)
15. Go to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens.
16. Make a gingerbread house.
17. Look at Christmas lights around town
18. Visit the Coleman's Nursery exhibit in Portsmouth (this is something i did as a girl and something i loved! they moved it from the nursery to downtown Portsmouth in 2004. we've taken anna several times but it's been a few years. last time she went, she cried because many of the exhibits scared her. no joke!)
19. Be a secret Santa to someone and drop a little gift off as a surprise. (this will be a small gift- maybe a $5 starbucks card, a candy bar and an ornament)
20. Read the Christmas Story from the Bible as a family.
21. Help a friend in need.
22. Have a birthday party for the big JESUS!
23. Make another country's traditional Christmas dinner together. (oh, this one should be FUN! maybe we can do Canada since they eat just the same stuff! no, really, if you have a better idea, let me know!)
24. Get a new book and read some of it together.
Because of our hectic schedule, I'm going to have to pick wisely when we'll do each activity. When I get a better idea about our month, I'll add them to a calendar of sorts so that we can mark them off. I'm really excited about it though. And, some of these may change. I'm not sure about that foreign dinner. If someone has a better suggestion, I'm all ears. We also do a candy advent that I made several years ago. You can see some of them here: Stockings I am hoping though that by making our Christmas more purposeful that we don't feel so rushed and frazzled during what is always a hectic time. What are you going to do differently during this holiday season to make it MORE memorable and LESS stressful? It's time to start thinking about it! Dec. 1st will be here before you know it.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Whirl wind couple of weeks!
I was going to blog earlier today while I was at work but I got started on putting up pictures of various events from the past couple of months. Okay, let's be real. I haven't put pictures on Facebook since before April unless it's been from my phone. I'm not sure why or how it happened but I couldn't read any RAW files from my camera. It was stressing me out, for sure! There were some pretty BIG events in those images- events I couldn't get back. So, anyway, I got them all fixed up this past week. As it turns out, I just needed to download something from Canon. YAY.
So, what have we been up to? Pretty big stuff!
We got back a little less than a week ago from the happiest place on Earth. We went for Anna's birthday and we took a friend with us. I used to babysit Riley when she was a baby and she was the PERFECT friend for Anna to have with her!
Prior to that, I spent the week cleaning, packing, doing laundry and I had a few projects up my sleeves for the girls. I made them tie dyed Mickey t-shirts. They were SO cool! So, I thought I'd do a quick tutorial. What you need is a t shirt, sharpie markers in your choice of colors, rubbing alcohol with a high alcohol content (mine is 91% I think), a medicine dropper and a dish that is big enough that the item you're tracing fits inside it but not so big you can't get it in the shirt and a hard book that you don't care about messing up. I used a black yearbook for this because you can't see the sharpie marks.
First print out a shape. We did a Mickey shape for obvious reasons. Put a book in between the layers of the t shirt so that the sharpie doesn't bleed through. Then put dots all around the outside of the shape. I used 3 different colors on each shirt. I did pink, blue and purple on Riley's and it was AWESOME. Anna's (below) is green, purple and blue but hers was a little dark. I wish I'd done blue, green and pink instead.
There shouldn't be much space between the dots of sharpie. AND, be very careful you don't get sharpie anywhere you don't want it! When you're done, you get to do the fun part. I'd seen this on pinterest before in various ways and Anna had made a shirt with circles on it at school last year.
The next step is to insert the bowl or dish in between the shirt layers. You can take out the book once you get it in there. I had see this done with dixie cups but that wouldn't work here because of the size of it. Initially, I used the biggest bowl we had since it was the same shape as the opening of the dixie cup BUT I only had 1 big bowl so I used a baking dish for the second shirt and it worked fine! Use the medicine dropper to drop alcohol onto the sharpie marks and you will see it start to change pretty quickly. It's cool to watch! The bowl/dish is there to catch any alcohol that may drip through. Wait till the shirt is completely dry before moving it or your sharpie may spread to places you don't want it to. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of this because I was moving FAST that day. When they are dry, you can wash in cold and it should be set from that point on.
With Anna and Riley's, I also wanted to personalize them a bit more. I printed out an A and a R onto iron on transfer paper and cut them out. I did a small Mickey on the front of their shirt (in the pocket region) and a larger Mickey on the back. So on the small one, I ironed on their first initial. Then on Anna's, I added "Birthday Girl" under her Mickey on the front and the year went on both of their shirts in the middle of Mickey's head on the back.
This is what the front of Anna's looked like.
We got a lot of complements on them. And, the girls loved them! I think they wore this shirt twice while we were gone.
I've got some more updates to do but it's about the trip and I'm sure it will get lengthy so I'll leave you with this for now! What other ways do you think you could do tie dye t shirts? I'm thinking Christmas trees might be cool!
So, what have we been up to? Pretty big stuff!
We got back a little less than a week ago from the happiest place on Earth. We went for Anna's birthday and we took a friend with us. I used to babysit Riley when she was a baby and she was the PERFECT friend for Anna to have with her!
Prior to that, I spent the week cleaning, packing, doing laundry and I had a few projects up my sleeves for the girls. I made them tie dyed Mickey t-shirts. They were SO cool! So, I thought I'd do a quick tutorial. What you need is a t shirt, sharpie markers in your choice of colors, rubbing alcohol with a high alcohol content (mine is 91% I think), a medicine dropper and a dish that is big enough that the item you're tracing fits inside it but not so big you can't get it in the shirt and a hard book that you don't care about messing up. I used a black yearbook for this because you can't see the sharpie marks.
First print out a shape. We did a Mickey shape for obvious reasons. Put a book in between the layers of the t shirt so that the sharpie doesn't bleed through. Then put dots all around the outside of the shape. I used 3 different colors on each shirt. I did pink, blue and purple on Riley's and it was AWESOME. Anna's (below) is green, purple and blue but hers was a little dark. I wish I'd done blue, green and pink instead.
The next step is to insert the bowl or dish in between the shirt layers. You can take out the book once you get it in there. I had see this done with dixie cups but that wouldn't work here because of the size of it. Initially, I used the biggest bowl we had since it was the same shape as the opening of the dixie cup BUT I only had 1 big bowl so I used a baking dish for the second shirt and it worked fine! Use the medicine dropper to drop alcohol onto the sharpie marks and you will see it start to change pretty quickly. It's cool to watch! The bowl/dish is there to catch any alcohol that may drip through. Wait till the shirt is completely dry before moving it or your sharpie may spread to places you don't want it to. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of this because I was moving FAST that day. When they are dry, you can wash in cold and it should be set from that point on.
With Anna and Riley's, I also wanted to personalize them a bit more. I printed out an A and a R onto iron on transfer paper and cut them out. I did a small Mickey on the front of their shirt (in the pocket region) and a larger Mickey on the back. So on the small one, I ironed on their first initial. Then on Anna's, I added "Birthday Girl" under her Mickey on the front and the year went on both of their shirts in the middle of Mickey's head on the back.
This is what the front of Anna's looked like.
 |
| ...and the back. |
We got a lot of complements on them. And, the girls loved them! I think they wore this shirt twice while we were gone.
I've got some more updates to do but it's about the trip and I'm sure it will get lengthy so I'll leave you with this for now! What other ways do you think you could do tie dye t shirts? I'm thinking Christmas trees might be cool!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Maine
The sign you pass on the way into Maine says "The Way Life Should Be." And, while I don't necessarily agree with that most of the year, I do agree with it for about 3 months: June, September and October. Fall in Maine is perfect. There's a reason people go in the fall to see the leaves. It is simply gorgeous this time of year. The weather is absolutely perfect too. Clear, cool, crisp fall days... nothing beats it!
But, there's a really special place in Maine that I just adored and one day, I'm going to get back up there in the fall. It's called Rocky Ridge Orchard. I swear, if I had money, I'd open an orchard just like this one with a barn large enough to host weddings and receptions. It is BEAUTIFUL. We went several years when Anna was little. Here's a picture of her the last year we were there.
So, here's the deal with this place. It has pick your own apples with cute little Red Rider wagons to carry your crop. They have pumpkins too that aren't self pick but they are the prettiest pumpkins I've ever seen. They have a little deli/country store where they sell sandwiches, homemade cookies, whoopie pies, local ice cream, homemade soaps, and other local Maine fare. There is a BEAUTIFUL barn next door filled with hay and an old fashioned wood swing hung from the rafters. It was the perfect family outing because it was close by- just minutes from the Commissary.
I can't quite find a place like it down here. It's one of the few things that I've found I can't find there...this place and Fat Boys.
It's funny that these are the 2 places I miss the most. Just when the orchard is gearing up, Fat Boys is getting ready to close for the winter. Their open fall days are busy with customers trying to get their fill for the winter. I'm pretty sure we went to the orchard and Fat Boys on the same day at least once. Fat Boys is AMAZING. It's great food, good prices and usually fast service...although even if they are a bit busy and things are a bit slow, you don't tend to care because it's WORTH it. It's been 4 or 5 years since I've eaten there and it's crazy that I still crave their onion rings. I've never had an onion ring like theirs before. Actually, I don't like any other onion rings.
And, did I mention that its absolutely breath taking in the fall? Anna was born in Maine and the tree outside my window was so pretty. It's one of my strongest memories of being there since so much of it was a blur of new mommy-hood.
Stunning, huh? Yeah, it would be nice to be in Maine right about now! Maybe next fall!
But, there's a really special place in Maine that I just adored and one day, I'm going to get back up there in the fall. It's called Rocky Ridge Orchard. I swear, if I had money, I'd open an orchard just like this one with a barn large enough to host weddings and receptions. It is BEAUTIFUL. We went several years when Anna was little. Here's a picture of her the last year we were there.
So, here's the deal with this place. It has pick your own apples with cute little Red Rider wagons to carry your crop. They have pumpkins too that aren't self pick but they are the prettiest pumpkins I've ever seen. They have a little deli/country store where they sell sandwiches, homemade cookies, whoopie pies, local ice cream, homemade soaps, and other local Maine fare. There is a BEAUTIFUL barn next door filled with hay and an old fashioned wood swing hung from the rafters. It was the perfect family outing because it was close by- just minutes from the Commissary.
And, did I mention that its absolutely breath taking in the fall? Anna was born in Maine and the tree outside my window was so pretty. It's one of my strongest memories of being there since so much of it was a blur of new mommy-hood.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
FALL
It's unofficially fall. Yes, I know it's still HOT out here in Virginia. Yes, I know fall isn't officially official till Sept. 22nd, it's my FAVORITE season and so I'm pretty pumped that we have hit September. Here's a list of the things I'm looking forward to THIS year.
*VACATION- Disney World, here we come. We've managed to keep it a secret and we're taking a friend for Anna. BEST. BIRTHDAY. PRESENT. EVER. Especially since we get to enjoy it too. We leave on Sept. 23rd, very early in the morning. Anna's friend also doesn't know where we're going...she also thinks it's TN and has NEVER been. These 2 girls are going to be CRAZY excited. And, I need a vacation. BAD.
*School has begun. I do so love school. Anna has the most amazing teacher. School has become something she loves instead of something she hates. I love having Robin, Amma (Robin's mother) and Robin's girls in our lives. They have been so good for all of us and I'm not just talking about school stuff. And, this year, the kiddos I babysit are in school too. So, I'm basically doing before and after school care. That gives me LOTS more time and after this summer, I need that!
*Jeans, boots, sweaters, sweatshirts. I miss my boots. Like really bad. I can't wait to put them on again. I've already been wearing jeans even though it's still pretty warm most days.
*Cooler evenings. Yep, it's hot during the day but the evenings are cooling off. I miss the crazy way temperature would drop in Maine as soon as September came but for now, I'm glad it's cooler at night. Now, if we could just get the bugs to go away...
*Anna's 11th birthday. WHOA! I don't want my baby to turn 11. Not. At. All. This trip is her present and party but we will have dinner with family and a few friends to celebrate.
*I'm a TOTAL tv junkie. In fact, I was looking up the fall lineup and making a calendar for TV shows just before I started writing this. No joke. I'm looking forward to all my favorites returning, and hoping to get a few new good shows too. I'm especially interested in Elementary which is a different take on Sherlock Holmes...which I do so love.
And, here's my bucket list for the fall:
*Pick apples. This is something we did all the time in Maine. I love doing it but there's just not comparison to the one we went to there. It was this perfect little spot close to home that had pumpkins, pick your own apples, and a quaint little country lunch spot with the best whoopie pies.
*Go to Farmville. I miss Maine a lot in the fall. BUT, I miss Farmville MORE in the fall. I love it. I need to get Anna back up there, eat at Macado's, take some pictures of my Alma Mater's campus (you'll see one of my favorite pictures of Anna there to your right), and just hang. I wish we could go for Octoberfest this year but with a baby shower and vacation so close together, that's not possible since I still work on Saturdays.
*Pick pumpkins at Pumpkinville. This is an annual tradition of ours. The past 2 years, we've taken the girls out of school after lunch and gone pumpkin hunting with them.
*Changing things up at church!!! This is something I'm really excited about! When WEC Newport News opens, we will be moving to that campus. That will change up quite a few things for us! We will go to church in the morning! WHAT!?! Yes, no more night time church for us. And, we will also join a Community Group on Sunday nights so that Reed isn't ducking out of work to make it on time and Anna and I aren't running around trying to get there on time (impossible on snack nights!). This is going to free up some time for us during the week (YES! YES! YES!) and will keep me from running from place to place to place on Tuesday night. I need this so much! And, it's also just time for a little bit of a change. I love my team. I love my church. But, sometimes it helps to make some changes like this to liven it back up again. Did I mention that I can't wait?
*Spend more time enjoying Anna. I hate it when our schedule gets so full that I get cranky. When we go from activity to activity, it wears me OUT. Then, I get cranky and I hate being that way. I love hanging out with Anna and I do miss how much we used to hang out. So, I'm excited about this new schedule so that I can do more with her and be happy about it when we get to do those fun things.
*Fall clean. Yes, most people spring clean but it's so much more pleasant in the fall. I'm so much more motivated when it's not blazing hot outside! We need to have a yard sale AND take a few loads to the Goodwill and the dump.
*Be seen at the Woman's Clinic on base to rule out miscarriage issues. Yes, we are still looking very hard at adoption. I was telling Ashley today that while I am certain God is leading us to adopt, I still can't shake want for an infant of our own. I've been praying HARD about it too and it's just not going anywhere. So, I just want to rule out a few things and then go from there.
What's you're favorite thing about fall? What's on your bucket list?
*VACATION- Disney World, here we come. We've managed to keep it a secret and we're taking a friend for Anna. BEST. BIRTHDAY. PRESENT. EVER. Especially since we get to enjoy it too. We leave on Sept. 23rd, very early in the morning. Anna's friend also doesn't know where we're going...she also thinks it's TN and has NEVER been. These 2 girls are going to be CRAZY excited. And, I need a vacation. BAD.
*School has begun. I do so love school. Anna has the most amazing teacher. School has become something she loves instead of something she hates. I love having Robin, Amma (Robin's mother) and Robin's girls in our lives. They have been so good for all of us and I'm not just talking about school stuff. And, this year, the kiddos I babysit are in school too. So, I'm basically doing before and after school care. That gives me LOTS more time and after this summer, I need that!
*Jeans, boots, sweaters, sweatshirts. I miss my boots. Like really bad. I can't wait to put them on again. I've already been wearing jeans even though it's still pretty warm most days.
*Cooler evenings. Yep, it's hot during the day but the evenings are cooling off. I miss the crazy way temperature would drop in Maine as soon as September came but for now, I'm glad it's cooler at night. Now, if we could just get the bugs to go away...
*Anna's 11th birthday. WHOA! I don't want my baby to turn 11. Not. At. All. This trip is her present and party but we will have dinner with family and a few friends to celebrate.
*I'm a TOTAL tv junkie. In fact, I was looking up the fall lineup and making a calendar for TV shows just before I started writing this. No joke. I'm looking forward to all my favorites returning, and hoping to get a few new good shows too. I'm especially interested in Elementary which is a different take on Sherlock Holmes...which I do so love.
And, here's my bucket list for the fall:
*Pick apples. This is something we did all the time in Maine. I love doing it but there's just not comparison to the one we went to there. It was this perfect little spot close to home that had pumpkins, pick your own apples, and a quaint little country lunch spot with the best whoopie pies.
*Go to Farmville. I miss Maine a lot in the fall. BUT, I miss Farmville MORE in the fall. I love it. I need to get Anna back up there, eat at Macado's, take some pictures of my Alma Mater's campus (you'll see one of my favorite pictures of Anna there to your right), and just hang. I wish we could go for Octoberfest this year but with a baby shower and vacation so close together, that's not possible since I still work on Saturdays.
*Pick pumpkins at Pumpkinville. This is an annual tradition of ours. The past 2 years, we've taken the girls out of school after lunch and gone pumpkin hunting with them.
*Changing things up at church!!! This is something I'm really excited about! When WEC Newport News opens, we will be moving to that campus. That will change up quite a few things for us! We will go to church in the morning! WHAT!?! Yes, no more night time church for us. And, we will also join a Community Group on Sunday nights so that Reed isn't ducking out of work to make it on time and Anna and I aren't running around trying to get there on time (impossible on snack nights!). This is going to free up some time for us during the week (YES! YES! YES!) and will keep me from running from place to place to place on Tuesday night. I need this so much! And, it's also just time for a little bit of a change. I love my team. I love my church. But, sometimes it helps to make some changes like this to liven it back up again. Did I mention that I can't wait?
*Spend more time enjoying Anna. I hate it when our schedule gets so full that I get cranky. When we go from activity to activity, it wears me OUT. Then, I get cranky and I hate being that way. I love hanging out with Anna and I do miss how much we used to hang out. So, I'm excited about this new schedule so that I can do more with her and be happy about it when we get to do those fun things.
*Fall clean. Yes, most people spring clean but it's so much more pleasant in the fall. I'm so much more motivated when it's not blazing hot outside! We need to have a yard sale AND take a few loads to the Goodwill and the dump.
*Be seen at the Woman's Clinic on base to rule out miscarriage issues. Yes, we are still looking very hard at adoption. I was telling Ashley today that while I am certain God is leading us to adopt, I still can't shake want for an infant of our own. I've been praying HARD about it too and it's just not going anywhere. So, I just want to rule out a few things and then go from there.
What's you're favorite thing about fall? What's on your bucket list?
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Odd Life Of Timothy Green
Last week, Anna and I went to the movies. She picked. I wanted to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid. She wanted to see The Odd Life of Timothy Green. I knew the premise of the movie but I wasn't sure exactly how upset it would make me. The opening of scene of the movie had a doctor telling the couple that they can't have kids. The tears start. And, I mean, it's almost to the point where I'm ready to ugly cry. They morn the loss of having kids in the movie. And, then, one night, Timothy Green comes into their lives, but only for a season. After Timothy leaves, they decide that they need to try adoption instead. Again with the tears.
I've said that this past miscarriage has been the hardest. I'm still very sad. I have a hard time singing certain songs in church, walking past the baby section in Target, and seeing pregnant women. Sometimes it just hits me out of now where. And, yet, things have happened that make me more certain than ever that we just need to adopt. Even seeing the movie the other day was like another check mark in the pros/cons list of why to adopt a foster child. People offer up solutions like it could be hormones or a bacteria. And all of that sounds like an easy fix and yet, I just don't think I can do it anymore. I've been so emotionally invested in this for so long and most people don't seem to understand what a struggle like this with infertility is like, how it drains you and makes you feel. To have losses is one thing but loss in combination with infertility is just too much for me to do again.
So where does that leave me? Well, today's sermon hit home BIG TIME. It was about BOLD prayer and so I guess that's where I am. I want to have another child in our home by NEXT summer. That's my bold prayer. I'm trying really hard to see all of these events, yes, even the little ones like Anna wanting to go see a movie about adoption and infertility, as proof that it's God's will that we adopt. In my head, I know that all these things have been adding up to this point--- God has been showing us another way to grow our family---but my heart needs some time to catch up. We've been singing "You Hold Me Now" a lot in church and usually I can't make it through without crying. In my head, I know that if God can conquer death, He can certainly help us adopt some kids who NEED love but my heart wants it needs to catch up. I think it's getting there...slowly. At the end of tonight's sermon, Stu had people stand if they had medical conditions so we could boldly pray for those people. I didn't stand. Reed looked at me like I should and I know that's still what he wants- for me to have a baby the "normal" way but I just don't think that's His will. In fact, I'm almost certain it isn't.
I've said that this past miscarriage has been the hardest. I'm still very sad. I have a hard time singing certain songs in church, walking past the baby section in Target, and seeing pregnant women. Sometimes it just hits me out of now where. And, yet, things have happened that make me more certain than ever that we just need to adopt. Even seeing the movie the other day was like another check mark in the pros/cons list of why to adopt a foster child. People offer up solutions like it could be hormones or a bacteria. And all of that sounds like an easy fix and yet, I just don't think I can do it anymore. I've been so emotionally invested in this for so long and most people don't seem to understand what a struggle like this with infertility is like, how it drains you and makes you feel. To have losses is one thing but loss in combination with infertility is just too much for me to do again.
So where does that leave me? Well, today's sermon hit home BIG TIME. It was about BOLD prayer and so I guess that's where I am. I want to have another child in our home by NEXT summer. That's my bold prayer. I'm trying really hard to see all of these events, yes, even the little ones like Anna wanting to go see a movie about adoption and infertility, as proof that it's God's will that we adopt. In my head, I know that all these things have been adding up to this point--- God has been showing us another way to grow our family---but my heart needs some time to catch up. We've been singing "You Hold Me Now" a lot in church and usually I can't make it through without crying. In my head, I know that if God can conquer death, He can certainly help us adopt some kids who NEED love but my heart wants it needs to catch up. I think it's getting there...slowly. At the end of tonight's sermon, Stu had people stand if they had medical conditions so we could boldly pray for those people. I didn't stand. Reed looked at me like I should and I know that's still what he wants- for me to have a baby the "normal" way but I just don't think that's His will. In fact, I'm almost certain it isn't.
Monday, July 23, 2012
A shout out to my girls!
About 11 years ago, I stumbled onto a website for moms called ePregnancy. On that site, I found message boards that fit a ton of topics but the one that caught my eye was the DUE IN OCTOBER board. Moms from all walks of life were posting there about their pregnancies, the symptoms they were having, the cravings, the baby showers, doctors appointments and so much more. Now, I was in Maine at the time and was fairly alone. Reed worked a lot and all my friends had husbands and/or families. I was attracted to this board because I had other moms who were going through the exact same things that I was going through. And, many of them weren't on their first kids. I lurked for a good long time. I don't think I posted anything about myself, Anna or my pregnancy until close to October. But, through lurking, I slowly got to know these women. I became more confident and once October hit, I started posting more regularly. When someone was gone for a few days, we'd wonder about them and then they'd show up with an amazing birth story and pictures.
Eventually, all our October moms had their babies. Some were actually born in September and others were born in November. Motherhood brought on a whole new set of questions for this new mom. I knew a lot and I was fairly confident about what I was doing as a parent but I surely didn't know everything. These women, since they were so readily available were often the first people I'd go to when I had a question. "Should I feed her an extra ounce?" "How much medicine should I give her?" [back in the day, you could give babies medicine] "What does a yeast-y diaper rash look like?" You know...all the first time mom questions. Quickly, these ladies became my friends. It wasn't long before we were chatting about other things- work, kids other than October babies, school, our homes.
Would you believe it if I told you that over 10 years later we still communicate? Yes! It's so amazing! A bigger company bought ePregnancy and over time the changes that were made just didn't fit our group. Plus, we had gotten so close as a group, we actually didn't want to let anyone else in. That's how personal some of the things we shared were. So, we decided to start our own private board which we kept active for a few years. Over time, as our lives got busier, we were on the boards less and less. Eventually, we moved to a closed Facebook group and while it doesn't have quite the charm as our old message boards, it works and it's free.
Over the years, we've lost some people. Many of them are in our Facebook group though so that's nice. I'm not friends with all of them, and that's fine too. I still kind of get to see their kids grow up in Facebook profile pictures. I've met a few of them in person too!
I met Corrie, whose daughter's name is also Anna, when they were just over a year old. Corrie's husband is in the Navy so we had that instant connection on top of us both having Annas. They were stationed here at the time and are now in San Diego so the last time I was in San Diego, I got to have dinner with her, Anna and her son, Brody.
Then, I met Karol, mom to Isabella. She lives outside of Richmond and we met shortly after I'd met Corrie. We've met up several other times since then too, usually to shop because that's what we do best beside gab. I usually leave with ache-y stomach muscles because she makes me laugh so hard! She's a blast to be with! Summer before last, she called me to tell me her husband was playing in Williamsburg so Anna and I went up to see them. Anna and Isabella got along famously!
I met Jessica when she actually came here for Anna's 5th birthday party. Yes, she drove here with her two kids, Richie and Emily, and stayed in my home. We had never met face to face but had talked on the phone a lot. It was a horrible trip for her. Emily got hurt and was in the E.R. and she got into an accident herself just before Anna's party. At the time, she was also married to a Navy man so we've seen each other a few times when he was up here for work stuff. After they got divorced, I wasn't sure that I would see her again but then she became the area manager for Green Beans Coffee and one of her stores is HERE. So, we've been in contact again recently and just had dinner together a few weeks ago when she was up on business. She's awesome and it's so easy to just be with her and it always has been.
I also met Steph and Heather when Anna was 6. We went to Reno to visit Reed's family and also decided to go stay in Salinas with his grandma. Well, Steph and Heather live on the way there so we stopped for dinner and to hang out and just ended up staying the night instead. Steph and I have been through an amazing amount of "stuff" together--- tough life stuff. I love her! She's a single mom (but wasn't when we started this journey 10+ years ago) and has 2 amazing girls. Haleigh is Anna's age and is such a bright girl! Abby is on the Autistic Spectrum and struggles with so many other issues. Steph and I have spent countless hours on the phone together...talking about her ex, talking about Abby and her issues, talking about Reed, and decorating her house (those were fun!). And Heather has 3 girls although at the time we met, she only had Gabby and Lucy. I remember when we first on the boards and I got this crazy private message from a girl I barely knew about pumping breast milk. You see, that was my oh so brilliant plan with Anna and it worked for awhile. But, for Heather, it was a necessity. Gabby was born with Downs Syndrome which was a big surprise for Heather since none of her tests suggested that. So, it was an HONOR for me to tell Heather all that I knew about pumping breast milk. We grew to LOVE Gabby. She was extra special to us. Then Heather had Lucy and called me so that I could update the other ladies...again it was a honor! Now, Heather has Eve too. They are a super neat family and it's been so cool to watch Heather do everything in her power to help Gabby.
Many of them have met too! A few years ago, they planned a huge trip to Boston. I'm not even sure how many of them were there. I almost went too but I had been taking a break from the boards (they could kind of be a time suck like Facebook is now) and didn't find out about it in time. And, I've talked to several on the phone: Becca, Kelly, Robin, Jill, Kate and Mindy. Many of them were there for me even at my lowest times!
And there are others! LOTS of them! Mindy has THE best success story of anyone I know. I just get happy when I read about how awesome her life is right now. I have a serious soft spot for my Australian friend, Kate! Her Marty is the only kid I know with bigger eyes than Anna! Nikki and I couldn't be more different but we respect each other so much! Monica is a mom who has it all and does it all. She has the perfect balance of time with her kids and time with her husband and time for herself. I love that about her! Virginia is so sweet and always offers to pray for all of us. Carolyn is the same way and is probably the best truly single mom I know. Becca has opened her home to foster children and has adopted 5 of them. Her family of 5 grew to a family of 10 in a few short years and they now have a mini-farm on top of it! OH and she homeschools her kids so I'm kind of in awe of her. Then there's Laurie who used to be my late night partner in crime. She's so amazing she collected all of our recipes and put them into bound books so that we could each have one and then mailed them all to us!
I could type/talk all night about these amazing ladies that have been in my life for over 10 years. Many of us are in different relationships now. Some have moved even if it was just down the road. All of us are different from when our children were babies. But I honestly hope that I have some sort of connection with them forever. Too much has passed by for me to be ok with not seeing these kids grow up. We rejoice in each other success (and our children's successes) and we are there for each other when the bad stuff in life happens. And I would hope that even if some of the ladies I don't keep in touch with as much were ever passing through town and needed something that they'd know they could Facebook me and I'd do whatever I could to help them. Collectively, they have shaped who I've become as a mom, wife and even friend. I love these ladies!
Eventually, all our October moms had their babies. Some were actually born in September and others were born in November. Motherhood brought on a whole new set of questions for this new mom. I knew a lot and I was fairly confident about what I was doing as a parent but I surely didn't know everything. These women, since they were so readily available were often the first people I'd go to when I had a question. "Should I feed her an extra ounce?" "How much medicine should I give her?" [back in the day, you could give babies medicine] "What does a yeast-y diaper rash look like?" You know...all the first time mom questions. Quickly, these ladies became my friends. It wasn't long before we were chatting about other things- work, kids other than October babies, school, our homes.
Would you believe it if I told you that over 10 years later we still communicate? Yes! It's so amazing! A bigger company bought ePregnancy and over time the changes that were made just didn't fit our group. Plus, we had gotten so close as a group, we actually didn't want to let anyone else in. That's how personal some of the things we shared were. So, we decided to start our own private board which we kept active for a few years. Over time, as our lives got busier, we were on the boards less and less. Eventually, we moved to a closed Facebook group and while it doesn't have quite the charm as our old message boards, it works and it's free.
Over the years, we've lost some people. Many of them are in our Facebook group though so that's nice. I'm not friends with all of them, and that's fine too. I still kind of get to see their kids grow up in Facebook profile pictures. I've met a few of them in person too!
I met Corrie, whose daughter's name is also Anna, when they were just over a year old. Corrie's husband is in the Navy so we had that instant connection on top of us both having Annas. They were stationed here at the time and are now in San Diego so the last time I was in San Diego, I got to have dinner with her, Anna and her son, Brody.
Then, I met Karol, mom to Isabella. She lives outside of Richmond and we met shortly after I'd met Corrie. We've met up several other times since then too, usually to shop because that's what we do best beside gab. I usually leave with ache-y stomach muscles because she makes me laugh so hard! She's a blast to be with! Summer before last, she called me to tell me her husband was playing in Williamsburg so Anna and I went up to see them. Anna and Isabella got along famously!
I met Jessica when she actually came here for Anna's 5th birthday party. Yes, she drove here with her two kids, Richie and Emily, and stayed in my home. We had never met face to face but had talked on the phone a lot. It was a horrible trip for her. Emily got hurt and was in the E.R. and she got into an accident herself just before Anna's party. At the time, she was also married to a Navy man so we've seen each other a few times when he was up here for work stuff. After they got divorced, I wasn't sure that I would see her again but then she became the area manager for Green Beans Coffee and one of her stores is HERE. So, we've been in contact again recently and just had dinner together a few weeks ago when she was up on business. She's awesome and it's so easy to just be with her and it always has been.
I also met Steph and Heather when Anna was 6. We went to Reno to visit Reed's family and also decided to go stay in Salinas with his grandma. Well, Steph and Heather live on the way there so we stopped for dinner and to hang out and just ended up staying the night instead. Steph and I have been through an amazing amount of "stuff" together--- tough life stuff. I love her! She's a single mom (but wasn't when we started this journey 10+ years ago) and has 2 amazing girls. Haleigh is Anna's age and is such a bright girl! Abby is on the Autistic Spectrum and struggles with so many other issues. Steph and I have spent countless hours on the phone together...talking about her ex, talking about Abby and her issues, talking about Reed, and decorating her house (those were fun!). And Heather has 3 girls although at the time we met, she only had Gabby and Lucy. I remember when we first on the boards and I got this crazy private message from a girl I barely knew about pumping breast milk. You see, that was my oh so brilliant plan with Anna and it worked for awhile. But, for Heather, it was a necessity. Gabby was born with Downs Syndrome which was a big surprise for Heather since none of her tests suggested that. So, it was an HONOR for me to tell Heather all that I knew about pumping breast milk. We grew to LOVE Gabby. She was extra special to us. Then Heather had Lucy and called me so that I could update the other ladies...again it was a honor! Now, Heather has Eve too. They are a super neat family and it's been so cool to watch Heather do everything in her power to help Gabby.
Many of them have met too! A few years ago, they planned a huge trip to Boston. I'm not even sure how many of them were there. I almost went too but I had been taking a break from the boards (they could kind of be a time suck like Facebook is now) and didn't find out about it in time. And, I've talked to several on the phone: Becca, Kelly, Robin, Jill, Kate and Mindy. Many of them were there for me even at my lowest times!
And there are others! LOTS of them! Mindy has THE best success story of anyone I know. I just get happy when I read about how awesome her life is right now. I have a serious soft spot for my Australian friend, Kate! Her Marty is the only kid I know with bigger eyes than Anna! Nikki and I couldn't be more different but we respect each other so much! Monica is a mom who has it all and does it all. She has the perfect balance of time with her kids and time with her husband and time for herself. I love that about her! Virginia is so sweet and always offers to pray for all of us. Carolyn is the same way and is probably the best truly single mom I know. Becca has opened her home to foster children and has adopted 5 of them. Her family of 5 grew to a family of 10 in a few short years and they now have a mini-farm on top of it! OH and she homeschools her kids so I'm kind of in awe of her. Then there's Laurie who used to be my late night partner in crime. She's so amazing she collected all of our recipes and put them into bound books so that we could each have one and then mailed them all to us!
I could type/talk all night about these amazing ladies that have been in my life for over 10 years. Many of us are in different relationships now. Some have moved even if it was just down the road. All of us are different from when our children were babies. But I honestly hope that I have some sort of connection with them forever. Too much has passed by for me to be ok with not seeing these kids grow up. We rejoice in each other success (and our children's successes) and we are there for each other when the bad stuff in life happens. And I would hope that even if some of the ladies I don't keep in touch with as much were ever passing through town and needed something that they'd know they could Facebook me and I'd do whatever I could to help them. Collectively, they have shaped who I've become as a mom, wife and even friend. I love these ladies!
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