Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

Yesterday we had a super busy day planned. Doctor appointment at 9, meeting a friend at the mall at 10 to shop for family picture clothes, meeting 2 people at 12:45 to pick up items I was buying, and squeezing in sometime a trip to Target. We are also having VBS at church this week in the evening.

So, I get everyone up and ready and am about to head out the door at 8:40 only to find that I have no car keys! Yep, searched everywhere and no keys. Ugh! I called Matt, and he had to leave work to bring me a key to my car. Then I realized I had left them on the nursery desk at church.

Normally I would have just said, okay, we aren’t going anywhere today, but I really needed to do these things. M has a recurring rash that I’m trying to figure out. Family pictures are Friday! I had made arrangements with the two ladies. We had to have wipes, bread (I didn’t have time to make any), and laundry detergent!

Matt got here, and we immediately set out. Now, I don’t usually plan more than a couple of stops in a day because the kids get tired and whiny. And I do, too. But yesterday they were real troopers!

The doc didn’t know anymore about the rash than I already knew, so I’m trying a medicine recommended by a friend and hoping for the best.

I found clothes for pictures! I bought dresses for the girls several weeks ago but needed things for the rest of us. I found shirts for Matt and J and a complete outfit for me. Never happens that easily!

And my wonderful friend, Liz…she spent all morning with us at the mall helping me find things that coordinated and wrangling my gang (as well as her son) while I tried on clothes. And then, she went to Target for me! She was going anyway, so she picked up my things so I wouldn’t have to get the kids in and out again. She’s amazing!

We made it home about 1:30 tired, hungry, and with Chick-Fil-A in hand.

And today? We’re not leaving the house!

My wonderful SIL Lu has tagged me for a meme. The rules are really easy: write six things that make you really happy and tag six people.

1. Sweet baby giggles. There’s nothing like hearing my two year old or my eight month old laugh, I mean the big, belly laughs. They make me smile.

2. Great friends (and neighbors). I feel so blessed that God led us to a neighborhood with such great neighbors. My best friend lives two doors down. We have a ton in common and enjoy hanging out all the time (literally, we see each other almost every day); we also do things together as families since our hubbies get along great, too. Then I have my other good SAHM friends, and my best friend that I had to leave behind in Knoxville. I’m quite blessed in this realm.

3. Clean sheets. I love climbing into a bed made with sheets fresh from the dryer. The feel of clean sheets on my skin and the smell of dryer sheets on my pillowcase are delightful.

4. A really good book. Give me a well-written book with a great story and I could read for days on end. Books that meet my “great book” criteria aren’t all that common, but when I find one I relish it.

5. My family. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and two great kiddos. My life would not be complete without them. Sometimes the kids make me want to pull my hair out, but they bring great joy to my life.

6. Christmas trees. I love Christmas. And my favorite of all Christmas decorations are Christmas trees. I own three (we only have one up this year because of the little man) and would keep them up year round if Matt would let me. I love the ambiance they add to the house, the beauty of the lighted branches, and the way the ornaments look. Just can’t get enough of them!

I’m not going to tag anyone, but if there is anyone still reading after my unintentional blogging sabbatical I would love for you to play along!

My good friend L and I get together several times a week to walk, chit-chat, and let our kiddos play.  Her son D is about four months older than Little, so they either play well together or fight like cats and dogs.  They always ask to see each other when they are apart for several days, so at least we know that they really do like each other.

The last couple of days, D has been at our house in the morning while L attended appointments and meetings.  When he and Little are together you can never be certain what imaginative play might take place.  A scene from my house Monday morning…

The kids come into the living room talking about putting their shoes on so they can go to the park.  D grabs his sandals and Little gets her dressier brown shoes.  Amazingly, all four shoes get on the correct feet.

Once shoes are on feet they begin to “get their stuff together.”  D gets the doll stroller and says, “Let’s go to the park.  Gotta ride stroller first.” and off they go to the “park” (Little’s bedroom).

They play contentedly for a few minutes.  As I walk down the hallway I peek into her room and see them sitting in the floor with all of Little’s picnic basket paraphernalia spread out around them.  They are happily “eating their lunch” and talking amongst themselves.

There are moments like these when I just stop in amazement at the little girl that my baby is becoming.

And in other news…right now the Little Tyke’s mailbox is an oven.  Wish my appliances morphed like that.

There are a variety of characteristics that cause one to classify another as their “good friend.”  It may be that she is the one you can talk to about anything and everything.  Maybe she is the one you’ve known most of your life and is as close as, or closer than, family.  She could be the one you would turn to in an emergency.  It could be that she is the one that you call first to share the heights of your joy or the depths of your sorrow.  Or maybe she is the one you can call at a moments notice to watch your children for the ten minutes that it takes to run to the drugstore for diapers.

Yeah, that definitely qualifies as a good friend.  And I am thankful everyday that God has placed her in my life.

This weekend a group of 13 ladies (including me) were able to get away from everyday life and take a little retreat. It was a weekend filled with girlie activities, girlie food, girlie conversation, and staying up way past my bedtime.

We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in a lake house owned by the parents of one of the ladies. I wish I had pictures to share of this beautiful house, because my words will not do it justice. You entered into the main level of the house which included a living room, dining room, kitchen, and powder room. The floor throughout the area was gorgeous tile, a huge gas fireplace with stone hearth and chimney anchored the living area, and the kitchen was filled with granite, tile, and stainless. Upstairs to the right were 2 bedrooms and a full bath; upstairs to the left was a “grandkids bunkroom” with 4 sets of bunkbeds, a full bath, bookshelves, toy boxes, a game closet with about 150 board games, and lots of room to play. The downstairs (3 stories total) had a nice big television viewing area, a pool table, an air hockey table, and a theater room with a 400 disc DVD changer. Other amenities included beautiful views from the back deck, a hot tub, and lake access (though it was a bit chilly to be on the water this weekend). And one of the neatest things about the house was the scripture used throughout the decor; there were scripture tiles in the floor inside the front and back doors, scripture in the wall decorations, and scripture on knick-knacks all over the house. It was truly an amazing house and such a blessing that we were able to stay there.

We spent the weekend watching movies, gabbing as only a group of ladies can, and eating delicious food. On Saturday my friend Lindsey set up a “salon” area downstairs and did haircuts for several of us and practiced wedding hair with our soon-to-be-bride. A group of us stayed down there pretty much all day watching TLC (What Not to Wear and Miss America Reality Check), watching others get their hair done, and making bead crafts (the lady of the house makes bead jewelry and has a bead collection so big it overwhelmed me just to look at the boxes); others stayed upstairs and worked on scrapbooking; and still others just enjoyed good company. That evening about 10 of us piled into the theater room to watch the Miss America Pageant on the projection t.v. It was such fun to watch the pageant with other women – we talked about the contestants, we critiqued, and we laughed hysterically at the lipstick all over Miss America’s face when she was crowned.

It was so wonderful to have a weekend like this where we had no agenda, no plan, and no commitments. We were free to spend time together, spend time alone, and spend time with God. I am grateful to Matt that he was willing to stay home alone with Little and allow me to go. It was refreshing and relaxing; and even though I came back tired from the late nights, there is a feeling you have after a time like this that transcends the tiredness.

Sometimes it is good to have a break. And as Lindsey told her husband, “it was so girlie it would have made you gag.”

This week has flown by me, thus the lack of posts all.week.long.

We had a wonderful weekend last weekend with our friends from Knoxville. We didn’t do anything very exciting (ate, shopped, talked), but it was great to spend time with them. Matt introduced their 5 year old to the Wii and the joys of Wii bowling. We had a lot of fun Saturday afternoon and evening playing games and competing against each other.

The only un-fun part of the weekend was a hand-foot-and-mouth disease scare. Little woke up Saturday morning with small red bumps all over the backs of her hands and tops of her feet and swelling in her hands. A call to the after-hours nurse produced an over-the-phone diagnosis of HFMD, but I began to doubt that was the problem when we got home and did a bit more research in some of the medical databases we have access to. Turns out it was just an allergic reaction and had cleared up totally by Sunday morning. Our best guess is that she was reacting to the laundry detergent that our friends use on their son’s blankies.

Monday was a holiday for Matt, so we enjoyed some family time and celebrated MLK day with a trip to Home Depot, lunch at Olive Garden, and some grocery shopping. Tuesday and Thursday didn’t see that much activity, but my blogging time was directed to other tasks. Tuesday was spent catching up on my Bible Study before class on Wednesday, and Thursday’s time was spent cleaning and napping.

The other news of the week came to my attention on Wednesday, and I spent the afternoon talking to my mom and my aunt, giving Little a few extra hugs, and thanking God for her health. My cousin’s son, who is 4 years old, was diagnosed with a cancerous mass on his adrenal gland. He has been in the hospital since Sunday, and today he underwent a procedure to put in a permanent IV port. He will begin his first round of chemotherapy this evening; it is possible that he could be in the hospital for 4 months, but right now it looks more like he will be able to go home sometimes between rounds of chemo (total treatment time looks like it will be 6 to 12 months). We are grateful that he is close to a wonderful children’s hospital, that it was caught quickly, and that he is expected to make a full recovery. Your prayers for him and his family would be greatly appreciated.

Which brings us to today. Today I have been preparing for a ladies’ getaway that I’m going on this weekend with several friends. This will be the first time I’ve been away from Little overnight, so I’m feeling just a tiny bit anxious, but I know she and Matt will be just fine here by themselves. And I’m really excited about spending a couple of days with girlfriends.!

And that, friends, is the excitement for this week. Maybe next week I’ll be around a bit more. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I don’t have a long post in me today because I’m just too excited.  Our good friends Jason and Nicole and their two kiddos are coming for a visit this weekend!  It has been a year since we last saw them.  I’m sure it will be a few days of late nights, lots of laughs, and good times catching up.

Happy weekend to you all!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend time with three of my girlfriends. Time with friends is one of the good things in life.

Little and I started the day with a trip to the mall and a play-date with Lindsey and her son and Michelle and her daughters. It was fun to sit and chat while the children played on the playground. Lindsey and Michelle were meeting for the first time, but we were all able to talk easily and had a good time.

Lindsey and I then continued our talk as we did some walking in the mall.
Exercising is much more enjoyable when you have a friend along for company and distraction!

After Little and I came home she went down for a nap and my friend Diane stopped by to visit for a while. We enjoyed coffee and conversation while the house was quiet. It was so nice to have a couple of hours to spend together without the children underfoot. We had a chance to talk over and through many things we’ve had on our minds, to laugh together, and to encourage each other.

Friendship is definitely a blessing, and I was blessed yesterday by the time I spent with each of these ladies.

Okay, I haven’t done so well at posting one thing I’m thankful for every day this month.   Oh well, I have tried to conciously take time each day to thank God for at least one thing.

Here we are a couple of days prior to Thanksgiving and I have a few pretty significant things to post about for which I’m thankful.  Today I’ll tackle some of them in list form and I’ll have a separate post tomorrow, then I’ll be absent for a few days as we celebrate Thanksgiving with family (you would have never known if I hadn’t said something, it’s not like I’m here all that often these days:-)).

1.  I’m thankful that I took the opportunity to participate in a Bible Study Fellowship class this year; I’ve talked about joining a BSF study a few times the last couple of years, and finally made the commitment back in September.  We are studying the book of Matthew, and I have been blessed by the lectures, the group discussions, and most of all by the time I have spent in the Word of God.  I am thankful for the leaders who give so much time to make the study what it is.  I am thankful for the other women who participate (especially my group) and speak life and truth into each other’s lives.  I am thankful that God is using this study in my life and the lives of so many women across the globe to draw us into deeper relationship with him.

2.  I am thankful that we will be able to spend time with Matt’s family this Thanksgiving; his parents, sister, and brother live about 10 hours from us, so we don’t see them as often as we would like.  I’m sorry that we won’t get to spend time with my sister-in-law and her family; they will be missed.  However, I’m thankful that the reason we won’t see them is because she is about 4 weeks from delivering a brand new, healthy, adorable nephew for us.

3.  I am thankful for good friends.  Over the last several years Matt and I have lived in cities where we are not near family, and our friends have become like family.  I am thankful for my friend Nicole who I left behind in East Tennessee, but who I still talk to regularly and see when we have the chance.  I had a very tough time when we first moved about 2.5 years ago, so I am thankful for my friends in our current city who have made living here a great experience.  I am thankful for the chance I had to eat lunch with my friend Diane last week.  I am thankful for the time I was able to spend with several of my girlfriends on Sunday.  I am thankful for the way our lives touch, the way we interact, and the way God has blessed my life with such wonderful women.

4. I am thankful for the precious Baby Boo who is growing and developing inside of me.  I am thankful that we had a good ultrasound yesterday and that Boo is happy and healthy in there.  I am thankful that God has chosen to gift our family with a precious baby boy this time around.  And on that note, here is a picture of mommy and Boo at 18.5 weeks (and yes, those would be short-sleeves and shorts I’m wearing today):