Thursday, June 28, 2012
Summer Time :)
I can't believe July is almost here. I just realized winter was over a few weeks ago...or at least it seems like it. Last night I was at water aerobics at our pool and one of the ladies told us that we might have 3 more months for the pool to be open. Isn't that crazy? Only in Tennessee (and a few other states, haha), would the pool stay open until mid-September. The weather was unusually nice through mid-June, which meant it was too cool to go to the pool. Now that it is 101 degrees outside, it's perfect weather for the pool. Hopefully we will go more often now, if only my eczema would cooperate!
The summer has been full of craziness it seems. What summer isn't? We made our annual trip home to Indiana in May. We've been to a number of splash pads around town. Each time we go, Hannah seems to become more brave! Yippee! The same goes for the pool. She'll "swim" in the baby pool by pushing her body up and kicking her legs/crawling around in there. When we grab and throw her in the big pool, she kicks her legs and moves her arms like a wild woman. It's great. I think she's finally getting comfortable with the water. This girl was born to swim! Well, at least she was born in water. Haha.
We are thoroughly enjoying the fruit and veggies of the summer! Our CSA is up and running, and so is our neighbor's patch of garden. It seems that our neighbors are giving us fresh produce weekly. So far we have received berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), potatoes, squash, and we refused some cucumbers last weekend. We have our full share of cucumbers! I am planning on making a cucumber & tomato salad tonight. Oh Romanian, those are your only salads. Actually, I think our entire dinner will be veggies tonight. I have also been overwhelmed with potatoes. Anyone have any good potato recipes or creative ways to use up potatoes? I already had a ton of them and a friend gave me half of her bag of potatoes because they are going out of town. What shall I do!?
Last weekend was our 2nd annual block party cookout. Last year, we invited all of our neighbors who we could see from our house. It was way more of a success than we thought it would be. God definitely blessed our meager efforts to bring community to those surrounding us. We were amazed that the neighbors to our right, who have lived here since the 60s, and those to our left, who have lived here for 12 years, had never met. This year, not as many folks came, but those who did seemed to really enjoy it. It seemed like everyone was more comfortable with each other, even just having interacted a couple times. I have learned that even if I say, "please bring a side" I really need to specify a SIDE and not a dessert! We provided all the burgers/dogs/buns/drinks, etc and just asked people to bring a side. We had one family bring 3 sides (thankfully!) and everyone else brought dessert or fruit. I decided not to worry about it this year, since it worked out pretty well last year. I guess they will learn, if one year all we have is dessert and no sides :)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Hannah's 2nd Birthday Dinner
Since Paul was originally supposed to be out of town, we had planned a birthday dinner with a couple of her friends, as well as some adults that enjoy spending time with the little one. We had a farm-themed (Word World) cupcakes - pig, sheep, and duck! She LOVED them. It was super cute. After dinner (her request was hot dogs), we played outside with chalk and bubbles!!!! What a sweet girl!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Visit from Paw Paw
At the end of March my dad and Donna came down for a visit. We played at the park, took a few walks, and enjoyed their company. Here are some photos :)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Portland, OR
Last night Hannah and I returned from our trip to Portland, OR to visit our dear friends, the Manns. Today has been filled with laundry and survival mode with a serious lack of sleep to start the day.
But, before it gets too far from the actual trip, I thought I should post about it. Hannah did very well on the planes. Thank the Lord! Between reading books, opening "new" toys, coloring, listening to music, and playing with the ipad, as well as pretending to go to sleep, the trip went fairly quickly....ahem. We were both VERY THANKFUL to get off the airplane and stand up! Prior to going on the trip, I drew up some simple airplanes and wrote numbers on them. Each day, for 11 days, she took one down every morning. Gotta love the little teaching opportunities you can create for them! We reviewed numbers every day! The night before we left, she was too excited to sleep. Paul was at an engineers' banquet that night, and I attempted to put her down a whole 30 minutes early. Let's just say it didn't work. We woke her up at 4:45am on the day of departure and hit the road, hard boiled eggs and snacks in hand.
Yada yada yada, we arrived in Portland at 11:30am, Pacific Time. That is certainly nap time around here, especially considering someone woke up 3 hours early to get on a plane. Oh and did I mention, she was excited? The Manns live about 35 minutes from the airport. I'd say Hannah lasted about 20 minutes before falling asleep. And well, that was her nap for the day.
Our first full day, we went to the coast. Did you know Portland is 2 hours from the coast? Crazy. I would never have guessed it was that far, but sure indeed, it is! On the way is a cheese factory that has an observation deck, which allows you to watch them package the cheese. The kiddos loved it. Afterward, we went downstairs to their little shop and got free samples (I bought some of their black pepper white cheddar cheese). Then, to complete the cheese factory experience, we got ice cream. Go figure. Whenever Paul isn't around, Hannah and I get ice cream. Seems appropriate.
Next, we were off to the coast! We weren't actually at the coast very long, but the drive there was spectacular! This was my favorite day, by far. The kiddos amazingly held up pretty well, even though we were in the car for 4-5 hours total.
On Friday, we went to the zoo and then Laura dropped me off at the Keen store so I could try on some shoes... I know, fun. I've been on a search for shoes that are comfortable enough to fit my ginormously wide feet in...any suggestions are welcome :) After we got the kiddos down for naps, Laura let me get out and explore on my own. I went to a nearby shopping area, purused a kitchen store, talked on the phone with Paul, went to Peet's Coffee Shop, and wandered into Anthropologie (per recommendation of Tara Ferrell). Then, I proceeded to get rained on as I tried to find my way back to the car :) Fridays are pizza night at their house, so I brought gluten free dough ingredients and made taco pizza, while they made pepperoni & pineapple/ham pizza. What a fun tradition! We got lots of good time to fellowship that evening!
They just bought a house and Dave went to work over there on Saturday. Laura and I ran to a few places around town. We went and checked out this huge fabric store, and then she dropped me off in another part of town to do a little shopping. She was so gracious and kept the kids entertained in the car while I had a few minutes to myself. That afternoon, I let Laura go run some errands of her own. :)
On Sunday, I got to go check out their church. I liked it! It is a ton smaller than Cornerstone, but I like that. Everyone knows each other! It was encouraging to worship God with believers in a different church, in a city I have never been to before.
The last day was spent just hanging out talking to the Manns about lots of good things. They are so easy to fellowship with and have significant conversations with! I just wish my hubby had been there to enjoy the conversations too! Dave & Laura went out on a date for dinner that night and then Laura & I went out for chocolate afterwards. Yummm chocolate :)
Monday came and Hannah and I jumped back on a plane :( Back to reality, but also back to a wonderful husband and daddy! We are glad to be home, although I would say it was a bit difficult to get out of bed this morning, and a bit difficult to get Hannah to nap this afternoon. Hopefully we'll be back on schedule soon!
On another note, the kids had a blast playing together. Eadie Cate is 4, Levi is 2 1/2, and June is 10 months. Mostly, Hannah played with the oldest two. I think Eadie Cate and Hannah both enjoyed having another girl around, and well, they are all just so silly. I loved watching Hannah have constant playmates. She also seemed to go forward leaps and bounds in a few areas of independence while we were there because the other big kids were doing certain things (like eating a sandwich not cut up or getting up on her chair all by herself). Ohhhhhh boy. I'm trying to encourage her to be humble enough to accept help from me at times. :)
But, before it gets too far from the actual trip, I thought I should post about it. Hannah did very well on the planes. Thank the Lord! Between reading books, opening "new" toys, coloring, listening to music, and playing with the ipad, as well as pretending to go to sleep, the trip went fairly quickly....ahem. We were both VERY THANKFUL to get off the airplane and stand up! Prior to going on the trip, I drew up some simple airplanes and wrote numbers on them. Each day, for 11 days, she took one down every morning. Gotta love the little teaching opportunities you can create for them! We reviewed numbers every day! The night before we left, she was too excited to sleep. Paul was at an engineers' banquet that night, and I attempted to put her down a whole 30 minutes early. Let's just say it didn't work. We woke her up at 4:45am on the day of departure and hit the road, hard boiled eggs and snacks in hand.
Yada yada yada, we arrived in Portland at 11:30am, Pacific Time. That is certainly nap time around here, especially considering someone woke up 3 hours early to get on a plane. Oh and did I mention, she was excited? The Manns live about 35 minutes from the airport. I'd say Hannah lasted about 20 minutes before falling asleep. And well, that was her nap for the day.
Our first full day, we went to the coast. Did you know Portland is 2 hours from the coast? Crazy. I would never have guessed it was that far, but sure indeed, it is! On the way is a cheese factory that has an observation deck, which allows you to watch them package the cheese. The kiddos loved it. Afterward, we went downstairs to their little shop and got free samples (I bought some of their black pepper white cheddar cheese). Then, to complete the cheese factory experience, we got ice cream. Go figure. Whenever Paul isn't around, Hannah and I get ice cream. Seems appropriate.
Next, we were off to the coast! We weren't actually at the coast very long, but the drive there was spectacular! This was my favorite day, by far. The kiddos amazingly held up pretty well, even though we were in the car for 4-5 hours total.
On Friday, we went to the zoo and then Laura dropped me off at the Keen store so I could try on some shoes... I know, fun. I've been on a search for shoes that are comfortable enough to fit my ginormously wide feet in...any suggestions are welcome :) After we got the kiddos down for naps, Laura let me get out and explore on my own. I went to a nearby shopping area, purused a kitchen store, talked on the phone with Paul, went to Peet's Coffee Shop, and wandered into Anthropologie (per recommendation of Tara Ferrell). Then, I proceeded to get rained on as I tried to find my way back to the car :) Fridays are pizza night at their house, so I brought gluten free dough ingredients and made taco pizza, while they made pepperoni & pineapple/ham pizza. What a fun tradition! We got lots of good time to fellowship that evening!
They just bought a house and Dave went to work over there on Saturday. Laura and I ran to a few places around town. We went and checked out this huge fabric store, and then she dropped me off in another part of town to do a little shopping. She was so gracious and kept the kids entertained in the car while I had a few minutes to myself. That afternoon, I let Laura go run some errands of her own. :)
On Sunday, I got to go check out their church. I liked it! It is a ton smaller than Cornerstone, but I like that. Everyone knows each other! It was encouraging to worship God with believers in a different church, in a city I have never been to before.
The last day was spent just hanging out talking to the Manns about lots of good things. They are so easy to fellowship with and have significant conversations with! I just wish my hubby had been there to enjoy the conversations too! Dave & Laura went out on a date for dinner that night and then Laura & I went out for chocolate afterwards. Yummm chocolate :)
Monday came and Hannah and I jumped back on a plane :( Back to reality, but also back to a wonderful husband and daddy! We are glad to be home, although I would say it was a bit difficult to get out of bed this morning, and a bit difficult to get Hannah to nap this afternoon. Hopefully we'll be back on schedule soon!
On another note, the kids had a blast playing together. Eadie Cate is 4, Levi is 2 1/2, and June is 10 months. Mostly, Hannah played with the oldest two. I think Eadie Cate and Hannah both enjoyed having another girl around, and well, they are all just so silly. I loved watching Hannah have constant playmates. She also seemed to go forward leaps and bounds in a few areas of independence while we were there because the other big kids were doing certain things (like eating a sandwich not cut up or getting up on her chair all by herself). Ohhhhhh boy. I'm trying to encourage her to be humble enough to accept help from me at times. :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Past Month :)
It has been quite the busy month around here. It seems like we have been in and out of town since Thanksgiving, visiting family, or going to Nashville for Paul's work. Our babysitter, Rachael, got married, which involved 16 six inch round cakes, along with the groom's cake (golf scene of course). I just had my first cake tasting event, in which 7 couples (potential customers) came over for a relaxing evening of eating cake! What a delight it was to spend time with all of them, and listen to them tell me how delicious the cake was that I can't eat. I asked for feedback, to which Paul's co-worker wrote a paragraph about each of the 5 different cakes. I was thankful for the feedback!
Last weekend, Hannah moved into her 'big girl bed,' which means, we took off the railing to her crib and it is now more like a 'daybed.' She was doing great for the first few days and then had two rough sleeping sessions, both of which she ended up on the floor. Ahhem. After a couple days of putting blankets up in the space that was open, I just took them back down. Before she fell asleep for the nap she is currently taking, she fell out of the crib. Ahhem. What to do? I'll take suggestions if you have them! I figure she'll learn eventually, right? We thought she was old enough to learn that whole self control thing and not get out of the bed when she is supposed to be sleeping. She's got that down, but I didn't realize rolling out of the bed would be such an issue.
We are hoping to potty train soon, and thought the transition to a big girl bed would allow for her to get up in the middle of the night without waking us up...novel idea, huh?
Yesterday I bought a ticket to Portland! We have a close family that just moved up there in August and it is basically my last chance to go without having to buy 2 plane tickets! I'm leaving in a couple weeks and it'll be just the little one and myself. We are excited! Hannah can't wait to get on the airplane! She understands that Daddy is going to have to stay here and frequently recites, "Momma, Hannah, Bob airplane. Dadda stay here." She is excited. I am thinking about getting some sort of count down chart going so she can continue in the excitement!
Last weekend, Hannah moved into her 'big girl bed,' which means, we took off the railing to her crib and it is now more like a 'daybed.' She was doing great for the first few days and then had two rough sleeping sessions, both of which she ended up on the floor. Ahhem. After a couple days of putting blankets up in the space that was open, I just took them back down. Before she fell asleep for the nap she is currently taking, she fell out of the crib. Ahhem. What to do? I'll take suggestions if you have them! I figure she'll learn eventually, right? We thought she was old enough to learn that whole self control thing and not get out of the bed when she is supposed to be sleeping. She's got that down, but I didn't realize rolling out of the bed would be such an issue.
We are hoping to potty train soon, and thought the transition to a big girl bed would allow for her to get up in the middle of the night without waking us up...novel idea, huh?
Yesterday I bought a ticket to Portland! We have a close family that just moved up there in August and it is basically my last chance to go without having to buy 2 plane tickets! I'm leaving in a couple weeks and it'll be just the little one and myself. We are excited! Hannah can't wait to get on the airplane! She understands that Daddy is going to have to stay here and frequently recites, "Momma, Hannah, Bob airplane. Dadda stay here." She is excited. I am thinking about getting some sort of count down chart going so she can continue in the excitement!
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