Things I Love...About the People I Love

One thing I love about Adalyn is:
-- how intently she stares at me when she is drinking her bottle. I'm sure a lot of babies do this, but I swear she and I have had some pretty deep conversations during her mealtimes. So deep, in fact, that they can't be put into words. :) And this is another reason I have yet to get her on a sippy cup.

One thing I love about Ellie is:
-- how affectionate she is. She can be a very independent little girl, but she also loves hugs, kisses, cuddling and being wrapped up in blankets together. She used to be a total mama's girl, but she is becoming very affectionate with her daddy, much to his delight!

One thing I love about Luke is:
-- his sensitivity to spiritual matters. He asks really good questions about God, heaven and prayer. Lately, he's been praying and thanking Jesus for dying on the cross, taking away his sins and washing him white as snow. I love it! Just this morning we talked about how he's been tranformed by the death of Jesus into a beautiful butterfly - a new creation! He loved that!

One thing I love about Dan is:
-- how encouraging and faithful he is (wait, is that two things?). As I struggle with things most moms do - a messy house, a tired body, screaming and needy children, a burned dinner - he is always an anchor in the storm. I feel like he knows how to encourage me in a Godly manner very well. He can let me know that the house looks just fine, without undermining the importance of "keeping house." Does that make sense? He's a good guy.

I am a very blessed woman!

You Might Be a Crunchy Mama If...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this video! I just love and appreciate clean, pure food; food that hasn't been tainted by pesticides, herbicides, hormones or antibiotics. Food just how God made it. Dan and I have been dreaming, rather intensely lately, of moving into the country and having a large, organic garden. We'd also like to have some chickens ("Luke, go outside and get your morning egg!"). The thought of having blueberries, strawberries and grapes avaiable to us at our leisure sounds wonderful!

All that being said, I've always been honest about the fact that just as much as I like organic food, I also like the "crap." I love veggies...broccoli and asparagus especially. But I also really like blizzards from DQ (pretty sure those come from a metal box).

I shopped at Whole Foods last week and was giddy the entire time. I bought grass-fed beef ($ouch$), organic string cheese for the kids, and Snowville milk (promptly chugged a glass the next morning -- yum!). We bought some of their tasty organic fried chicken (that qualifies as "good crap"), mac n cheese and asparagus....best lunch I've had in a while.

All that to say, I'm back to thinking about working more. Recently, as I've thought about working more, it's been less out of a heavy burden, and more out of a genuine longing to feed our kids as best as we can. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. Right now, I'm content to occasionally pick up an extra 4-8 hours every week or so. This is another reason why we feel that the country landscape is calling our names. We know that with some more land, we can provide many of these nutritious foods for our family for much less money than buying them at the store.

Anyway, back to the video. I had to share it because I think it's hilarious and also because I'm guilty of several of these things, too! Hope you enjoyed it! (Bob, Susie, John and Mary -- certainly you could relate to the strict regulations that she put on her babysitter? :)

Pampering Fun

My wonderful mom and dad gave me a gift certificate to H2O Nail Care for my last birthday, and I decided to save it for a time when I could take Ellie with me and have some special girly time together. Last week Ellie and I started to plan our time together and we both decided we would love for Ellie's grandmas to come with us, too. So today we all met up and Ellie had her first professional manicure! She was very shy and quiet at first, but eventually she started to loosen up and enjoy herself. She got sparkles and pretty little flowers on each of her thumb nails, which really suited her girly nature. :) Afterwards we headed to lunch at Mimi's Cafe where Ellie had a special dirt dessert (chocolate pudding, oreo pieces and gummy worms--definitely going to make that at home someday). We had a really nice time together, and we look forward to the time when Adalyn can join us, too!

waiting for her pampering to begin :)

what could she be thinking? maybe, "I could get used to this!" :)

holding very still!

what a nice, girly touch!

Mimi and Meemaw

mother and daughter

Modesty Lives! Well, Sorta...

"Mommy! I dressed my doll modest, but Ellie didn't dress her doll modest!" --Luke

Can I just say that I LOVE that "modest" is a part of Luke's vocabulary? And he actually has a pretty good understanding of what it means, too.

I'm one happy mama. :)

Ellie decided her doll should jump on the modest train as well.

After our conversation about what modesty is, Luke asked if he "can not be modest in our house? 'Cause I really like to be naked."

You go right ahead, buddy. For now. :)

Sweet Delight Cont'd

So, I'm going to preface this entry by saying that our juice fast did do some good. It was very difficult, and not entirely suited to the demanding life of a working (inside and outside the home) mom of three, but it was a good "reboot." I actually craved a salad today, which is serious progress! This is coming from a woman who pretty much eats like a man (subs, burgers and steaks, oh my! ... fries, chips and potatoes, oh my!). So glad I have a husband who loves that about me.

Tangent anyone?

All that being said, I still just really like sugar. That statement could turn into an entirely new tangent, but I won't let it. Can I just say that I make a mean chocolate oatmeal cookie? I must give major props to my mom and dad who gave me the very treasured recipe. It's the only recipe requiring a bit of precision that I can actually get right.

So, all you need to do to get a taste is call me and let me know you're coming over to the Hermiz Bakery. I'll have them warm and ready and I might even through in a glass of milk (for an extra charge of course). :)

Yum! I just made them tonight and if I hadn't committed to taking them into work tomorrow, they'd be gone by morning.  :)

Sweet Delight

Remember my last post? Yup, Daddy's swooning. :)

My attempt to capture all three of them together ;)

Her first taste of sugar was a handful of frosting...and she approved. And got much messier. :)

Stripped of her cake and frosting covered clothes, she starting playing with her new "Little People." I think she enjoyed her party!

Happy Birthday Addie Rose!

Yesterday was Adalyn's first birthday, and she celebrated it in style...with pink eye. Poor girl. She's been sick for about 6 days now, but she has gotten much better in the last couple of days.

Adalyn has kept us guessing since the very beginning. Hers was the first pregnancy that I had gestational diabetes, she was my first breech baby, my first pregnancy in which I had low amniotic fluid and she was my first c-section. She was my first baby for which I didn't make enough breastmilk to feed her for more than 3 months. She was our best night sleeper...she slept through the night (12 hours!) before she was even 3 months old. She has not been our best nap-taker. ;) She was our first child to walk before she was 12 months old. She is our child who most likes to be held, and although she loves to be cuddled by lots of people, she's definitely a mama's girl.

Needless to say, she has kept us on our toes! Adjusting to having 3 children has been a juggling act, and I've struggled with how much Adalyn cries (Ellie might have prayed tonight for God to help Adalyn stop screaming so much), but I tell you what, Adalyn is one sweet and precious girl. She has a smile that simply melts your heart, and she has a keen awareness of how laying her head on your shoulder will totally make you swoon. In the morning when she's crying to get out of bed, and I have to force myself to get out from under the covers, seeing her face immediately changes my mood. She is beautiful! And she's fun. I can tell that she is a little fiesty and ornery...which I love. In the above picture, she was pulling all the shoes out of the bin, and I said to her, "Addie, stop doing that babe!" Immediately she started pulling them out faster and kind of bouncing on her feet like she was rushing to get them all before I could come and scoop her up. She has a special ability to do things like that, and instead of making me mad, making me laugh. I love that girl!

Happy 1st birthday sweet Adalyn. I love being your mama and I look forward to what the next year will bring!