Yesterday, while Jack was in "room time," I heard some noises that weren't typical. So, my curiosity piqued, I looked under his door.   He had moved the items from the left side of his room to the right side of his room. Same placement. New spot.    This morning. I heard the same noises. Again, I peeked under the door and saw he'd done the same thing. All three large items were moved to the same place.  I guess he wanted a new perspective. I do it, too. I've moved furniture in his room several times, and when we lived in the condo, I was always trying out new room arrangements.  A new perspective. We all need it occasionally.  The Husband needs it badly. Truly. If we've ever needed you to storm the gates of heaven for us, this is it.  He has been at this job as a correctional officer for almost a year now. The job was a god-send last year. It worked better with his hours at the academy. It allowed us to save up for and buy...

Y'all, I'm feeling the itch.  It's more of a tick, really.  We've got this huge backyard (which really is not very pretty right now...I'm sure the overcast weather isn't helping my view), and I am itching, ticking, jonesing to start a garden. I love flowers, but I'd rather plant veggies and fruit.  The problem is that I have no idea where to begin.  None.  I've searched and searched on Pinterest, and there are tons of blog posts and articles about gardening, but I'm having trouble just getting started.  What do I do first?  When do I plant? What kind of  soil?  How much sun/shade? Where do I plant? Side of the yard? Back of the yard? Along the fence? Out in the middle? What do I plant? Cucumbers, definitely.  Bell peppers, most likely.  But, what else? What's your favorite, easily grown fruit/vegetable? What pests do I need to worry about?  I also need to keep in mind that I have two ...

Man.  It's only been three days since Lent started, and it has seriously been so tough not to open up my Facebook app on my phone (I finally deleted the app) or type in the website address in my browser. It's been much tougher this go-round.  It hasn't been tough to incorporate the Bible study I began, though. I've done half of a chapter to a whole chapter each morning while Jack has room time and Ella's napping.  The memorizing of the verses are a bit harder; though I've got Hebrews 12:1 down pretty good now.  It's a great one, and I wrote it on our chalkboard in the mudroom to help me remember it.  This is totally off topic, but I'm eating this bowl of oatmeal to help boost my milk supply (apparently oatmeal is a galactagogue).  I can't stand oatmeal, but this is the steel cut oat kind, which makes it a little tastier. But not much. So to make it edible, I add a splash of milk and a big spoonful of Nutella. That makes it much easier to swallow. Lit...

They say to make something a habit, you should do it for 40 days. I suppose the same goes for breaking a bad habit. 40 days.  There are many instances of the number 40 in the Bible. The Flood for 40 days and nights.  The Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years.  Jesus fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights.  40 days from the resurrection to Jesus' ascension.  The Lentin season begins today, Ash Wednesday, and (not counting Sundays--the days of rest), it lasts 40 days, ending on Easter Sunday.  Traditionally, things are "given up" during this time to encourage more time of reflection and to gain a closer relationship with Jesus, the whole reason for this season.  I've decided to give up the time I spend on Facebook.  I feel like I spend way too much time on there, and this gives me the opportunity to break that habit and start a new one.  Yesterday, my sister brought me a birthday gift (thank...

I'll start with my own.  Jack played in the dirt for the first time yesterday morning. Before, he's inspected grass and leaves but has never just dug in.  I guess watching the guys re-level the house inspired him. So anywho, yesterday, he kept leaning off the porch to dig, and I felt that was slightly unsafe. So, I plopped him down on this piece of rectangular concrete just off the porch and told him to sit there and not get off. He went to town digging through the dead leaves and grass. He yanked up roots and inspected them. He pulled up handfuls of dirt and put them in his bowl. He stayed there for over 30 minutes enjoying every second. After lunch and his nap, we headed back outside to soak up more of the gorgeous weather, and he immediately requested (lots of grunts and pointing and signing "help") to get down to that spot. I gave him a spoon and fork (super appropriate digging tools, I know) and his bowl, and he sat there investigating and pretending t...

Happy Day of Showing People You Love Them!

1. This little dude is 20 months and 2 days old.  He keeps us on our toes and in stitches the majority of the time.  He voluntarily gives sweet Eskimo kisses to his sister and me.  He shrugs his shoulders and looks perplexed when he's done something he *knows* he shouldn't have done.  His imagination is developing, and it's an amazing thing to witness.  He signs 20+ words, says "momma," "dadda," "Ella," "papa" (for Grandpa), and has attempted "circle," "man," "banana," & "backpack." He still adores his baby sister and wants to hug and hold her often.  He enjoys room time and spends an hour to and hour and fifteen minutes in there.  He takes one 2 1/2 to 3 hour nap each afternoon; at night, he's in bed by 7:30 and wakes the next morning around 7:15.  He's shy, but friendly around strangers; he's wild, outgoing, and loving around his peeps. He LOVES riding in the car and asks to do...

How fitting that today is Thankful Thursday.  I just received this in the mail from my very sweet cousin, Sarah.  It is an incredibly thoughtful gift, and it made me cry (hence why my very blotchy face is nowhere near the picture).  Yesterday, Jack received this ABC book from that very same wonderful cousin.  He LOVES it. I love it. It's a very special book filled with lovely memories.  Thank you, thank you, Sarah, for being such a kind and generous cousin and friend.  It's a strange feeling when my heart smiles and aches all at the same time. 

Today, I'm thankful for activities that keep Jack entertained.  Yesterday was an overcast and chilly day. We'd had a pretty good morning, and I wanted to keep that good vibe going as long as possible. So, when Jack woke up from his nap and while Ella continued with hers, I grabbed a large, empty, plastic container and tossed in a few items like a funnel, a pitcher, a small beach ball, a measuring cup, etc. Things that could be used when exploring with water.  I filled the bucket a third of the way with warm water since it was cool outside.  Jack wanted to help. A lot.  I lugged that heavy sucker outside and told Jack to have at it.  I talked to him about the warm water and the cool air.  How things floated and sunk.  I told him about pouring water from the containers, how it was okay if water got outside of the container, and then I let him explore.  He did this so happily for over 20 minutes and could h...

Is it just me that feels that potty training a 19-month-old is the least fun thing in the world? It's not even like we initiated it. He's been telling us for a couple of months when his diaper is wet or dirty. So, then we started helping him notice his body cues before he'd have a bm. He's done that deed several times on the potty now. Yay! Wet diapers are another story. He always tells us after the fact. But, then he still is insistent upon sitting on the toilet. So we sit there (with his pants off, of course. Geez, Mom. Who leaves their pants on when using the toilet?). And we sit forrrrrrrrrreeeeeeevvvvvvveeeeerrrr. We read books. He holds little items from the basket on the back of the toilet. He tries to play with the toilet paper. He wants to smell and spray the smelly spray. I'm tired.  Is it just me that feels guilty about being given gift cards? Gift cards are great for when you have absolutely no idea what to give someone.  The problem I have is that we ne...

We got to go to church today :).  All four of us.  We made it there on time, actually a few minutes early, which is a pretty major accomplishment for us...which is pretty sad since we live like 2 minutes away.  We said, "hi" and shook hands with folks.  We gave hugs to old and new friends.  We sang and worshiped.  We heard and absorbed most of the message, which I think is a big accomplishment with two little ones on our laps.  We had a great morning and are hoping the afternoon and evening go just as well.  These two looked so cute and did such a great job sitting (mostly) quietly during the service. :)