Good Sunday morning to you! Yesterday, my sister gifted me with a new Bible study devotional. It's called The 30 Day Praise Challenge .  I started reading it last night, and I sent her this message.  Life has been rough lately. The Husband has been trying hard to find another job to better provide for our family and to get him out of an awful work-environment. He and I have been arguing a lot, and the stress in our home has risen steadily. Raising toddlers and being pregnant leave me exhausted and wiped out and with little energy to have common marital discussions/arguments most days.  We struggle with finances, with who we are, with our faith, and with being content with where we are.  Life is hard, and often we find ourselves wondering if anything will ever change. If we will stop struggling so much and find the hope and faith that have gotten buried down beneath so much negativity and sadness. If our marriage, that has gone through the loss of our first c

Each Monday, I'd like to do a  highlights post , including a picture, summarizing the differences in my pregnancy from week to week.  I totally "grabbed" this idea from  Kelly .  I've done this with my three previous pregnancies (you can go to the search box and type in "pregnancy," or "week #" if you're interested in how my previous pregnancies progressed), as well, and I still think it is a great way to jot down the things that I don't want to forget later on.   Pregnancy Highlights: How far along :  15 weeks  Size of baby:   This little one is 4 inches long (top of head to tip of tailbone) and the size of an apple. Total weight gain/loss :  I'll see my OB next week, so I'll know how much I've gained this pregnancy so far. I was up 5 lbs at my last appointment.  Maternity clothes:   I purchased several cheap spaghetti strap shirts (think like $2 a piece) a size up from what I normally

Happy anniversary to The Husband.  We've made it through 5 whole years of heart-breaking trials and  beautiful moments  and utter disappointments and exciting, breathtaking times and the ordinary day-to-day-to-days of life without giving up on each other.  High-five! We're doing this marriage thing, Babe!  I love you bunches! Muah!

Yesterday was our last day on vacation, so we made the most of it.  We got up early and drove an hour to spend the morning playing golf at Topgolf. It was a lot of fun (mostly because I'm a truly terrible golfer with zero experience and few athletic skills in my pocket).  My highest score. Hahahahahahahaha.  The Husband's highest score.  We ate lunch there, and it was super delicious.  The Husband suggested we try to see family and friends while we were in town, so we headed out to visit with my lovely cousin and then on to see my wonderful friend, Tina, who I haven't seen in over a year. On the way, we were able to stop by to see our Hadley Grace, which was tough, emotionally, for both of us.   We loved visiting with our loved ones, and I'm so glad we decided to call them up and visit them before heading to dinner and then back to the hotel.  We ate at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner last night, and it was pretty tasty.  This morning we packed our bags and loaded up

Each Monday, I'd like to do a  highlights post , including a picture, summarizing the differences in my pregnancy from week to week.  I totally "grabbed" this idea from  Kelly .  I've done this with my three previous pregnancies (you can go to the search box and type in "pregnancy," or "week #" if you're interested in how my previous pregnancies progressed), as well, and I still think it is a great way to jot down the things that I don't want to forget later on.   Pregnancy Highlights: How far along :  14 weeks (2nd Trimester!!) Size of baby:   This little one is 3 inches long and the size of a large lemon. Total weight gain/loss :  As of my last checkup, I had gained about 5 lbs since before I was pregnant.  I wasn't super fastidious about weighing myself pre-pregnancy, so I don't know how accurate that is, but I do know within a week of finding out we were expecting, my shorts stopped buttoning. G

About two months ago, the week we were reading Dr. Seuss books from the library, something felt off. Weird. Hinky. I couldn't put my finger on it, but things were definitely not "normal," if there is such a thing in a house of toddlers and shift-work and exhaustion.  I waited each day to feel differently, and the feeling only loomed larger.  Finally, after crying every time I  read Horton Hears a Who to the kids (and partially because The Husband kept nagging me to), I  gave in and took one of these bad boys to assuage the feelings rolling around inside my head and my heart.  So, yeah. This happened.  The thing I thought would never happen again, did. And, without going into details, we were actively preventing, but nothing is fool-proof, and God had other plans. Beautiful plans.  After a week or so of shock and awe, we are pretty happy and thankful.  I had my first ultrasound (one of the MANY I will have to have in the coming months si

This guy has been working incredibly hard the last week at work, and then he tested with a local police department on Monday for much of the day on very little sleep. So, I decided to whip up something new and tasty to treat him. Monday night right after dinner, I started fixing these Nutella Pumpkin Crepes . (Note to self--trying a new recipe right before bedtime is not the brightest idea you've ever had...). With the kids sitting in chairs by the stove, I followed the recipe. They ooh'd and aah'd as I let them smell the vanilla extract and the different spices before adding them in. They even got to test out the first one I made. Um, they LOVED it. It could be that it was smothered with deliciously-smooth Nutella... I got zero pictures of them "helping" or tasting because a hot stove and ingredients everywhere and wild, tired toddlers do not mix well. So. My crepes turned out more like pancakes and look nothing like the pictures of the on

I feel like blogging has taken a back burner. I love writing. I love expressing myself in written words and seeing my thoughts on a page. I just haven't found the time or haven't made the time or time was lost.  So I guess I'll have to try to at least keep writing once a week if only as a reminder that this place still exists.  This girl and her Shetland pony mane. It's crazy how much her hair has changed in just a year's time. I love putting it in pigtails and ponytails, but I really like just swooping it to the side with a clip and seeing all of those sweet, soft curls.  I tried out a few new recipes this week (from Pinterest, of course).  These crescent roll pizza roll-ups were a hit.  The kids helped me with these crockpot baked potatoes. I liked them, but they definitely could have cooked another hour or two on low in the crockpot. They would have been even better if they'd been a little mushier inside :) The faces this girl can make. Sheesh.  The Husband a

If you're wondering about the scratch and bruise on Jack's face, here's the 'sitch.  Yesterday, both kiddos were in time-out. At the same time. Because they were being awful to each other.  Not five minutes after they were "released," they were playing chase, and Jack tripped on the rug and slammed his face into the trash can. Who knew a trash can could inflict so much damage?! I iced his cheek for a long time (hence the redness) and gave meds, but he was pretty miserable for the rest of the afternoon. And we all joined in his misery because an unpleasant toddler makes life miserable for everyone around.  Eating an icy treat was pretty much the only thing that distracted him for any length of time.  So there's that.  Anywho, it looks a little better today, but he is still telling me often that it hurts. :/ Happy 4th, y'all! I'm thankful for the freedoms the citizens of this country are still afforded.   

This week has been a good but hot one.  Thursday, The Husband and I went on a date to a shooting range :). It was SO loud in there, but I had a lot of fun learning how to shoot and watching my husband, who is an EXCELLENT shot.  My targets hehehe (I did NOT do those scattered shots at the top...those were test shots by The Husband before handing me the gun. Just wanted to make it clear that I'm not THAT sucky of a shot) ;) And his! Pretty impressive :) Unfortunately, the night ended with him having a major migraine headache, but the afternoon together beforehand was really nice. The kids and I spent a lot of time outside, and they got to try their first flavored ice. I may have had 5 or 6 that day....Thanks, sweet neighbors, for giving those yummy treats to us LAST summer, hahahaha! They've been waiting patiently in our freezer for just the right day :) Those things sure are tasty.  Friday, we just lazed about after a morning of yearly well-check appointments for the kiddos. No