Pregnancy brain

I don't know about you.... but I hate it when I remember just about everything to go out with the kids, but there is one thing that I forget! This time I packed the drinks, sunscreen, towels, swim diaper, sun glasses, water-proof shoes, snacks, camera, etc. but when I got to the Splash Pad I realized that I forgot the SD card to my camera! AHHHH!!! Frustrating! I usually have another one, but it was in the "little" camera.

We had a great time, though... even though you will not be able to see that. I think Danny enjoyed it more than the kids! We have a Splash Pad here in Ankeny which is very close to the library. It is open every day for free from 10-12, but after that you have to pay to play in there as well as the Aquatic park with slides and pools. After noon it is only $4 for an adult.. which is very good for a nice water park. (We actually have another park coming to Ankeny in the middle of June which will have more slides, a lazy river, and pools... only $6!!!)

So... we may have to go back this week. I WILL DEFINITELY remember the camera AND and card...... But hopefully I will remember everything else we need! :)

Front Yard BBQ

It is hard being in a new home... with new friends, no family... especially when holidays come around. We managed to have a pretty good time for Easter, but we wanted to do a little some thing fun for Memorial Day. Danny preached this morning (he did great) so we knew we had to stay close to home, but we brought the fun to our home.

This evening we got out our BBQ pit, put it on the driveway, and Danny made a roaring inferno (it actually was quite the opposite for a while). It is a foreign concept for us to have the fire going in the front yard... in the driveway, but that is really the only safe place that we have here to do it -- quite the opposite of NH.

I got out the hot dogs (yes, this was my yearly hot dog meal -- and I'm not even at the Illian's lake house!) and watermelon for a summery dinner. Grace roasted her own hot dog for the first time and LOVED IT! I think she would have eaten 2 if I hadn't made her eat something else. She didn't like the smokey-ness, though. She is a real champ and her daddy delighted in showing her all of the proper techniques.

Hannah enjoyed to view of us cooking... and delighted that we kept feeding her more and more. :) She ate 2 hot dogs, watermelon and macaroni! Oink! Oink! She loved being strapped in the booster seat... we loved that she was safe and sound!

Once the dinner portion was over, we got out the chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. Grace roasted her own and put her s'more together. She liked the marshmallow plain but didn't really care for the s'more. She just wanted to eat the chocolate. That's my girl! :)

So... it was a successful event. I am sure that it will happen again this summer... I may resort to another food, though, for my dinner. It was a great family time! We even had many neighbors stop and take notice. We invited them to come and join us. Maybe next time.

Tomorrow will be another family day... with nothing really planned except for in the evening. A family from church invited us to join their BBQ. We are planning on that.

At least for now

I know that my girls will NOT always let me dress them in matching outfits, but at least for now I will get the thrill of seeing them together all matchy-matchy! Yesterday I had them wear dresses that they got for their birthdays from Nana and Papa Illian. They were adorable and were the talk of the church! We just had to get a few pictures!

They look so sweet and innocent.... but just wait.......

Right after we shot this pretty picture, they tackled each other!

Yes, they ARE wrestling in their new dresses! They are definitely NOT afraid to get messy... they are not too girly!!!
I love them through and through... and I believe that they love each other as well! I pray that they will be best of friends all of their lives!

Saving Money

Most of you know that I LOVE to save money... mostly because I only have a set amount each month to pay for groceries, toiletries, etc. We use the envelop system, so when I run out of money in one envelop... I have to take it from another or wait until the first of the month comes! So.. coupons have been my friend.

I wanted to share with you some of the deals that I have scored in the last 16 days of this month because I have already saved $46.20! YIPEE!! I consider myself a novice at all of this... nothing like the websites that I visit, but I am learning and know that my life CANNOT be governed by shopping and using coupons! Here are my favorite deals of the month:

5 pound bag of potatoes -- 72 cents!! (I wanted to get 10 bags, but that is excessive. I got 2.)
Banquet chicken patties (6 count) -- 77 each (chicken parm this week!)
Digorno Pizza with breadsticks -- $2.97 (cheap dinner as compared to ordering out)
Smart Taste Pasta -- 27 cents
Oscar meyer bacon -- 98 cents
Nivea body wash -- FREE
Diapers -- I can't remember the final amounts at Target, but I got 2 $5 cards back and I used a bunch of the $3 printable coupons! It was quite a fun trip!

What am I looking forward to this week?

Well, Post cereal is on sale at Walgreens for $1.75 and I have a bunch of $2 coupons... they will be free plus they are giving back Rapid Rewards for them! MAKING MONEY! Plus Right Guard is on sale BOGO... when I use coupons it will be 99 cents for 2. I will go check out the Fareway (grocery store) ad in a few minutes... I am sure they have deals this week, too!

What deals have you been getting lately?

Baby boy!

I have hardly gotten over the shock that we are having a baby and now I have added the shock that we are having a BOY! A BROTHER BEAR! WOW! This is fantastic! I am especially glad for Danny... he is already a great daddy to two girls, but I know that he has wanted to have a son to share other things with! He is going to be a fantastic teacher to him of the Truth of the Word and the World. What a great role model he is and will continue to be!



It never ceases to amaze me that the Lord has hand-picked us to be these kids parents and He hand-picked these kids to be our children! He knows exactly what we need and knows what they need. AMAZING! He has perfectly designed our family..... I am excited to see the next piece come -- our baby boy!!

Bring on the Cowboy Blue!

Hand in his mouth

Hand on his head...deep in thought

Praying for your children

Friends... here is a GREAT resource that I found through our christian radio station. Follow this link and scroll down toward the bottom to find a great website and a calendar of daily things to pray for your children! Included on each day is a Bible verse to go with the prayer! Print it out and start using it... I'm gonna!

If YOU are not praying for your children, WHO IS?

http://www.momandlovingit.org/

My lovely little ladies

Mothers' Day certainly got me thinking about my wonderful family... wow! I am so blessed! I have two fantastic daughters and a terrific hubby as well as a little blessing growing inside me! Praise the Lord! In thinking about my lovely little ladies, I came up with just a few of the things that I love so much about them....

Grace Elizabeth:

-her sensitive heart

-her extensive vocabulary (for a three-year old)

-her LOVE of reading and puzzles

-the way she holds her sisters hand in the car

-her giggle at the smallest things

-the way she copies what a say and do (scary!!)

-her pride when she does things well

-the way she reads stories to me, her daddy or Hannah (and adds her own good parts!)

-her fascination at all of God's Creation -- from worms and bugs to lions and sunsets

Hannah Joy:

-her joyful heart and her contagious smile

-her wild hair (which matches her personality!)

-the way she tackles her sister

-the way she kisses us with her mouth open and tongue hanging out

-the way she dances to the praise music in the car

-her adventurous spirit to climb, run, jump, and do the most daring things for a one year old

-the way she LOVES trying on shoes...Mommy's, Grace's, but especially Daddy's

-the way she says Mama, Dadda, Grace, and a dozen other words including "Bible" at the end of the song "The B-I-B-L-E"

What will I love about the new baby? What will he or she look like...dark hair like the girls?

We are excited for our ultrasound on Friday! Hopefully we will be able to tell if there is a sister bear or a brother bear!

Mother's Day

So I don't know about you, but I ALWAYS have a hard time figuring out what to do for my mom for Mother's Day! I know that it doesn't have to be a lot, but how do you tell your mom what she means to you? How do you thank her for all of the work, effort, money, time, prayer, energy, etc. that she has poured into your life for the passed 31 years? Every little thing seems...well, stupid.

I think this revelation has become more and more clear as I have become a mom. Wow! What a tough job! How did mom do it... on a budget... while working... with teenagers... with homework.... with our arguing... with practices.... with church activities.... with the stresses of friends and family..... Did she ever really take time for herself? Did we even give her Mother's Day off?

Well, I guess the conclusion to this is that I have a great mom who is worthy of so much more than I can give her! I wish I could send her and dad on a cruise or give her plane tickets to Iowa for every month this year, but my small envelope that I am sending today will just have to be enough! The right gift will never be found, but showing her on a regular basis that I admire her will do. She knows that I love and appreciate her.... you do, mom, right?

I love you, mom! Happy Mothers Day!

Talking Toddler

Hannah has been talking and talking more and more everyday. She is really funny. She loves to copy us and tell us what is going on. She thinks we understand her... but we often don't. Enjoy this sampling of Hannah in action. She was quite the talker after dinner tonight!

MOMMY TIME!

Most people think of mommy time as a time with mommy and baby, but I was SO glad to have MY mommy time with MY MOMMY! She arrived in Iowa just the day after the Loverns left and we were SUPER EXCITED for her to come! Grace had been talking and singing about it for days! :) I am not sure what she was most looking forward to, but I think it was the fact that Nanna would read and read and read to her!

We loved taking her to church and giving her the grand tour. We also introduced her to many people including Pastor Mike. She loved seeing the place and meeting everyone... now she can visualize where we are... we are NOT in the middle of a corn field! :) There IS civilization around.

One of the most memorable things we did was go to the Zoo. We purchased a Zoo membership that allows us to take 2 guests with us each time.... we knew with all of our expected company that this would be a nice feature to get. I really enjoyed seeing my girls with their daddy and Nanna. I also was amazed by my loom lens... it was the first time I really used it...... I AM IN LOVE!

Enjoying a competitive game of Candy Land!

Silly girls!

Company, company, company!!!

I didn't know this, but the newest hot vacation site is now Iowa! Who would have guessed that?! But with the arrival of the Lightners the tourist industry has skyrocketed here in Iowa!

We have certainly had our fun with our company so I will take a few posts to tell you about it!

The Loverns arrived in Iowa on April 10 for a weeks stay.... they are our friends from PA. Brett was in our wedding. They have a little boy, Judah (a few days from turning 2). Brett has a 3 month sabbatical from his job as a worship pastor and is taking it for vacation, refreshment and training. He was coming this way for a conference in Kansas City. Jamie and Judah stayed here while he was at the three day conference. Fun Times!

We did lots of things with them while they were here.... check it out! (It will make you want to come to Iowa too!

We had a great time with them, and it was great to see how these too goofy college guys have really turned out to be WONDERFUL dads! Who would have guessed that? (Well, I knew Danny had great potential!!!)