Dedication & a Birthday:: A perfect weekend

Happy Monday friends!

Why is it that it that the weekend always goes way too fast?

This one was no different.

The Barn Sale was Thursday-Friday-Saturday.

I only made it to Saturday's sale because Emerson & I were sick.

But that's another post, because I learned a really great lesson from that.

So, back to the weekend.  Sunday we had Easton & Emerson dedicated.

I've wanted to have Easton dedicated for a long time but it just never happened.

But I'm glad it didn't, because them being dedicated together was so special.

Our family joined us Sunday at our church for this sweet occasion.

Our pastor always prays "if our children were to follow in our footsteps, may our footsteps lead them to Jesus."  YES!  That is my prayer!  For my babies to grow to love Jesus is most important to me.

I talked with Easton about the dedication through the week.

He wasn't sure about it, but I told him it was a good thing.

It was mommy and daddy giving him back to Jesus.  

Trusting that Jesus was in charge of his heart until he could decide to ask him into his heart on his own.

He anointed both with oil and prayed over each.

A memory I will have forever.  

After church we had lunch & cake on the patio at Chuys!

Chips & Salsa and Red Velvet Cake.

And excellent company.

A perfect lunch!

I had no specific wishes for my birthday.

Just time with my family and time outside.

A nap would have been great, but who wants to sleep the day away?

So, to the lake we went.

We loaded up our snacks, sunscreen & fishing poles and headed out.

Everyone is happy on the boat.

Easton eats snacks from the time we get on the boat, till the time we pull back into the dock.

'Snackies' as he calls them.  He loves the snacks!

Emerson naps really well on the boat.

I built a little fort for her to have some shade to play in.

We didn't catch any fish this weekend, but we had fun trying!

After the lake we went home to freshen up a bit then had supper at O Charleys.

I even opted for the Caramel Pie.  It was my birthday after all!  

32 is off to a sweet start.

Hope you had a beautiful weekend.

Emerson:: 5 Months

Oh sweet sister!

You are just the best little girl.

5 Months Old, where in the world has the time gone?

I think we are finally starting to get a bit of a new 'normal'.  Maybe.

She's still a 'hold me' baby, but we are doing better on some down time.

Exersaucer, quilt, in the middle of my bed, gumbo.

Those are a few of her tolerable spots.

No go on the swing or the bouncy seat.

We have finally started to work on a night time routine.

We've moved from back sleeping to belly.

She woke herself up constantly from kicking her legs.  We called her Crazy Legs.

But, now that she's on her belly she does pretty good.

I nurse her around 8, then 11/12, then around 4.  

On a good night, I nurse in her room and lay her back down.

On a bad night, I get her out of her crib and stumble down the hallway back to my bed and lay down and fall asleep nursing, and she remains at my side the rest of the night.

So, that's not really a bad night, but it's a sleep{less} night than nights she's in her bed.

We are still nursing.

She won't take a bottle, so she and I are pretty much attached at the hip.  

Or boob.  

Whatever.  I'm fine with it.

I like knowing only I can meet her needs right now.

It won't be that way forever.

Napping is still an issue.  I try to get her in her bed for her first nap of the day.  That last 30-45 minutes.

We run errands on the second nap so she naps in her car seat.

For the third nap, ahhhhh, the glorious third nap, that's upstairs on the couch with me.

Easton naps at this time, so she and I nap together.

This has really become a good little routine.

Of course, it would be nice to have 2 solo hours to get things around the house done, 

but being a bit sleep deprived, I'm napping.

Then that gives me some energy to get things done after they are both in bed at night.

For the final nap of the day, that's a toss up.

It's usually around dinner time and it's just a little cat nap to get her until bedtime.

She adores Easton.  Can you blame her?  And he's pretty crazy about her too.

She's a happy little thing!

Emmy Boo, we love you!

We're so thankful you're ours!

Just for fun...a little side by side.  

Easton at 5 Months on the Left

Emerson at 5 Months on the Right

I definitely see similarities.

They both have twinkling eyes and a kind smile.

BLESSED indeed!

Easter weekend

Easter Egg Hunts- Jumpy Tangs- Cotton Candy

BBQ for Lunch

Rulers- Trampoline- Chillis (the restaurant- not the soup) for supper-

A beautiful Easter Service- Emerson's first Easter-  Egg Hunt & Lunch at Honeys

Trip to the lake- Sunshine- Mexican for supper

I'd say we had a great Easter weekend!

I'll let the pictures do the talking today...

Hope your weekend was beautiful!

Recipe:: Green Smoothie

One of my favorite ways to get my greens, is in a smoothie.

And some days I can even get Easton to drink a small cup too.

Don't get me wrong, I love a grilled chicken salad on a bed of spinach with strawberries and mandarin oranges and balsamic dressing, but I don't always have time for that.  

So, smoothie it is.

This one is a pretty mild flavor, but still packs a load of nutrients in it.

Ingredients:

1 large handful of spinach

did you know: spinach is Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients such as carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection.

1 banana- I froze mine

{for those banana's that are over ripe but you don't want to make banana bread, slice those bad boys up, arrange in a single layer on a plate and freeze them.  Once frozen put in a ziploc or use right away for your smoothie}

1 large handful of frozen peach slices.  

I had maybe 10-15 slices in my smoothie.

1/2 cup of blueberries- fresh or frozen

1/2 cup almond or coconut milk

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tbsp honey

Local honey is best to help fight off those awful seasonal allergies.

Combine above ingredients in your blender (I use a Ninja) until it's the consistency and thickness that you like.

I like to add ice to mine and even some water because it tends to be thick if not.

This makes 2 mason jars full.

I drink one for breakfast, and save one for later, or if I'm really hungry I'll drink both at breakfast.

Tell me, do you have a favorite green smoothie recipe?

I've seen so many, and really, you can't go wrong.

Just get the greens in there, and wing the rest!

Time: Eastons Love Language

Being a mom is hard.

Being a mom to more than one, is even harder.

Twice as rewarding, but it comes with it's difficulties in those first few months of learning how to juggle two that need your love and attention.

The baby requires so much right now, and the big brother ends up with a lot of independent play time.

Some weeks are really, really good.

But some are really, really bad.

Some days I am almost in tears by 9:00, feeling like I've ruined his "normal life".

He used to get to go to school, play with friends, have one on one time with me and with Lance.

But now, he's home with me, all day.  With his little sister, who requires so much of his mom.

Last week, was a bad one.

If I said up, he said down.

If I said peanut butter and jelly, he said Lunchable.

By Tuesday, I was ready to go back and sit in my cubicle. 

By myself.

But that's not an option.

So we had to figure something out.

He couts down the minutes till Lance gets home, almost every day.

Lance is the fun parent.  He plays.  He laughs.  He sits.

Easton is a different child when Lance gets home.

I had to figure out what Lance had, that I didn't have.

One night, at my wits end, after Easton had been sent to his room, for what, I don't even remember, we had a breakthrough. Well, I did. He was asleep.

He had supper and was sent right to bed, by 7:30pm.

It was an emotionally draining day for both of us.

I felt sad for him going to bed early and upset, but I was so weary and tired.

After finally getting supper cleaned up, Emerson a bath and put to bed, I peeked in on him.

So, little and still.  My little baby boy.

Who still needs his momma, even though at times he acts out.

Or worships the ground his daddy walks on.

I went and got my monitor for Emerson and set my phone alarm for midnight when she'd need to be fed again, and crawled in his bed.

As I laid down and got under the covers he opened his eyes.

"Can I lay with you buddy?" I asked.  "Yes" and he nestled in a little closer.

You couldn't have gotten a tooth pick between us.

Every part of his little body was touching mine, as we lay nose to nose.

He needs me.  He needs my time.  He needs my one on one.

I ended up falling asleep in there, and woke to my alarm sounding that it was time to feed Emerson.

The next morning, he remembered that I got in his bed.

He remembered that I took that time to love on him.

To snuggle him.

And that night, he asked for it again.

"momma, can you get your monitor and your phone and lay with me again?"

This week has been so much better.

It's so hard to manage my time.

When Emerson naps, which is rare, I try to scurry around and get things done, but that leaves Easton alone again.

So this week, instead, I've managed to get her in her bed, for even just a 30 minute nap and we play.

Just me and him.

And it fills his little love tank up and gives him the reassurance that he needs from me, that I'm here, and I love him.

Forever.

We still have our moments.  He's 4.  I'm tired. It's bound to happen.

But I'm also learning, that it's in those moments, that he's really saying STOP.  Just look at me.  Hold me.  Sit with me.  Read me a book.  Throw a baseball.   Catch a baseball.  JUST STOP.

I'm learning to say 'yes' more.  I'm picking my battles.

After all, most of the battles we have are not life or death, so there's no need to make them out to be that.  

Life is really to short, and these babies grow up way to fast to be anything less than happy & fun!

And he's such a good boy.  Really.  Not just because he's mine.  

He's really a good, good boy.

And loves his sister so tenderly. 

And he loves his daddy & me so genuinely.  So freely.

He's gracious to forgive.  So quick to move on after a rough moment.  

So helpful and loving.

And full of life and joy.

I'm so thankful to have discovered what he needs from ME.

Because the "mommas make happy hearts" and the "i love you's" out of the clear blue, and the "I like it when you take me to baseball, just me and you." 

Those are priceless.

Those are what dreams are made of.

My greatest joy in this life is to be a mother, and these children need to see, feel, believe, KNOW that.

Even though mommy does need Grace too at times.

These days are priceless.  

They are sometimes long and hard, but they are the very best days of my life.

10 on 10:: April

Today, was much like most days.  With the exception of Baseball Practice tonight.

It was rained out Monday night so we had it tonight instead.

Our day starts now at 8am.

That's when we typically get out of bed, although we're awake much before, and head to the living room.

I feed Emerson, while Easton has breakfast or watches a show.

9:00  This morning I had laundry up to my eyes.

So, this is my room BEFORE I started folding.

And it's 10:15pm as I write this and we JUST got it all put away.

I got new bedding yesterday so I was excited to make the bed this morning.

New bedding is almost as good as clean sheets.  

10:00 I got sister to lay down for a nap and headed up for some baseball with my boy.

I'm learning his Love Language is TIME, so it's important that I do that for him while sister is asleep.

More on that another post.

We played baseball about 30 minutes before Ms. Cat Napper woke up.

11:00 I fed Emerson and we gathered our things to head to the park.

12:00 We were waiting for our drinks at Sonic.

We packed a picnic today but it's always a nice treat to have a sonic drink.

Strawberry Lime-aid for me and Orange Slush for him.

I've given up most caffeine for sister.  It makes her crazy at night time.

1:00 At the Park

Our favorite place to be when the sun is shining.

Unless it's pool season.

Can we talk about these Rosebud trees?!?!  They are absolutely stunning right now.

Creation really shows off in the spring time.

Such vibrant skies, almost neon grass, bright budding trees.

It's my favorite.

2:00 NAP TIME

And the angels sing!!!!!

Funny Story::: I wanted a picture of him napping for this post, so I cracked open the door to take one and THOUGHT my phone was on silent...but it wasn't.  The shutter went off and he sat straight up.

I hid behind the door.

He said "mom?...mom??...mommmmm?"

I poked my head out and he said 'someone was taking a picture of me!'

BUSTED!  HA!  

He finally laid down and managed to fall asleep.

And yes, there are no sheets on his bed, they were in the dryer. 

Don't worry, I got them put on before bedtime tonight.  

4:00 Sister is getting a little nap in with me upstairs while Easton naps.

I eventually laid down with her and we both snoozed.

The best.

6:00 BASEBALL!

Need I Say More?!!?

8:00 Finally Home

We pulled in Cici's Pizza (GROSS) for supper but realized we'd both left our wallets at home.

So, I scrounged up this for myself.

It's a pretty yummy breakfast most mornings, but I'll have to admit, some pasta with marinara was sounding pretty good.

FYI- Cici's does NOT take check.  We did have that...

And now, it's 10:24.

The kitchen is finally tidy.

Clean dishes will be put away in the morning.

The clothes all put away.

Babies sleeping.

One will be up shortly to eat so the nightly debate in my mind starts...

go to bed and sleep for an hour...or stay awake until it's time for her to eat again...

First, I think I'll go take a bath.

But tonight, I do think I'll try to shut my peepers a few before little sister wakes.  

Hope you all enjoyed your day!

TOMORROW'S FRIDAY!!!!

HOORAY!