And, he's off again...

Yes, remember just yesterday when I mentioned that my husband was coming home..well, he did. Jody got home yesterday around lunch, but, yes, its true, he is off again. Jody left this afternoon to head to Childress for his cousin's bachelor weekend. I know he needed to go to support his cousin, and visit with his other cousins, but seriously, did it have to be all at once. No big deal, he will be home again tomorrow around lunch, but then he's leading worship again tomorrow night. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad he has all this worship stuff, but, I just want to spend a little quality time with my husband, and the girls miss their daddy. In fact, this is what Mia asked me yesterday before Jody got home, she said "mommy, daddy doesn't live at our house anymore???" WOW! I couldn't believe that she had thought that. Now, she did giggle after she said that, so I am assuming she knew she was just kidding, but it did give me a slight glimpse at what divorced couples with small children go through.

Anyways, I just thought I'd fill everyone in on just a couple of things I have learned while Jody's been away...

1.) Around thursday of this week, I noticed that I was finding myself a little "bored" at times. (now, I use that word loosely because, as a mom, there is always something to be done.) Now, why?, you ask. Well, I quickly realized that I was not spending all of my spare time picking up tons of stuff and putting things away, before I could ever do any real cleaning. I was also not feeling overwhelmed with things thrown over every available space. This is when I realized that I was not crazy when I always thought that Jody does not pick up after himself. Mia and I are actually very mess-free people. But don't you worry, the moment Jody got home, the house was once again a mess. Now, I am not bad-mouthing my husband. I am saying this all very respectfully, especially since I have already informed him of my new finding. Man, we need a housekeeper, or really, someone to go behind my husband to pick up after him. Oh, wait, we do have one, its ME! I love you Jody!!!

2.) I love that my three year old is very affluent in her language. She always has been. She started talking from a very early age, and always seemed to be very precise, and clear in her words. But, as the week came to a close, I seemed to grow very weary of her constant talking, questions, and the main question "where are we going to go???who's coming over???" (she is truly her daddy's daughter, with the need to constantly be doing something social.) Even tonight on our way to church, I tried to play the quiet game, but it failed to work, of course. Does that make me a bad mom???

3.) I had forgotten how rough teething can be on a little baby. Poor Eisley, my usual very content and happy baby has been a little more fussy than usual. Come on teeth, please make your appearance so that we can get this over with!

4.) I think I am in need of a little alone time. Maybe when Jody gets home tomorrow I can get away. Maybe I will go to Starbucks, or just go for a walk around the mall. Something, maybe????

Well, goodnight to each of you! I am so tired and in desperate need for sleep. I hope I did not sound like debbie-downer. Just a little venting. So, if you read this whole entry, I thank you for hanging in there. If not, I don't blame you.

Jody's coming home!!!

Yes, Jody has been leading worship at a camp all week, and he is finally coming home this afternoon! I'm so ready! I miss him desperately! Thankfully its been a pretty busy week for me, which somewhat distracts me from missing him. Mia went to VBS Monday through Wednesday mornings, and then had Mother's Day out yesterday, so it wasn't too tiring for me. (I always have a new respect for single moms when Jody goes out of town.) I got to go out to the camp two nights this week. It is a 45 minute drive out to Ceta Canyon, but well worth it to see Jody for a couple of hours. The girls went with me one of the nights, so we had a good time. Well, since Jody has our Mac and I am using our old, wait, very old laptop that has a missing "a" tab (you never realize how often you use that letter until you have push it extra hard.) I don't have any updated pictures so I will leave you with my recent findings....

So, I have had a pretty economical week. Earlier this week I bought supplies to make more baby food (which, by the way, my last batch lasted for 2 months, yeah, you heard me, I probaby spent a total of $20, TOTAL. I would have usually spent $60 on baby food jars for 2 months. I don't know why I didn't do this when Mia was a baby.) I also bought supplies to make Dishwasher detergent. (part Borax, part Baking soda, and vinegar for the rinse cycle.) Now, I'm not so sure how I feel about this. I've used it a couple of times, and I feel like my dishes come out with a bit of residue on them. I will gladly receive ANY suggestions. I really want to do this! (Oh, and as I type this, the tornado sirens is going off again, but this time, it IS the last Friday of the month, and it IS 11:30am. Whew! Scared me for a second.) Anyways, I will be making my Laundry Detergent in a couple of weeks when my regular, store bought, uneconomical, detergent runs out. So, again, please, everyone send me your enconomical tips.

What a good day...

First of all, can I just say that I love storms! I love cloudy days a lot, but when it starts storming I get just plain excited! I have been so bummed out that this spring and summer here has been so dry, except for the last couple of days. Yesterday was no exception. Mia and I were walking outside with my father in law (who was in town for the day, and thankfully at our house) when all of the sudden, I hear a siren...I thought to myself "Is it the last Friday of the month?" Nope, those sirens were for real, we were in a tornado warning. I immediately went inside (yes, my father in law and daughter were still outside. Randy trying to start my daughter out young to be a storm chaser.) I went in to watch the weather, and it was true. Jody was at work, which I wanted him home as fast as possible, but he didn't seem to care too much. I don't know what I would have done if my father in law wasn't here. I like all my chicks in the same place when there's a storm, and the head duck was not even concerned about coming home. But, we survived. Thankfully a tornado never touched down, and we never had to climb into our master bathtub either. (That would have been intresting though!) Needless to say, yes, I love storms, but when they get that serious, I get very nervous and don't like them so much.

Anyways, about today and why its a good day. We went to the dr today. It was Mia's three year check up and Eisley's weight check. I knew Mia's would be a breeze, and it was. She is a whopping 32 1/2 pounds and 37 1/2 inches tall. Right where she should be. Now, this was the first appointment with Eisley that I have been so excited about. On May 9th (yes, my birthday) , Eisley weighed in at 14 pounds 2 ounces. She has changed so much in the past 6 weeks, so I just knew we'd get a good report finally! So, needless to say, my wonderful pediatrician walked in the room, looked at Eisley, and immediately started crying, good tears. It was amazing! I love that my pediatrician loves us so much that she would be moved to tears that my baby girl is looking so much better! It was a moment I will never forget. So, yes, Eisley has gained 2 1/2 pounds in the past 6 weeks. She now weighs 16 pounds 10 ounces. And for those of you without babies, this is a huge amount of growth for her age. They usually stop growing this fast by now, and she gained over double what normal babies do in this time. I love it. I was one proud mama!!!! Both girls look great. Eisley's lower gums are actually swollen, which means she should be getting some teeth within the next few weeks. (Which explains her recent fussiness and ear pulling.) Anyways, enough is enough. I will stop going on and on with excitement. Yes, I would love to know what in the world was going on Eisley's tiny body that had made her struggle so much in gaining weight, but now I am simply beyond excited that we are through with that battle! I praise the Lord for the miracle of both of my healthy girls, and especially allowing us to walk through this battle victoriously! (Which is our promise each time, but sometimes the victory is hard to see come.) I hope you all have an amazing day!

Here are some pictures we had taken this week for Mia turning three and Eisley, well, turning 8 months I guess











Yes, Eisley pulled out her bow and broke the headband at the end of the session. I guess she wanted variety.

So much for one week...

Whew! Another week has flown by, and too fast! I'll admit, I really don't do well internally when I have lots of things going on. You see, we had Jody's birthday, Jody's birthday cookout, Mia's birthday, Mia's birthday party (pictures coming soon), and then Father's Day all in one week. I'm the kind of girl that can't have multiple things going on in the same week, I just get like overloaded or something. I'm just a homebody, who needs some time and space to chill. Hopefully the rest of this week will bring some of that, maybe.

We did have a great weekend. We had Mia's birthday party this weekend. We had it at my parent's church. They have an indoor playground that is wonderful for kids big and small. Its a great place for a three year old birthday. (Chuckie Cheese's stresses me out, so we will probably never have her party there for sure.) It was a fun weekend. Jody's parents and sister and her husband all came to town, and all of my family was there too. And of course, lots of friends. We had a book party (which just meant that I made her invitations out of pages of The Cat and The Hat book, and put a cute poem on it to encourage people to bring books as a gift rather than more toys we don't need. Most everyone followed the rules. :) Much fun for sure!

And, last night, we finished the birthday celebrations with a cookout at my parents' house celebrating Jody's, Mia's and my dad's 50th birthday!!!! It was fun. So since I forgot my camera at Mia's party and will have to wait to get pictures from other people, I will post a couple of pictures from last night. Hope you are all having an amazing week!

Eisley


The girls

Mia is THREE today!

Yes, its true. I did post my last entry on Jody's birthday, and now it is my sweet daughter's birthday today, only 3 days later. It was 3 years ago today that Jody's and my life changed so dramatically when Mia made her entrance into this world at 1:30am and weighing in at 6 pounds 2 ounces, and 19 1/2 inches long. I know everyone tells a new mom, "watch out, they will be older before you know it!" I always laughed, thinking, "whatever." But its true. I'm not sure where the last three years of my life has gone, but it has been amazing, none the less!

Mia is such a joy in our life. She makes me laugh so hard every day. She really is three going on sixteen. She is currently in a very independent stage right now. She tells me all the time, "I can do that by myself, I am a big girl." Its so funny that you spend so much time as a parent to make them more independent, but then the time comes and you want to help them do something, and they refuse your help, repeating exactly what you have taught her (about being a "big girl.") and then that can be frustrating at times. It is only the beginning, and I am well aware of that. She is so great though. I love that I can have such a great time with her. I love that my heart aches when I am not with her. I love her creativity and imagination. I love that she loves Eisley so much, and never gets tired of her baby sister who needs her mommy's help a little more than she does. I love that she gets so excited over simple pleasures, and is so quick to tell us "I had a great time at ___, mommy." I love that she is one of the most appreciative children I've met, as she is so quick to tell people "thank you." I love that she will tell me "thank you for making this dinner for us, mommy" after a simple meal of grilled cheese or turkey meat on a plate. I know I could go on and on, but I will finish by singing (OK, typing) the sweet song Mia sang today when she had no clue I was listening...."Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to Mia, Happy Birthday to myself, Happy Birthday to me. Yeah!!!" (and yes, she applauded for herself after her song.) I hope you all have a blessed day today!

Happy Birthday to my husband...

So, today is Jody's 27Th birthday!!! I can't believe we are all getting so much older. Does anyone else remember when 26 or 27 sounded so old??? I mean, it was practically almost 30! Yikes! I just think its crazy, and not to mention that I still feel at least 18, and people still think Jody looks it. :) I love it! So, for Jody's big day (which, birthdays and holidays are so much more important to me than they are to him, so thank you Jody for letting it be a somewhat of an important day.) we started off with him having breakfast with a friend while I was at the gym. Then, we went to lunch together with the girls at our newly opened Rudy's Bar-B-Que. They have a Rudy's in Lubbock, which we loved when we were at Tech. It opened yesterday, so we thought it was a perfect birthday lunch. And, believe me, it was amazing! Tonight we are going to cook out steaks on Jody's new grill that I gave him for his birthday/Father's Day. I am pumped!

All Jody really asked for his birthday was a cookout with his close friends AND, get this, a Mariachi Band. Well, I don't think I could afford or fit a Mariachi band in our backyard, so I opted for the cookout. I have been secretly gathering all of our good friends to come over Sunday night to celebrate. I told him about the surprise today since I knew he would want a little time to work on the patio and yard and such. Either way, it was a surprise. He is so excited! Although, it almost didn't work out due to a lack of communication on his part. Earlier in the week, after I had called everyone, I found out that Jody was leading worship at a local church Sunday night. YIKES! So, I quickly called the pastor (good thing they are friends of ours) and told him the situation. Thankfully he was able to get a replacement for Jody so that Jody could attend his own party. Kinda funny, but I was nervous.

I love doing fun stuff like this for the man I love the most. I love that we are so different (he is crazy about big parties, I'd rather smaller groups) but yet are so compatible. He is amazing! I am so blessed that the Lord chose me to be his wife! I could have never chosen a more amazing husband for myself. He is willing to do whatever it takes to take care of his family. I love that he seeks the Lord the way he does. I love that he is so talented musically and creatively. I love the father that he is to Mia and Eisley, and the laughter that he brings to our home. I love that I am still able to laugh at him, even after almost 5 years of marriage. He is just perfect for me. Thank you Lord for the abundant blessing of my husband! Happy Birthday Jody! I hope you have an amazing day!

Oh, the joys of unpacking...

So the month of May seemed like a complete whirlwind. I honestly don't even remember May coming and going. Its amazing really. May was full of so many wonderful things...My birthday, of course, my brother got married the next week, Jody and Mia were in a wedding the next week, and then Jody and I spent last week in Austin where he led worship for a camp on Lake Travis. I will definately blog about each of these events.

First I will start with the wedding in Abilene. We had a great time. And really, it was a perfect midway drive to Austin. Our friends Kyle Trafton and Amanda Dunn got married. It was a beautiful ceremony. We had a lot of fun hanging out with friends too. I'll tell you one thing though, Mia LOVED being at a hotel. We didn't realize until we saw her reaction at the hotel, that this was her first time to stay at a hotel, well, that she can remember. She was so cute. She got excited about every part of the hotel, especially the "alligator" aka, elevator (its too cute to correct her.) She kept saying over and over again "I'm having a great time at the hotel daddy." The purest joys of an almost 3 year old. I wish I got more excited about simple things like she does. The suite was a perfect layout for our family. The two beds and the big room were closed off from a little sitting area. This was so helpful for naptime and bedtime. I was prepared for Jody and I to have to sit outside the room while the girls fell asleep. It was a huge blessing! All to say, we had a great time. The wedding was on Sunday, so we got there Saturday afternoon, and Jody and I left Monday to head on to Austin (only a 3 1/2 hr drive) and my parents, who were at the wedding too, brought the girls back home with them to spend the week with Nana and Grandad. I am so thankful for amazing family! Here are some pictures of the wedding weekend....Enjoy!

The family


Mia and the other flower girl, Savannah







The newly weds, Kyle and Amanda Trafton with Mia, Savannah, and ring bearer, Spencer Craft