Say A Little Prayer For Me

Actually, it's not for me...it's for one of my close friends, Rachel Treichler. She has been undergoing chemotherapy and is now going in for tests tomorrow. She is a dear friend and I can imagine how anxious she will be, waiting for the results. Let's pray, pray, pray!!!

"For with God nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

Sing Your Praise To The Lord!

A lot of you out there in blog-land know that Bryan and I lead the children in music every Sunday (that we can make it to church). I thought that you might enjoy seeing some pics of us "in action". This Sunday, we had a special guest on stage with us...our daughter! It is always a LOT of fun and so cool that we get to share this with our kids. Even Aaron says, "go sing la-la?".

Bryan taught the kids his own version of Jesus Loves Me...Jamaican style! Man, look at Kate! Is she getting into the clapping or what? I'm not quite sure where she gets her "expressiveness" from! Hmmm...

(Remember that you can click on any individual picture to see it larger. Please zoom at your own risk).

I just thought these pictures were too darn funny! This is one of the kids' favorite songs, "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy". There is a guitar solo, where we all pretend to play air guitar! Of course, Kate decides to do her 'funky chicken' impression, and I had to join in on the fun.

Last but not least, I have to tell you how much I love Mr. Neal's storytime and Bible lesson. He is soooo good with the kids and really knows how to connect with them. This week, he acted out all the starring roles in "Daniel and the Lion's Den". There was even a surprise guest...Mr. Lion playing...well, a lion. The kids also made lion masks...and helped the story along with a few "roars" and "meows". On the way to school today, Kate actually retold the entire lesson to her father. The creativity is paying off! Thanks Heather & Neal! We love you guys and are so thankful that we get to be a part of your class each week.

Just Whistle While You Work...

I hope that you guys can see these pictures clearly. If not, maybe Aaron can come over and Windex your screens! Ha. Couldn't resist. Seriously though, I can't get over how my two kids can be so completely different. Kate has NEVER really shown an interest in helping me with my chores, while Aaron loves to! He can sweep (not really), vacuum, wipe up spills, jump in piles of dirty laundry, and.....as of today, clean the windows. Now, mind you, you have to actually get down on his level to see out our windows clearly, but hey...I'm just amazed that he helps me at all! Kate still has a hard time figuring out the spray nozzle, and Aaron picked it up in a matter of seconds. Here's a shout out to my little boy and his newfound skill!

Since Aaron is a naughty, naughty little 2-year old who likes to get into ALL kinds of trouble (hence, the repainting and Magic Erasing of many walls), we don't allow a lot of paint or markers in our house. However, to try and make up for that, we do allow them to chalk up our entire driveway. Of course, Aaron has been known to chalk the van, but that's another story. Did I mention he was naughty? Here are a couple of pics of Aaron and Kate's chalk renderings. Kate's might be a picture of a house on fire (we just read a book about fire safety), and Aaron...well Aaron decided to outline our crack....in the driveway. He was soooo proud of it..."look mommy, look what Aaron draw". Notice Kate's new headband and Aaron's chalk-mark on his face. Girls will be girls and boys will be boys. Love them both!

Let Them Be Little...Just Not Too Little

Okay, so at this point you might be confused. Too little? You might look at this photo and say, "Awww...he does look awfully little sitting in that big chair." Or maybe, "I wish I was little so that I could veg out in front of the TV, watching my favorite show, The Wonder Pets." But Jen, what do you mean, too little?

Well folks, I demonstrated (once again) why I certainly won't be getting any of your votes for the 2008 Mother-of-the-Year award. I had to write about this because I thought it was funny and I wanted Aaron to know how loony his mom can be. The first part of my blog title is an actual song by Billy Dean. It's cute...and very age appropriate for Aaron.

The second part of my blog title is a reminder to myself that I need to check the size of something BEFORE I put it on my kid. Yesterday, after lunch, I noticed that my son was walking funny...kinda uncomfortable-like. I thought...wow...it's been awhile since I've changed his diaper, it looks pretty bulky-I better change it. So, I changed his diaper, and while it did relieve some of the bulkiness, he was still acting like something was bothering him. He was doing these leg bends and stuff...I thought--maybe he has to take care of some business. When he didn't do that, and continued to act irritated, I finally decided to re-do his diaper (in case I had pulled it too tight). That is when I finally noticed that I had put on a 12 month pair of shorts on my boy. My son is 2 1/2 years old...and while he can still fit into some 18/24 month shorts...12 months is a wee bit of a squeeze.

When I thought back to that morning, I remembered being in a rush, just trying to get out the door. I guess I just didn't notice how tight they were on him. Aaron, will you please forgive this scatterbrained mom of yours? I will try to do a better job next time. I promise.

Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder....

...French Fries, Icy Coke, Thick Shakes, Sundaes and Apple Pie! Hungry now? We actually ate McDonald's this evening (egad! yes, we allow our kids to consume fast food) in celebration of....

KATE LOSING HER FIRST TOOTH!!!!

And let me just tell you that Kate made it VERY easy...she pulled it out herself! She was actually showing Bryan and I how much she could wiggle it when it just popped right out. I think she was sooo surprised that she had pulled it out! At first she started laughing, but then when she saw her gums bleeding and felt a little pain from the pull...she did her demonic 'half-cry/half-laugh' that kind of freaks her parents out. But after a few minutes of blotting her gums with a tissue, she was happy again and ready to show off her smile for the camera. We also talked about the tooth fairy, which by the way, according to Kate, is nothing more than a 'sparkle'. Hmmm...I don't know-you figure it out! When I asked Kate how much cash she thought Sparkle T might drop for a first tooth...she immediately replied, "oh, it will probably be a LOT of money...maybe like, 50 cents". Whew! Sparkle T seems to be getting off pretty cheap these days...whatcha think?

Another humorous thing that Kate said today (that I wanted to blog or else I would forget) took place in our van (down by the river...couldn't resist) on the way home from school today. We had to go by Blockbuster to return a movie. Kate decided that she really need to BUY a movie. I asked, you mean, RENT? No, she reassured me, she wanted to BUY it. I explained to her that she had just had a birthday and that she had received the Enchanted DVD...the one she really wanted....so we weren't buying a video today. She took a moment (must have started thinking about her birthday party and all her gifts) and then made the most random comment: "Mommy, I know why Nanay & Papa give really nice gifts...they are older so they have more money so they can buy me nicer things." Ha!! To her credit, they did give her a really nice Fisher Price Arts & Crafts Digital Studio. The funny part of this conversation is that when I asked her where she came up with that idea, she said proudly, "All by myself...my brain told my mind...and you know, my mind tells my mouth what to say". She can be really cute when she is being so serious and matter-of-fact in her explanations.

Some other random photos to share since my last post:

Kate was really excited that we were able to celebrate her birthday this year with her classmates at school. I brought a cake during lunch and made several kids (+ 2 teachers) very, very happy. Thanks for the sugar rush, Harris Teeter. Only the best store-bought cake for my Kate!



Did you know we had a cold spell in Raleigh last week? Actually, someone forget to tell Aaron that it is summer and that it is bad manners to wear your winter coat at the dinner table. Aaron can be so funny...he actually had Bryan and Kate wearing their jackets too. He did eat better that night, and clean up was a breeze...we simply wiped down the jacket and voila! Clean boy. Good idea, son.








Here is a picture of Kate and Aaron playing with the Digital Studio (thanks Nanay & Papa). Kate has enjoyed playing with this, but I have to say that Aaron really, really loves this toy. In order to play with it, you have to plug it in to a USB port and then power up the 'keyboard'. To his parent's amazement, Aaron has already figured out how to do this and therefore can play whenever he wants. So smart!



Here is our new "Time-out" zone...or "Naughty Rug", if you will. These bad, bad kids had to lay under our dining room chairs for 2 to 5 minutes (depending on age). JOKES. Of course, you didn't really think we were that mean, right? AV? No one report us...I was merely trying to find a humorous way to interpret this picture, and yet show off our new rug! Woohoo...our dining room is looking less and less like a conference room!



Kate is now sporting a few headbands these days. I loved the cute plaid dress that our friends gave her. Thanks Riveras!
I guess this is the last picture I have of her before the tooth-falling incident occurred. Bye bye baby (teeth and all)...hello big girl!

Aaron is loving bubbles these days. He is actually getting better and better at holding the bottle and not making a complete mess. And today, I actually saw him blow several bubbles out of the wand. Good job, Aaron.

Last but not least, both of the kids know that when Mommy is 'cooking', she doesn't like to be disturbed. However, Mommy will let them help with the cooking, as long as they listen and do exactly what she says. Aaron must have heard "the oven is HOT!" a few too many times. I found him in the kitchen by my stove, with the oven mitt on, saying "Mommy, I help cook. The oven is HOT!" Heck...at least he is using his oven mitt....right?

Good night, my blog readers. Love to you all out there! God bless.

Happy Birthday to You

These Are Days To Remember

I stole that title from my good friend, Kim. She used it to title a post the other day and it got me thinkin' about the words. If you don't know the song, it was a #1 hit for the alternative rock group, 10,000 Maniacs. I listened to it a lot in college, and while I don't agree with all the lyrics, it does take me back to those warm and golden days of yesteryear, remembering nothing but happiness and high hopes for the future. You know what I mean...those days of turning up the music loud, rolling down the windows of your car, letting the hot wind wreak havoc on your hair...just singing as loud as you can and not caring who is listening. No worries...lots of fun to be had and pure excitement as to what each day would bring!

Funny, that's not quite how I would describe this time in my life...but I still believe that These Are Days To Remember. I got choked up the other day at my sister's house, when she showed me a video of my Kate, singing "Jesus Loves Me" when she was 2 1/2 years old. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing. Honestly, I couldn't remember her ever sounding like that...her voice was so different...she has grown up so much. It made me sad to think that I had already forgotten. Already forgotten the precious toddler days of my big girl. They seemed to be so slow moving at the time...I didn't think she would ever get old enough to become more independent and I kept wishing it would happen.

I'm getting that wish now...as each day passes, I see my child looking to others to meet her needs. She wants to play with kids her age, not me. I asked her to go walking with me tonight (something she used to eagerly agree to), and for the first time, she seemed genuinely disappointed at the suggestion. She was hoping for something else...someone else. It kind of broke my heart. Don't worry though, I still made her go with me and she eventually warmed up to the walk, and to me. But it made me think that I need to soak in all these special days, special minutes. I need to cherish these early years, they go by so quickly...too quickly.

Speaking of early years, Aaron is smack dab in the middle of 'em. My two year old is sprouting wings and trying to take off...in the opposite direction of his mama! He is a firecracker, but so much fun to be around. Since I seem to have trouble remembering Kate's toddler days, I am going to try and do a better job of documenting any funny things Aaron does/says. My son loves to go places with me. Not because he loves spending time with me, but there is usually a treat waiting for him wherever we go. Therefore, instead of calling out the name of the store we are going to, he always reminds me of what treat he gets there. In this picture, Aaron is sporting his treat, a big smiley face sticker, on his forehead. Whenever we walk through the doors of Wal-mart, I know to expect a little voice demanding "Stick-oor, stick-oor, please Mommy". He already knows which lady usually hands out the stick-oors, and will point to her until I take him over to see her (he is strapped in the cart, FYI, or he would just leave me in the dust). In fact, the other day, we were in the McDonald's area in the front of Walmart and the stick-oor lady was taking her break. He saw her and immediately began asking for his two stick-oors (one for me and one for him). She just smiled and laughed. See? These ARE the days to remember.

(By the way, the other two places he LOVES is Lowes Food Store, "b'loon please Mommy" and Harris Teeter, "coooookie Mommy, MY coooookie".)

And of course, last but not least, here are a few pics from yesterday's Fashion Show Party. Like I said in my previous post, I really think the girls had a LOT of fun. And Aaron couldn't wait to get up on the platform...we had a hard time keeping him OUT of the spotlight. Hee hee. Thanks to Mema and Pop for such a great outfit...Kate loved wearing her cheerleader costume. She really did 'shine' yesterday...inside and out!

Tossin' & Turnin'

Ever had one of those nights where you feel really, really tired BEFORE you go to bed-only to suddenly feel WIDE AWAKE as soon as your head hits the pillow. That's me. I'm up tonight after a harrowing 3-day prep for my daughter's 6th birthday party, fashion show party to be exact. I should be in bed, sawing some serious logs. But no...I tried that...I lied down...couldn't sleep...tossed & turned...even tried the 'fall asleep to the TV' trick, but it didn't work! By the way, do you know the random stuff that's out there at night for your viewing pleasure? I started off with Fox News, but got tired of hearing Geraldo's voice. Then I was on to TLC, where they have some singing/dancing competition hosted by Mel B (Spice Girls...and the only reason I know that is that I'm a fan of DWTS and she was paired with my fav pro, Maks). Hmmm...back to the show...it was the 1-800-Dentist Team vs. the Hair Salon Team. They were both pretty horrible...does there have to be a winner? Did Mel realize how bad this was going to be when she signed her contract? Me thinks not. Anyways, I didn't even stick around to see the winner declared. I started watching that channel where they show all the re-enactments of real life police drama. I saw this lady officer and her cop-dog sidekick pull over some punk guy who eventually tried to run her over while speeding away. Technology via dashboard cams sure has provided some dramatic entertainment (is that what you call it? It feels kind of wrong to call it that). At this point I channel surf to catch my local weather, Fox News' Bill O' Reilly talking about Tony Snow, a Bridezillas preview, and some documentary on an African man afflicted with warts and what appeared to be branches growing on his arms (I'm not joking about this). I finally stopped on the Time Life Music Infomercial...you know the one hosted by the two boys in Air Supply. I can't believe it, but I actually get sucked in to those. I really love music, and I guess I just keep waiting to hear what other songs will be on this exclusive cd collection that will only cost me 5 easy installments of$39!! Whew...I finally came downstairs to chew a Tums (gotta love growing older) and decided to be more productive with my insomnia. Therefore I am posting. That's got to be better than watching TV, right? I mean, at minimum, I'm practicing my typing skills. I'm also having to use my short-term memory.

Okay, so on to discussing today's party. I think it was a success....we got some cute pics and video footage of all the girls posing and walking down our 'runway'...pink carpet, not red (was there any doubt?). Kate really was excited about today. She kept talking about turning six as if she was suddenly going to be a 'legit' first-grader. Last week, she told me that she had been trying very hard to be a first-grader, even though she was still five. She said God would give her more knowledge on her birthday and that would make her wiser. And so...several days ago, we started the "Birthday Countdown". I'm thankful that she enjoyed her day and here's to hoping (& praying) that God IS making her wiser!!!

I'm starting to feel drowsy (PLEASE, YES)...so I'll wrap it up with a shout-out to my newly-turned six year old. Kate, you are a joy to me and one of the best gifts that God will ever give me in this life. I love you sweetheart. When I look at you, and see those big eyes taking everything in with wonder, I silently thank God that He allowed me the chance to be a mom, your mom. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much and so unconditionally and it has really helped me realize how MUCH God loves us as His children. And just like the song said in your slideshow today, "You are so beautiful to me".

Up In The Morning And Out To School...

Today is Kate's first day of First Grade. So long summer break....so long staying up late...so long sleeping in late...so long 'no homework'! Hello earlier school bell schedule...hello getting up too early for mommy&kids...hello packing lunches and snacks...hello new school and new friends!!

Yes, Kate is changing schools this year. She is actually starting out at one school and transitioning to another one in a month or so (it's not finished being built at this time). Kate is making this new start all by herself...none of her classmates or friends from last year are going to be with her this year. She seemed a little nervous this morning, but then fell right into step once we were in the classroom. Here she is at her desk:

This new school brings with it a new bell schedule (8:30-3pm). Last year we had the pleasure of going from 9:15-3:45. I miss it already. Let me tell you, seven came much too early for this mom (& her kids too). I will be happier when the new school is finished...at least it's going to be closer to our house, so that should buy me about 10-15 minutes!

We had a great July 4th weekend to finish off Kate's summer break. I will try and get back on this afternoon to post more pics and stories! Love to you all.

What A Day For A DayDream...

It's been a few days since I last blogged, but I've been kind of busy...doing nothing! Bryan and I had the RARE opportunity to be without the kiddies for a couple of days. My mom and dad graciously offered to watch them so that B&I could head to Wrightsville for our 10 year anniversary. It was so relaxing, even if it was only for a day and a half. Here we are...feet in the surf!


The weather forecast didn't seem all that great for this past weekend, but it ended up being GORGEOUS for our trip. We left on Saturday in the a.m. and got to the beach by 10! Bryan and I both got to do what we had wanted to do on our family vacation but didn't get to do due to being parents....RELAX! Wow...say that sentence 10 times fast. I loved putting my feet in the surf and reading a good book! Byran loved boogie boarding, putting his feet in the surf AND eating snacks (was there ever a doubt that food would be included). All and all, a beautiful and fun day at the beach. The only hard part was FINDING a parking spot and feeding the parking meter with quarters throughout the day (thanks, honey).

Here are some pics of Bryan riding his boogie board! I actually tried it too and have to admit that it was fun riding the waves all the way in.

We left the beach around 4:30 and headed to our hotel to get cleaned up for dinner. Bryan and I both realized that we may have not put on enough sunscreen...we both were a little red (one of us more red than the other...I won't say names, but I'm sure you can guess who would be stubborn enough to wear ONLY SPF 8 lotion all day). Anyways, we finished getting ready and headed out to dinner. One of my favorite places in the world to go is downtown Wilmington...riverside dining, cobblestone streets and beautiful, old buildings. It really takes my breath away everytime I go.

We celebrated our 10 years together as man and wife over dinner at The Pilot House. Good sweet tea and some wonderful eats! We both had seafood (of course)...B had swordfish and I had flounder&grits. YUM. After dinner we got icecream and strolled along the Riverwalk. Just lovely. We stayed for several hours and finally decided to head back to the hotel. On the way home, we agreed that we should visit the beach one more time (at night) and so we drove to Johnny Mercer's pier instead. It was beautiful...looking at all the twinkly stars over the ocean. We actually both saw shooting stars. Loved it. A really great date night, I would say. Here are some pics of us downtown:

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and headed to The Dockside for an early lunch. It's an awesome place to eat. They have great food and even better views of the Marina.

After lunch, B and I reluctantly headed back home...but with some good memories to take with us. Thanks Bryan for some fun in the sun and a relaxing date downtown. I love you! Happy Anniversary. You're still my cake!