Swimming lessons!

We are signing Anna up for swim lessons YAY!!! Thank you Yia Yia and Pop for making that possible. We are very excited about this. We are going to start July 14 and go through the 24th. It will hopefully be wonderful lol. However, I am concerned about Anna because she doesn't like to go off with strangers. Mommy's aren't allowed in the water with the kiddos. I am trying to talk one of our friends into putting her daughter in the class with her lol. I think it would be easier to have Anna adjust if she sees Allie having fun. We go to the pool every other day pretty much if not more. We "swim" without wings for a while and jump in the pool without them. "Swimming" means going under the water and kicking her way to the steps or me. After we do that for a while I will put her wings on her and she will swim all around the pool. Her favorite thing to do is go out to the deep end and jump in with David. Today we met Allie and David at the pool and Anna was torn about which one to hang out with. It was a lot of fun though. I enjoyed hanging out with Denise and Shanda and Dustin :) He is a 13 year old that went on the mission trip with Chris. He is an impressive young man. It is tough being a teen today and I think he does it well! Great job Denise! I am sure that David is going to follow in his footsteps!

Anyway, I am writing this post in hopes that some of you will pass on some words of wisdom concerning swim lessons!!! You know tell me what they did with the kids, how your child reacted, or whatever else you want to share. I just wanted to go in prepared!

Happy Anniversary Chris!!!

12 years of marriage is a long time. Well, sometimes it feels like a long time and other times it feels like I blinked and missed a few years. I guess it depends on the highs and lows of the relationship. We all have those so I know you know what I am talking about. I can honestly say though after 12 years of marriage I am thrilled to still be married to my best friend. He is an amazing husband. We both screw up and we have had a rough couple of years but right now I feel like we are closer than ever. With that I am going to list 12 things that I love about my husband.

12 Things I love about my husband

1. I love the way his eyes change colors depending on his mood.


2. I love the way he takes care of me and Anna.


3. I love that he gets mad at me when I get upset if dinner isn't ready or the house isn't just so. (I always feel like I am not doing my "job" if it isn't just so.)


4. I love how he is willing to play with Anna and entertain her so that I can have a few minutes of me time.


5. I love that he is starting to step out of his box and grow in ways that I never imagined he would.


6. I love that he loves his family so much. (Meaning his Mom and Dad and sister!)


7. I love that he pitches in with the housework at times. Doing the jobs that I just hate to do!


8. I love that he is willing to change his mind and go with the flow. (It hasn't always been this way.)


9. I love that he is so good with the kids at church.


10. I love that he is so active at church and so willing to listen to God!


11. I love that he is teaching Anna about God!


12. I love the man that he has become and the boy that he used to be!

I can't wait to see what the next 12 years hold in store for us!!!

Happy Anniversary Chris!!!

I love you so very much!!!

Crash and Burn!!!

That is what I did last night. I decided after spending about 2 hours trying to get my daughter to sleep that this was a bad idea! That apparently she thinks I am going to go away like her Daddy if she can't see me. For 2 hours I rotated between sitting in the chair in the living room waving at her and sitting in her room. I held her hand, I rubbed her back, I told stories, I told her how much I love her and how I would never be far away. Even when I am not where she can see me I am always right there. You know all of that good stuff. I listened to her cry more than I probably should have and finally at 11:30 I decided that nothing is worth all of this. I felt like I was damaging her little spirit. Oh I forgot that I even laid in her floor by the bed lol. She wouldn't cry as long as I was in the room but she wouldn't go to sleep either. It came to me as I lay in my bed crying for a few minutes what an idiot I was for not seeing she was afraid I would leave. Not that Chris has really left, he will be back Saturday. In her world she only sees that he is gone and if he is gone maybe Mommy will go too. I climbed in bed with her at 11:30 and within 2 minutes she was sleeping so soundly snuggled up against me. I give up! I am sorry Chris but the time is apparently not right. Maybe in a few weeks or a month we can try again.

The good, the bad and the ugly!

With Chris being away I have experienced numerous emotions. I thought I would explore those here and see what we get lol. Aren't you excited!?!

The Good! - It has been great doing things with Anna and not having to feel guilty that Chris is at work and missing so much fun. I have enjoyed spending time with friends and getting to know them better. I have enjoyed watching Anna learn how to swim! She is really learning even without lessons woo hoo. I have enjoyed having Anna all to myself lol. I thought I would be exhausted and ready for a break by now but since we are staying so busy I am loving every second with her. Now that is not to say that I am not ready for Chris to come home lol. Do I get a nap on Sunday? ;)

The Bad! - It has been tough having Anna miss her Daddy so much. She asks numerous times a day "when is Daddy coming home?" It has been tough trying to get Anna to sleep on her own without the support of Chris. I knew this would be tough and I decided to go forward with it but ugh it is harder than I thought. At least this way it won't interfere with Chris when he has to go to work. It has been hard wanting to share the cute things Anna says or does with Chris and not be able too. This one has probably been the toughest. I find myself numerous times a day reaching for the phone to call Chris to tell him something and remember I can't really call him.

The Ugly! - This one I am a little embarrassed to say so please don't hold it against me. I worry that Chris is going to come home on such a Spiritual High that I won't be able to keep up with him. I can hear the excitement in his voice every time I talk to him and I remember the high I was on after my mission trips. Will I be able to get swept up with him? Will I be able to help encourage him to keep that high going? Will I be a downer for him and not even mean too? I have all of these nasty thoughts in my head. Really, I know in my heart that if I give in I can ride the roller coaster with him.

I am going to ask you guys to pray for us. For me that I can get swept away in his excitement for Jesus Christ! For him that he will continue on this euphoric high even after he comes back to reality. For our youth that they will make any decisions that they need to make. They will have a time for that tomorrow night during there service. Chris said that he thinks there are several decisions brewing under the surface. Thank you all for listening to my rambling about my time alone and for any prayers that you can offer!

Wordless Tuesday and Wednesday!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Anna is my little talker and she keeps it going pretty steady. Here is what she has had to say over the past few weeks.

While we were packing her Daddy up:

Anna: Where is Daddy going?

Mommy: Daddy is going to Kentucky to work for God.

Anna: Mommy, I need Jesus too!

Every morning after she wakes up:

Anna: Mommy what are us doing today?

Talking to her Daddy while he is away:

Anna: What're you doin?

Daddy: Walking

Anna: What did you find?

Daddy: A park

Anna: NO come to my house!

The first night we were trying to get her to stay in her bed and go to sleep by herself (Which was this past Thursday):

Anna: Moooommmmmmyyyyy (numerous times)

Mommy: Anna I will come to check on you in a minute please stop yelling at me.

Pause for a moment

Anna: Mooommmmmmyyyy I am in YOUR spot!!!

Mommy: You are?

Anna: Yes are you coming?

Mommy: I will come check on you in a minute. You can stay in my spot!

On the way to a friends house:

Mommy: (Singing) Nacho Nacho Man ~ I want to be a nacho man. (we were going to eat nachos)

Anna: (after singing with me for a while) Mommy thats enough.

Mommy: Oh ok. (after stopping for a minute I started again. I couldn't help it.)

Anna: Mommy I said thats enough.

What was I thinking?

I totally jinxed myself! I was talking about how smoothly our sleep transition has been so far. Ha!!! That is almost all I can say. If I were anyone else that would be about it lol. I am however never short on words or at least very rarely. Tonight We did our bed time prayer and she climbed into bed. I though YES we are there!!! Ha!!! She scooted to the bottom of the bed and said "you get in your spot". I explained to her that I wasn't that I was going into the living room. I would sit in the yellow chair so that she could still see me. She started screaming hysterically. I loved on her and told her I had too. I proceeded to leave the room saying I would come check on her soon. 5 minutes later she sounds like she is about to be sick she has cried so hard. I go in and I can't hear myself talk over the screaming so I tell her that when she settles down I will come back in. Hmm, about 10 minutes I guess she finally settled down. It felt more like a life time. I went back in there and her shirt was drenched from her crying. We get her shirt changed. I tell her that I love her so very much. That she was the greatest gift God could ever give me. That I feel that she has given me so much more than I can ever give her. All I can do is love her with all of my heart and soul and take care of her like I think she needs. I think we need this! I said you know I love you, right? She nodded her head. I said you have made me so proud the past few nights. I need you to do it again. I explained that I would be going to the living room and she could see me in the chair. She said but Mommy stay in her, lay down with me. That very moment I wanted to cave. I thought is this really worth it? Do we HAVE to do this now? She is still really just a baby. Then I thought about how far we have come in just a few days. I thought about having to start over one day down the road. So I kissed her and told her that I couldn't. I came back to the living room and she can see me from her pillow. She is laying there right now watching me as I type this. Every time I look her way to check on her she waves at me. It would be so very easy to go in there and snuggle up.

Tell me what you think. Is it going to be worth it? Should I not force it and enjoy these snuggles as long as she lets me? Why do we feel compelled to rush them through childhood? Why can't we hold on tight and keep them small as long as possible? Would it be so terrible if they depended on us for a while longer? Is there a way to pause time and or slow it down and cherish every moment a little longer?

I read other Moms in the bloggy world that are trying to speed up time. Trust me I have my moments for that too but right now I just want to stop time. I want to remember every smell, taste, sight, feeling and sound. The smell of sweaty hair after running around in the back yard. The taste of the food that she wants to "feed" me. The sight of her having the time of her life in the pool. Learning how to jump off the side of the wall without holding onto my hands. Without me even right there with her. The feeling of her wrapping her arms around my neck for a hug. The feeling of her reaching up and grabbing my hand. Not because we are in a parking lot but just because she wants to be connected to me. The feeling of her sleeping on me because she woke up from her nap a little to early. The sound of her giggling when I do something silly. The sound of her voice when she is being all sweet and loving. The sound of her singing with me.

Sorry I totally got off topic lol. To finish the sleeping thing she is finally asleep. I hope tomorrow night is easier!

Sleep

Yesterday at the bottom of my post I told you I was working on our sleeping arrangements. We started Thursday and it has been going pretty good. Last night I put her to bed at 9. She wanted to watch the Jungle Book so I put it on. I was going to go turn it off a little later and get her to go to sleep. After she called me a few times and begged me to watch it with her she ended up falling asleep by 9:30. Going to bed by herself she seems to be going to sleep earlier than before. Maybe I was causing some distraction, hmph. Oh and last night she woke up around 11 to go pee pee and then slept the rest of the night without wetting the bed or her pull up!!! I have started to put those on her at night since I am not sleeping in there. If she can sleep the night through hey I am game. I was actually getting worried that I was teaching her to wake up in the middle of the night.

I really do miss snuggling up with her but I am not going to lie I love having a bed all to myself. Sorry honey, you know when you come home I will love snuggling with you. This has been a rough time for me. I so want to cave every time she calls me. Thankfully she isn't calling me so much now lol. Each night it seems to be a little less.

Slacker!!!

I have been such a slacker where the blog is concerned. We have been busy though so that is my excuse. We have been running every which way getting Chris ready for his mission trip, getting ready for my old high school friend to come to town and for our first small group session with the church to be held at my house. Busy, busy, busy!!!

Chris had Thursday off and we had a great day. We went to the pool so that Chris could see Anna swimming. It was great! Anna loved having her Daddy there with her. She even really practiced swimming without wings. She did pretty good. She would use her arms and legs but would still go under. She got to where she was trying to hold her breathe. Hopefully she will improve each time we go. I am just thrilled that she isn't afraid of the water.

Friday we went to Chuck E. Cheese with friends after seeing Chris off. We had a blast! She was utterly exhausted by the time we got home and she just crashed. That gave me time to prepare for my friends arrival. I did a little housework and then a friend of mine (Denise) came over and helped me with some yard work. Chris didn't have time to do it before he left because we had monsoon Thursday afternoon. Denise was a Godsend for coming over in the heat of the day to help. After we did the front yard we were burning up so we decided I would do the back yard Saturday AM. We would go to the pool instead! Anna loved watching Denise's 10 year old son at the pool. He was great with her too. He let her play basketball with him with one of those pool sets and even let her use his water gun. Good times!

Saturday, we spent the day with Beth, my high school friend. We just messed around and found a big HUGE sucker for her sons. Let Anna play a little and had Mexican for lunch, of course. Anna skipped nap time and crashed by 9. We were watching Monsters, Inc. and she just zonked out.

Today we had Sunday School and church. We went to lunch with Denise afterwards and Anna ate like a horse! She crashed again today by the time we got home. That gave me time to get ready for our small group tonight. We thought we would have it outside and let the kiddos play in the water while we did our Bible Study. Ha you know what they say about the best laid plans! About 10 minutes before everyone arrived it started lightening and just after everyone arrived it started pouring! We put the kids in Anna's room with a movie and I ended up having to referee them because they were being wild. You know 5 kids + 1 small space = chaos. It was though. It was nice getting to talk to people going through the same thing in life that I am.

In the mist of all of this excitement I have decided to break myself of climbing in the bed with Anna. This is something that I have done since we changed her to a full size bed. I would go in to lay down with her and end up falling asleep myself or if I managed to get up then I would lay down with her after I got up to take her pee pee. Now I am letting her lay down and go to sleep by herself. It has been better than I expected but it is still hard. I miss my extra snuggles. I don't get them much during the day any more since she is so busy. I am more than just a mom though. I am a wife as well and my hubby needs me. It is hard to figure out how to spread yourself out and attempt to make them both happy. Oh and I can't forget making myself happy ;) I love the snuggle time with Anna but I have missed that snuggle time with Chris. Ya'll pray for me that I can survive this transition!

Fun with Friends!

We went to the beach with our friends Shanda and Allie. We had a great time. We stayed for about 2 hours. Played in the sand and the water and had a picnic lunch. We met a girl there on vacation. She latched onto our little group and hung with us the whole time. She adored Anna and kept wanting us to play with her in the water. It was a little scary though cause she didn't know how to swim. I kept thinking if something happens to her I will be responsible. We never went out to far so that I could avoid that whole issue. Anna and Allie never could get on the same page on what they wanted to do. Allie liked the sand the best and Anna liked the water. Anna would come out to play with Allie in the sand for a few minutes and the water would start calling to her. Allie would come into the water to play with Anna for a few minutes and the sand would call her. So unfortunately Shanda and I didn't have a lot of time to visit but it was fun having another Mom there anyway. My knees got banged up a little on the broken shells in the water. Wah!!!

Need advice?

We are spending a ton of time in the pool this summer. My hair is starting to feel icky. What can I do to help it stay healthy and shiny while spending all of this time in chlorinated water? Do any of you have any great ideas!

Father's Day!

We had a great weekend. Saturday, Chris had to go help with a youth fundraiser so that meant we could go pick up his Fathers Day gift. Thursday we took him to get his hair cut as part of his gift. Anna has been on this kick that he NEEDED a hair cut. So that was her special gift to him.

She made this box for him. It is her hand prints and a finger print for the caterpillar. The poem says:

Children have a certain way

of growing bigger every day,

But these little hands

and this special smile

will stay in our

hearts a long, long while!

It is a keepsake box. He can use it for special papers she gives him or pictures or whatever he wants!

This is what we had to pick up for him. He needed a Bible and since he is going on the youth mission trip soon I thought it would be a great gift.

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it ... Dad

Author Unknown

That is the poem inside his card. Anna did the illustrations and added stickers for some extra effect. I think she is going to be an artist, what do you think?

Happy Friday ya'll!!! We will be busy

so we will see you back

here on Monday!!!

Have a good weekend

and Happy Father's Day!!!

Thursday Thirteen #1

This is my first Thursday Thirteen and I am excited to join in the fun! In honor of Father's Day I am going to list 13 things that make my hubby the best father!

1. He adores our daughter.


2. He playes endless hours of ball with her.


3. He is willing to sit through Sesame Street Live and the Disney Princesses on Ice!


4. He loves to make Anna laugh.


5. He lets her help him with yard work even though it makes everything take longer.


6. He is patient with her.


7. He puts smiley faces on all of his and her sandwiches with the mustard. He pretty much never forgets!


8. He hates that sometimes he can't soothe her. I really think it breaks his heart a little.


9. He loves to take her out to see the moon and stars.


10. He tucks her in each night and says a bed time prayer.


11. He waves to her from the road each morning that he goes off to work. I am sure it is a highlight of both their days.


12. He is totally hands on and wants to be a part of everything in her life!


13. He would give her the moon and stars if he could! He loves her more than words can say.

Chris, She thinks you hung the moon and stars just for her! She loves you very much!!!

For more Thursday Thirteen go HERE!

Wordless Wednesday!

For more Wordless go HERE and HERE!

Balance?

I had found such balance in my life there for a while. Now that summer is upon us I have lost my balance and am searching for a new way. My housework has fallen to the side because we are spending so much time outside and at the pool. I am lovin it of course but it is wreaking havoc on my house lol. No Lynn, it isn't terrible but it definitely isn't up to your standards. I will work on it before you get here Friday :)

The heat is just making it so hard to do anything! We go to the pool in the mornings stay until lunch time and then come home eat and crash for a few hours. After that it is just so terribly hot. Our air condition is being checked out as we speak. Hopefully that will help. We are struggling to keep our house at 77. Apparently we have the hottest attic this guy has ever been in. Wow, you can already tell a difference. He had to put freon in the unit. He said that we have a heating blanket on our house. That the only 2 ways we can fix that is to get an attic fan for $400 or foam insulation for $4 or 5,000. For now the freon will hopefully help and I have to get the blinds put up in the living room.

So back to my problem. How do you all get motivated during the summer to clean house and do laundry and dishes? I need some ideas! Tell me your secrets!!! I promise I won't tell anyone ;)

Mothering

It has been brought to my attention numerous times over the past 2.5 - 3 years that there are several mothering styles. I struggle sometimes when I found out someone does things differently from me. Its not as if I am a perfect mother I just struggle sometimes. I wonder what were they thinking or gee maybe I have been doing it wrong.

I guess as Moms we are all doubtful at times. We all wonder if we aren't warping out children in some way. I wonder if maybe I am to soft on Anna. Or maybe I held her to much when she was a baby and still today. Did I mess her up because I rocked her to sleep for so long and now I lay down with her. I mean maybe she won't ever go to sleep by herself. Maybe I nursed her to long or any number of doubts that can run through my head at one point or another.

Most of the time I can remind myself that Anna is a happy, healthy, wonderful little girl. She is loved by many and even admired by many as well. People love to try to win her love because she makes you earn it. There are some things as a mother that I need to change but overall I think I am doing ok.

Another blogger said it best:

We all make mistakes.

It's what we do afterwards that matters.

South Heat Diet!!!

This is a new diet! It has been used for years and years but no one shares the secrets - UNTIL NOW!!!

• Live in the HOT south!
• Stay out doors almost all day, every day!
• Go swimming A LOT! (I don't mean hanging out - I mean treading water or slicing through the water really swimming. I like to put Anna in her tube and push her around the pool!)
• Chase after a 2 almost 3 year old! (age really doesn't matter as long as you run A LOT!)
• Work in the garden A LOT!
• Drink a ton of water every day!
• Get so tired you don't feel like cooking anything much less eating it!
• Don't worry about sweating! (We all know women don't sweat we perspire lol)
• Forget the mantra "Everything in moderation" Go with "If I am going to do it - I WILL do it right".

I will let ya'll know how this diet goes. I can already tell a little difference in my clothes. I am even getting into some of my old ones! YAY ME!

*Disclaimer~Don't forget sunscreen! Watch out for your child because they will get as tired as you and then they get cranky! On the brighter side of that Anna is napping and sleeping better then ever!

Wordless Wednesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday!

Anna talks pretty much non stop any more.

Sunday pm we went back to church for choir practice and she said
"Mommy lets go see Jesus" pointing at the sanctuary.

I was trying to get her to drink water before letting her have something else. She said "Mommy, I can't drink it makes my neck hurts!"

We have been working on manners since the day she started talking.
If she burps she will go "I burped, xcuse me *pause* thank you." I would say excuse me after she burped and she would repeat it and then I would say thank you. Now she thinks it all goes together.

Same thing if she passes gas. A while back she was playing in her room and came running to me in the kitchen. She said "Mommy I tooted! Xcuse me, thank you." Then she just ran back to her room to continue doing whatever it was she was doing.

Here is the song Anna is learning to sing at the moment. Enjoy!

Where does she get it?

This daughter of mine has a mean streak. Who would've known. It must come from her father cause I certainly don't have one (uggghhhhmmmmm)! Its not like I tried to drown my brother or anything when we were kids. (oops, maybe it is like that.)

Let the good times fall where they may lol!

We had such a great time with our friends. The kids got to play together and us adults got to chat and catch up. It was the perfect morning! Oh and we had a picnic. Anna was so thrilled she kept saying "I havin a picnic"!

How does your garden grow?

This is how I spent my saturday. Finally getting most of the weeds out and putting down some natural fertilizer so that my garden will be even better. I have flowers on my squash and watermelons! After getting all sweaty and dirty I washed off with the hose and got in Anna's kiddie pool with her. It was great fun! Oh and thanks Chris for entertaining her while I took care of the garden I couldn't have done it all without you! So, what did you do with your Saturday?