Wordless Wednesday

What I've Been Up To

Wow! I had an okay weekend. After cleaning house Friday night so I wouldn't have to do it Saturday, I started having Braxton Hicks. It didn't last very long, thank goodness. Then I started having heartburn that is still going on today. Saturday I tried teaching MG how to read, but she lost interest very quickly. She wanted to play her computer game that I showed her last week. Great mommy! But I figured next time I could use that as a bribery, if she reads the cards I made her for about 30 minutes or so, then she can get on the computer. Why didn't I think of that Saturday? I think it's because I really didn't want to do it myself so why should I make her do it? Sunday was church and then we came home and cooked hot dogs on the grill. Yes, that added to my heartburn. Sunday night we had watermelon and music out in our church parking lot. Even though I do not eat watermelon, it was fun. I love listening to our praise band. They are GREAT!! Yesterday I packed MG's and mine and daddy's bag for the hospital. Now if I can get Bill to put the baby car seat in, I will be good to go. I have a strong feeling this one is going to come early. MG was 3 weeks early, so why shouldn't this one? Even though my doctor said I could go full term, I just know with school starting back soon and me being stressed out, something will happen. I will be ready, though. Today we woke up and got breakfast at Burger King. Then MG and I went to the park in Alabaster, ate breakfast, and played until time for the 10:00 movie. We watched Babe, which she loved. She talked most of the way through it, just asking those little toddler questions. Since we've been home, she's been playing while I tutored 2 boys, 1 hour each. She plays really well when I am tutoring. I am very thankful for that.

Oh yeah, yesterday I got an e-mail from a friend to join Facebook and so I did. I signed up thinking that I was just going to sign in so I can keep up with my friends. Well, I signed up yesterday morning and in between all of my chores I found myself on my computer, all the way up to 10:00 lastnight. It was a busy day on FB because a lot of my friends, old and new, were commenting me left and right. It was sooo much fun. So I guess I will be juggling myself in between my blog, FB, family, and quiet time with the LORD, in no particular order, while I still have the time. I can do it!!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

Website for Madilyn Grace

My almost three year old daughter is fascinated by things that have buttons and make sounds - like computers. Every time mommy gets on her laptop, she gets her little laptop out and sits right beside me. She likes her little computer, but it doesn't seem to be quiet as fun as mine ...she wants the REAL thing. Recently, I was introduced to KneeBouncers, a website that features games for babies and toddlers. These games are designed to be played simply by pressing keys on the keyboard, and watching different things happen. Madilyn Grace likes to pop bubbles on the computer, make music, or make silly noises. There are no rules, and the games are colorful and fun. I allowed my daughter to use my laptop as long as I was sitting right beside her. Plus, it just made her so darn happy. Her favorite game is Bed Bouncing. There are thirteen games in all, with more on the way. I'm so glad that my daughter can have a little fun on the computer now. Check it out and have fun!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

We Just Stay at Home and Lie Around...

Happily enjoying lying around and doing nothing today.

And by nothing I do mean cleaning the house, doing laundry, playing with and feeding my almost 3 year old daughter, and staying cool!

I love being a stay-at-home mommy, at least for a few more weeks until school starts back.

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

P.S.- Our preacher's wife, Mrs. DeeDee is celebrating her birthday today and she is offering a give-away on her blog. Please go to her blog and sign up for a free CD or a $10.00 gift card to Starbuck's. She has the directions on her post for today. Good luck!!

We Are So Excited!

Approximately 68 days from now, I will be sending out baby announcements. I will be giving birth to the newest member of our family in September 2009. Since she will be our second baby, I might give birth sooner than the expected date. So, just to be honest, I am a bit excited to welcome another blessing in my life! I can’t wait to hold another treasure from heaven. Pray for me, the baby, and Bill as we wait out these last few weeks.

Still Growing In Christ,
Tanya

Date Night

All day long I had been waiting for our date. Needless to say, it was a long day. Madilyn Grace was not in the best of moods, so I was very tired by the end of the day when it was time for me to start getting ready for out date. MG and I finally got ready and I made it to the baby sitter's house about 10 minutes late. Well, the funniest thing happened to me when I got in the car. I usually leave my radio on one station, 93.7, I'm not much of a flipper. But there was too much talk on the radio and that is not what I wanted to hear at the time. I turned the radio to the country station 104.7 and there was this song coming on and I just knew it was on the radio just for me. I listened to it, the best I could with Madilyn Grace talking to me. I had heard it before but I never really payed that much attention to it until yesterday. I put a video of the song at the bottom of this blog because it fits yesterday so well for me. Listen to it before you leave my blog, maybe you can relate.

Now to the date, last night, Bill and I was able to go out on a date. We haven't been out, childless, since May 15, Bill's birthday. It was so nice. We went to Olive Garden to eat and then out to the movies. We saw The Proposal. The movie was pretty good, better than I thought it would be. We say every time we go out that we need to do that at least once a month, but now it's going to be a little harder to find a sitter for 2 kids.

After dropping MG off I suddenly realized how quiet my vehicle was. I'm usually having to answer a lot of questions or just simply have a toddler conversation going down the road. It was quiet, so I actually got to turn my radio up a little louder than normal. I had a few errands to run that required me to get out of the car so I ran them before I had to meet Bill at the restaurant. I realized that I did not have to go to the back seat to get MG out of the car and carry her inside with me. Then I had to go by the bank and I didn't have to ask for a sucker, like I do every other time I go. It was nice being able to go to the bathroom by myself at the restaurant, eat without stopping 20 times to do something, watch a movie without having to leave and go to the bathroom again, being talked into buying some candy during the best part of the movie, you see where I am going with this. But I found myself looking around the restaurant while we were there seeing all of the other kids doing kid things at the table, all of the other mommies taking their little ones to the bathroom, some were leaving the movies to either go to the bathroom with their child or to buy them something at the concession stands. It made me miss Madilyn Grace so much! I couldn't help but to think about the song I had heard as I was leaving the house.

I enjoyed the time alone that I had with my husband, but at the same time I could not get my little girl off of my mind. I am addicted to her and having the summer off doesn't help any. She wears me out to the point of exhaustion when I am with her all day, it could be because I am pregnant, but when she is not with me, she's all I think about. Looking down the road, I know that I am going to miss all of the little and big things that occurs in our day to day lives, so I am just going to sit back and take in every moment I have with my little family. I love them so much!!

To play the video and hear the song, pause the music on the sidebar and then press play button.


Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

The Rooms are Ready

We finally have both girls' bedrooms all ready to go. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Here are some pictures of Natalee Brooke's room. Very simple, but I know from experience that I will be redecorating it again soon.

We are using the same bed that we used for Madilyn Grace. She stayed in that bed for almost 2 1/2 years. Hopefully, Natalee Brooke will do the same. The chair is one that we used in Madilyn Grace's nursery. It was not the right color, so I just bought a brown sheet and covered it up. It doesn't look as bad as it sounds. Chair covers were too expensive, so I thought the sheet would work just fine.

The changing table is something that we had with Madilyn Grace. I haven't changed a diaper in a while, I hope I still remember how to do it. I cried when I had to get Madilyn Grace's clothes out of her dressers. Well, I guess the dressers are not hers anymore, but it was very sad for me to empty them out. We knew when we bought her furniture that it would only be hers for a short while, but I did not imagine how sad it would be the day we passed it down to her sibling.

You cannot read the sign above her bed, but it says Sweet Dreams. I hope Natalee Brooke sleeps better than Madilyn Grace did. She was a horrible sleeper. I guess we will find out here pretty soon.

I am ready to meet our little angel. Yes, "Angel", that is what we will call her. Madilyn Grace is our "Little Princess" so I had to come up with something to call Natalee Brooke. My "Little Princess" and my "Angel," that has a nice sound.

Since we had to pass the bed down to the baby, we had to buy Madilyn Grace a new bed. I wanted to get her a bunk bed, so we looked and found a great price on a used one. It was not the color that I wanted it to be, so we painted it white to match the rest of Madilyn Grace's room. Overall, we are pleased with how it turned out. I still have to lay down with Madilyn Grace each night, I guess it's just too big for her. She loves to play on the top bunk, so I let her keep most of her stuffed animals and babies up there. I don't worry about how neat the top bunk stays because no one really looks up there. (Madilyn Grace had to model the bed, she insisted. Click on the pictures to see a closer look.)

On one side of her bed there is a bookshelf. I am very thankful for the bookshelf because the baskets that I originally had her books in were overflowing. I didn't realize how many books she had. I guess the teacher in me wanted her to have a lot. Now if I could just teach her how to read them herself. I think I have read every one to her at least 5 times each, if not more. She does love her books! On the other side is a desk. I put a blanket at the top of it so that you cannot see the top bunk. I'm sure it won't stay there long.
There's not much to her desk right now, but eventually she will put it to good use. The rest of the pictures are just snapshots around her room. What you see is her recliner, TV, and her little table where we eat breakfast and have our tea parties. We had to move the table out from in front of the window because the bed was so big, but we can still see outside.

Well, thanks to everyone who said they would help out either by watching Madilyn Grace while we finished the rooms or coming by the house to help hang pictures. We managed and I think we are done, for now anyway. I hope you enjoyed the little tour of our little girls' rooms.

Still Growing in Christ,

Tanya