Too much Mickey Mouse

So much better to find THIS after nap time than a poo decorated room!  He decided to put his socks on his hands.  I laughed a bit about tha, but then I relaized he looked like Mickey Mouse!  Note the red and black outfit and then the "white gloves" just complete the costume!  Seriously, this was not planned!  Just a coincidence.  It's never boring around here.  lol 

A Reason to Celebrate!

A welcomed gift was in the mailbox yesterday!!!  A free Starbucks drink (a perk to being a gold card member).  So after swim lessons, we decided to go down to Safety Harbor, get me a venti caramel frapp, Sean and Ry some ice cream from Cold Stone and take a walk.  I haven't taken pictures in a while so I thought I would also bring along my camera.  :) 

A Sweet Moment

The boys were holding hands in the backseat while I was driving. Too cute! Not cute is what I found after naptime yesterday.......Ryan decorated his room with poo!!!!

I think I need to carve this sweet moment into my brain because these boys are giving me a hard time! I love them so much, but feel like I am failing as a mama. I am losing my patience with them and am often upset. It has just been difficult. Ryan is super emotional and whiny, complaining, demanding, and just down right cranky almost constantly. I am weary and I don't know what to do to help him, to discipline him, or what to say to him. I feel like there is a temper tantrum almost every 10 minutes. Hunter, on the other hand, rarely wants me to leave his side and when I do he fusses and fusses. I have feelings of guilt because I am getting irritated and frustrated. I don't want God to think I am not thankful for 2 healthy boys whom I really do cherish and love.

Something else I need to remind my self of........hourly!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Family News Update

We have found renters for our townhome! We have shown our house twice and the 2nd set of people decided they wanted to live here. Praise God. I was a little worried about this instead of giving my worries to Him. Sean knows the guy from school. It will be him, his fiancee, and her brother living here. This is our first time doing this so we are hoping to get some advice from our friend and realtor who helped us find our townhome.

We also picked our date to move - July 21st! My Dad is so kind and will be helping us get there. Maybe once he sees it, he won't want to leave either! :)

Sean got his summer schedule set up and will be gone Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 10 pm and then Wed from 1030-1230. This means I will be alone and outnumbered during bathtime. I am blessed that we are both usually home for that and I'm not sure I know how to do it by myself. I'm sure I will figure out the logistics!

Hunter is slowly getting better, but it's not stopping him from learning new words! He now says mama and Ryan, but it comes out "yaya!" lol Big brother yaya. Love it! He has also started waving bye-bye. :) Such a joy to see all these little milestones.

Ryan is also slowly getting better, but it's not stopping him from being a funny little man. I have to share this! While we were in TN, I came out to say or do something, but my hair was wet and uncombed from washing it and Ryan says, "What happened to your hair mama? Try again, mama. Try again". We all cracked up. He has always been really focused on my hair and will tell me when he doesn't like what I've done with it. lol With a toddler also comes the challenges....at least our toddler. We have still been on vacation mode (aka lazy) and need to get back on our tough love with him. He is in full force with talking back to us, not sharing with his brother, hitting his brother, and not listening to us. Ryan helps us work on our character quality of PATIENCE everyday!

And that leaves me. Really no news with me. I am starting to feel little baby movements occasionally. I love those moments. :)

We did lose our neighborhood duck, Lazy Mazzie. I took the boys for a walk the other day and we saw her dead in the grass. Not sure if she was hit by a car or what. I tried to explain it to Ryan, but I don't think he could really understand. He kept saying "She wants to go swimming" and "She's hungry." He also said that she needs to stay on the sidewalk so she wouldn't get hit by cars. Awwww. Poor Mazzie. She was such a sweet duck. We went to feed her bread all the time and she would even let us pet her. She was here for years. We will miss her!

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

A Case of The Croup!

So two sick boys is what we have now!  Ryan has a pretty yucky cold and Hunter has croup.  Both were sounding a little sick on Friday, but by Saturday morning Hunter was barking like a seal.  Sean took them to the doctor on Saturday and Hunter was given steroids for the croup.  Croup is an inflammation of the larynx and trachea.  It usually starts from influenza or adenovirus.  It causes symptoms of barking like a seal and can cause stridor and breathing problems if it gets bad.  It's usually worse at night.  Sitting baby in a steamed bathroom, using a humidifier, and warm apple juice help.  He is starting to do a little better, but definitely not fully recovered yet.  Ryan doesn't have croup I don't think, just a nasty cold. 

I had to do research in one of my classes this semester on helpful and accurate medical web sites and I found this one to be really good.  http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/croup.html  This is the link for croup, but it will send you to their web site.  It's KidsHealth.org. 

We are busy wiping lots of snotty noses and Ryan must be sleeping his sickness away because it's after 9 and he still hasn't gotten up yet!

 (Isaiah 58:8 NKJV) Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Well, I'm a few days late, but we have been in TN.  We are home now.  Got in around midnight this morning.  Our sweet little 1-year-old celebrated his birthday 3/7/12.  He got to enjoy time at a park in Knoxville and a hot fudge Sunday after pizza.  Today he got a slide from mommy and daddy with a Valentine's card!!!!!  LOL  That is Mommy's preggo brain.  I thought I had picked up a Birthday card, but apparently not!  His big brother loved the new slide, too! 

Our trip went great!  Our appointment with the OB in Oak Ridge went great, too.  We really like Dr. Peters and his staff.  Good thing, too, because their practice is the only one in Oak Ridge.  He seems very laid back and kind and will perform a VBAC and will accept me as a patient.  We got an impromptu listen of the baby, too!  :)  They also gave us a tour of the maternity ward at the only hospital in Oak Ridge - Methodist Medical.  Praise God....it really couldn't have gone any better.  :) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNTER!

We love you!

Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

My Hubby the Volunteer!

We arrived to Tennessee late on Sunday night.  We still hadn't found out if Sean had even been accepted to the University of Tennessee, but we thought we would still come and check out the area, hopeful and prayerful that we would be moving here soon.  Well, God's timing is awesome!  Monday morning we were headed out to drive in to Knoxville to go on the campus tour when Sean decided to check his account and see if there was any news.  Lo and behold there was and it was great news!!!  Sean is offically a Volunteer!  I'm so proud of him.  We have been staying in Oak Ridge, TN, which is about 25 mins from UT.  We were hoping we would like this area and we really do.  It's a smaller town....almost 28,000 people and 22 square miles (I'm a small town kind of girl!).  It's in the hills with mountain views in the distance.  It's got everything we need here, except for Target (OH NO!), but what isn't here is certainly in Knoxville.  There are tons of parks and lakes and it really is gorgeous.  We will have our 4 seasons, too!  The people here are definitely full of Southern Hospitality!  Also, it is an engineering mecca, which will be great for Sean down the road if we still live here.  There is a hospital, too, which maybe could be good for me job wise.  We are meeting with an OB tomorrow since my due date is Sept. 2nd.  We will be moving here towards the end of July after summer semester at SPC is over.  I think we are going to like it here and we both have that God peace about it.  We did drive to Maryville to see about that as a potential area to live, but it was a little too big with a little too much traffic.  Traffic here is a non issue!  Sooooo nice!  We also met with a realtor, but since we want to rent a home we can't really look at any places yet, not till May.  Gret news, too!  We already know someone here.  Our friend Gina, who was our neighbor in California (her ex-husband is a Marine), just relocated here from her home in Washington State and she is going to UT.......small world!!!  We are meeting her for lunch tomorrow....super excited!  Any way, that's our update!  My hubby is one step closer to being a biomedical engineer! We have a lot to do to prepare for our move and my family in FL will be greatly missed, but we feel we are being obedient to God's plan for us. 

Rom 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Hunter's Train Party

Here is our finished product!  It was actually really easy.  More waiting than anything. 

Train Cake

Ryan was so excited to see the trains!

BIG TRAIN, little guy!

Looks a little sad :'(

And now in deep thought!

One of my non children faves!

On the caboose!

I LOVE Naner in this picture!

And we're off!

Another favorite!

It's cake time!

First time eating chocolate or really any kind of sweets!

He LOVED it!

Can you tell?

This was our own private caboose party!

And the rest of the train

Hunter's birthday is not until March 7th, but we had his party today, the 3rd.  We rented a caboose and had sub sandwiches from Publix, chips, and cake.  Naner and Pappy joined us and it was great for them to share in Hunter's special day.  Ryan, of course, loved the train, too.  It's at the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, FL (about an hour or so south from our house).  The train ride lasts an hour and a half roundtrip.  We had so much fun!  I edited some of the photos, but not all of them because I just don't have enough time.  We are packing for Tennesee; we leave early in the morning. 

Hunter's cake (sort of)

1

box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow or devil's food cake mix

1

cup water

1/2

cup vegetable oil

3

eggs

2

containers Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting

Red, yellow, blue and green food colors

1

container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting

Assorted colors licorice twists

Gumdrops

2

chocolate-covered caramel candies

2

creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crumbled

Gummy or jellied candy rings

Assorted candies (gumdrops, jelly beans, candy corn, etc.)                                           

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottoms only of two 8x4- or 9x5-inch loaf pans. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pans.
• 2 Bake yellow cake 28 to 36 minutes and devil's food cake 31 to 39 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes; remove from pans to cooking racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes until firm.
• 3 Meanwhile, divide vanilla frosting evenly among 4 small bowls; tint 1 bowl frosting red, 1 bowl frosting yellow,1 bowl frosting blue and 1 bowl frosting green with food colors. Spoon 1/2 cup chocolate frosting into resealable plastic bag; set aside.
• 4 Using serrated knife, cut rounded top off each cake to level surface; place each cake cut side down. Cut first cake as shown in diagram to make engine, being careful not to cut all the way through piece 1 when removing piece 2. Place piece 2 on top of piece 1 as shown in diagram, with a small amount of frosting between pieces. Cut second cake into 4 equal pieces to make cars as shown in diagram. Spread thin layer of chocolate frosting over top and sides of engine to seal in crumbs. For each of the car cakes, spread thin layer of red, yellow, blue and green frosting over top and sides of each car to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cakes 30 to 60 minutes or until frosting is set.
• 5 Using chocolate frosting in resealable plastic bag, snip off small corner of bag. Pipe train tracks onto serving tray. Frost engine cake with remaining chocolate frosting. Frost boxcars with remaining colored frosting. Using large spatula, transfer cakes to serving tray.
• 6 Cut pieces of licorice twist; place on front of engine, slanting outward, for the cow-catcher. Use licorice twist to add “trim” to the engine. Add gumdrops for engine “face” and chocolate candies for smoke stack. Top back of engine with crumbled cookies. Add gummy candy rings for wheels. Cut pieces of licorice twist to add “trim” to each of the cars. Add gummy candy rings for wheels. Top each car with assorted candies. Store loosely covered.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/train-cake/5685f320-1e5c-4ebb-b2cd-1ab73633b016

 

This is the cake we are in the process of making for Hunter for his birthday.  I will blog later on finished product with pics of OUR cake and not Betty Crocker's!  :) 

Sweet Baby #3

This little one is quite active!  S/he was all over the place during the ultrasound, doing flips and rolls and twists!  I'm starting to feel little flutters occasionally and I'm also starting to feel much better.  Still nauseous at times, but a definite improvement.  Poo diapers still get me, though!  We will not find out the gender for this one either, BUT we are doing something a little different this time.  A FEW PEOPLE WILL KNOW!  We first wanted to see if the grandparents wanted to know, AS LONG AS THEY COULD KEEP THE SECRET.  My dad does not want to know, however, as suspected, my mom does.  LOL!  So her and and my step-dad will get to find out.  Sean's parents do not want to know either.  Also, something else exciting.  One of my really good friends is 10 days behind me in pregnancy.  We have shared 3 pregnancies together now.  I promise we don't plan this!  Any way, our first children are about 4 months apart and our second ones are about 7 months apart.  Both of hers are the older ones.  They have found out the gender on their other two, but want to have the surprise for this one.  Soooo, we are going to find out what they are having and they are going to know what we are having, but we won't tell each other.  We will have the utrasound tech write it down and put it in a sealed envelope and mail it to each other, just like we will for my mom and step-dad.  It's gonna be fun shopping for her little one!  we will even get each other gender specific take home outfits.  :)  Prayers for healthy mamas and healthy babies. 


Psalm 127:3, 5
³Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. ⁵Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Isaiah 41:10
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.