Family Goals

Dearest Miracles~

Woo hoo!  We got to sleep in a little until 7:15am!  Yippie!  And, everyone ate cereal at breakfast.  You two may not have eaten much, but at least you had some!  Joshua, you put your shoes on all by yourself this morning and Grace put my boots on.  Then, you two walked all around and played downstairs. 

Once I finished cleaning the kitchen, we went upstairs.  I did 45 minutes on the exercise bike.  Then, we went back downstairs for snack time.  Joshua, you did 3/4 cup of applesauce and Grace ate two puree pouches. 

Joshua, you surprised me this morning.  As I was cleaning, you were in the living room playing.  You needed help with a toy and you called 'mama' for me!  You've never done that before!  You also did it later when putting your shoes on.  Wow!  :-)

We got ready by mid-morning and then headed to Pam's for haircuts.  I didn't get a cut, though Joshua wanted me to go first.  :-P  You both did well, but were apprehensive at first and timid.  You both sat in the chair and cooperated, but I had to hold Joshua's hand at one point and then hold Grace when Joshua was getting a cut.  You two look so cute with your haircut.  Of course, you looked cute before too!  ;-)  Grace, you mainly got your bangs cut so we can grow out the rest.  Joshua, you got everything cut .... you look like a little boy!  You're growing up so fast!  :-)

Right after, we met Uncle James for lunch.  Joshua woke up asking for Uncle James all morning.  We went to the 'Steak and Shake.'  You two ate an entire chicken finger lunch and Oreo cookies.  The Oreo was an ice cream sandwich, so I quickly ate the inside since you two wanted the cookie sides!  Joshua, you showed Uncle James how you can count to 5.  ;-)

We were home around 2:30pm.  You two fell asleep in the van and continued to nap once inside.  I put you all on pillows on the couches downstairs.  I read (I finished lesson one of my photography course) and felt more biscuit kicks.  I tried to get a video.  ;-)

Today was our last day of our first month with family goals!  So, how did we do?  We did pretty good for beginners.  ;-)  

Let's see, we had four categories .... Spiritual, Family, Mental, and Physical.  

Spiritual:  

Goal - church twice a month .... accomplished (counted the Temple service though for Bar Mitzvah)

Goal - daily Bible reading .... accomplished

Family:

Goal - family outing once per quarter .... accomplished 2 outings!

Goal - date night once per quarter .... pending

Mental:

Goal - photography practice 3 times a week (mommy) .... accomplished 73.3%

Goal - guitar/banjo practice 3 times a week (daddy) .... accomplished 80%

Goal - read a book a month (daddy) .... he read 4!

Physical:

Goal - exercise 3 times a week (mommy) .... accomplished 93.3%

Goal - exercise 4 times a week (daddy) .... accomplished 105% and he lost 8.5 pounds this month!

Daddy and I will need your help next month to keep this up!  Go us!  ;-)

Daddy was home at 4:30pm.  We watched a little Dora and then had a late dinner.  You all didn't get hungry until 7pm.  We played downstairs with blocks afterward.  Joshua wanted to build a tunnel and choo choo train.  ;-)

Grace, you're getting better at your sign language.  Here are the words you know how to sign:

boat

please

help

I want

milk

water

cracker

fish

all done

eat 

more

train 

plane

I'm sure there are more that I'm not thinking of.  It's really cute, but you also need to learn to say real words too.  I think it's helping to have Quinn at the house though.  I always let you interact with her while she's here with Joshua.

This evening was a 'Blue Moon' outside .... there were two full moons this month!  So, we all looked out the window to see it.  ;-)  Grace, you then curled up in our bed again to fall asleep.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Too Much Standing

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

Everyone was up early since daddy got up early.  He left early for work, so I got to play with you two before Penny got here.  I gave you both kisses! 

We saw lots of deer in the backyard this morning at breakfast .... there were at least 5 so it must have been a family.  And, we saw a beautiful hummingbird at the feeder.  :-)

I got home late .... it was close to 7pm.  You two made ABC cards during art time with Penny.  I found them taped to our window this evening.  You two both gave me hugs and kisses when I got home.  That's always the best part of my day!  :-)  Oh, Joshua, you did well with Quinn during speech therapy.  :-)

Daddy did work this evening.  Joshua, you stayed downstairs while Grace came upstairs to play with me.  I needed to prop my feet/legs up.  My blood pressure has been stable but I stood a lot at work today so my feet and legs were tired.  My coworkers take my blood pressure at work each week.

Joshua and daddy came up at 8pm.  We all relaxed in the playroom this evening.  Grace, you noodled next to me in bed again.  I was way too exhausted to move you to your own bed.  I think we're officially roommates now.  ;-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Couting To 5

Dearest Angels~

Joshua, you were still sleeping when I left for work this morning.  Grace, you were awake and playing.  So, I kissed you both (Joshua, you were snoring but I kissed you little cheek) and said 'I love you' before leaving. 

We had a fun lunch at work.  The senior team had an appreciation lunch for us since we made productivity numbers for the second quarter in a row!  We're also getting a pizza party for our next staff meeting in September.  Woo hoo!

I was home by 6:30pm.  Grace, you gave me a HUGE hug when I came through the door!  So cute and precious!

Joshua, guess what .... you can count to 5!  I'm so proud of you!  Daddy took a little video of you counting.  If we hold our fingers up, you'll count our fingers up to five.  ;-)

I felt lots of baby biscuit kicks this evening as you two watched 'Dora'.  Speaking of little biscuit, we're now 25 weeks gestation.  Our next appointment is next week.  Keep praying for a healthy pregnancy.  :-)

You two had a nice bath this evening.  After, Joshua curled up in his bed, but Grace curled up next to me in my bed again.  I think you're starting to become my roommate.  :-) 

I read something interesting for our daily Bible reading and devotional today that I wanted to share with you both.  It said:

'It is easy to crave validation, status, and notoriety for our kids.  We are tempted to buy into our culture's definition of 'success.'  God's plan for our kids, however, may not bring worldly fame.  Even so we should rejoice because there is no greater blessing than raising kids who are faithful to their calling.'

I thought that was touching .... no matter what you all end up doing in life, the most important thing is that you're faithful to God's plan for you all, and faithful to Him.  :-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Signed 'Train'

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Ok .... listen up people .... because you two didn't properly eat your dinner, you all begged for crackers at 9pm last night.  You two were still noodling at 9:50pm!  Grace came in and fell asleep next to me again in my bed.  Joshua eventually fell asleep in his room with daddy laying next to him.  Let's all eat our dinner for now on .... Ok?  :-P

We were up early this morning!  We left the house before 8am to run some errands before Joshua's feeding appointment with Krista at 9am.  I needed to gas up the van and run through the ATM before his appointment.

Little man, you did well with Krista!  You ate the majority of the meats (bacon, ground turkey) and the rice with veggies (it was harder for you to chew the corn than the carrots).  You didn't have much success with the orange, but we expected that.  We'll start with the juices first.  We're going to keep the appointment that we have schedule in two weeks and see if we can decrease from there.  She weighed you again and you're still just shy of 28 pounds.

We picked up your Flovent refill on the way home.  Grace, you fell asleep in the van and continued to nap once we were home as Joshua played.  I cooked food for you all for the week and made my lunches.  Today is my last day of vacation.  Penny will be here tomorrow and thursday.  I've enjoyed having some extra days with you two!  I'll miss you two so much as I go back to work tomorrow, but we'll be able to play again on friday!  ;-)

I schedule Joshua's 3 year pediatrician appointment and Grace's 18 month pediatrician appointment.  They scheduled them both on the same day in October to make it easier on us.  Grace, you'll be closer to 17.5 months, but it saves us a trip.  :-)

Grace, you woke at noon as I was cleaning the kitchen and Joshua was playing.  You were grumpy little lady.  I had to hold you so you'd calm down.  :-P

Oh, almost forgot, you two are both officially in size 4 diapers!  Woo hoo!  You two are growing so fast!

After lunch, you two played so I did 40 minutes on the exercise bike.  Then, since you two were so good, we watched an episode of 'Dora'.  Afterward, you two took a nap at 2pm.  I had to wake you two for Quinn.  Joshua, you were a little grumpy when I woke you. 

Little man, you did well with Quinn.  We did all the words we've been working on.  We're going to continue with the same sheet of words for another week before moving on.  Grace, you signed 'train' for Quinn.  It was so cute!  :-)

We made a quick trip to meet someone afterward .... I picked up some used photography books from a woman.  They're a part of a course with DVD's.  We made it back home a few minutes before daddy.  We all had dinner together.  Daddy didn't stay home long though .... he left to go to a soccer game.  So, the three of us went upstairs to relax.  We watched a little more 'Dora'.  ;-)

Joshua, you're learning to put on and take off your shoes by yourself.  You took off your shoes earlier by yourself and was so excited!  You ran into the bathroom where I was to show me!  :-)

You two were both so hyper this evening!  But, I had you both in fresh diapers, teeth brushed, pajamas on, ladybug night light on, and in bed by 9pm.  That's not too bad for being by myself.  You two were sleeping by the time daddy got home at 10pm.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you two so much!

~Mommy

Cooking All Day

Dearest Blessings~

You two were up early this morning.  Everyone was up and playing before 7am.  My oh my!

As you all played downstairs during breakfast, I cooked some hotdogs and some carrots/corn for you all for later.  Then, we went back upstairs and I did 45 minutes on the bike as you all played.  Whew!  My legs were a little tired after that.  ;-)

Afterward, we came downstairs for snack time.  Joshua, you had your 3/4 cup of applesauce.  Grace, you ate two puree pouches again.  As you all continued to play downstairs, I cooked some rice and bacon for Joshua's feeding appointment tomorrow morning.  I need to bring a starch, veggie, meat, and fruit.  So, I'm bringing rice, corn, carrots, turkey bacon, ground turkey meat, and orange pieces.  :-)

We made a quick trip to Target on the way to Kim's for speech therapy.  I picked up some more fruit and veggie purees for Grace since she's been eating them all.  And, I got you all a little coloring book while there.  ;-)

Little man, you did well at speech therapy.  You're putting more syllables together.  Kim gave us some more words to work on.  You got a Dora sticker for yourself and Grace.  You two were so excited about the stickers!  ;-)

We were home for lunch.  You both ate 1.5 hotdogs each and some cheese!  Whoa!  You two must have been hungry.  I'll have to cook some more hotdogs tomorrow so that you all have enough this week with Penny.  After dinner, I prepared a taco meat casserole.  I put some of the ground turkey meat aside for Joshua's feeding appointment tomorrow.  Whew .... lots of cooking today!

We were upstairs by 2pm to lay down, but you two fought naps a little.  Once we read a few stories, you two were snoring by 2:30pm.  I took a shower as you two napped, and then I read and rested since I was on my feet for long earlier cooking. 

Once daddy was home, we all had dinner together.  Then, you all had some playtime with blocks and the coloring book with crayons. 

Grace, you can sign 'plane' and 'fish' .... it's so cute!

This evening, we relaxed in the playroom.  We ran some laundry and watched some more 'Dora' before bedtime.  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Mudcats

Dearest Miracles~

Good morning sleepy heads!  Joshua came into our bed around 6ish.  I got up to use the restroom and then laid down next to Grace.  We all didn't go downstairs until 8:30am!  We weren't done with breakfast and cleaning the kitchen until 9:20am!  Needless today, we didn't make it to church (starts at 9:15am).   But Gigi said there was a fire drill and a fire truck came today during church.  I'm sure Joshua would have liked that.  ;-)

We ended up having some playtime this morning downstairs.  You both did well with snack time!  Joshua, you had your 3/4 cup of applesauce.  Grace, you had two pouches of pureed apple/sweet potato.  :-)

After snack time, we came upstairs and got ready for the day .... we have a fun afternoon planned!  We had a little time before we had to leave, so I cut you all's nails and then we watched an episode of 'Dora'.  :-)

We left at 12:30pm for our family outing!  We went to Five County Stadium to see the Carolina Mudcats play the Salem Red Socks in baseball.  This was the first baseball game for you two!  It's Employee Appreciation Day for my work, so you all got to see some of my coworkers.  We all had lunch there and made it through 4 innings .... which I thought was pretty good for you all.  ;-)   We ended up putting you all in the van to force a nap and were back home by 4:30pm.  Joshua, you kept napping when home. 

We were winning 4-1 when we left.  It was a warm day .... you two had pink faces even with being in the shade and with hats on.  :-P

You two helped cook a good dinner once Joshua woke.  We cut up and cooked some chicken with some rice, corn, peas, and carrots in a stir fry sauce.  It was nice and healthy!  Yummy!  Joshua, you finished your plate with some chicken, rice, corn, and carrots.  Grace, you were uncooperative again, but ate half a veggie/fruit pouch puree. 

There were deer in our backyard during dinner.  Joshua, you said 'deer' when we pointed them out to you two.  ;-)  We all played downstairs afterward.  Joshua, you were so proud of your eating at dinner that you wanted to facetime with Uncle James to tell him.  Too cute!  ;-)

This evening, we played and relaxed in the playroom. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Concert

Dearest Angels~

We were up early today.  Daddy headed to Grandpa Mike's house to do some more things on the car.  We headed to Gigi's house for some playtime.  We also saw Uncle James and Grandpa Jim.  You two immediately hopped on Gigi's piano bench and started to play.  Then, Gigi started to play with you too (she actually knows how to play .... you two were just hitting the keys) and Uncle James got on the congas and chimes. 

Once you all were done giving Grandpa Jim and I a concert, you two had your snacks.  Joshua, you had a whole yogurt container and Grace ate half a container.  Then, you all worked on flash cards with Uncle James.  Since you all did so well, Gigi put on 'Dora' on her tablet.

Gigi made chicken nuggets and fries for lunch.  You two got distracted with toys so we had to separate you two so that you all would eat.  :-P

We left after lunch since daddy was finished with his car.  Joshua, you brought Uncle James his shoes when we were leaving so that he could come with us.  Too cute!  We were back home with daddy by 1:30pm.  Daddy hopped in the van with us and we headed to Target for some groceries.  You two both ate two cookies while there.  Joshua, you fell asleep on the ride home and continued to nap as Grace and I played downstairs.  Daddy mowed the lawn.  Then, we did a load of laundry.

Today was a cooler day .... it was only in the 70's.  It felt so nice!  :-)

Grace, you're so cute!  You'll say 'mama', but prefer to say 'daddy' and not 'dada'.  ;-)  I think you hear Joshua saying 'daddy' so you say that too.  I like both 'mommy' and 'mama' .... I love when you two say either one!  ;-)

This evening we made a good dinner.  Daddy marinated a steak and we made a pasta side.  You two ate hotdog, cheese, and had some of the pasta with corn side.  Grace, you were uncooperative with dinner.  I don't know why you didn't want to eat.  :-P  Joshua, you ate all your hotdog and cheese.  You finally ate a few bites of pasta and corn after we promised you could watch an episode of 'Dora'.  I think we've seen about 15 episodes at this point.  :-P

This evening we played in the bonus room.  Yes, we did watch a little bit of 'Dora' too since Joshua did eat the minimum requirement at dinner.  :-P

Baby biscuit did more kicks this evening.  Daddy got to feel them.  We need to get serious on thinking of a name for her.  Are you two still thinking?  :-)

You two were super hyper this evening.  It took a while to calm you two for bed time.  You all had story time and then you all laid down.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Eggs

Dearest Blessings~

Joshua, you ate a good amount of cereal this morning!  Wow!  You wanted crackers, but you ate the cereal in front of you instead.  Way to go man!

This morning, after everyone was ready for the day, I was able to go 45 minutes on the exercise bike.  You two played.  Then, we came downstairs.  I made you all hotdogs for lunch and you both ate an entire hotdog with some goldfish crackers. 

Then, we played with blocks while downstairs.  We made different sized tunnels.  Joshua, you sure like tunnels.  We put trains and cars under them. 

Grace, you will not give my boots back!  You love walking around in them.  You're so silly!  ;-)

After playtime, we went upstairs and watched an episode of 'Dora' since you all ate so well at lunch.  Then, you two were napping by 2pm.  I worked on editing my photo and other things on the computer.

Once you two were awake, we made dinner.  You two helped me cook eggs, bacon, toast, cheese, corn, and broccoli.  Little man, you surprised me again.  You ate all your cheese, 1.5 pieces of bacon, some corn, and all the egg on your plate!  Wow!  I haven't had that much success with you and eggs and corn before!  Little lady, you were more uncooperative.  :-P

While we waited for daddy to come home, we facetimed Gigi on the phone.  Joshua, you were looking for Uncle James, but he wasn't there.  ;-)

You all played with blocks this evening with daddy and made a big house.  Joshua, I'm amazed at how far you've come with your verbal skills.  I can point to the different blocks and you'll say 'blue', 'red', and 'green' by yourself.  You need some help with 'yellow' but I am so proud of you.  Grace, you're still stuck on the 'b' sound, so hopefully you'll start making little words too.  ;-)

Joshua, we watched a little more of 'Dora' this evening, and you started to cry again when it was bedtime.  I can't believe how much you love this show.  :-P

Grace, you ended up curling next to me in bed this evening.  You should be in your own bed but I liked having you there as I read.  It was a precious moment that I know I'll miss when you're older.  :-)  I kissed your face as you fell asleep.  Joshua, you fell asleep in your own bed, but daddy had to lay next to you. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Crying At Lunch

Dearest Angels~

Joshua you surprised me this morning!  You ate a good amount of cereal and crackers at breakfast!  That was more solid food than I've seen you eat in a long time right when you wake up.  You didn't ask for your milk right away!

I went on the exercise bike for 40 minutes this morning as you two played.  Neither of you two wanted your snacks at snack time .... just milk.  Our schedules were off today, but again .... we're on vacation!!  :-)

We started some laundry and then played downstairs.  I took some more photos while you two were running around.  I'm trying to layer two shots together for the State Fair photography contest this October.  But, it may not work.  I need to remove a stray diaper box from one photo, so I was going to 'repair' it with another photo to hide the box.  I'll show you when I'm done.  Overall, it's a photograph of Grace trying on and walking around in my black boots that she loves.  :-)  You never know, we may get a ribbon again!  ;-)

We saw some deer in the backyard at lunch.  Speaking of lunch .... Grace, you SCREAMED during lunch.  I was afraid the neighbors would hear you!  I tried giving you food and drinks and even holding you, but for some reason, you just wanted to stand and cry.  I had no idea what your problem was.  Joshua, on the other hand, ate well.  :-)  Grace, you finally curled up on me after Joshua was done eating.  You probably wore yourself out from all the crying and screaming.  :-P  You ate once you woke up.  At that point Joshua and I had already eaten.

Joshua, you were napping by 2:20pm .... after fighting it for an hour.  Grace, you never napped in the afternoon and ended up waking Joshua back up at 3pm.  Nudge.  :-P

I ended up cutting up the chicken and adding spices for dinner before Quinn got here.  Little man, you did so well with her!  You did your vowel sounds and the words that we've been practicing.  You also did some more unprompted words.  I'm so proud of you!

Afterward, you two helped me cook dinner.  We made the chicken with a pasta lemon sauce.  Joshua, you finished your plate .... but only after we promised you could watch 'Dora' if you did.  You love that show.  :-P  Grace, you were uncooperative.  For some reason you just weren't hungry today.

We had some playtime downstairs after we cleaned.  You two played with blocks with daddy.  You all made a tunnel and a house.  Then, we went upstairs to watch 'Dora' as promised.  :-)  I think you ended up watching three episodes and then cried when it was bed time.  :-P

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Pullen Park

Dearest Blessings~

Whew .... we slept in a little to 7:30am!  Hey, we're on vacation!  And, I had a fun day planned since I didn't have to go to work!

First off .... we're now 24 weeks gestation with baby biscuit.  So far, the names you two have suggested are 'ball', 'bumble bee', 'bear', and 'bubble bath' .... obviously you are getting better at the 'b' sound.  :-P

Once everyone was ready for the day, we met up with Uncle James at 9:30am.  Joshua, you were excited since you love saying 'Uncle James'.  :-)  We made a quick trip to my work to pick up our baseball tickets for this weekend.  Then, we were off to Pullen Park. 

You two were hesitant on the jungle gym and slides.  There were a lot of kids there, which surprised me for being a wednesday.  But, we still got to walk around, go on the swings (you two were swing hogs) and then we rode the train!  Woo hoo!

Once we got off the train, Joshua turned to Uncle James and I and signed and said 'eat'!!  Wow!  So, we packed up around 11:30am and picked up some Chick Fil A lunch on the way back to Gigi's house.  We were there and eating by noon.  You two ate an entire 6 piece nugget meal with milk!  Woo hoo! 

We played and visited with Uncle James afterward.  Joshua made a tunnel with the blocks and said 'tunnel to us.  You two also worked on some flash cards and a puzzle. 

We tried to get you two down for naps at 2pm with story time, but you two didn't fall asleep until closer to 3pm.  You two were distracted each other from napping.  It started to rain as you two napped. 

Once awake, Grandpa Jim and Gigi were home from work.  So, you two played and visited with them.  You all did more flash cards and drew.  Joshua, you said some spontaneous words with Gigi and even asked me for milk all by yourself!  I'm so proud of you!  

We were home by 6:30pm and had dinner with daddy.  You both ate well.  After we cleaned the kitchen, we played downstairs.  Then, we finished the 'Ratatouille' movie. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Impressive Eating

Dearest Miracles~

Today is Grandpa Mike's birthday.  He turned 61.  Tonight we'll celebrate with dinner!

You both ended up in our bed last night.  I don't even know what time it was.  I had bad insomnia at 4am (you two were already in our bed at that time).  I ended up going downstairs at 5am because my stomach started to growl.  I was falling back asleep when Grace woke at 6am.  Ugh.  I was so tired.

Joshua, you didn't wake up until 8am.  We had some breakfast and then a little bit of playtime.  We left after 9am to go to Rex for Joshua's feeding appointment with Krista.

You did so good little man!  You ate all the carrots I cooked yesterday and about 3/4 cup ground turkey meat that I also cooked yesterday! Wow! If you continue to eat well we may be able to decrease our appointments more!  Krista was very impressed with you!  You've come a long way from a year ago when we struggled with just a dry spoon in your mouth.  You were feeding yourself at one point the meat!  :-)

We were home by 11:30am.  Grace, you screamed and screamed!  I had no idea what you wanted.  I tried food and drink but nothing helped.  You eventually calmed down when I held you in my arms on the couch.  Were you just tired?  It wasn't like you to scream so much like that. 

I took some photos of you all playing this afternoon.  Joshua started to pose for me!  You're such a camera hog.  ;-)

I took advantage of your playing and hopped on the bike for another 45 minutes.  Then, you both napped late.  I ended up waking you both at 4pm to prepare for Quinn coming over!

Little man, you did well again today with speech!  You said some spontaneous words and some words with no prompting .... she was impressed!  Quinn gave us some more words to work on as well.

Once she left, I quickly changed you two and then daddy was home.  I headed right out to meet Grandpa Mike, Mimi, and Uncle Brennan for the birthday dinner.  Aunt Katie had to work.  Little man, you said 'Uncle James' a lot during the dinner.  It was kind of funny.  You'll eventually learn everyone's names.  ;-)  You can say 'mommy' 'daddy' and 'Grace' at home with no prompting.  :-)

We got home late .... around 8:30pm.  We got you two ready for bed but it took a long time for Joshua to fall asleep.

Guess what .... I have no work tomorrow!  I'm on vacation!  Woo hoo!  Tomorrow and thursday Penny is gone so we'll have extra mommy days!  I have something special planned for tomorrow!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Split Lip And Burned Thumb

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

Oh my oh my .... Grace, you sure woke up grumpy this morning!  I held you in the playroom early as daddy gotready for work.  You eventually fell back asleep in my arms.  Joshua, you woke up around 7:30am. 

Guess what .... you both ate cereal at breakfast!  Wow!  Joshua, you hardly eat solid foods right when you wake up, but this morning you had some cereal with Grace and I! 

Today was a wet and cloudy day.  So, as you all played, I did 45 minutes on the bike!  Unfortunately, you two weren't completely cooperative while I was on the bike.  Grace, you ended up climbing up the rocking chair in the play room and then immediately falling off when I was 15 minutes into my workout.  And, you split your lip again!  Oh my!  You came over to me and I ended up holding you agains my chest and shoulder for the remaining 30 minutes.  I'm counting that as an extra 20 pound workout.  Good thing I sit with back support on the bike.  :-P

We had snack time right after and then got ready to leave for speech therapy with Kim.  Joshua, you said 'choo choo train' for Kim when we were in the waiting room!  She was so impressed since she hasn't seen you in two weeks!  Once you went into the back, Grace and I continued to play with the trains in the waiting room.  Joshua, you did some other spontaneous words for Kim and put some words together for a small sentence.  She was amazed at how far you've come in these past two weeks!  I'm so proud of you!

We were home for lunch.  I made some 'funfetti' brownies (chocolate brownies with candy pieces on the top .... Joshua picked up the box the last time we were at the grocery store) and then we made a taco pie for dinner.  Unfortunately it wasn't all successful.  I was cooking while you two were playing and stupidly touched the pan with the brownies in it without thinking about the heat.  Note, a container that has been cooking for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven will be VERY hot!  I burned my left thumb and needed an ice pack on it for hours afterward.  Ugh!  I felt so stupid!  It blistered a little, but was fine by the evening. 

You two ended up taking a nap at 3pm.  While you two rested, I laid next to you all since I still wasn't feeling well from my thumb accident.  However, everything tasted fine for dinner.  The taco pie wasn't the prettiest, but it was yummy and I have some ideas for future tries.  You both ate some brownies.  :-)

This evening we just relaxed in the play room.  You all had some art time with crayons and play time with blocks.  We cut Grace's nails, but she wasn't that cooperative.  :-P

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Bleeding Lip

Dearest Angels~

We all had a late morning.  I guess since Joshua never napped and we had a long day yesterday everyone wanted to sleep in.  You two were still snoring at 7:30am until Grace woke a few minutes after.  Joshua, you didn't wake up until 8:30am!  Whoa!  Daddy did some yard work and Grace and I cleaned the kitchen waiting for Joshua to wake up.  Grace, you played with my boots this morning and I took some photos of you.  :-)  Needless to say, we didn't make it to church this morning since everyone was a sleepy head. 

You two helped daddy and I rearrange and clean the downstairs this morning.  We took away the gates around the fireplace but still put a blanket down to cover the brick.  It makes the room look a little bigger.  Then, we all had play time downstairs.  It was a dark and rainy day and started to thunderstorm and rain hard by 11:30am.

Grace, you know the sign for 'cracker' .... it's so cute!  :-)

After lunch, we all went grocery shopping since the rain started to let up.  You both ate three cookies while there.  We were home by 2:30pm. 

I felt more baby biscuit kicks today.  Are you two getting excited?  ;-)

Joshua, you ended up in time out once we got home.  You threw two toys at Grace's face and her lip started to bleed.  Boy did she scream!  Joshua, you need to learn not to throw toys. 

After everyone calmed down from time outs, we went upstairs and did some more chores.  We ran some more laundry (we're doing all the sheets and pillow cases) and swept the floors.  They were dirty!  

Then, we relaxed a little in the playroom.  You two watched some 'Dora' and then some 'Veggie Tales'.  Joshua, you never napped .... again.  :-P

Mimi and Grandpa Mike came over around 5pm.  We went out for burgers and hotdogs.  You two ate pretty well!  We were home in time to put all the beds back together .... remember we washed all the sheets and pillow cases. 

Then relaxed in the playroom.  We started the movie 'Ratatouille' and then you all had a bath.  :-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Bar Mitzvah

Dearest Miracles~

Grace, you never slept in your bed last night.  You ended up falling asleep next to me and staying there in our bed all night.  Joshua, you ended up noodling into our bed at some point in the night too.  It was too early to see what time it was.  But, once everyone was settled, we slept in a little.  We didn't get up until 7:15am.  Then, we all got ready for cousin Erik's Bar Mitzvah. 

We stayed in the nursery which was in the balcony section.  There was a huge window so we could watched and hear the service via a speaker, but the congregation couldn't hear us and all the noise we were making.  ;-)  Cousin Stephanie, Charlie, Madelynn, and Chris were up there too.  Then, (Great) Aunt Beth came in with Lois and Gigi.  Gigi did a reading at the beginning of the service, but then spent the rest of the service with us.  

We also saw Grandpa Jim, Uncle James (which Joshua was happy about), Great Grandpa and Rosemary, (Great) Uncle David and Kevin, (Great) Uncle Laurence and (Great) Aunt Marti, cousins Erik and Mia, and cousins Nancy and Al from New York.  It was a double service and celebration since Erik's friend, Andrew, was also having his Bar Mitzvah. 

Lunch was provided at the Temple after the service.  But, Gigi and I ran out for a chicken strip run since the food there wasn't too 'toddler friendly' for you all.  ;-)  Grace, you napped on Grandpa Jim for a little while as Joshua ran all around with cousin Charlie.  Uncle James tried to keep up with you two .... Joshua, you kept saying 'Uncle James' all day.  In fact, daddy got a video of you saying his name in the van.  ;-)

We went home to change after lunch and then went to Gigi's house to visit with everyone by 3:30pm. Joshua, you never napped.  :-P  You two went for a walk outside with Charlie, Grandpa Jim, Uncle James, and I.  Joshua, you and Charlie held hands for a little bit.  It was cute.  ;-)

We left around 6:30pm and got to the reception and party by 7pm.  Woo hoo .... there were so many people there and the music was loud.  You two had a blast running around with Charlie on the dance floor and around the tables.  You all were so hyper!  I tried to take some photos of you all, but you were so fast and I didn't have my flash with me.  But, I got a few.  ;-)  You two each ate one hotdog and some fries.  We left around 9pm, when Grace got fussy.  I think Joshua would have stayed all night.  ;-)  We were home by 9:30pm. 

You two were in bed by 10pm.  Grace, you fell asleep in the car and didn't wake up as I got you ready for bed.  Joshua, you fell asleep in the car briefly, but woke up once home.  What a long day little man and you never napped!  You were sleeping by 10:10pm. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Tunnel

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

Grace, you did well in your bed last night.  You didn't wake up until 6am!  Whoa!  Joshua, you curled into our bed much earlier.  :-P  Since we were all up so early, we were done with breakfast by 7am.

After getting you all ready for the day, I did 45 minutes on the bike!  Woo hoo!  Then, we were all downstairs at 9am for snacks.  :-)  You two helped me sweep and vacuum the downstairs.  It was so dirty!  While downstairs, we had some playtime with blocks and crayons.  Joshua, you made a tunnel with your blocks and then pointed at it and said 'tunnel' .... I was so impressed!  Way to go!  :-)

Once playtime was over, we headed upstairs so I could try to take a quick shower.  You two were uncooperative though .... I had to get out of the shower three times!  :-P

You two ate pretty well for lunch.  You all had some leftover chicken and fries in the fridge and you ate them all.  Then, we headed upstairs for story time.  You two were both napping by 12:45pm.  While you all napped, I read, played on the computer (I was testing a trial version of a photo editing software), and then I fell asleep next to you both!  ;-)

Once awake, you two played downstairs as I cooked dinner.  We made eggs, bacon, and toast.  Daddy was home early so we all got to eat together. 

Joshua, you like to say 'Uncle James' and 'Gigi' now .... it's pretty funny.  You walked around all day asking for Uncle James.  You'll see him tomorrow.  In fact, you'll see lots of family tomorrow.  Cousin Erik is having his Bar Mitzvah tomorrow and everyone is invited!

After dinner, we swept and vacuumed the entire downstairs again.  Then, you two ate some frozen yogurt with daddy and I.  ;-)  We finished watching 'Captain America' and then relaxed and played the rest of the evening. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Holding Hands

Dearest Blessings~

So, you both ended up in our bed again last night.  Hummm .... for some reason we're reverting to this.  I wonder what's going on?  Well, at least you both were awake this morning before I left for work.  So I got to play with you both and I gave you two kisses before I left. 

Today was another daddy day for you two.  He took you two outside for play time.  Joshua, you actually took a nap today!  For art time, you all drew some trains.  ;-)  

You two did the cutest thing today.  Joshua held Grace's hand while going down the stairs!  So cute!  Daddy took a picture of you all being so nice.  Of course, daddy said Joshua let go of Grace's hand halfway down so then daddy held her hand.  ;-)  Oh, and you did well with Quinn little man.  We're working on 'hoho' to get the 'h' sound.

When I got home, you two gave me kisses and said 'mama' to me!  So precious!  We started to watch the movie 'Captain America' before bedtime.  I think Grace thought she was a super hero again.  ;-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

23 Weeks

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Remember, Penny is gone this week .... so today and tomorrow are daddy days!  Grace, you woke up as I was getting ready for work.  Joshua, you were still sleeping when I left in the morning.  But, I still kissed you both and said 'I love you' even though one was awake and one was snoring.  ;-)

Today we're 23 weeks gestation with baby biscuit.  Are you all getting excited yet?  Have you thought of any names yet?  I'm feeling more of her kicks, so I'm thinking she's getting excited to meet you two!  :-)

You all had fun with daddy today.  This morning you all watched some 'Scooby Doo' and had snacks.  Then, you all went for a walk .... Grace you fell asleep in the wagon.  You all watched some 'Dora' this afternoon and had some music time with daddy playing the banjo.  Joshua, you never napped today.  Hummm .... what's up with that?  

We figured out at work that we'll have a Blue Moon on the 31st of this month!  One definition of a 'blue moon' is two full moons in the same month.  Since the 2nd was a full moon, and the 31st will be another, we'll have a 'blue moon'!  Woo hoo!

You two gave me kisses when home!  Grace said 'mama' and Joshua said 'mommy' at dinner.  I LOVE it!  ;-)  Daddy made dinner .... chicken with pesto pasta!  Yummy!  

Grace, your upper left primary first molar .... tooth #I .... is now erupting.  My goodness .... you're growing up too fast!  

Joshua, you're saying more words spontaneously now.  I flipped through a book this evening you identified some pictures with no help!  Wow! 

This evening we watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.  They actually ended on sunday, but now they're officially over in our house.  :-P  We'll have to wait 2 years before we see some more Olympics .... the winter games!  ;-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Shark

Dearest Angels~

Some how you all ended up in our bed again.  :-P  And, we were all up early this morning.  You all had breakfast, were in clean diapers and clean clothes, had teeth brushed, and we started the laundry by 8am.  Go us! 

While you two were playing, I went on the bike that Grandpa Jim brought over the weekend for 30 minutes.  It was nice to sit and exercise.  It has a full seat, so I was able to stretch and rest my back while working out.  :-)

Afterward, we had snack time downstairs.  We continued to play downstairs with music on.  I put some shoes out for fun and took some photos of Grace trying to put them on.  Joshua, you got in on the fun too, but then you got bored and colored with some crayons.  Then, you two helped me sweep and vacuum the downstairs.

While you all continued to play, I went ahead and cooked dinner ahead of time.  I cooked some ground turkey meat with onions and garlic.  Then, I added pasta shells, cheese, and sauce.  I put it to the side so that we would just need to reheat it for dinner time.  I also cooked some chicken nuggets and fries for you all in the oven for lunch.  Grace, you cried and screamed during lunch and barely ate.  You appeared tired.  So, once Joshua was done, we headed upstairs to lay down.

I changed your diapers and Grace gave me the cutest kiss!  How lovely!  Then, you two were snoring by 12:30pm. While you two were napping, I spoke to the OB office.  I'm still having an ear infection, so Dr. Rush called in augmentin (an antibiotic) for me to take.  If it's not clear in a week, she's going to send me to an ENT specialist.  Ugh.  I hope it clears. 

I did a little bit of reading and then I uploaded and organized the photos from my camera to the laptop.  Grace woke first and watched me upload the photos.  Then, she played around.  I had to wake Joshua before Anna and Quinn got here!  Anna came over to observe.  She hasn't seen Joshua in about 2 months and was so impressed at his improvements!  She saw such a big difference in his speech!  Way to go little man!  You did well for Quinn too.  You said some spontaneous words and did your vowels nicely.  She gave us more flash cards and signs to work on.  Grace, you didn't say your 'ball' word.  You were quiet, but you did play with Joshua and Quinn.

 

Once everyone left, we quickly ran out to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription.  We were back before 6pm and heated dinner.  You two ate well!  Daddy was home late .... around 6:30pm.  You both said 'dada' when he walked through the door.  :-)

Oh, Grace, your upper right primary first molar .... tooth #B .... is erupting!  You're beginning to look like a shark with all those teeth!  ;-)

We watched a little more of the Olympics this evening before you all had your bath.  Penny is gone this week and next week.  So, tomorrow and thursday you all will have daddy days!  And, next week I'm off!  Woo hoo!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Music To My Ears

Dearest Blessings~

This morning we were all up very early.  I had you all in the car by 7am and at Gigi's house by 7:30am.  We had breakfast with Gigi and Uncle James.  Joshua, you have an appointment in Cary with the preschool people at 9am, so Gigi took off to watch Grace while we were gone.

Little man, you did well during your meeting.  There were three people in the room with us.  One was the Wake County preschool representative, one was a special education teacher, and the third was a speech pathologist.  The speech pathologist interacted with you the entire time while the other two asked me questions and typed on laptops. At the end of the meeting it was determined that more evaluation was needed with likely special education services for speech .... which was no surprise to me.  :-P  So, I'm expecting another phone call in a week or so for a follow up visit in September. 

Joshua and I were back at Gigi's house by 11am.  You all had some lunch and saw Uncle James.  You two played with blocks and did some drawing.  You also tried to take all the cat's toys.  :-P  I took some photos of you all playing with Uncle James.  Both of you were napping by 2pm .... I thought Joshua was going to fight it again but he went down with minimal resistance.  ;-)

After naps we had snack time.  You all wanted into Gigi's music room and started to play on her congas, bongos, and piano.  What sweet music to our ears!  ;-)

Grace, you're saying 'ball' more .... perhaps we should count this as your first word?  You can also say 'mama' and 'dada' .... so I'm not sure which was first.  You were more confident with your sounds today.  And, you're saying 'mama' more which is truly 'music to my ears'!  :-)

We were home by 6pm.  Daddy had just gotten home from work so we all had dinner together.  Joshua, while we were all sitting at the dinner table, you said with no prompting .... mommy, daddy, Grace!  Wow! Now we need to name baby biscuit so you can learn that too!  Yippie!  :-)

This evening we watched a little more of the Olympics.  The games are over, but we still have a few hours left on the recorder.  So, we saw some diving and track and field.  :-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

'Ba'

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

You two came running into our room at 2am, so all four of us slept in the big bed until around 7:30am.  Nice and cozy together!  :-P

We didn't make it to church this morning because someone didn't want to eat her breakfast and took forever .... so, we got ready and headed to Costco by midmorning.  We picked up a bunch of meats for the next few weeks to make healthy meals.  We got some other things while there, but focused on the meats and produce. 

We were home by lunch.  I made some mac and cheese for you two, but Grace had fallen asleep in the car and continued to sleep once inside the house.  So, Joshua ate some as she slept. 

Once Grace woke up, she started crying because of a 'hard' poop.  Poor little thing!  You were really in some pain there!  After you were calm and ate a little, we went back out to Target.  We picked up a few things that we couldn't get at Costco.  You two both ate two cookies each. 

Joshua, you repeated your nap resistance again once home.  Grace napped earlier, but Joshua ended up not napping.  We tried for an hour to get him down.  I watched some 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' in the playroom as daddy tried to get Joshua down in the bedroom.  Oh well.  Once we knew it was a lost cause, we watched a little more of the Olympics.

You two helped make a healthy dinner.  We cooked chicken with onion, garlic, corn, carrots, peas, and quinoa.  It was good and we had a salad.  You all ate some of the chicken with some cheese, though it was a struggle for Joshua.  :-P  Everyone had some frozen yogurt afterward.  Then, we swept and vacuumed the kitchen.

This evening we watched more of the Olympics.  Today is actually the last day, but since we've been recording the events, we still have several hours of sports to watch.  ;-)  USA won the most medals with 104 .... and 46 of those were gold!  Woo hoo!  Go USA!  Joshua, you were so hyper this evening and got in trouble for drawing on the walls (Grace, you even drew on the windows).  I'm sure having no nap helped with that!

Grace, you were getting brave this evening with some words.  You were saying 'mama' a lot and started to say the word 'ball'!  Woo hoo!  You're getting pretty good at the 'ba' sound.  :-)

Oh, I have an idea on a photograph to submit this year to the State Fair contest.  Uncle James gave me the idea.  I don't already have a great shot of the idea we're thinking of, so we'll have to work on it over the next few weeks to see if we can pull it off.  I'll keep you posted.  :-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Fighting Naps

Dearest Angels~

Joshua, somehow you ended up in our bed early.  I went into his bed and Grace crawled in with me. 

This morning, once everyone was up and moving, daddy went to Grandpa Mike's house to get work done on his car.  So, the three of us went to Gigi's house for some fun!  You all played with some flash cards and Joshua was impressive with his words!  :-)  You two also saw the fish and played with blocks.  You two drew on little magnetic boards.  I took some photos of you all playing with Gigi. 

While there, you all had your yogurt snacks and then had lunch.  You all split a 6 piece nugget meal and ate it all!  Woo hoo!  After lunch, you all got fresh diapers and then played with Gigi's tablet computer.  She put on some Veggie Tales to watch and then Joshua played 'Fruit Ninja'.  :-)

Grace, you really fought your nap.  There was a lot of crying and screaming.  Gigi and I both tried to calm you and rock you.  You ended up falling asleep on me in the rocker.  So, I ended up falling asleep with Grace for a little since she fell asleep on top of me.  :-P  Gigi tried to get Joshua to nap, but that was useless.  He stayed awake the entire time and played with Gigi.  Once Grace woke, we had a snack time and everyone got a clean diaper.  

We ended up leaving around 5pm once Grandpa Jim and Uncle James came over.  They were in Asheboro all day seeing Great Grandma and Great Grandpa.  They dropped off a bike at our house in the play room to use with the elliptical.  You all got to play with them briefly, but then we had to go home for dinner.  Once we got home, it started to rain.  Little man, you finally fell asleep in the van ride home.  

Daddy was already there.  He and Grandpa Mike got some work done on his car today, but they had to order some parts to finish.  So, daddy mowed the lawn once he got home and then we all had dinner.  After dinner, we cleaned the kitchen and then you two helped to fold our laundry.  A friend posted a quote earlier that states: Folding laundry with toddlers is like cleaning a desk full of papers with a fan blowing.  Ha!  Yes, you two try to help with the laundry, which we appreciate, but you two also tend to pull piles down or run off with socks that we're looking for .... Grace, I'm looking at you about that one!

We watched more Olympics this evening.  We saw our women's beach volleyball team win gold for the third consecutive Olympics!  They're probably the best beach volleyball team in the world!  Go USA!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

'Mama'

Dearest Blessings~

You both managed to noddle into our bed at some point last night.  :-P 

Daddy worked from home early with you two since I had an 8:30am appointment with baby biscuit.  I can feel her little kicks more.  :-)

I had a great appointment for baby biscuit!  According to Dr. Rush, she's measuring 'perfectly' for 22 weeks.  My blood pressure was normal.  My weight was 153.5 (apparently I had gained 5 pounds since last appointment so the nurse said that I had 'popped').  And, baby biscuit's heart rate was 148.  I do have fluid in my right ear so the doctor is going to have me try a decongestant for the next few days.  If it doesn't clear it out, then she'll call in an antibiotic for me.  

I was home a little after 9am.  Daddy left for work shortly after as we went upstairs to start some laundry and play.  Then, we had snack time and went back upstairs.  Grace ended up falling asleep and took a nap around 10:45am.  As Grace napped, I went on the elliptical for 25 minutes. 

We all had lunch once Grace woke up.  You all had some chicken nuggets, hotdog, and cheese.  Joshua, you ate two plates worth!  Grace, you had one plate.  Then you both had some animal crackers.  You two helped me clean the kitchen afterward.  And, we swept and vacuumed the downstairs.

Oh, you BOTH said 'mama' when we were going down the stairs earlier .... it was so precious!   I LOVED it!  ;-)

Joshua, you never napped and fought it for an hour.  So, gave up trying to get him down.  :-P  Daddy was home by 3:30pm since he worked a short day today.  We watched some Olympics once he was home. 

Then, we ran out to grab a few groceries.  You all needed milk, we got some meat, and I got my decongestant for my ear.  You two ate a cookie at Harris Teeter while there. 

Once we were home, we cooked another healthy dinner.  We cut up some chicken with onion and added some stir fry sauce.  Then, we added rice, corn, and broccoli.  You two ate a little of the chicken.  But, you all also had some yogurt and purees.

It started to rain hard during dinner.  Once we cleaned the kitchen (again) we went upstairs and watched more of the Olympics.  ;-)  I cut you all's nails.   Oh, Grace, you can now climb onto the upstairs couch by yourself with no help!  Are you getting taller?  Daddy and I are so proud of you!
Joshua will now point at things, and objects in books, and say the word by himself.  He can point to these objects and say them himself with no prompting:
- ball
- house
- fish
- apple
- bath
- mommy, daddy, Grace
- bear (for teddy graham crackers)
- guitar (for the ukelele)

Way to go little man!  We're so proud of you!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you so much!

~Mommy

Bruised Lip

Dearest Miracles~

Grace, you were fussy this morning but you both were giving kisses before we left for work! 

Joshua, you're starting to say a few words spontaneously now.  This morning you said 'nannie' before Penny got here.  And, you'll say 'mommy' or 'daddy' when you hear the garage door open!  ;-)

I had one of our quarterly provider's meetings after work this evening.  So, all the doctors that work at Wake Health Services got together to receive organizational updates.  I didn't get home until 8:40pm.  Ugh!  The next meeting won't be until November.  :-P  You all had fun with daddy until I got home.  You all watched some television and played in the bonus room. 

Grace, you apparently fell today and bruised your lip about tooth #F.  I looked at your tooth and lip this evening.  Your tooth looks and feels ok.  There's no mobility or discoloration.  We gave you some tylenol this evening since you were fussy.  I'm sure your lip was hurting.  Poor little thing.  We'll take another look in the morning. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Fearless

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Joshua, you ended up in our bed by 1am this morning.  Grace, you slept all night in Joshua's bed all by yourself.  Do we not need the toddlerbed set up anymore?  

You two were both awake and playing this morning before Penny got here.  So, we got to have kisses before work!  

You all had fun with Penny today!  Grace, you're apparently fearless on the slides at the park!  You wanted to go on all the big slides!  Whoa!  

I got home from work around 6:30pm.  You two gave me kisses as I came through the door!  That always makes my day!  We had a huge lunch at work today because one of the pediatricians was leaving.  So, I didn't have a dinner, but I ate some crackers with you all this evening.  ;-)

Once I got home, we had a huge storm with thunder and lightning!  The power went off for a few seconds and we had to reset the clock on the stove.  It was a hard rain and you two looked out the window to watch it fall. 

Today we're 22 weeks gestation with your little sister!  So far so good, but I've been having an ear ache for the past week.  I go to the OB on friday, so we'll see what they say.

This evening, we relaxed and watched the Olympics.  Grace, you still crawl into Joshua's bed to fall asleep at night.  That's so cute!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

AC Fixed

Dearest Angels~

Ahhhh .... everyone slept 'better' last night downstairs since it was cooler.  :-)  Daddy and I took the two couches while you two were cute curled up together on the air mattress in the living room. 

The upstairs wasn't completely horrible this morning, so we did some laundry and watched some Olympic highlights.  Our women's soccer team beat Canada with seconds left in double overtime!  I'm so sad I missed that.  We play for the gold on Thursday against Japan and I'll be at work.  Poo!  Oh, and we eventually saw Michael Phelps win his last gold medal in swimming .... he has 22 total medals .... the most ever.  I doubt that record will be broken in our lifetime!  Go USA!

We were back downstairs by 9am for snacks.  We finished watching the movie 'The Incredibles' and Grace walked around with sunglasses on like a 'superhero mask' for a while after.  ;-P

I made some nuggets, fries, and a side of cheese for lunch.  You both did well though Joshua ate more.  Then, we had playtime with crayons and music after lunch.  You two were both napping on the air mattress by 12:45pm.

Daddy came home by 1:30pm since the AC unit capacitor came in the mail.  As you two were napping, he fixed our upstairs AC unit (thanks to Uncle Brennan's tools and insight) and then worked from home the rest of the day.

Joshua, you did well with Quinn for speech therapy this afternoon.  We're working on long vowel sounds.  We have turtle flash cards to help.  You two helped me cook dinner afterward.  We made eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, and toast!  Yummy!  You two poo poo'd a lot, but Joshua at least ate more than Grace.  :-P

After dinner, the upstairs was cool enough for us to go back up there.  So, we got to play and catch up on the Olympics.  We'll be able to sleep up here tonight too.  :-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Great Appointments

Dearest Precious Gifts~

We all piled into our big bed under the fan last night.  All the windows were open with the fans at full speed.  It wasn't that comfortable, but we managed to get 'some' sleep.  It was way too late last night to relocate everyone downstairs.  We'll see how tonight is, but we'll likely stay downstairs this evening.  The downstairs feels great .... but about 95% of your toys are upstairs.  :-P

This morning, I set up the air mattress downstairs to play on.  We watched part of the movie 'The Incredibles' while you all played and had snack time.  Joshua, you threw up some of your applesauce.  Ugh.  I think maybe your bite was too big. 

We ended up leaving around 11am for speech therapy with Kim.  We're now working on two word combinations where the first word is two syllables and the second word is one syllable.  An example would be 'table top'.  It'll take some time, but you can already say 'bumble bee' and 'bubble bath' so that's a start!  ;-)

Oh, Grace, your primary lower left lateral .... tooth #N .... is now erupting!  Woo hoo!

Joshua, you had a feeding therapy appointment with Krista this afternoon.  You ate so well today with Krista!  You ate all the beef and rice that I cooked last night and brought in.  And, you ate half the green beans that I cooked.  Plus, you ate half a waffle!  Whoa!  Now we know you're capable of eating things we put in front of you.  If you don't, it's behavior.  We can now go to appointments every two weeks instead of weekly.  :-)

We got home around 3:30pm.  Mimi came over to take some measurements of you two for some more outfits.  You all got to play and visit while she was here.  You both loved playing with her phone.  ;-)

You two helped me cook a healthy dinner again.  We cut up chicken pieces and cooked them with pasta.  We had a side of apple pieces.  Neither of you ate the pasta, but Joshua did ok with the chicken and apple.  Grace, you mainly ate apple.

It rained right after dinner.  We opened the windows upstairs to help cool the house down.  The capacitor should be here tomorrow for the AC unit.  It was bearable enough to sit under the fan in the playroom and watch some Olympics.

But .... we were all back downstairs by 7:30pm.  It got too hot for Grace and she was grumpy.  Plus, she was getting hungry since she didn't really eat her dinner!  You all played with blocks with daddy and had music time.  I took a quick shower and then came downstairs to take photos of you all playing.  We all ended up sleeping downstairs.

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

No AC

 

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

 

Joshua, you woke and ran into our room at 4am.  Grace, you came in at 6am.  But, despite your early wake up times, we all still managed to stay in bed and sleep in until 7:30am!  Yippie!  Oh, and Joshua, you ate some cheerios at breakfast with us!  You usually don't eat any foods for at least an hour after you wake up,  but you had a few pieces of cereal this morning!  Yeah!

We took it easy this morning since we were up and in a car so early yesterday.  So, we went for a family walk to the shops and back .... about 2.5 miles.  It started to rain on us on the way back home.  So, we went under some trees for fun until it calmed down, though we all got wet.  ;-)  Once we were back home and inside, it started to rain some more. 

You two had snack time once home.  Joshua, you had your applesauce and some apple pieces.  Grace, you had some yogurt and some apple pieces. 

Since everyone was wet anyway, everyone had a bath or shower right after.  Then, we all played downstairs while lunch was cooking.  You two made a huge block building with daddy.  For lunch, you two ate a good amount of chicken nuggets and fries!  :-)

We did our grocery run to Target after lunch since we didn't have time yesterday.  You both ate 2 cookies and then fell asleep on the car ride home.  It was a little crowded in the store since its tax free weekend with everyone going back to school soon.  You two continued to nap on the couches downstairs once home since we noticed the upstairs was really hot.  Is our AC not working now?

While you two slept, I got some chores done.  I ordered more stamps, wrote a 'thank you' card to Marie and Martin for yesterday, cleaned out my emailed account, organized my jewelry box, and then started to cook dinner.

You two woke once I was cooking.  We made a beef with rice mixture.  Then, had green beans on the side with apple pieces.  You two didn't eat much.  I think Grace might have eaten more.

You all continued to play downstairs after dinner while I cleaned and daddy cooked some chicken for his lunches this week.  We're doing well with our family goals so far, especially with the workout goals and eating healthier!  And, we've all been good about our daily Bible reading!  Go us!  :-)

Oh, Grace, if prompted, you will sign 'I want', 'please', 'fish', 'all done', and probably some others.  You'll also mimic new signs too. 

Uncle Brennan and Aunt Katie came over later this evening to look at our upstairs AC unit.  Our fan is not spinning on the outside unit.  Uncle Brennan took out the capacitor and tested it.  It appears to be blown so we ordered a new one online.  So, it will be hot upstairs until it comes .... hopefully tuesday.  It was too late last night to move things downstairs as 'beds', so we opened all the windows and had all the upstairs fans going at full speed upstairs to help 'cool' the place down.  I have a feeling it won't be a comfortable evening.  :-P

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy