Psalm 23

This is a huge accomplishment for Olivia - we set out to memorize Psalm 23 this summer and she did fabulous!  I'm very proud of her and I hope she keeps up the great work.

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

She's with the band!

I heard a lot of noise coming from downstairs and when I went to investigate this is what I found!  Olivia set it all up!  It went on for much longer, but I was running around the house trying to find my camera so I didn't get it all on video.

Jack's 1st Birthday

We had a wonderful time on Saturday at Jack's first birthday party.  The theme was baseball!  We love our Cubbies, but we loved seeing all our friends show up in their different baseball jerseys from all different teams.  Thanks to everyone who came out and helped us celebrate Jack's first birthday.

To complete the baseball theme the menu was popular baseball food like hot dogs, nachos, walking tacos, and of course, ice cold beer!!

I ordered a set of baseball cookie cutters - at first I debated if I should even add the stress of making cookies to it all, but they turned out soooo good and I'm glad I did it!

The cake turned out really cute too - I had a cold so I couldn't really taste it, but everyone said it was good!

♪♫♫♪♪♪♪♫♫Happy Birthday To You♪♫♫♪♪♪♪♫♫

Jack and his smash cake

Brian thought it wasn't messy enough so he planted Jack's face in it!

Very excited to add some boy toys to the house!!

...even the METAL Tonka truck!

Thanks to my brother, Brian, who made these awesome baseball cards :-)

...and we can't forget big sis Olivia - she was Jack's cheerleader!  She was so excited to do all the big sis stuff like give Jack his smash cake and help him open his presents.

Happy 1st Birthday Jack - we love you!!

Is it really a deal?

Still in the diaper-buying stage of motherhood? If you're like me, trying to find a good deal can sometimes make your head spin! You see a package on sale, but it's a different size than you normally buy at Costco or Babies R Us and you're not really sure if it's a good deal, right? Or is the off brand really cheaper than finding a name brand on sale and stacking with coupons?

I came across this chart today that lays it all out there for you when it comes to Huggies, Pampers and Luvs. It tells you how many diapers are in what size packs and the price to beat per diaper. See a deal you think might be good? Just do a little math before you buy it!
How Many Diapers Per Pack?

I'm losing my power

You know the power bar on video games? Starts out as full strength, green bar and as you go on the bar gets smaller and smaller and then when it gets real close to you "dying" it goes red and there's only a small sliver left....know what I'm talking about? That's where I'm at right now, just a little tiny sliver of red left on my super-human mom power bar and I'm super emotional about it! I know that this is another milestone, another page in the book, but I'm having a really hard time right now.

Jack's weaning himself and we're done having kids!

I couldn't wait for the day for Olivia to wean - in fact, she woke up on her 1st birthday and she was done - she didn't ask for it again for a few days and then I couldn't really help her with it. For a couple of weeks now Jack was nursing once in the morning and once at night, but last week he dropped the evening nursing. Saturday he wanted nothing to do with nursing in the morning so I know it's coming. I had no problem with Olivia weaning, in fact, I was happy she was done, but Brian and I thought that after Jack was born that he'd be our last so now that he's starting to wean I'm a huge mess! I will no longer have my super-human mom power of growing a baby inside my body and providing all the nourishment needed to form this baby and I will no longer provide nourishment to a baby through nursing.

It's such a special thing to me - I absolutely LOVE being pregnant, the thought of my body being capable of "making" another human being is so awesome. I even LOVE giving birth - even with the long labors I tend to have and the fear of medications and epidurals - there's just something very fascinating about the way God has designed women and the way that everything works together to deliver a baby - thankfully I have an awesome midwife that allows MY body to deliver the baby instead of the Dr delivering the baby with the many interventions such as episiotomy, forceps, vacuums, Cesarean...(I know that these things are sometimes needed in lifesaving situation, but unfortunately it has become less about life-saving and more about time-saving). I had an awesome birth experience with both Jesse and Jack - it's just amazing how the body works.

I also find it fascinating that after 9 months of growing a baby in my body that I am able to nourish this baby for 6+ months with ONLY what my body produces - it's just amazing!

I know there are some of you reading this thinking that I'm crazy - we all feel completely different on these issues, but this is MY experience and we see things differently.

So here I am, knowing that what's occurring is just a normal part of life, another transition. I look forward to the future, but at the same time I really want to hold on to the past and present - I guess it's my way of trying to keep my baby little for just a bit longer.

Happy 1st Birthday Jack (August 23)

This time last year I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of another baby. I was filled with so many emotions - fear, excitement, joy.....but nothing compared to what I felt the second you were born. Jack, you are my rainbow - the beautiful masterpiece of God after a horrible storm. I can't even put into words the love that I have for you. I have greatly enjoyed this past year with you and I look forward to many more. You have been a wonderful baby, sure there were times when things got rough, but I can always count on you for a smile to brighten my day and a snuggle to make it all better. I love you with all of my heart and I pray each day that God will make me the perfect mother for you. I hope I never let you down and I hope I always lift you up.
Love,
Ma-ma

Look how I've grown!

God, please bless this little boy with a lifetime of happiness and health. Protect him from evil. Help me, as his mother, to encourage him to have a personal relationship with you and help him to always turn to you first. Give me strength to be the mother that I need to be for him. Amen