Fun Madness

These past couple of days have been such a huge blessing in so many ways - I feel like this is the first time in years that I have truly felt myself getting into the holiday spirit and do not feel like it's slipping away like a freight train...maybe it's being able to stay home and cherish all the moments and actually have time to enjoy it, maybe it's having Lincoln and starting family traditions of our own, maybe it's that Jason has gotten to spend tons of time with us this week (my favorite part!), or just a fat ole combination of all the above. Whatever the reason, it's a blast. Jason and I have had major accomplishments the past three days that we're super proud of!

1. Got a fantastic deal on a laptop without having to brave the ravishing shoppers at awful morning hours (which I heard had foam spewing from their mouths this year)
2. Switched from Cox to Direct TV (guy just left) which cut our bill in HALF people and we get more features and channels - no joke (let me know if you're interested in the same because we get an additional discount...ha).
3. Found a doorbuster Blue-Ray player at Target that had been misplaced - at 11:00am (looking good from all the sleep we got)...for CRAZY cheap and when we went to pay for it, there was even an additional $20 off at the register!
4. Already got some fantastic deals on Christmas presents for family
5. Bought much needed new sheets for the bed that were originally $130, for only $44!
6. Found one of Lincoln's presents 50% off at Target (100 pc. GIANT lego blocks!)
7. Celebrated my birthday early last night with the family!


And now I'm waiting till the little booger wakes up to do it all over again, this time with my mom. :) I think we'll tackle Toys R Us today, get my Paula Dean Cookware (in blue!!) for my birthday, and try and find some nice discounted bath towels (ours are barely there anymore). Anyone out there discovering any fantastic deals???


And here are some pictures of the past few days...there's more on my facebook page.

The Thankful Post

Every one's gotta do one at this time, right? And oh my gosh IS THERE EVER SO much to be thankful for. :)

1. For starters, we got to see baby Noah on Monday! And when I say we, I mean, Jason, Lincoln, and I - which is rare that Jason is in town during these appointments (he never missed one w/ Lincoln since he worked in town), and this was Lincoln's first time to see his baby brother! He's head down, still measuring a tad small (but no worries), with that strong little heart pumping away.

2. Along those same lines, I have realize what a blessing it is to get to use Dr. Hill. He and his family are personal friends so that added touch is always nice, but with all of his patients, he does an ultrasound with every visit (except the glucose test one) just so you can see your little darling. Since I've only ever used him, I thought this was standard, but after talking to several of my friends, I realize that this is SO-NOT-STANDARD - that some are lucky to even get 2 ultrasounds. So Dr. Hill, THANK YOU. I think when we move to Bentoville we will still drive to Siloam to use him if we ever have another.

3. For my hard-working husband. His new job has brought on numerous challenges and LONG hours that leave him exhausted. But all of his hard has allowed me to quit my job and stay at home with our son...I am SO thankful for a hard-working, talented husband who sees the value in family over financial gain.

4. And of course the closeness of family and the joy Lincoln has brought into our house over the past year!!

5. Black Friday being tomorrow which = standing in cold lines to finally get a laptop - and good deal, at that. :)

6. Which also means being able to post more pictures!!!!

Obviously the list cold go on an on, but I have been at my parent's house for some time now on this computer and want to get back to my boys, so I'll leave it with my deep, deep gratitude that my Savior calls me child remains in a constant state of growing, developing, and leading our family toward His likeness. Thank you Father for your many blessings and that you call us family.

27 Week Appointment

I had my 27 week appointment a bit ago (I am currently almost 29 weeks now), I just don't have a laptop anymore, so posts are far and few in between until we make the purchase (downside of not working anymore). It was the infamous "sugar tolerance test" appointment where you drink the horrific sugar juice and they prick for finger to test for gestational diabetes. Some may remember last year I flunked the test which was fabulous (cause then they get to torture you with even more nasty juices and LOTS of finger pricking)...but this year I passed with flying colors!!!!! I felt so proud. :)
We didn't have an ultrasound this appointment, but Noah had a strong heartbeat! My tummy measured a little small (measured as if I should only be 25 weeks) but they said this is no big deal since I am gaining weight. I weighed 130 lbs. which is a total of 16 pounds since the start, so all is good! We go back next Monday to see the little boy - Jason gets to come to this one since he'll be off for thanksgiving break so I'm excited!!

As for change of job news (i.e. stay-at-home mommy), I LOVE IT. It's like I don't even remember what I used to do before - such a blessing. My days now consist of playing, naps, play-dates, birthday parties, meeting new moms, Bible studies, exercising, trips to the mall and to visit daddy, and watching Tiger basketball games...loving it. And I even find myself staying up later now, too (I used to go to bed at 9:00 because work would wear me out) which is great to see Jason more.

As far as the house sale goes, I am starting to get very anxious about moving to Bentonville so we can be near Jason more - especially as the season kicks into full gear and he is having to work more and more. We had a couple come back for the second time, bringing measuring tapes and seeing how their furniture would fit in our house, and I find myself wanting to KNOW. I've had to practice restrain on my hands every day to keep from calling them and saying, "So...you buying it, or what...cause I really want to KNOW." I spent some time in the Word yesterday and in prayer (thanks to the advice of my wise father) seeking peace and patience from God in this situation and just that His will prevail for us. It's been hard to relax n this and not become too anxious, but I know and trust God's will in this...and I found comfort in that in our time yesterday.
This past weekend, the Matchell's and us spent time with one of the other assistant coaches and their family at their house for dinner and just getting to know each other better. I have been truly amazed at this new direction God has taken out family and how He has provided for us thus far. The other coaches and their wives have been such a blessing and so fun getting to know. I really am loking forward to being over there and getting to all of them on a deeper level and developing some new friendships. God is good. :)

Now the computer issue - I miss my computer!!!!! Would it be insanely stupid for an 8 month pregnant lady to camp out on black Friday to get a good deal?? Would you look at her funny and think she's crazy? I'm thinking about it...of course I would keep Lincoln at my parents house (and drag Jason with me!)...not having a computer is a mild form of torture for me. I can still do things from my phone but who wants to write a blog on their cell phone. Not me.

Go Tigers

Jason ordered these Bentonville uniforms for all the coachs' kids when he ordered the teams'...they're exact replicas and ridiculously adorable. We'll be getting a picture of all the kids in their uniforms when season starts in a FEW WEEKS! I used to start getting fired up with a bunch of random "Go Panthers", but now it's time to start getting used to being a TIGER. :)
Lincoln's true "man pose". These are foam letters in his mouth I bought him for the bath-tub...we'll see if they ever make it to the tub.

Week One

I have been a stay-at-home mom since last Wednesday...the verdict? FABULOUS. Lincoln is officially off formula, takes about 4 bottles (yes, still bottles - fighting that battle in the coming weeks) of milk/day, takes two 2-2.5 hour naps/day, sleeps through the night till about 7:30am, and is starting to go to bed earlier than normal (around 8:00pm). I usually take a nap when he takes his first one, clean or do other stuff during his second one, and we work out in between naps and play. He now takes a bath in the tub like a "big boy" (no more infant bathtub) because, well, now that he's one, his new title is apparently "toddler" and so I should be treating him like so (as he would tell me). I still can't believe I now have a toddler! Crazy.
He's starting to get a little more picky about eating...we used to never have issues in this area, but I've heard this is normal. His favorites are quesadillas on whole wheat, bananas, lean hamburger meat, cottage cheese (yuck), mandarin oranges, oranges, peaches, and he still loves his rice cereal! Notice no vegetables made the list. He was loving his veggies a few weeks ago...I would steam some and he would eat them himself, but recently, he puts his hand up and shakes his head like "no thank-you". It's precious when he does it but I wish he'd EAT HIS VEGGIES! So I've resulted back to baby food for the veggie department and he still loves that - will slick the jar dry. So we make sure and have one at every meal. I do "sneak" whole veggies into his eggs (spinach) and mix it with cottage cheese. HE WILL EAT THEM!

Activities? Lincoln loves the swing at the park, likes our outings in the jogging stroller, loves to climb on top and over boxes I place around the living room for him, LOVES any kind of ball - this is the only word he can really say and if you tell him to "get your ball", he'll search the living room till it's found...

Now, here's my question to all of you stay-at-home moms (if there are any who read this blog)...what are you're daily routines with your little one? What kinds of activities do you do everyday? Schedules? Lesson plans (some do!)? Or just go with the flow type of days? I want some fun ideas!!

This is It

After close to 10 years of working in the mental health field in areas ranging from psychiatric hospitals, residential facilities and group homes in California to therapeutic day treatments and school-based services here in Arkansas, today I leave it all behind...for this:

Yes...forget the B.A. in Psychology, the partial Ph.D. training and the two Master's degrees in Marriage & Family Therapy and Counseling...I now gladly, and proudly will answer the question "So, what is it you do?" with a smile and the response, "I'm a stay-at-home MOM."
Maybe some day I'll go back into the field of mental health, but for now I am incredibly excited about this new phase in life God has so graciously made available for us! I hope to get more involved in ministry and continue pursuing my passion for missions with my boys in the next few years...but most of all I am looking forward to these precious years with the people I love most - devoting all time and energy into being a woman of God, a loving wife, and a passionate mother.

Doctor, Parties, and LOADS of Candy

First we'll start with the before-crazy-weekend details:
Since Lincoln turned ONE YEARS OLD (still can't grasp the magnitude of that statement!), he was due for his one-year well-check visit: "happy birthday, baby - you made it through your first year of life! Now lets stick you with a very sharp, long needle - not one, but THREE times so that you can remember this memorable day!" Yes - the doctor's visit on Friday that Jason's mother attended with me to check and see how our little one was progressing and get a pat on the back for helping him make it this far without too many setbacks (those pats on the back for mom are important, by the way).
He is still in the 75% for both height and weight coming in at 24lbs. and 31 inches tall...his head? That monster melon? Well it's actually gone down on the percentile charts from the 99% to now the ever-so-much-lower 95%. Funny.
And just because this weekend has been all about him, I will brag a teensy weensy bit on something the doc said: they go through their checklist to see what all the little guy can do...walking? most definitely YES. understands "no"? ha. he had this one down a LOONG time ago. Peeing/Pooping? he's our elimination machine...and then so on and so on. Well, then I was telling the doctor about how Lincoln stands up, bends his knees (in an athletic stance) and catches balls when we throw them to him. The doc became interested and I then demonstrated what I was talking about. I then told him how Lincoln will not only catch the ball (80% of the time), but will then throw it right back to you - overhead. His eyes got big and he said "wow - not only should he not be able to catch that good at this age, but throwing overhead is advanced for him, too - he must be very coordinated!" Yeah - daddy was proud of this one.
So after the doctor, it was a mad rush to finish working for MY LAST FRIDAY...and then off to go all over NWA to get finishing touches for the big birthday party Saturday with Jason's mom.
And then The Party.
Lincoln woke up in a fantastic mood...like he knew it was his day. He had his first outfit of the day on, his skeleton PJ's and went crazy with a few balloons that were being tossed around on the floor - little did he know just how much more fun was in store...when he gets real excited, it's like he just has to release it all and gives out a big ole scream - it's hilarious.

Then the guests started arriving...we kept it just family this year. The menu? A little bit of everything. We had mini quesadillas, chips, salsa, cheese dip, buffalo wings, mini sandwiches on yeast rolls, pizza slices, fruit dipped in white chocolate, a candy assortment tray, macaroni and cheese (for the birthday boy), and of course, yummy white cake from Rick's Bakery.
And then cake time. And let me say, Lincoln did NOT disappoint! He dove in, full force, no hesitation and made quite the colorful display all over himself.
And then it was bathtime before we opened presents...

This was one of mommy and daddy's gifts - a giant "tub" of plastic, colorful balls. I saw it and KNEW he'd love it...and trust me - he LOVES it more than we even thought...So the party was very successful, with TONS of gifts for the Mr. Our family really went overboard - we love all you guys and are so blessed to have yall in little Lincoln's life!!!

After his long afternoon nap, the family of three (with Baby Noah soon to join), walked to Wal-mart to get some last minute things for trick-or-treaters. You see, we used last night as promotion for the house. :) We'll see if it worked later or not. We changed Lincoln into his Frankenstein costume and braced ourselves for the scary candy-seekers. Little did we know how much Lincoln would LOVE all the costumes, doorbell ringing, and little kids - it was hilarious! Everytime the doorbell would ring, he'd squeal with delight and "walk" (his best Frankenstein walk) to the door to greet the kiddos. He loved it. I think his day just kept getting better and better. Here's a Frankenstein pic:The little guy played his heart out till about 10:00 last night before we made him go to bed...I'm sure he dreamed of music cars, blue icing, scary kids begging for candy, his tub of balls, and all the other fun toys he got this special day. And that's what it was...truly special.