Wordless Wednesday

"Not Me! Monday"

It's that time again...time to "fess up" all the things we did not do this week!

I am not really missing MckMama's "Not Me! Monday!" posts, and am praying that Stellan will be home very soon!! You can check our her blog to get updates on Baby Stellan. I know they would appreciate your prayers!

I am not going to complete this entire post without any new pictures of the kiddos, because I haven't had the time or energy to take any the past few days! (SORRY!!)

I did not find myself at a doctor's office with Katie twice last week for her eye infection. And I certainly did not think I was going to have to go again after her 36 hours of high fever this weekend! Thankfully, it appears that whatever was causing her fever has passed.

I have not bribed (because I do not like the bribery tactic at all) Katie with every form of "surprise" I could think of since Thursday to try to get her to let me put her eye drops in 4 times a day. And, she was definitely not too smart for that after just two doses! Thankfully, we have only 3 more days of the eye drops...I'm running out of ideas and bribes!!!

I did not use a pool to get her to let me do her eye drops today. So, after naptime today, I will not find myself baking in the 80 degree heat, to let Katie and Austin enjoy their first "swim" for the year! (I will get pictures of this one for you and post them later on).

I did not just realize that I will be celebrating Austin's 1st birthday in less than 4 months and Katie's 3rd birthday in almost 6 months! Where has the time gone???

Speaking of the kids...Austin is not now considered a "pro" at crawling and cruising around the house! And he certainly did not start saying "da-da" this week for the first time! He still said "ma-ma" first, though!! hehe...just had to throw that in!! (He now says "ma-ma", "bye bye", and "da-da").

Oh, and how could I forget! I certainly did not find Austin playing in the toilet water a few days ago, when only seconds before he was quietly playing with his toys in the floor as I fixed my hair!! (Boys...what is it about playing in toilet water!? I'm sure it won't be long before he's trying to let his army men take a rescue swim...)

On a better note...I did not finally get the house clean this week, since we were having company over...after breaking my "after bedtime" rule that strictly states that I will not do any cleaning after putting the kids to bed, since that is my time for me and with my sweetheart! (And, for the record, I do not intend to make that a habit...my house may just have to wait...)

I do not have lots more "Not Me" things to add, but will stop early...I'd hate to bore you to the point of you not coming to read my blog ever again. Because that would break my heart! No, seriously, it just might. So... don't. even. think. about it!

What didn't you do this week??

Random Photo Challenge

2002

8th folder - July

25th picture

{if you don't have this far back, pick the next closest year}

MEXICO BOUND!

I didn't have anything further back than 2005 on the computer.

This is July 2005, on our way into Mexico with our church mission trip.

Oh, the memories this brings back to me...the first being me not having my license with me (don't ask), but STILL being able to board planes AND get across the border! Talk about God answering prayers!!! That was my first plane ride and trip into another country. God did wonderful things during our trip. What I brought back that sticks most with me? "God is good ALL the time!"

Just for laughs...

Just a few snapshots to get you laughing or smiling today...

Katie had to pick her own clothes out for church this week. And, after seeing what shoes she wore, I had to take a picture. One day, she'll see it and tell me what awful style I had dressing her that way...just like I tell my mom! But I will get to tell her what my mom loves to tell me..."I let you pick it out!"

I love you, my beautiful princess!! Even if your shoes don't at all match your dress...you show us how to lead and not follow, even in fashion! :D

Now, this one takes a little explaining, too. Last night, after returning from church, I instructed Katie to go find her pj's because it was bedtime. When she didn't promptly return with pj's, we went searching for her, and this is what we found! When she finally finished her long conversation on the cell phone, we asked her who she was talking to...she smiled and said "I had to talk to Mimi". Just too cute...


This is Katie and Austin's newest "fun" together. The love to ride the caterpillar. I love it when I catch them playing together like this. It is so sweet to see them interacting, even though they are almost 2 years apart. And, as you can see, they enjoy it a little bit, too :)


I was so happy to have caught this one on camera! In the middle of the caterpillar ride together, Austin leaned back and planted a long, slobby (Katie's favorite) kiss right on her cheek! They love each other so much! It thrills my heart to see their love for each other. I love my sweet little ones...



Katie's other favorite time with Austin is bathtime. I never would have thought she would have enjoyed taking a bath in a shallow 1" deep water with her brother, but she does. Actually, she begs for this time daily! I don't mind...for now, anyway...they enjoy their time together, and I get two baths finished at the same time! Gotta love that time frugalness (if that's a word), right?


LOL I love this one...it is definitely my Austin! I tried so hard to get him to like the ducks, or other floating toys that would be okay for him to chew on, but he insisted on eating Dora instead. Gotta love him...even though he does eat all of the wrong things!!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! Just wanted to send a little fun to make you smile and laugh. I hope it helps your Wednesday be a light-hearted, fun-filled day! Or at the very least, one that finds you smiling often as you think of Katie's chosen outfit and Austin's latest Dora meal!

Let me OUT!

Today, I resorted to the "play pen" tactic. I asked Mark to get the large play pen that we used for Meeko as a puppy out of the attic, so I could use it during the day. It was supposed to contain Austin and allow me to get a little housework done. I think the following pictures tell it all!

Austin didn't mind it for like the first...umm...30 seconds! He pulled himself up and cruised around the gate. I think he thought I had made a way for him to cruise around the house.

That is...until he realized he couldn't get to any of the many things he normally likes to get into...like the computer cords, the DVDs, the VHS player, the doorstopper, the dog bowls, etc. As you can see, he's not a fan! If I even LOOK like I'm thinking of putting him in there, he screams. He stands there and screams and screams and screams. Katie plays with him, but he just stands there like this...

Katie even attempted to "break him out" earlier. Thankfully, she couldn't figure that out! Oh well...so much for getting the housework done!

Craziness!!

This has been one CRAZY week! I honestly thought things would slow down a little bit after Easter, but so far, that has not been the case.

Mark took off on Monday, and we enjoyed getting a few things done, but mostly just relaxing, playing with the kids, and resting. Tuesday, the "fun" began. I woke up early to feed Austin and saw Mark on the couch (he should have been at work already). He had been sick during the early morning and came to sleep in the living room. I just thought he got up to get ready for work! Anyway...so, Tuesday, Mark was home sick...and the kids were as energetic as ever, which makes for a very tiring (and trying) day. Mark seemed to feel a little better Wednesday morning, so he got up to get ready for work. Again, I got up to feed Austin, and walked in the living room only to see Mark sitting at the table, dressed for work, typing on his computer. "Why?" You ask...I did, too! He wasn't feeling 100% but decided to go in to work anyway...but the car wouldn't start! Needless to say...early afternoon, we finally got it cranked and took it to the shop to be checked. They couldn't find anything wrong, and it's cranked fine since then. Go figure! Wendesday evening, we go to church to teach our Pee-Wee Club, and Mark again starts feeling sick. So, Thursday, he goes to the doctor...I told him it was best to do that since this had been going on for a while now. They decided that he probably had the start of a stomach ulcer...the labwork will tell us for sure soon. And, that brings us to today...where Mark took off 1/2 day to attend a funeral service of a dear lady in our church, who went to see her Savior earlier this week. So...after a week like this, what more can I say but "CRAZY"??

I did fail to mention about the kids, though...Austin has decided to crawl this week! He's been army crawling, but now, as of Tuesday, he's on his hands and knees, and he is QUICK!! I know I've said this before, but it's even worse now...He's into EVERYTHING!! His new "favorite" things to do...hide behind/under the rocking chair, while Katie is rocking her little heart away (not knowing he's there)...pull off the door stopper and use it as a teether (ouch!)...play inside Meeko's kennel...play in Meeko's food/water bowls...and how could I forget to mention sticking his little fingers in the VHS player! Now, some of you may be thinking that it would help if I watched my children, because he is dangerously close to being hurt. Well, please come stay with me for 5 minutes to watch all of this take place within 2 minutes, as I constantly move him back to his toy stash in between each "no-no". Seriously...he's QUICK!

Katie is being super sweet. She was Daddy's "doctor" much of the week, and he was eating it up! She stayed snuggled up to him most of the day on Tuesday, which says a lot for her. She doesn't sit still OR snuggle with anyone for very long. She's working really hard on potty-training, still. Her favorite thing now is finding a "new" potty every time we go into a store. She found a favorite at our library this week. They had one "just her size" and a sink "just her size", too. She thought that was the coolest! So cool, in fact, that we had to make 2 trips in 5 minutes!! Gotta love potty-training... :D

Now, what am I looking forward to after this week? You may think rest... sleep... vacation... getting the fence completed... and those are all great guesses that I would indeed love. But honestly, I am looking forward to watching the final 6 episodes of Prison Break, that airs beginning TONIGHT at 8p! Sad, I know...but I've followed it from the beginning, and I have to see how it ends! I was pulled in...hook, line, and sinker! And I'm not embarrassed to say so :)

Finally, for all of you family reading...I have Easter/Spring pictures being printed and mailed to me as we speak. So, be on the look-out, you will have new pictures VERY soon!! I PROMISE!

Easter Portraits

I always look forward to Bellingrath's Easter Extravaganza for many reasons...but my favorite reason is that it's a great time to take new spring portraits of our family! I absolutely LOVE taking pictures at Bellingrath...if only I could master the art of capturing two happy children simultaneously.

Unfortunately, Austin was up most of the night/morning before our Bellingrath trip due to a bad tummy ache, which continued throughout the day. He did not feel good while we were there, and would not cooperate to take many pictures. You'll notice that most of the pictures are of Katie only. But, I promise, I will do a "retake" for Austin in the next week or so to get some spring portraits of him for everyone to see.

We were, however, able to get a complete family picture! (Amazing, I know!) Mark's parents came with us, so we used them as stand-in photographers a couple of times. And, I think they did quite well!!

I hope you enjoy these pictures for now...

Egg & Bunny Hunt!

I'm sure you are wondering why I called this the "Egg & Bunny Hunt" post. Well, it was purposely, I promise! We did take the kids to Bellingrath Gardens for their annual egg hunt on Saturday, but the thing that Katie wanted to hunt for the most was, you guessed it, the Easter Bunny! When we finally made it through the LONG line to see him, Katie did not want to leave! She gave that Easter Bunny too many hugs, kisses, and waves to count in her short time there, and begged to go back the rest of the time we were in the gardens. Thankfully, we did finally get her to understand that we had to let the other children have time to see him, too. Katie and Austin both loved the Easter Bunny. It has been nice having kids that aren't scared of large costumed animals/people...I hope that continues!

They did the egg hunt a little differently this year, and it wasn't as exciting for Katie, but she still enjoyed it...for about 5 minutes. I did manage to snap a couple of pictures of them egg hunting. As you can see, Austin found an egg and immediately started to eat it before he could be stopped. But, that didn't surprise me...everything goes into his mouth right now!

Parental Blindness

Okay...as parents of our two beautiful, uniquely different, and deeply loved little ones...Mark and I have officially decided that we must both be blind when looking at Katie and Austin. No matter how hard we try, we cannot see how they look alike. What are we missing (other than they had about the same amount of hair)???

Here are pictures of Katie and Austin at the same age (7 months). What do YOU see that is "just alike"? We're really curious! All I see is...different smiles...different noses...different hairline...different eye shape...different head shape...different children. So, help me out! :D

Katie at 7 months

Austin at 7 months

Spring Fever!

I think it is safe to say that our family has "Spring Fever"! The weather has been beautiful...except for all of the rainy and terribly stormy days we've had...and the extremely COLD temperatures we're feeling now. Okay, so maybe they weather hasn't been beautiful! But we can feel it...we can see it...Spring IS coming! Can you find our "Spring Fever" in the pictures??

Our view looking to the left from our back patio doorway

YES! That's a fence on the left side! We now have a fenced in backyard!! Well, minus finishing the gates, which are in the works already. It looks so different, but GREAT out there now!!

And what's this???

Could it be that our beautiful Japanese Maple is beginning to bloom those crimson (TIDE) red leaves for us to enjoy already?! I am so excited! I love being able to look out the kitchen window to see it, especially when it is fully bloomed, which should be soon!

And...could this be...

a blooming Amarilla, already?! Oh, the beauty of God's creation I'm about to enjoy in the comfort of my own back (and front) yard!


And we couldn't forget to mention Katie's plant projects...

Her Petunias are still thriving beautifully!


Her grape tomato plants on week #2

Wow! Remember how they looked last week? I think Katie put them on steriods or something...just kidding...they are all organic!! But they are definitely growing lots! We now have 10 tall tomato sprouts to care for.



And...could it be...
Katie's strawberry seeds are sprouting after 1 week!? Yes...it's a small sprout. She actually has 4 small sprouts. But, considering it was supposed to take 3-4 weeks to sprout, I think they are doing great! We'll have deliciously sweet everbearing strawberries before we know it (hopefully)!


Can you find Katie in the midst of her "Spring Fever"?

She is sooo excited about getting to go to the gardens (Bellingrath Gardens) this Saturday for their annual egg hunt, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and spring portraits (by me, of course)! She asks me every morning if today is Saturday...so, be sure to check back next week to see our pictures from the upcoming Easter weekend!


And finally, can you spot Austin's "Spring Fever"??

Okay, okay...so, he doesn't have anything that shows "Spring Fever", but he did just pull himself up to this standing position without any help! Oh, the fun we're about to have...standing today...cruising tomorrow??

Okay...enough of our Spring Fever for now. But be sure to check back next week for lots of posts from our Easter weekend. We will be egg hunting and portrait taking on Saturday morning at Bellingrath. We will be doing a very special Easter story activity Saturday evening/Sunday morning as a family. And, we will be participating in the choir, as an incredible drama, "The Wondrous Cross", is portrayed at our church at 10:30am - JOIN US!

April 1st Pictures...No Fooling!

This morning Katie wanted to take pictures, and I was willing, so we picked out clothes and started snapping pictures. I really wish I had enough room and time to upload more pictures, because 99% of the pictures I took were hilariously funny! It is VERY challenging to get two kids (especially a 7 month old) to stay still for 2 seconds to get the camera aligned and the picture snapped. Needless to say, there are some very funny shots that I will keep for black-mail one day. hehe...just kidding! But, I did find time to go through and pick out the better ones for you to see. I hope you have as much fun seeing them as we had taking them!

We are so thankful for our two little ones...they are such huge blessings from God!

Katie's Spring Projects...

Katie has been begging for a "pink flower" that she can "water it, smell it, and see it grow". So, we decided to take her to Lowe's to pick her very own plant! Here are the beautiful pink petunias that she has found to take care of for the season. She's doing a great job, too, might I add. She checks on it daily and adds water every chance she gets (when I let her).

We also decided that as a "learning experience" for her, we would let her plant some grape tomato seeds & strawberry seeds to let her watch grow.

After 1 week, her tomato seeds have started to sprout. She was so excited to see the little sprouts beginning to appear. Hopefully she will continue to enjoy seeing how God makes things grow! We'll keep you updated as they grow more.