Pool Par-tay

 For Addie's 4th birthday we opted for a party outside of our house so the kids could run a muck and not destroy everything. We were fortunate to be able to rent out the pool at Huntsville Country Club thanks to G-pa and G-ma! Win win.

Decorating was pretty easy since it was outside. Although we got there an hour before the party started so I was in turbo mode. Note to self: 1 hour is not long enough. I guess stopping at Wal-Mart on our way for waterproof mascara probably wasn't necessary. (but we needed ice so whatev.)

I perused pinterest and just got a couple of ideas because I was NOT going to make this party a big deal and stress about it. Ummmm sure, let's just say that's what happened.

Time for the line-up.

First off, what's a party without beach balls and pool noodles? Gotta LOVE the Dollar Tree.


 Second, it's hard to not have a pool party and have a little beach theme sneak in here or there. Trust me, Pinterest tried very hard to lure me into beach world or mermaid land.

 

My girl Tiffany rode the waves like a champ.

 Judy and Sue Ellen got their tan on. 

 

Can my mother in law make a rockin' cake or what? Props!

 

Emme and Sandy were the best part of this oh so classy pool ring wreath.

 What's that you say? Is the garland made out of pool noodles? Why yes. Yes, it is.

 

 Lastly, it's just impossible to have a good time at a party without photo props anymore. Who do you think we are, cavemen? Because why wear your own sunglasses or drink real lemonade when you can hold up some fake ones on a stick. Duh.

All props were FREE SUMMER PRINTABLES from Moms&munchkins.

Nothing says Happy Birthday like a baby with a pina colada.

The party was a success. Most importantly, Addie was surrounded by family, friends, dubious amounts of sugar, and way too many presents.

 

 I need to reminisce with this picture when deciding whether or not to throw a party for her next year:

 

 

Addie turns 4!

My baby is officially a four year old. Three still can pass as semi-baby but not four. She's entered legit "big kid" stage now. There are about 4 x 1000 good things I could say about her, but I suppose I'll refrain. I'll just start with how much I love her wild imagination. She is all about pretend play with animals and little people or babies. I don't think she received this gene from me or Andrew because neither of us remember being like that as a kid and it definitely isn't our forte now. She can get her little paw patrol doggies, beanie babies or dolls and start talking with them and escape to another world.

 

She's also very into "Going on a bear hunt" right now. She'll bee bop around the back yard going through caves, weed fields, mud rivers, and mountains. She would skip around but she hasn't yet mastered that skill. She's working on it at dance class right now. However, she will gladly show you how she is the best long jumper in the world. (Thanks to the Olympics that were just on.) Not that I'm biased at all, but kid does have a pretty good long jump.

 

I'm catching glimpses of maturity growing in her more and more these days. We actually went to Wal-Mart yesterday for over an hour without any major battles or fits. (I hesitate to even write those words down.) I'm slowing starting to exhale as her rollercoaster toddler stage seems to be gradually fading. Perhaps we will survive after all.

 

 

The Great Playground Debacle

Wednesday, August 24th. A day that will live in infamy. (Me, dramatic?)

Step 1. Leave work and pick up the girls from Dad at our halfway meeting spot. Check.
Step 2. Go home, change clothes, and eat before going to church.... Problem. Garage door remote won't work. No biggie, just use the keypad to get in the garage. Shoot, it won't work either. If I were smart I'd have a key to my house like a normal human but nope, not me. (I know Mom and Dad, I'll get one made ASAP.) Turns out that the power is out in our area, hence the garage door not working. Ok, change of plans. To Chick Fil A we go. Fried chicken and a playground= easy way to kill time.

We eat and all is good with the world UNTIL we go to the playground. (dun dun dun...)

Addie and Emmalyn start climbing up the stairs and I sip on my frosted lemonade trying to get my chill on in the lovely 100+ degree weather. About 10 seconds later Addie declares that she needs to go potty. She honestly hasn't peed in her pants in like a year so I wasn't concerned. Before I could tell her to go down the slide quickly, I see "the look". And then I see dripping coming from the top of the playhouse tunnel. Lovely, just lovely. Before I can even process the situation, Emmalyn arrives to the top of the pee obstacle. I try not to scream and terrify Addie into staying in the tunnel forever in order to avoid my wrath. So through gritted teeth I coax her to come out of the playhouse in the least drippy way possible. Funny thing is that I've been the onlooker in this scenario and thought "oh, that poor mom" and then I snuck in to tell a worker to please douse the playground with bleach because some (heathen) child peed all in it. Thanks karma.

Addie is now out of the pee house and unfortunately/fortunately scared enough into standing by the table and NOT MOVING. Goal #2: Get Emmalyn out of the playhouse coated in as little urine as possible. Lucky for me, she was too scared to come down on her own which led to only one solution. Armed with my pumpkin spice hand sanitizer and tissues I made my way up... stealthily avoiding the drips of urine. So much fun. Keep in mind I was in work clothes. FYI heels and a pencil skirt are the perfect attire for cleaning up pee in a child's playground. At least the onlookers in the drive thru line received some free high quality entertainment. Who needs Netflix?!

Now that the playhouse was mostly clean and I was 100 levels of dirty, I managed to get Emmalyn out and escape to our car with a sliver of dignity. I'm not proud of this but I didn't have the heart or courage to tell an employee what happened. Lord, please let them bleach the mess out of that playground every night.

It's been a day now since the event occurred. The post traumatic stress has eased up and since the lesson at church last night was about grace I've decided that I'll let Addie live.

Wrap yo'self up!

COVER ME
Last Wednesday night I reluctantly drug myself and the 2 kiddos to church. I kept going over all the reasons I shouldn’t/didn’t want to go… mess up bedtime routine, Andrew is working late, Emme will cry in class, etc etc etc. A little voice though kept telling me to put on my big girl britches and just GO… not quite in those exact words. My friend Bunny was starting a class, and I had told her I’d try to make it. Darn promises. 

So after getting the kids loaded up to go to “the playground” we were on our way. (And yes, I resort to bribing. If you had my 3 yr old daughter you would too.) Once the video in class started I knew I was where I needed to be. The series is “Missing Pieces” by Jennifer Rothschild. She opened it up with some joyful, lighthearted questions like

Why Cancer?… why do babies have to die? … Why am I BLIND?

Yea, this series isn’t going to be tough AT ALL. In some ways I wanted to run out of the room and say no thanks. It’s hard to dive into the tough questions, especially when there’s not a current storm going on in my life right now. Granted I have plenty of pop up thunderstorms occurring but no F5 tornado so to speak. Bunny brought up that familiar saying that we are all either coming out of a storm, in one, or about to go through one. Oh, yay. Can’t wait.

Ya know how the anticipation of a shot is worse than the actual shot? Well, right now fear is creeping in my heart trying to deceive me into believing that something bad is about to happen and I just might not be strong enough for it. Being a momma opens up the floodgates of fears. What if cancer, car wreck, drug addictions, suicide, etc... Sometimes it’s flat out crippling to imagine all the “what ifs”. I feel a little heartburn right now just thinking about it. 

Wouldn’t you think that my 32 years of knowing God and how He’s provided for me through the storms this far would eliminate my fears? 

Jennifer discussed this verse: Habukkak 3:17-18 (Right before God allowed Judah to be attacked by the Caldeans) “Though the fig tree doesn’t bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOR.” 

She suggested possible significances of each of those items:
fig= patience/healing (take a long time to grow and used as a medicinal salve),
olive= Spirituality (used as anointing oil in worship)
food, cattle, sheep= nourishment, sustainment

So basically that verse could be read as “Even while I’m waiting for physical needs and spiritual fulfillment, I WILL REJOICE IN YOU.”

While I wait for ______________ or while I'm in the midst of __________, God you are still good. 

Phew, tough stuff.

Jennifer also discussed how through the series she wants us to KNOW God, not just know about Him. I see how she has to come KNOW God so much more through her struggles with blindness and the fear flag in my head starts waving. Can I only fully KNOW God if something bad happens in my life?... Satan, you are mean.

Fortunately, for every lie Satan throws at us, God speaks truth.
At the conclusion of the lesson, Jennifer discussed how we all have theoretical blankets of faith, even though they might have holes (see paragraphs above!). We don’t have to have it all figured out because well, Jesus does… DID… WILL DO. She encouraged us to pick a blanket to literally wrap ourselves in as we go through this study to remind us of the warmth and security that comes from our faith in Jesus. 

For every “why” or “what if” Jesus responds with GRACE, LOVE, JOY, KINDNESS, PEACE, HOPE.
This songs sums it up well.


 Cover Me Lyrics by Mark Condon
Peace of God... Cover me
Cover me... Cover me....
Peace of God. Cover me...
Through the Storm.. Cover me..

Only in You I am safe
Only in You I’m secure
Only in You I find peace
So Cover me... Cover me....

Cover me when I am hurting
Cover me when I'm not strong
Cover me when I am going through
The Storm.........
Cover me when all seems hopeless
Cover me when my faith is gone
Let the Peace that passes all I understand
Cover Me..... Cover Me...

Lord, COVER ME.

Cross Raq Quilt Tutorial

 

Recently my sweet cousin experienced a miscarriage a few months ago. I don’t know WHY it had to happen but I pray that Jesus will cover her up in overwhelming love through this time. To remind her of his warmth, I decided to make her a blanket. I love rag quilts with all their extreme comfy’ness and lack of precision required. I pray that this blanket can be a blessing for her and hopefully one day her future baby.


Here’s how I made it:

1. Worked out the measurements on graph paper until the cross shape I wanted eventually didn’t look weird. Why can’t I just use a pattern and make life easier?

2. Cut out LOTS of rectangles… and then cut some more. Very helpful to use a rotary cutter and cutting board. I used flannel fabric (love the softness and fraying ability) and 1 small bag of quilt batting.

a.       BORDER/CONTRASTING FABRIC: (teal)

·         8 rectangles (6’’ X 14”)

·         16 rectangles (7’’ X 14”)

b.      CROSS FABRIC: (brown polka dots)

·         8 rectangles (7’’ X 14”)

·         6 rectangles (8 .5’’ X 14”)

·         2 rectangles (10” X 14”)

c.       TOP AND BOTTOM BORDER FABRIC: (white and gray)

·         6 rectangles (7’’ X 38”)

d.      QUILT BATTING:

·         4 rectangles (4’’ X 12”)

·         12 rectangles (5’’ X 12”)

·         3 rectangles (6” X 12”)

·         1 rectangle (8” X 12”)

·         3 rectangles (5” X 36”)

 

I added the extra blocks later on in the project.

3. Assemble sandwiches.

Fabric (right side down), batting (in the center), Fabric (Right side up)


4. Sew sandwiches together.
Stich down the center lengthwise. No need to backstitch since your pieces will all get sewn together later. Don’t worry about being perfectly in center. Mainly this step is to just hold the batting in place.

 

5. Sew blocks together into rows.

Pick a row, any row. Lay wrong sides together and sew a 1'' seam on the adjoining side.

Add the next block, again placing wrong sides together. Warning: This can play major tricks with your mind if you are used to typically sewing right sides together. Finish sewing the blocks in each row together. Also be careful when sewing the adjoining edges together to make sure you have the right one. 

 



 6. Sew rows together.
Now take two whole rows (WRONG sides together) and sew 1'' seam.

Hmmmm, didn't quite look right.

EMME APPROVES!

7. Sew a 1/2 inch seam around the entire blanket.

8. Time to start snipping the ruffles. If you want a lot of fraying, cut the seams every 1-2 inches.
This is a lot of cutting so make sure you have (a really good movie) and really sharp scissors capable of  cutting through all of those layers. I'd love to have these Fiskars scissors  because they have a shorter blade and it allows you to see what you are cutting. It also requires less of a grip to cut all of those layers.

9. Wash and dry the blanket. You may need to empty out the lint catcher every 15 minutes or so in the drying process to prevent your dryer from getting really angry with you.

10. CUDDLE UP! (or GIFT IT)


Addie Adventures

NEVER A DULL MOMENT IN THE ADDIE WORLD:




September 2016: We were praying as you were falling asleep. You: "God please keep all the bears away from my room tonight, ok?"... a few seconds later in a deep voice you say "OOOOOOOOK." I guess God talks back through you now. HA. Oh and I'm not sure why you're so scared bears will come in your room.




September 2016: You just started your 4 yr old class in Mrs. Jennifer's room. All of a sudden you are super interested in writing letters and drawing.

 I LOVE IT! You actually wrote your name all by yourself. So proud of you.

Emme Experiences

Aug 7. 18 1/2 mths: POO POO'D IN THE POTTY!
Already peed 3 or 4 times and yesterday we put the potty in the living room for you to practice on. I'm not sure that you were actually trying to poo but TA-DA! You were so proud of yourself and clapped and ran around with the biggest smile!

Spirit

Our church lesson today was on the Holy Spirit, and yep, we go to a Church of Christ. Growing up I wasn't exposed very much to talk of the Holy Spirit... that was for the crazy hand raisers or even worse, the clappers. All joking aside, I respect the church that raised me. If that's what they believe to be true, then more power to 'em. Personally I've come to believe that the Holy Sprit is active in our lives other than just speaking through the Bible.

On the other hand, I have a boatload of questions to sit down and ask God about someday in Heaven. Was the Spirit more active in the lives of the disciples and the early church to spread the Christian faith better? Did the Spirit become less active after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70? Why do I not feel the Spirit working in my life at times (a lot of times)...is it because I'm not a "good enough" Christian (not reading the Bible, sinning, not serving, etc.)? Why is it so hard to distinguish between the Spirit's leading or my own leading? Confusing stuff.

Here lately I've felt a pull to write which is weird for me since 99% of the time I hate writing -like detest it more than sitting in the sun on an August day in Alabama. At work though my boss progressively pulls me into more language oriented tasks like writing/editing proposals. WHAT?! NO. Give me numbers and EXCEL all day every day PUH LEASE. And here lately I just want to write. About my kids (of course), family, faith, crafting... all of it. But why? I'm not really sure. Is it a Spirit thing? or just an Amanda thing? NO CLUE. Is it because I want to preserve this crazy/magical stage of life (that I  simultaneously find myself wishing would speed up some days?) Whatever the reason I guess I'll pay attention to this desire. Unfortunately, knowing me I'll be totally over it in a week.

If it's a Spirit-led thing I pray that I can follow and glorify God. In our lesson today our preacher said "Without fruit the gifts of the Spirit can be flat out dangerous." True. Our abilities can either produce yuck fruit (think cantaloupe) such as pride, false identity, idolatry, jealousy, dissention, or the good stuff (think strawberries) like....love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23 I vote strawberries!

Pee pee in the pot-tee!

Emme is almost 19 months. Officially passing over the half-year mark and creeping towards, dare I say it, TWO.

Big changes occurring in her world now. She's learning the art of foot stompin, sibling punchin, and the ultimate toddler trademark: laying down in the floor fit throwin. It's a joy. She's had a good teacher so I'm not surprised to see some of these characteristics already. I had high hopes that she would be our easy breezy toddler that skipped through the terrible 2s and 3s gleefully. Could it be that Addie's toddlerhood has just been preparation for us to get through Emmalyn's? Let's not go there.

No, to be honest, her outbursts aren't terrible or very often and it's exciting to see her personality start to shine. I'm glad she stands up for herself (minus the hitting with the golf club) and can express what she likes. Although, I do miss the days when she'd eat anything I put on her tray. Now I could put a sweet potato or even a doughnut on her plate and depending on her mood she might just throw it on the floor. How rude. I guess no one ever taught her any manners. If I have ketchup on her plate she'll eat most of her food. The food is mostly her conduit to get the ketchup in her mouth but that's a win in my book. Ketchup = veggies, right? Close enough.

She's getting more opinionated about her literary selections these days too. We'll sit down to rock before bed at night and she'll point and grunt at various books that she insists I read. She loves looking at her photo books. Raising the next generation of selfie addicts. You're welcome.

I love hearing all the new words she says these days. It's precious when she yells out Addie's name. The animal sounds she makes like "mau" for meow and "qua, qua" for quack quack are just too stinkin cute. For some reason she has an obsession right now with bellies. She'll point to various people's bellies and say "be-ee" in hopes that you'll lift up your shirt and she can poke your belly button. Ok kid, whatever makes ya happy. Glad you find my belly so hilarious.

She's surprising us all with her budding sense of humor. Her expressions are priceless. We can be eating dinner and look over and she's making the toothiest, goofiest grin that gets us all chuckling.

She has a very loving spirit too that keeps my momma heart full. She'll run up to me or Andrew and squeeze our legs like her life depends on us. ... well I guess it kind of does. Smart kid. Speaking of smart, she can point to mostly all of her body parts now, recite her ABCs, and draw straight lines... Ok, the latter two may or may not be true. Oh but what is true is that she has successfully and purposefully (key point) pee pee'd on the potty not one or two but THREE times thus far. We've let her sit on it some to get comfortable and just this week she actually has started peeing. Up until now she would just lean back all comfy and cozy on her little toddler potty like an old man relaxing in his recliner after a hard day's work. It's the cutest. We probably won't start officially potty training until she's closer to 2. I'd like to prolong the headache for a smidge. Addie is starting to go to bed at night a little better (I hesitate to even type that out) so I'm just going to take a deep breath and enjoy this "peaceful break". Don't fix what isn't broken as they say... or better yet don't potty train a toddler before you're ready for your house to smell like urine 24/7.

Back to E: At her doctor appointment (only 3 months behind schedule, poor 2nd child) she was doing great. Weighed 22 lbs, measured 31 and 1/4 inches long, average percentile. I'll take it! Woo hoo, we aren't totally screwing up this parenting gig!

Thank you God for our healthy sweet Emme. The smiles she greets me with when I finally drag myself out of bed to go get her in the mornings are fuel for my soul. She is a blessing. Now please let these next 6 months go by slowly.

Don't call Dad

    In an effort to get Addie to go to sleep easier (quicker) at night, I resorted to the highly noble art of bribing. If her falling asleep comes with no crying, getting out of bed 500 times or kicking the door, she gets a super special treat (aka whatever candy I can find in the pantry) and a sticker. 3 stickers= trip to store to buy a toy. 5 stickers= trip to Shakalaka. (Better get my Depends ready since jumping after 2 kids is no joke.)

    Today was day 2 of this new reward system. She wakes up slightly early (candy motivation) and asks me if she can get a Kiss (Hershey, that is) and a sticker. I left before she fell asleep last night to go to my cousin's house to try on her hair extensions while watching the Bachelorette finale... priorities, right? My hair is a whole other issue that is not worth getting into. But back to the story: I ask Addie if I should call Daddy to get her sleep report which she promptly replied with "No... I don't think you should call Dad." Enough said. Then she proceeds to say with the sweetest look ever, "Look at my sweet smile Mommy." When did she learn how to schmooze so well?! I still hadn't told her the bad news that she wasn't getting her treat yet when she gave one last-ditch effort. "Mommy, thanks for taking me to Shakalaka." ... Good try kid, goooood try.

    It's so hard not to give in and just let her have the candy, but I know that ultimately her learning how to go to sleep is more important. I wonder if God wishes he could just go ahead and give us our big kid "candy" like that job promotion or new minivan (when did my desires get so lame?) when we bat our eyes and plead with him. Or even when we try the whole "lets thank him for our blessings in advance in hopes that He'll give them to us" trick.

God is certainly no dummy. He steadfastly keeps His eyes on the end goal for our good and His glory.

Matthew 7:11 tells us "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" God desires to give us the candy just like we want to for our children. But His candy is more than a temporary sweet fix.  John 4:14 "But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life."

He is the bag of M&Ms that never runs out... and He's even given it to us though we screamed and kicked the night before.