I SEE SKIES OF BLUE

Well this whole week i've been very sick. No fever or achiness, just sick to the stomach all the time. Today i am doing so much better! PTL! It is so hard being sick with a toddler. You cannot take a sick day as a mother. James has been so sweet though, rubbing and kissing on my belly and just being his cute ol' self. My wonderful mother did take James for an afternoon so i could just rest and go to the bathroom with out any company. haha.
The past two days that i've been sick have been absolutely gorgeous out! 79 degree weather, sunny, blue skies. Perfect! Those are the kind of days that parents pray for - so you can get your kids outside, go for walks, and go to the park. Poor James has been home bound during the beautiful weather, but he did not seem to mind. He loves playing in the back yard with his mower and fire truck. That's all he needs and he entertains himself for hours. Yesterday, i was getting stir crazy. I thought it would be good for me to get some nice fresh air. I sat on one of our deck chairs outside while james played. The sky was so beautiful! My favorite color blue. I was so in awe of how gorgeous the day was. I thought, ' we need to take advantage of days like these.' But not just running around, going to parks, or gardening...but actually taking time to sit and "Study" the beauty that God gave us to admire. That is the reason why it is there. How sad is it that we can go through so many wonderful/beautiful days and not be thankful? or take in how wonderful our Lord is for making such a beautiful world for us? Even though i really wanted to be able to play and run around outside with James...due to not feeling well, i was able to sit back and study the sky. With James laugh in the background...it almost felt heavenly. :)
I know this is a random blog..
Next time it is a nice day out, just sit and look at what God made for you to enjoy.
Here is a picture of the gorgeous blue sky. (the pic don't do it justice)

Devotional, Surprises, and Rashes

I have to say i am so happy it is Friday! I get so excited to have my manly home with us.
James has been pretty pitiful today. He has an awful rash on his behind. He shakes and and cries when we try to wipe him or put cream on it...i cried, because i was hurting him. Luckily, my amazing doctor called him in a special cream that should help. Hopefully this will help! He has been kind of off all day - not eating much and pooping like crazy. haha. I think he ate something weird yesterday that is causing this. Even though James is all boy, he skin is so sensitive! He got his mommy's skin i'm afraid. Anything from creams, to wipes, to diapers, to body wash, to food, to clothes we have to be cautious.
Tonight to help get his mind off of his toddler "problems", we are meeting my mommy group and their husbands/kids at a park for picnic and fun. The park is also playing Toy Story 3 which is one of James' favorites! (i tried taking a little snooze while he was napping just so i could have some energy chasing him around tonight)
I've started to do more activities with James at home. I found lots of neat and educational things at the Dollar Tree - flash cards, coloring books, paint sets, puzzles and books. He loves learning! And he is so stinkin smart! Today, i tried doing a lot with him so he could keep his mind off of his rash - he seemed much better when he was busy. One thing that he is so great at is signing the song "Jesus Loves Me." It is so cute. I hate it when he is sick or doesn't feel well, but...i do say i love how clingy and cuddly he gets when he is. He is a "on the go" all the time boy. He loves freedom, and takes advantage of it quite a bit. But it was nice today, he wanted me to rock him and sing songs to him. I needed that.
We surprised Ryan at work. James had painted a picture - he called his picture "daddy." So we took that, some cookies, and a picture i made for him to keep at his desk. He was surprised. James walked in and went to his desk and handed Ryan the pictures. Here is the picture i put together:


Here is James holding the pictures in the parking lot - getting ready to take it to Daddy



Last night we all went to Borders bookstore in Crestview. They are going out of business so everything is now 50-70% off! It was crowded but we got 2 books, 1 magazine, and a Mater stuffed animal for James all for $20! I was looking for a particular book, but everything was kind of out of order. But i came across this book that seemed to be just what i needed.

It little devotions for moms. It divides it up in days. Day one was called Too little resting, too little nesting. "God will give every mom the resources she needs to accomplish what He wants for her to do." Each day is short yet encouraging. I like to read something like this through out the day when i literally have a minute...a quick pick me up. The book was originally $13 and we got it for $5. Amazing!

Here are my thankfuls from yesterday:
~Library time with James
~when james is cuddly
~Ryan and how hard he works for us
~Mommy Group friends
~My mom - helping me learn to sew. eek.
~God's wonderful love that is expressed to me in so many ways!
Have a great day everyone!

Thankful Thursday

This week has been a hard week, to say the least. I think majority of my viewers are women, so i don't really feel ashamed in saying what's been going on lately. Ryan and i have been trying for baby #2. We haven't been trying long, but long enough for me to start thinking of baby names, room arrangements, and prenatal exercises. haha. The beginning of the week, i was so sick - nausea, tiredness, weepiness...all symptoms of being preggo. I was even a few days late with my cycle. We were excited, but still cautious because my periods have been somewhat irregular. Yesterday morning around 4am, i woke up with horrible cramps in my tummy. The kind that is immpossible to fall back to sleep. I rolled and rolled on the bed to try to get comfortable but it was no use...i knew what was coming. haha. I went to the downstairs bathroom, so i wouldn't wake up the boys, and sure enough i had started. At first i was a little freaked out, sorry if this is gross, but i had a huge clot. I thought, 'am i having a miscarriage.' (i wasn't, but it was still scary) I started balling - hello hormones. I wasn't pregnant. It is amazing how we can build up something in our minds even if we don't know if it's real or not. I am very thankful though, that i was not miscarrying.
Yesterday, I tried to stay on top of the crampiness. james was so sweet, giving me hugs and kisses and actually being good. haha. 5pm rolled around, i was cooking dinner while james was playing the back yard. I heard james say "daddY". I went out to the back yard, and there walked Ryan with flowers and chocolate! I wanted to cry right then and there. What an amazing husband!
Sometimes it is hard talking to others about what is going on in your life - results in blogging i guess. haha. But i am so happy that i have a husband, my best friend, who listens, comforts, understands, and loves. Men like that are hard to find...I'm glad i found him!
~thankful for flowers and pretzel m&ms
~james and his sweet smile
~my mom and her encouragement
~gingerale
~trips to river road park
~God's amazing mercy!
Have a thankful day!

The beautiful flowers and chocolate that Ryan brought me

Boone County Fair

Well, being that my husband was born and raised a true kentuckian, we went to the annual Boone County Fair last week. We had taken james last year, but he was too little to really do anything except sit in the stroller. This time he was into everything! He loved looking at the animals, especially the horses. The main thing that caught his attention were the fair rides. He was not so interested in the kid rides, nope his eyes were fixated on the huge farris wheel and drop zone rides. He was able to ride to rides - the merry-go-round (which was really fast and sickening) and a motorcycle ride. The main reason we go is the food! The smell of funnel cakes and candy apples filled the night air! With a few tantrums in the mix, we had a fun yet exhausting time at the fair.
Here are some pics from the family trip to the fair.

My Mom's Birthday Lunch

Friday, around lunch time, my mom and a couple of friends came over for a nice lunch to celebrate my mom's birthday. It was so much fun just being able to decorate and prepare a meal in honor of my mom. She deserves so much more! It was great just having wonderful conversations while eating delicious food. I made a huge bowl of salad - layered in blueberries, strawberries, blue cheese, walnuts/pecans, craisens. It was delish! For dessert we had cake pops and chocolate covered strawberries. I have been used to decorating and celebrating boys - James and Ryan. It was nice to use color like pink yellow orange and red. haha. James did really well, considering he was the only boy. He loved showing off!
I love you so much mama! You are an amazing woman, wife, mother, and friend! I am so blessed that i have had you as an example! I hope you have an incredible birthday...because that is what you are! I love you mama!


I found these plates and cups at the dollar tree and just glued them together to make a tier for cake pops and chocolate covered strawberries. yum!


This is a ribbon flower i made to be the center piece.


All of the birthday decor.


The happy birthday sign and decorations that i made.

Fishing Frenzy

We all went to the Fishing Frenzy at Boone County Fair Grounds. We were a little nervous to take James, because it was during his nap time. He did great for a while then the tantrums started to set in. We learned our lesson. haha. Anyway, there were grown up and their kids fishing all around this big pond. We didn't catch anything, considering James had a play fishing rod. Haha, he was actually trying to catch a duck with his fishing line! It was great to mainly see Ryan teach James how to fish.

Ryan teaching James how to fish.


James pointing at the duck.


The duck he wanted to catch!


My wonderful life!


James and Libby chilling out in the back of the van while it was raining.

Thankful Thursday

What a week! First off, since james was sick a couple of weeks ago, his napping has been so awful. Some days he would only sleep for 45 minutes. Before he was sick he was sleeping 2 - 3 hours every day! It was not that he was sleeping so short that was the problem, it was that he would wake up crying. Which led me to believe that he did not get enough sleep. I would try everything - go in and comfort him, let him cry it out, everything and anything the "books" would say to do. I have learned one thing is for sure, our boy is a determined boy! Also, i do not for see the church nursery situation getting better any time soon. haha. I had been putting him down roughly around 130pm. So i decided to try and push it back to 2:00. This is day 3 on the experiment and it seems to be going well. He has been sleeping 1 1/2 hours. It's no 3 hours, of course, but he is waking up much happier.
So that is definitely a reason to be thankful!
This morning james and i went to Gammy's house to visit but also bake a southern pound cake for Ryan. To be honest, i have been literally craving pound cake batter! I think i even had a dream about it one night. haha. I remember when i was pregnant with james and my mom was making a pound cake. I was so depressed because i could not eat any of the batter! When you are pregnant it is not good for the baby if you eat raw eggs - my dr said that was a "no no." That was probably one of the hardest things for me while i was pregnant - no pound cake batter, no brownie batter, no cookie batter. Today i definitely got my fill of batter...to the point i felt sick. haha. it was glorious though.
Here are pictures from the cake made from scratch for Ryan.



Things i am thankful for:
*pound cake batter for sure
*my big brother got a promotion at his job
*an afternoon spent with Gammy
*Flowers, they make me happy
*James' nap schedule is getting better
*The rain/storms yesterday
*mine and Ryan's jobs
*James' sweet little voice - saying new words
*Our little family
*And the hope and peace that God gives us when the future seems uncertain

Have a thankful day everyone!