Clutter and My Organization Skills (or lack of skills)

I hate clutter. I'm not a freak about the fact that I hate clutter, but I do. People who do not have a lot of stress in their lives, usually live without clutter. I'm not talking about the appearances on the outside, like a clean house or a clean garage. Usually everything from their socks drawers and scrapbooking area is completely clutter free. I am NOT this way. I wish that I was. I don't feel like I have a whole lot of stress in my life, but I wish my junk drawer was the perfect mixture of a few pencils, paper clips, post it notes, and a calculator. I actually just looked through my junk drawer (in our kitchen) and found 2 binkis, 2 things of deodorant, tons of make-up, lots of old photos, Christmas candy from last year, about 30 old batteries, books of matches from the 90's...oh and a fake spider that my daughter got at a Halloween party this year (which scared the crap out of me). Anyways, my goal for 2009 (Goal, not resolution) is to become even more organized than I am now. I am pretty dang organized, but the little things in my life are not. Anyways, to get to my point, I came across this blog today and I thought I would share it with you. And gosh, I've found some great things to help me with my goal this coming year! Check it out and let me know what you think!

http://unclutterer.com/

I'm in the middle of trying to download some Christmas photos onto our laptop, but haven't been successful as of yet. Hopefully soon I'll be able to post on our wonderful Christmas and Snowpocalypse of 2008 (as our Pastor calls it) here soon. What a lovely time to live in the great Northwest!

Christmas

My daughter was watching the "My Little Pony" cartoon this morning. The ponies were very concerned that Santa wasn't going to make it to their town (for some reason or another). One pony said "Oh no, without Santa there is no Christmas!" It made me very sad to think about the message it was sending out to little children who were watching the show. Don't get me wrong, I took Ava to see Santa at the mall, and have explained that Santa is the one who will be bringing gifts to her this year. But it really made me think about my duty, as a mother, to explain the true reason as to why we celebrate Christmas every year. My parents always did a wonderful job of helping us realize the meaning of Christmas, and what it's all about. Now it's my duty to pass this along to my precious little daughter. Talking about Santa is alot of fun, but I don't want her to feel like that's all it is about. So, this year we will be starting a new tradition in our family on Christmas morning (since she was too little in the past to know what was going on) that I'm really excited about it! I'm excited to continue building some memories with our family and celebrating the birth of our Savior. I also want her to realize that there are so many children and families out there who do not have the financial means to open up gifts on Christmas morning. We purchased some gifts yesterday that we will be giving to a family in need. I would encourage you to do the same! It's a wonderful feeling and experience to see the joy brought to tiny little faces who normally do not get much...or anything at all. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the time spent with your loved ones!

Luke 2:11 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Pandora

'If you read this blog, you know that I love finding great deals and free stuff online. Recently, I was turned on to Pandora on the Internet. This may already be well known among some of you, but it's new to me! To sum it up, it's a free music application that lets you build your own radio stations and shuffle through some of your favorite music/artists/genre's. I love music, all different types of music, and this application is wonderful! If you check it out, let me know what you think! Or, if you have another well kept Internet secret, please share! Although, at that point it wouldn't be a secret anymore....

I have been going back and forth between Christmas music. I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas music. Sometimes I can't get enough, and sometimes it drives me crazy. Today, I can't get enough! Can you believe there's only 2 weeks left until Christmas? Maybe I should start my shopping? Seriously...

Things I Am Thankful For Today

I started writing a post on Thanksgiving day about some things I am thankful for. However, I never got around to posting it (since we were hosting Thanksgiving this year and I was pretty focused on cooking my first turkey)! Today I found myself thinking about some things I was thankful for, so I figured it would be a good time to finish it. Here goes...

Quality time with my husband and Ava. No matter what we're doing, it is the best time ever.

Date nights with my husband, he makes me laugh more than any other person in this world.

Target. I am addicted. We just got back from Target....$200 later....and didn't even find what we were looking for. It is not good that we live less than 1/2 a mile from a Target.

My mom. She has the biggest heart out of anyone I know. I am extremely thankful for the morals and values she taught me while growing up and am proud to be called her daughter.

A clean house.

How wonderful my husband is at folding clothes. Even if he comes home to 8 loads of clean clothes thrown onto the couch.....he will fold all of them because I hate to fold laundry. That's a good man!

My sisters. They are my best friends and know me better than anyone else. We are all complete opposites of eachother which is fun too.

My hair straightener.

Pedicures.

Every unanswered prayer that I've had, and God did not answer. I can now see why things have turned out the way they have. No matter how much I couldn't see it in the past, I am so grateful for unanswered prayers.

Dental Floss.

Our hot tub, it really helps when my virus is acting up....or after a stressful day.

Shrek. Without that movie (1, 2 or 3) I couldn't blog, facebook, check email or clean the house. My daughter is obsessed with Shrek (and Finding Nemo too)...and for that, I am grateful.

Back Rubs (preferably getting them!)

John 11:25

So, what are all of you thankful for?

Secrets

I came across a blog who had started a blogging secrets game. He had 80 participants who each posted an anonymous person's secret on their blog. Once I put Ava to be last night I read through some of them. You can see it here.

http://newsomi.blogspot.com/2008/11/blogsecretparticipants.html

It got me thinking about secrets. We all have them, and it's so intriguing to read others secrets. I don't know if it's because it makes us feel better about ourselves (even though I could relate to some of them on the blog!) or if it fills some sort of empty void, knowing a secret about someone else. I mean, come on, how many of you out there don't love a good secret? I have millions of secrets, many of which are buried in the past. I love that my husband and I are honest with each other, but neither of us like to talk about our past relationships (the blogging secrets game mainly talked about relationship/encounter secrets). I know some couples who love talking about their ex's and past relationships.....not me. They have shaped me into who I am today, and I've learned alot through past relationships, but I like to consider it in the past. Why is it that we absolutely love hearing other peoples secrets? We all like to talk about ourselves, but secrets are something we would like to hear, rather than tell.

"Never speak of yourself to others; make themtalk about themselves instead; therein lies thewhole art of pleasing. Everybody knows it, and everyone forgets it."
Edmond and Jules de Goncourt

Update

It's been a little while since I've last updated....here are a few points from the past week or so...

We had a wonderful Halloween, here are some photos from the evening. Ava decided to go as a ballerina. She had 3 costumes to choose from....all hand-me-downs though! At first, she was not excited about wearing her costume (can you tell?) but she warmed up to it after I told her she got to eat candy all day long. The picture of the little ones dressed as a cow and ladybug are from her daycare. Aren't they adorable?

It's so hard for me to discipline sometimes. The other night, Ava cracked an egg all over my white lamb skin rug. I found her in our living room with a measuring cup, egg, and bowl. Apparently she was trying to make cookies. She missed the bowl and cracked it all over the rug though. Geesh, it was so hard for Josh and I not to crack up during that conversation! See picture up above.

Friday night, my sister and her husband graciously watched Ava for the evening so Josh and I could go out on a date! He surprised me the day before and arranged for a sitter so we could do some shopping and have dinner at a new Restaurant. It was alot of fun! We also made it through the first season of Heroes that night. Now we have 2 more seasons to go before we're finally caught up!

This week I'll be staying with my friends Kids for a couple of nights. Ava is so excited to have sleepovers 2 nights in a row! We are all going to see Madagascar too. Have any of you seen it yet? It looks hilarious! This will be Ava's first movie. Should be alot of fun.

I've been keeping up with my personal trainer. She is teaching me some awesome things and it's finally paying off! I'm down 18 pounds so far. Unfortunately the Epstein Barr Virus that I have makes it extremely difficult for me to loose weight, but I've been taking some pretty drastic measures and it's been helping alot. If you are interested in hiring a wonderful trainer who COMES TO YOUR HOME for an excellent price, let me know!

That's about it for now, I don't know when I will get to posting next. These next couple of days should be pretty busy, and we have my cousins wedding this weekend (Ava is the flower girl....see previous post back in September for photos). It is a Navy wedding, Ava and her cousin are Sailor Flower Girls! So Adorable! Happy Veterans Day!

Halloween Party

Our good friends had a Halloween party for all of the little ones last weekend. Here are a few photos from the day! In 2006 about 6 of us girls were all pregnant at the same time! Most of the kids are just a month apart. Ava and her cousin Kendal (in the Snow White costume) are only 4 days apart!

On the left is Paige, Ava, Brayden, Kendal and Reese (who was not happy at the time of the photo).

Up above is Ava and Auntie Colleen, my sister. Colleen is a real life ballerina, so I thought this picture was pretty cute of the both of them.

The next picture is Ava as a little ballerina. She will also be wearing this costume during the day on Friday (Halloween) and trick-or-treating as a Care Bear at night (her and cousin Kendal always dress up in the same costumes every year). Their first Halloween they were little lambs, last year they were ladybugs, and this year they will be going as Care Bears! What are all of your kiddos dressing up as on Halloween?

Have fun and be safe!

7 Random Things About Me

Okay, here are 7 Random things about me. I dare you to list 7 Random things about yourself that most people probably don't know!

I hate talking on the phone. Period. Please don’t hate me for this. It is proven if you look at my husband and I’s cell phone bill (he uses all of our minutes) that I hate to talk on the phone. See previous post. I would much rather text message, email, or chat over facebook. There, I said it. No matter how awful that is.

I love/hate my hair. Usually hate it. It takes forever to blow dry/straighten….and if I don’t, it is really wavey and sometimes frizzy.

I loose my keys ALL of the time. It is a big problem with me. I’ve tried everything, but I loose them about once a week. I am usually running behind because of this. And it doesn't help when your two year old hides them all of the time. Yesterday I found them in the pantry.

I cannot let the little things go, but I hold a lot of stuff in (until it breaks me). This is an awful combination.

I am addicted to Target

When I was like 3 or 4, my parents left me in the car all night on Christmas Eve (at my grandmas house). They didn't realize where I was until it was time to open gifts. Sorry mom, you know I had to post this! Don't get me wrong, they are the best parents in the whole world. I have 32 first cousins, can you blame them?!?

I sing at church, but very quietly. I don't know why. There are a few songs that I can belt out, but I was not blessed with a great voice. I do love to worship, but I usually sing very quietly. I WISH I had been given awesome vocal chords, but the good lord has blessed me in several other ways. Not that he cares what I sound like anyways.

Well, I'm supposed to choose 7 people to tag, but how about this? If you read this, post 7 random facts about yourself and leave me a comment with your URL! And by the way, post the first 7 things that come to mind. Don't think about it and wait two days. Let your inner beauty shine!

5-Spice Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I tried a new dish tonight, and thought I would share it with any of you out there who enjoy the lettuce wraps at PF Changs (No, it's not the official recipe but something similar). A few weeks ago I hired a personal trainer who has been meeting with me once a week (coming to my house!)to show me some new work-outs, and has given me new goals every week regarding my diet. I've been trying really hard to work out/eat well and it's nice having an accountability partner! This week I was trying to eat less sodium and include more veggies. I modified this recipe a bit (I'll try to include the modifications) but it was a big hit with my husband and daughter! I even made extra so that I could freeze a batch for next week sometime. If you need to add carbs to yours, I would suggest using whole wheat tortillas (instead of the lettuce as a wrap) or adding in some brown rice to the mix. Enjoy!

5-Star Spicy Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 pound lean ground turkey (I used the Jennie-O turkey...Albertsons had it for $2.99/lb!)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I forgot to use this....whoops! It was still good though)
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced (I threw in a few peppers to add more veggies)
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped (I added more since we love these)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used 1/2 of this and added some water)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (if you've never used this, you buy it in the Chinese section. Its yummy...made of soybeans, chiles, garlic and spices!)
1 teaspoon five-spice powder (You buy this in the Chinese section as well)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I did not use this, but you could use the no-sodium salt if you wanted)
2 heads lettuce, leaves separated (Either Boston lettuce or butter leaf lettuce)
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used chives, cilantro, and basil)
1 large carrot, shredded

Cooking Directions

Heat oil in large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and ginger (which I forgot to add); cook about 7 minutes until the turkey is cooked through. Stir in bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt (which I omitted); cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

To serve, spoon portions of the turkey mixture into lettuce leaves, top with herbs and carrot and roll into wraps. That's all!

Nutrition Info
Per Serving
Calories: 338 kcal
Carbohydrates: 27 g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Fat: 14 g
Protein: 26 g
Sugars: 4 g

Hope you enjoy! Since it was cold out, I boiled some lemon tea to go along with it. Mmmmm...

Home From Afghanistan

Earlier this year my boss (and good friend) Captain Edwards was deployed overseas to Afghanistan. Yesterday he surprised us and showed up to our office! We were all shocked since we did not expect him back until next week. It was a wonderful surprise and we are extremely thankful for everything he did for our country this year. I want to thank everyone who prayed for him during his deployment, and continues to pray for the troops that are still over there. It was so wonderful to see his family back together after such a long separation. Welcome home Tony!

The joy of seeing Tony return home is also accompanied with the pain of remembering a friend to many in the community who lost his life last month. Everyone is doing a wonderful job of keeping his memory alive, and I hope that this comforts his family every day during this difficult time. Please continue to pray for the troops that are still overseas as well. And if you would like the address of where to send a care package, let me know. They really appreciate getting something in the mail, even if it is not much!

Things that annoy me at Costco...

-Everyone thinks that they are in a bigger hurry than you are
-People walk extremely slow and take up a huge amount of space in the middle of the isle (the carts are too big to manever and they really need a fast and slow lane)
-The self check out does not accept cash, and there is no sign telling you this (I had to find out the hard way on Saturday)
-There are no express lines
-The parking lots
-The gas lines
-Forgetting that the employees always need to check your receipt on the way out the door (after Ive placed it in my purse and have my hands full on the way out)
-My daughter wanting to try every (and I mean every) sample they offer (even the ones I know she won’t like)
-People never smile at you
-The one isle I always need to get through is roped off because someone broke something
-You can never spend less than $200 (which is why Ive started to take cash out of my account beforehand)
-I never know where to put the 40 rolls of toilet paper Ive purchased
-Everything has to come in sets of two, at least sets of two, even if you do not need 2 coffins or 2 plasma tv’s

Stuff That Makes My Heart Stop Beating....

There have been a few times in the past 2 1/2 years where my heart has almost stopped beating from being worried. You know that feeling when your stomach clenches up and you feel like time stands still? The first one I had was when I went into labor with Ava. She was almost 4 weeks early, boarder-line preemie, and my labor was an absolute nightmare (maybe if I regain some courage I will post on that sometime!). We had to stay in the hospital for 10 days total after having her because she had to have a bit of extra care after her delivery. I remember having that feeling every day while we were in the hospital. It was not a fun thing to experience with your first child. As if becoming a mother for the first time isn't hard enough!

Well, I had one of those moments yesterday too. It was just a normal Sunday afternoon. Ava had run upstairs to get her 'play' cell phone and purse (because she loves mimicking me) so we could play 'house' (which is where she acts like the mommy and I act like her child). All of the sudden I heard the loudest THUMP in our entryway. My heart stopped beating. Seriously. You see, we have a loft upstairs with all of her toys in it. One of the walls only goes up 1/2 way to the ceiling (so you can look down from it). I thought she had somehow climbed up there and then fallen over. Don't get me wrong, she would have had to of moved a table or one of the love sacks over to the wall, in order to climb over it (which is impossible for someone her size) but my initial reaction was that she had fallen over the ledge. I screamed "AVA!" and ran to the entryway. What I found was my bible laying right there on the floor (was this God's way of telling me something?). It had been sitting on the ledge since we had just returned home from church and she must have pushed it over the edge when she went up there to get her purse. It was the biggest relief I had experienced in a long time. Here is a photo so you can see just how far she would have fallen. I guess now looking back on it, there is no way she could have pushed something over to the wall, but in that moment I couldn't think about anything else!

New Couch

There is nothing better than a nice hand-me-down. I know some people refuse to take hand-me-downs, but I love them! When we bought our first home, we had a few rooms that did not have furniture in them (mainly because we vowed not to go crazy and spend crazy amounts trying to furnish our house), but slowly over the year we've seemed to come accross some great deals searching online and recieving some great hand-me-downs. My aunt and uncle graciously gave us their leather couch for the family room (which was only occupying my piano and some love sacks until now). It really makes the room and our house feel more complete!

Should I Be Worried?

All of these pictures worry me for different reasons. The first one is obvious. My husband and I found a tarantula in our house yesterday. Okay, I'm not sure if it was really a tarantula. It had 8 legs, hair, and was jet black. Does anyone know what kind of spider this is? Anyways, it totally freaked me out. If you know me, you know I'm TERRIFIED of spiders. Thank the Lord that Josh was home when I came upon this little guy (actually quite large guy). Otherwise I would have had to call the exterminator.

The picture of Ava doing her make-up worries me. She is such a girly-girl (which is fun for me) but also frightening at the same time. It seems she is constantly getting into my make-up, high heels, jewelry, and lotions. It can make quite a mess if I don't catch her right away! She is also the sassiest little thing I've ever met. I am in for a wonderful and exciting journey in her teenage/adolescent years. It is sad how fast she is growing up. This picure of her posing in her little mermaid nightie reminded me of how big she's getting. (This was a hand-me-down from my best friend's little girl and as you can see it's been put to good use!)

The last picture worries me because it has been like pulling teeth around our house to get Ava to eat anything these past few weeks (unless it's Pizza). I know that this is very common in toddlers. It's just very frustrating! She makes it seem like torture to finish all of her bites before leaving the dinner table. And now shes lost a bit of weight and her pants don't fit. I wish I had this problem. Any suggestions? I need some!

"Heroes"

If you read this post, (and I know you), please do not talk about the show Heroes in front of me. The new season just started, but my husband and I are still trying to get through the first one on netflix.com. I understand this is alot to ask, but a few major things have been spoiled for me as I listen to you talking about it (you know who you are). I don't want to spoil it anymore than it already is! I guess it's our fault for not getting involved until now though. But the intentional comments have got to stop!

Feeling Anxious

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I have been feeling a bit anxious with everything going on right now in our economy, with the presidential debates, companies being forced to be bought out, etc... I've listened to experts talk about what is to come. I've tried to take their advise as best as I can. And I'm waiting.....I don't really know what I'm waiting for. It's kinda like the hype that started with the whole Y2K thing (remember that? when it turned midnight on January 1st, 2000 and all of our computers were supposed to crash or something like that!). I don't know what I'm waiting for. I feel like we're prepared, and I have faith that our God will provide. It's hard to feel encouraged right now though. Everyone is so scared. Maybe we have a reason to be, but I do have faith that we will survive. I read a verse today that inspired me. What are all of you doing for encouragement right now?

“[Praise to God for a Living Hope] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”- 1 Peter 1:3

Pink Eye

It's going around again. Ava has a bad case of pink eye. Luckily we took her to the doctor in time and it should clear up in a few days (they put her on antibiotics). I absolutely hate seeing my daughter when she doesn't feel good. She has a fever too. Plus, her eye looks like she got into a fight or something. It is swollen, red and itchy. Not fun! I think we will be cuddling alot today and washing our hands every 2 minutes.

On another note, Ava said something last night that was pretty dang cute. She was supposed to be coming with me to my friend Nicole's house so we could watch her 2 kids for a couple of hours. Ava absolutely loves Nicole and her kids. She gets the biggest smile on her face every time I tell her we're going over there. However, after finding out about the pink eye, I had to explain that she would not be able to go over there with me anymore. She got a really pouty look on her face and said, "Okay, maybe next time? I not want my eyeball to touch their eyeball". It was pretty cute. I think she understood that she couldn't go because of how contagious her thing is. Instead of throwing a tantrum, she realized it was in the best interest of everyone. Okay, maybe I'm looking into this way too much. I mean, she's only 2. It was just really cute, so I had to share!

Recipe Link

If you are looking for an easy recipe link, try out http://www.tasteofhome.com/. The website itself is sometimes slow, but you can search for recipes based off of the main ingredient, calorie info/low fat info, time duration of recipe, etc... It's pretty awesome. Also, if you click on the advanced search tab, it allows you to input specific ingredients in your refrigerator (or freezer) that you are trying to get rid of and it can search for recipes with those types of ingredients. This is perfect when you don't know what to cook and are trying to use up what's in your fridge. I did the Hawaiian Chicken recipe one time (only I added some water chestnuts and carrots to the bake) and it was pretty good, and low fat.

On another note, Ava has officially moved into a big girl bed. Here are some photos. She is pretty excited! Okay, once again I cannot seem to figure out how to move the photos to the bottom of this post, so they are at the top. Can anyone out there help me with this? Ha.

I Realized Something Today

Today I realized that there is a way to get my daughter to obey me on the first try (well, most of the time). Are you ready for this? It's called "Do not give her any other options". For example, after we got home from a long day today I had my hands full and could not get Ava to go inside the house before our alarm would go off (which has happened several times before in the past, our neighbors must hate us). I kept saying, "Ava, can you please go inside honey?" Her answer was simple. No. This went on for a bit and the alarm was beeping really fast by this point, screaming at me to turn it off. Finally after awhile I said "Ava you go inside right now, or else you will have a time out". She said okay and walked inside. It was then that I realized I give her way too much control over decision making. If you give children the chance, they will always push their boundaries (more often than not). I read this book (can't recall the name of it for the life of me) and one of the chapters clicked into my mind today. It talked about giving your child 2 options, and 2 options only when you are trying to get them to do something. For instance, if we are getting ready for bed, I can say.... "Ava, would you like to go to bed right now or in 2 minutes". She always chooses the 2 minute option (of course). Children are so predictable. However, after the 2 minutes are up, she will go straight to bed. Now, if I were to say "Ava, it's time for bed, let's go upstairs" she would throw a tantrum. Okay, I know it's not rocket science but I literally did not realize until today that one of the reasons she doesn't obey me as much as I would like her to is because I ask her to do something, rather than tell her to do something and sometimes forfeiting the consequences afterwards (okay all you mom's out there, how many times have you threatened to give a time out and not follow through at the end). I am guilty as charged more often than not.



Wouldn't it be great if God did this in our spiritual lives? Wouldn't it be wonderful if he laid it out there on the table for us, so his plan for our life was crystal clear? Well, he does. But if you are anything like me, you will push your boundaries and try to take the easy way out so we can do it our way, the easier way. I know that I was born to be a mother and wife, but my more important role is raising a family that will lead others to Christ. We are all children of God, and we need to obey him just as we want our children to obey us. Sometimes this can be a simple decision or a life altering one.



I was talking to my friend Erin a couple of weeks ago about her and her husbands decision to leave their lives and family in California to move up here and help start Pathway's Church. I love hearing people's stories, and hers is a great one. I was trying to figure out how she knew that God was calling them to Seattle. It really got me thinking. Usually what He wants me to do is not what I want to hear. Sometimes I feel as though he is asking me to do something, rather than telling me to do something. Or maybe he is giving me 2 options, and I am choosing the option he didn't want me to. We know what he wants us to do, but we try to choose another way out, the easier way out. I am the type of person who would read the last chaper in a book first, just so that I knew how it ended before I committed the time to read it. There is just something that all of us love about immediate gratification in today's age. I put 110% into being a good mom and wife, but I really need to put in the extra effort with my faith and in trusing him too. How do I expect my daughter to obey me on the first command, when I am asking God for my alternative option as well?

Thursday's

I absolutely love Thursday's. Working 4 10's is nice because I get to have a day off during the week with my precious Ava. Yesterday my sister-in-law Christy came over with her kiddos and colored my hair, and cut Ava's hair. She is awesome for coming to my house and doing that kind of stuff for us (so I don't have to bring a 2 year old to the salon for an hour and a half while I get my hair done). The first time Ava got her hair cut, she screamed her head off. She is my little drama queen. But now she loves getting her hair cut. Here are some photos of her first hair cut. (Okay, I don't know how to upload pictures very well so they are at the top of the post).... isn't that face to die for? It was so hard not to laugh because she really was angry about the whole thing.

Anyways, back to Thursday's....I love having one day alone with Ava and doing fun things together. We usually meet up with my friend Jennie and walk 6 miles on the trail by our house, but Jennie is in Vegas this week so it gave us an excuse to stay inside all day long watching Sesame Street, playing with her dollhouse, reading books, and just spending time together. Plus, I only have to come back to work for one day before having the weekend off! Don't get me wrong, I would love to be a stay at home mom, but for now I need to continue working. Hopefully by the time we have our second child I will be able to stay at home, or work part time (no I'm not pregnant). I think that being a stay at home mom is the most challenging job that there is. Not to mention people who run their own daycares. Ava's daycare is the most fabulous place ever. It is a small daycare out of my friends-mom's-best friend's-house. She is the most organized person and does fun crafts/games with the kids all day long (usually there are only 3 or 4 kids everyday). Ava loves going there, which is a wonderful feeling. My friend's daughter goes there now too, and they are like 2 peas in a pod! Okay, I'm rambling now. Better end this post before I continue to go on and on and on.....

The Weekend and other random thoughts

Well, I recovered from whatever it was that I had on Friday, and my wonderful husband treated me to a pedicure on Saturday! I am addicted to pedicures, and cannot get enough of them. However, as everything from groceries to gas keeps getting more and more expensive....so do pedicures. What a tragedy. I only get one about every couple of months now. One of our clients at work just told us that she has a pedicure/manicure on wheels business. She comes out to your office/home and does your toes and nails without accepting any tips. If you want her info, please leave me a comment and I'll send it to you! Needless to say, us gals at the office thought it sounded like a wonderful idea and booked her all of next Wednesday afternoon. (Don't tell my husband....unless he is reading this)...

My brother was in town Saturday night. He is such a funny guy, I always tell him he needs to join Saturday Night Live or somehting. There is never a dull moment when we're around him, I find myself laughing all night long. We hope to see his family again during the Holidays.

I also visited my friend's church with great friends Kym and Nicki on Sunday, which was alot of fun. Ava enjoyed playing with some new friends in the Sunday School class as well. She gets so excited for Sunday School, I feel horrible on days that we can't make it. God Bless Sunday School Workers! The workers at our home church are amazing and their ministry is such a blessing to little children.

I also realized today just how much I answer questions with "Because I Said So" when talking to dear little Ava. In a previous post I talked about how much little girls (and I'm sure boys too...although I have none) ask millions and millions of questions all day long. Now she asks me "Why" after every answer I give. Usually I answer with "Because I said so" or "Because I'm the mommy" or "Because it's almost bedtime". Well, today after I picked up Ava from daycare I asked her if she shared her snacks with Jo Jo (my friend Julie's little girl) and her answer was "No, I not share". So I asked her (trying to hide my laughter)...."Why didn't you share?" and she said "BECAUSE I SAID SO". Well, how in the heck do I make a rebuttle to that?!?

I also opened up my email tonight and found about 6 emails from a gal named "Betty Sue Christensen". She claims that we are long lost friends from highschool and I need to contact her business to talk about the products she can offer me. Well Betty Sue, not only do I not know who you are...I did not have any friends named Betty Sue in High School, you spelled my name wrong, and I am not interested in pet products (since the only pet we have is a beta fish). Please remove me from your mailing list Betty Sue. Good effort though.

Free Stuff

Do you like getting free stuff? Was that a stupid question? I don't know about you, but I love getting stuff for free (in the mail, at the mall, etc...). If you are like me, you should probably check out http://absurdlycool.com/. You can search for stuff you think you might use, and it's great! My friend told me about it, and I have found some great stuff here.

I'm sick today. Not fun. I think it's going around. Bring on the fall!

Wedding Filled Weekend

I had the special privilege of attending 2 weddings this weekend. The first was my dear friend Crystal, who has been a sister figure to me and has been a part of our family during the past several years. Ava and her cousin Kendal were the flower divas. The day was absolutely gorgeous and it was an honor to watch Crystal and Jono commit their lives to one-another before God, their family, and dearest friends. I am so incredibly happy for the both of them. Their lives and story are a true testament to the Lord Jesus and how amazing he is when you put your trust in him. Here are a few photos of the day. Ava and Kendal wanted to play with sticks most of the day. In one of the photos you can see Kendal whipping Ava in the face with a stick (as Ava tries desperately to block it). Priceless. I also attached a photo of Ava getting her toes and fingers painted by mommy at our house the night before. She loves getting manicures and pedicures, but I try to save them for special occasions only (since they can take a VERY long time)! Plus, those little hands are very hard to keep still. Always on the go....but which 2 year old isn't?

I love you Crystal and Jono! Thank you for making us a part of your special day.

The second wedding was for a gal I just came to know during the past year or so (she hired me to play piano a year ago after her boss attended a wedding I played piano in). She and her husband also have a wonderful story, and it was a very fun wedding. The Pastor forgot to turn his microphone off after they had recessioned out to the back of the church, and you could hear the Pastor and wedding party hollering in excitement once the wedding was over and their friends were now joined as one. It was very cute. The weekend couldn't have gone any better! If you or anyone you know need a pianist for an upcoming wedding, please email me.

When A Stranger Does Something Nice For You...

Do you ever feel strange when someone wants to do something nice for you, especially if that person is a stranger? While on my way to a wedding yesterday, this stranger was watching me pump gas and came over and offered to wash all of my windows for me (our car was filthy since we had just gotten back from Vashon Island the day before). Anyways, I started to get worried like he was going to try and jump into my car and kidnap me, so my guard was up. I had to confess this the Lord afterwards (and ask for the stranger to forgive me) since he was really just doing a nice thing. It's sad that we cannnot appreciate things like this in today's age. There are so many weirdos out there, and it's too bad we have to put our guard up in this type of situation...

"ABC's"

My daughter calls her binki her "ABC's". I have no idea why. Please stop asking me why on earth my daughter has named her binki "ABC". (LOL). I get asked this frequently, and I believe that I will never know, it is just her thing. Now that she's 2, we are desperately trying to find a way to get rid of the "ABC" for good. Any suggestions? Do your children have any funny names for their security items?

Suggestions would be appreciated. I do not want my daughter attending preschool with her "ABC" in tact...especially since I cannot understand anything she's saying while it is in her mouth.

Confession

I have a confession to make.....Sometimes I feel like I am just winging this whole parenting thing.

A True Patriot

The world lost another solider today. A roadside bomb took the life of Nic Madrazo, a Marine, who was proudly serving our country overseas in Afghanistan. He carried out the most corageous job in the whole world. There are no words. I did not know him as well as others that went to our high school, and his closest friends said some beautiful things about him here (http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26194538403). Please pray for his family during this difficult time. We may have lost another solider today, but Heaven has recieved another Angel.

The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. Isaiah 57:1-2

Precious in the sight of the LORD [is] the death of his saints. Psalms 116:15

Patience, Routines and A Million Questions...

There are 3 huge things I've learned in my journey through Motherhood. The main thing I've learned (or in my case accomplished) is how to have patience. I was never a patient person growing up. Children love to test your patience. And they know exactly which buttons to push in order to drive your patience to the next level. In the early stages of motherhood, I had to have patience with the lack of sleep, and also with things like having to plan on being at least a half hour late during the first few months of being a mother (since you must learn to master the act of packing up a diaper bag, carseat and carrier, 2 bottles, breast pump, toys, binki's, at least 3 change of clothes...for myself and the baby, I had a spitter!, wiper warmer, spit rags, my own purse, oh and the BABY). In the next stage of motherhood you have to learn patience with your child as they themselves try to master the act of feeding themselves, dressing themselves, and doing everything BY THEMSELF! My mom is so funny, she calls Ava her little "do it myself grand-daughter". Ava has to do everything (and I mean everything) by herself, which is hard for me because I am pretty much a control freak (Gee, I wonder where she gets it from then)!. I have to say I am quite proud of becoming a pretty patient person these past couple of years with Ava. I am not perfect though, sometimes I have to go and scream into my pillow so that I do not demonstrate my lack of patience in front of a 2 year old who absorbs every action and word I say and do into her ever evolving brain. Children are like little sponges, which can be pretty scary if you don't watch what you say or do in their presence...

The next thing I've learned is how to master the art of a good routine. Children love routines. And they hate when you throw them off of their normal one. Ava has to wake up every morning and lay in our bed for a couple minutes before going downstairs. She also has to watch a Sesame Street almost immediately after waking up (I know some of you out there probably do not let their children watch TV, but I've made an exception for Sesame Street since it teaches them some great stuff....and keeps them occupied for at least 20 mintues). Plus, she is obsessed with Elmo. We have a million other routines throughout the day, but there is no way I could fit them into one post. One thing we have to say to her everynight before she goes to bed now is "Jesus loves you, I love you, see you in the morning." My mom used to always say this to me before I went to bed everything, and I've subconciously said it to Ava everynight since she was a newborn. Isn't it strange how that happens?

The final thing I've learned is how to come up with a million answers to the same question over and over. I read somewhere than women say somewhere around 500,000 words a day, or some crazy number like that. Men only say half of what women do during a day (although I beg to differ during fantasy football season when my husband is constantly on the phone for hours on end with other guys in his league). Anyways, back to my point......I think 2 year olds probably come close to saying 500,ooo words a day as well. Ava can sit there and ask me questions to anything and everything, and unless I come up with an answer, will sit there constantly asking me over and over until I respond. Case in point, here is a conversation between us tonight after my husband left for softball:

Me: Ouch! (stubbed my toe on the island)
Ava: Wha happen mommy?
Me: Ouch!
Ava: Mommy, wha happen, mommy wha happen toe mommy?
Me: I stubbed my toe Ava, mommy is in pain
Ava: Oh no mommy, Ava kiss toe mommy?
Me: No Ava that's okay, finish your dinner
Ava: Why mommy? Wha happened?
Me: Ava, mommy's okay, eat your dinner
Ava: Mommy, no you sad mommy? Want bandaid mommy?
Me: No, mommy feels better now, please eat 2 more bites
Ava: Mommy, what doing, mommy?
Me: (about ready to scream from the pain and from all of the questions) I'm cleaning up honey
Ava: Mommy, where daddy go?
Me: He's playing softball sweet-heart
Ava: Why mommy?
Me: I don't know Ava, because it's Monday and that's what he does on Monday's
Ava: Why mommy?
Me: Let's go brush your teeth and read a book
Ava: But mommy, I want posicle. I have posicle mommy?
Me: No, it's too late, we need to brush your teeth and get ready for bed
Ava: Why mommy?
Me: Because if I give you a popsicle now, and don't brush your teeth, you will not fall asleep for at least another hour, your teeth will eventually rot out of your head, and mommy will not get the house clean because I will be so tired, and I will be late for work tomorrow because I cannot leave for the day with the house a mess
Ava: Mommy, look at mess mommy! (she had dumped spaghetti all over her head while I was answering all of her questions and trying to ice my toe).

And the beat goes on....

Little Sailor Girl

Ava has the special privledge of being a flower girl in 2 weddings this year. My great friend Crystal (http://crystallynntakesonworld.blogspot.com/) is getting married in less than a week (no photos yet of Ava in that dress) and the second is my cousin Michelle's wedding, who currently serves in the US Navy. Michelle picked out matching sailor girl outfits for Ava and her cousin Kendal to wear in the wedding. Here is Ava modeling it a few days ago! I think it is perfect for her Navy wedding. Gosh, I love this girl!

Debut Entry

This is my debut entry. We have decided to join the blogging world. I do not know how much this blog will help my family and friends connect, but I do hope that through this all (no matter how few or far between) it will help others see what is going on in the life of the Heston's! We are glad that you are here and can't wait to see what this new adventure will bring!

XOXO