This Beautiful Inheritance

The Mom I'll Never Be

2012-02-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

Selah is now six weeks old. She is such a sweet baby. She loves to be cuddled, and that's fine because she's got plenty of people who love cuddling her, including her big sister!

For the most part, things are peachy. But just six weeks in, we have hit some bumps along the way. Or at least I have -- mentally.

With Eden, I breastfed about five days. I threw in the towel because the pain was too much, and she didn't seem to get enough to satisfy her. THIS TIME, I thought, I'll do it better. I'll bite my lip, I'll bear the pain, I'll do it long enough that we both get really good at it.

But two days into Selah's life, I was already extremely frustrated with nursing. It hurt like CRAZY, and I suspected she wasn't getting enough to eat either, as she was having virtually no pee diapers. ((Are there any males who read my blog?? If so, this post is probably not for you. Sorry guys!)) The pain literally became too much to bear. I spent the whole day dreading the next feeding and the whole feeding trying not to cry. To me, it wasn't worth it. I felt I couldn't even enjoy that sweet time with my newborn because my Battle with Breastfeeding was running the show. So I waved the white flag of surrender...again.

Honestly, the first time I gave Selah a bottle, I didn't feel guilty. I felt sheer bliss at enjoying a feeding without being hunched over in pain. The guilt monster, though, stuck around and snuck up on me later. He joined forces with the Your-Babies-Never-Sleep guilt monster, and they started convincing me I wasn't the best mommy.

You see, Eden was the worst sleeper ever. After she started sleeping through the night, AT A YEAR OLD, I swore I'd never go through another sleepless year like that again. I pledged to implement the "Babywise" method with my next baby. Come hell or high water, I was determined to do things differently the second time around. No matter what, I thought, Baby #2 would not take after her big sister when it came to nighttime sleep!

So when Sweet Selah entered the world, I attempted to get her on the Babywise schedule. I didn't do it perfectly, but I gave it my best shot. Just like the book said, we "ate, played, slept, ate, played, slept" all day long. But sometimes her naps were too long, and sometimes I couldn't keep her awake during her feeding, and too often, things just didn't go "by the book." And at night, the girl still woke up. A lot.

A few weeks into her life, I threw another towel into my overflowing laundry basket. And I succumbed to the fact that I would never be "That Mom." You know the one. The one who puts up regular blog posts about her neatly packaged life. All her children are on predictable schedules. They slept through the night at four weeks old (or from birth). She nursed them all until they started eating solid food, which obviously is all organic all the time and is obviously all purchased with coupons.

Usually, I am a pretty confident person, but I have to say, Mommyhood has a way of making me feel inferior. I will never be "That Mom."

Day by day, I have to tell myself that everyone is different: every mom and every child. I have to tell myself that what works for one family may not work for another and that that is OK.

AND for the last three nights, Selah has slept so much better. She's only woken up once each night, and I think she may just be trying to tell me, "Don't worry about it, Mom. You're doing a great job."

Wait For It...

2012-02-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's Monday. No, you don't have your days mixed up.

Since we are thisclose to having the house finished, I'm going to wait to show you any more photos until it is all FINISHED! Soon and very soon, my friend, you will see THE FINAL "AFTER" PHOTOS!
How excited are you????

p.s. tomorrow I'll post an it's-about-time update on my life with a newborn...my first post in a while that is not about The House. Don't miss it!

Makeover Monday

2012-01-30T08:00:00.001-06:00

I think it was two weeks ago that I said we would be moving in in TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it's been TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!! and we're still not in.

But I've gotten used to each phase of this process taking longer than expected. The joke is that we've been saying "Two Weeks" for the last two months.

But seriously this time, we are going to move in in at least two weeks (hopefully less!).

This week my dad started refinishing the floors. To me, they look finished, but apparently there's still one more step of sanding and coating them again.

But take a looksie and see what you think. Like everything else, they've undergone quite a transformation.

Eden's Bedroom

Living Room

Dining Room

Master Bedroom

Selah's Bedroom

Now these floors have a lot of, what we like to call, "character."

They're old. Worn. "Rustic."

But you like that, right? Me too.

Now in other business...

I apologize for this here blog being so neglected lately. I know y'all signed up for more than weekly house photos.

"DIDN'T YOU HAVE A BABY, RECENTLY??????," some of you are thinking.

Yes. Yes I did. And she is wonderful. And I promise to tell you all about her and how her big sister is growing up and everything else that is going on as soon as we actually get in the new house and re-acquire our own Internet connection! Until then, it's just tough getting up blog posts. Period.

Believe me, I'm as ready as you are for things to settle down and get back to "normal."

But then again, what will we all do on Mondays?? :-)

Makeover Monday

2012-01-23T11:21:00.000-06:00

Not a lot changed between last week and this week, but here are a couple things.

Our master bathroom shower was tiled and grouted.

Isn't it pretty? The tile is the same as on the floor.

And here's the second bathroom again... now with the toilet and vanity (and faucet) in place.

Now it just needs a pretty mirror and chandelier. I'm on a mission to find those!

That's about it for now. My dad is starting today sanding and refinishing the wood floors. So hopefully by next week, I can show you some gorgeous floors.

'Til then!

Makeover Monday

2012-01-16T08:00:00.002-06:00

Let me be honest. I'm tempted to lay a mattress down on the unfinished floors of the new house, between the tool boxes and saw horses, and just camp for the next couple of weeks. That's how much I love it and am ready to be there.

This week all the painting was completed. We finally decided on a color for the kitchen and dining room -- light gray. At first I was afraid it might be a little bland, but actually, I love it.

The kitchen cabinets were also completely painted, and here's a preview of the countertop (which isn't attached yet) and a sample of the backsplash that's going to go around them.

Now let me show you my favorite room in the house... I think this is where I'll put my mattress.

This picture does not do it justice, but I am IN LOVE with this bathroom: the vanity, wall color, wainscoting and especially, the bathtub. Actually, forget the mattress. I'm sleeping in this tub.

I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but we also repainted all my baby furniture for Selah's bedroom. I had a couple cousins who helped me with this project, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Here's the before...

And the after...

We're supposed to get to move in in two weeks.

TWO WEEKS!!!

We'll see you there!

Makeover Monday

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

I had hoped to show you a mostly finished kitchen this week; however it didn't come quite as far as I'd hoped. About half the ceramic tile has been laid; it just needs to be finished out with grout.

Obviously the painted cabinet doors still need to be put on, along with the counter top. Here's what the counter top looks like...

And here's the painted wainscoting in the bathrooms.

My dad also installed can lights in the ceiling of the living room this week.

And finally, the central heat and air has been completely installed and is working.

That's about it for this week.

'Til next time!

Recently in iPhone Photos

2012-01-05T11:02:00.000-06:00

My hubby got me an iPhone for Christmas. (Hip Hip Hooray!) And since the blog posts have been sparce 'round here lately (blame it on the rental house/no Internet/new baby)... I've decided to do what one of my favorite bloggers does and give you a quick update on our lives via iPhone photos. This might just become a regular occurrence.

Here 'goes.

Merry Christmas from Selah Avelyn! This is her on her first Christmas morning, 2 days old.

Selah all dressed up in her first hair bow.

Selah with her Pop.

Eden playing outside with Daddy in her new boots.

Eden pushing Mommy and Daddy together saying, "They all kiss!"

Daddy trying to help Eden hold her baby sister for the first time. This made Mommy nervous.

Selah all dressed up and heading to her newborn photo shoot.

Selah in her camou.

Eden having a little too much fun with Daddy at bathtime.

My girls watching morning cartoons.

We are loving these girls :)

Makeover Monday

2012-01-02T08:00:00.001-06:00

We are on the homestretch!

A lot happened this week, and the house is really starting to come together. First of all, the living room was painted.

Honestly, the color turned out a little brighter than expected (even more so than you can tell in these pictures), but I still think it's really pretty. (What do you think??) Now we're debating on whether to do the dining room and kitchen a lighter shade of blue (like the original plan) or whether to do something a little more neutral (another gray?).

Also in these pictures you can see our bathroom vanities. I especially like the one on the left with the claw feet, which will go in the bathroom with the claw foot tub. My dad is putting wainscoting around that bathroom too, which I am so excited about. Here it is, but it's not painted yet.

Picture this painted white with the claw foot tub in front (and maybe a chandelier hanging overhead...)

Can't. Wait.

Also this week they started painting the kitchen cabinets.

This next week they are also going to lay the tile so soon the kitchen should look totally different.

Also, my mom and dad made a massive shopping trip this week where they picked up two truck loads of supplies: counter top, tile, grout, bathroom vanities, light fixtures, faucets, etc. All the finishing touches!

Like I said, we're on the homestretch. Stick with us!

In Lieu of Makeover Monday

2011-12-26T15:45:00.000-06:00

Taking a break from Makeover Monday this week because, well, something big happened.

Selah Avelyn was born at 9:47 a.m. Dec. 23.

She must have known Christmas was coming up, and she didn't want to miss out on any presents. Too bad for her though, cause we Santa wasn't expecting her this early, and she didn't have any surprises under the tree. She did, however, get LOTS of lovins. And sleep. I think she had a pretty Merry Christmas.

I know the rest of us did.

'Round Here

2011-12-21T16:31:00.000-06:00

Today I'm 38 weeks.

And Tired.

I went to the doctor today, and I'm dilated to a 3. (TMI?)

So, anyway, it looks like this baby is coming any time now.

At this moment, she doesn't even have a bed (Pack-n-Play) set up or a carseat in the car. And it's sure not because I've been laid up on the couch eating ice cream. I have. not. stopped. And I still haven't found time to do the things that seem most important.

My best friend who lives out of state is in town, and I haven't had a chance to go see her.

I have half-painted baby furniture that's waiting for more than primer to be put on it.

I have Christmas presents that still haven't been wrapped. (Christmas is so getting the shaft 'round here this year.)

And there's the whole bed/carseat thing.

Does it make me sound like a terrible mommy to not want this baby to come right now?

I'm excited to meet her, yes. I'll be more excited next week, yesser.

Makeover Monday

2011-12-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

There's not a lot to show you this week. But here's the main thing:

Eden's room was painted! I love the color of purple. What about you?

The kitchen also had the trim painted and all the old countertop removed.

I hope to show you painted cabinets and new countertop soon!

Well, that's about it for now. I know new blog posts have been scarce lately... Life = Craziness right now. In a couple days, I hope to update you on all that's going on. "Blog" is on my To-Do List, along with "Have Baby" and a thousand other things.

Stay tuned.

Makeover Monday

2011-12-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

Well, let's get right to it.

Two of the bedrooms now have paint on the WALLS.

Selah's Room

Master Bedroom

What do you think about the color??

Ok, let me show you something that's a little off subject. My mom painted an old mirror for Selah's room that was her aunt's. It was gold, gaudy and awful. I wish we had gotten a before picture, but we didn't. Anyway, now it's pink and PRECIOUS.

Not the best picture because it was in the trunk of a car, but isn't it adorable? I can't wait to see it on her gray walls.

Ok, one more makeover.... If you can remember way back, you may remember this beauty of a tub that came with the house.

That's a horrible picture. But we had the tub refurbished, and here it is now.

The feet still have to be screwed on, but man, am I excited about this. I have always wanted a claw foot tub. And now I'm going to have a beautiful one.

If you're wondering, we're still settling into our rent house. I can't say it's easy. My eye is on the prize, and the prize is the new house. I'm counting down the days til it's ready but trying not to wish away the present. But I admit, it's teaching me a thing or two about patience and contentment.

Thanks for following along.

Who We Were

2011-12-08T14:09:00.000-06:00

Before there was Baby #2, or Baby #1, or a house, or even a dog...

There was He and there was Me.

We got married before any logical reason said it was OK.

We were young and as green as the money we didn't have. With everything else we lacked were jobs, bills and any real problems. Our biggest dilemma was whether it was too late to get a drink from the Kum & Go.

We got by on part-time jobs, grants for poor students, and laughter.

We smiled at each other a lot.

We lived in campus housing between all the grad students and single moms. We didn't know anyone who wore our shoes.

My friends lived in dorms across campus. His lived in rented houses across town. We didn't envy their lives because, as we saw it, ours was better. We had each other, an extra bedroom, and no meal plan. We could hang out with friends on campus, then crawl in bed next to each other.

The thing I remember most about those three years is simplicity.

Like we were just playing "grown-ups."

But what a fun game it was.

We thought each other was funny, we rented movies, and we never went to bed angry.

And sometimes, when I think back really hard, I feel a pang for what we've lost.

Our lives today are the next chapter.

Yet sometimes I feel like we're a different book.

This book has more depth and plot lines. And I know, that in probably every way that matters, it's a better one.

I wouldn't trade our babies or our memories for all the freedom in the world.

But still, if I'm honest, I sometimes miss the life we had. Then, if I'm more truthful still, I realize I miss the people we were.

Makeover Monday

2011-12-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

Well, I am writing this post from my parents' house. We are officially moved out of ours. It was a tiring weekend full of packing, hauling, moving and unloading. I am TIRED to say the least. Someone please remind me not to move next time I'm pregnant. Or not to get pregnant next time we move. Either way.

Eden seemed to really enjoy Moving Day #1. She kept saying she wanted to "help" and we tried to let her think she was.

By Moving Day #2, she was over it (and so was Mommy), and her Mimi came and rescued her and took her to get Chicken McNuggets and a nap, while the rest of us kept at it.

While everything is now "in," we are still trying to get everything put away in our rent house, and we're hoping to spend our first night there tonight.

Meanwhile, here are some updates from the new house this week. The trim has now been painted in the living room, Eden's bedroom and dining room.

Living Room

Eden's Room

Dining Room

My dad also spent a lot of time under the house this week working more on plumbing, but that doesn't provide anything for me to show you in pictures.

Hopefully by this time next week, we'll be all situated in our rent house, be a little more rested, and hopefully, there will be some actual paint colors on the walls here to show you.

'Til then!

She's Special, That One

2011-11-30T08:14:00.000-06:00

My Girl.

She is the sweetest and smartest in so many ways.

But she is also... how shall I say... sensitive.

Ultra-sensitive.

The most unsuspecting things will scare her, offend her or hurt her feelings.

The blender?... Terrifying!
Anyone in costume?... A Monster!
Laugh at her when she does something cute?... How could you?!

She literally falls apart.

But perhaps the strangest thing to upset my just-turned-two-year-old is this...

I know, right?

Running tap water. It just doesn't get any scarier.

To be fair, it's not the water itself that terrifies her. It's the fact that

THE RUNNING WATER MIGHT HURT HER BATHTUB FRIENDS AND ANIMALS.

As soon as I start running the bath water, Eden comes running in, hysterical, and practically dives into the tub, fully clothed, in her best effort to save those dear bathtub friends.

And, yes, they are cute. But really. The way she acts, you'd think they were about to get caught up in this.

Because I'm a ~~bad mommy~~ (blogger?), I paused the other night and grabbed my camera when she was in Full-On Freak-Out Mode. She was bawling her eyes out and trying to reassure herself by saying, "They Ok! They Ok! They Ok!"

But as you can tell from the photo, she still didn't convince herself.

Makeover Monday

2011-11-28T09:44:00.000-06:00

As of now, every room in the house has had texture blown and is ready to be painted. And the trim and ceilings have been painted in two of the bedrooms. Here is Selah's bedroom...

And here is the master bedroom with the painted trim...

NOW, let me show you what color these rooms will be....

Selah's room will have pink accents (curtains, bedding, decor), and ours will have light blue accents.

And here are the other colors we have picked out:

Eden's bedroom

Living Room

Kitchen/Dining Room and Bathrooms

I can't wait to see these colors on the walls. I think it's going to be beautiful!

Meanwhile, we are in heavy packing/moving mode. We close on the sale of our house in nine days! Obviously our house isn't going to be ready. So we've decided to move into a rental house that my grandparents own. It looks like this will be where we spend Christmas and, quite possibly, where we bring our new baby home. I have to admit, I'm less than excited about all of this, but I'm trying to remind myself that "where" these events happen isn't the important thing. And I'm reminding myself to be grateful that we have a place to stay, period! In no time at all, we'll have a beautiful new home to move into (and a much lower mortgage payment!)

We are blessed, and we still have a Beautiful Inheritance!

Stay tuned.

The One Thing I'm Most Thankful For

2011-11-23T13:02:00.000-06:00

Give thanks to the Lord,

for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!

Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

Psalm 107:1-2

As I was reflecting this week on "what I'm thankful for," plenty of things came to mind. I have a beautiful daughter and one on the way, a loving husband, an amazing family, good health, food, clothing and shelter...

But one thing kept standing out in the crowd of blessings that fill my heart. One thing that makes all the rest possible and pleasurable. Without this one thing, all other joys in life would be temporal and meaningless.

The one thing I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving -- and always -- is Salvation.

Salvation.

It's a big, churchy word that's probably thrown around too casually.

But it's the reason my life is not temporal, meaningless or ordinary.

(OK, sometimes I feel ordinary, but that's because I'm not walking in my purpose...)

When I'm walking in my purpose, living for the glory of God above all else, life is exciting and meaningful. Everything I do (for Christ) in this life holds eternal value in the next. How fulfilling is that!

Do you know what Salvation truly means?

I fear that many who attend church each Sunday and hold hands around their Thanksgiving tables "offering Thanks" don't truly know the purpose of the One to whom they pray.

His purpose is to seek and save those who are lost. Luke 19:10

If you were born on Planet Earth, then you were born sinful. Rom. 3:10 That means you've sinned against a Holy God who cannot, by his nature, tolerate sin. To be redeemed, the penalty for your sins must be paid so that God can remain who he is -- just.

So Jesus, God personified, came to Earth to do just that. HE TOOK THE FULL PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR SINS so that you can walk completely free. All you have to do is turn from your sins and submit to his Lordship in your life.

That's what I'm most thankful for -- the fact that, as prideful, disobedient and sinful as I am, God chose to redeem ME. Sinful Ole Me.

There's an old song that says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!" And as that verse in Psalms also says, I wanted to take this chance to do just that.

I am redeemed by the blood of Christ.

All my sins -- from the time I was born to the time that I'll die -- have been completely erased.

I stand before a perfect, Holy God as if I'm perfect and Holy myself.

And, therefore, I'll spend eternity with him.

THAT is something worth giving thanks for.

Makeover Monday

2011-11-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

I'm taking a break this week from the makeover of our house to show you some other makeovers... partly because there is not a lot to show you from ours and partly because we are in BRANSON at the moment! (I'm writing this post on Friday.)

SO.

Remember this post I did many Makeover Mondays ago?

Well I found the blog of the builder who did the makeover, and you need to check it out. These people create some bee-u-ties. As I said before, this is almost exactly what I'm going for with our house.

(On that note, we picked out paint colors this week! I won't reveal them just yet, but I'll tell ya they are real similar to what you see in the posts on this blog.)

Check it out now.

Also, I found this blog with a couple pretty amazing house makeovers. This family made over this house and then this one. Both are real lookers.

Enjoy browsing. I know I did.

Guest Post with Flower Patch Farmgirl

2011-11-16T07:45:00.000-06:00

(I am so excited to bring you today's guest post. Flower Patch Farmgirl's blog has become the place where I sneak away each night for a little time to myself and some big time inspiration. Amidst beautifully written words and sentences, she challenges her readers to love Jesus more. Here is Shannan in her own words.)

What I Want My Kids To Know

"God's design for taking the gospel to the world is a slow, intentional, simple process that involves every one of his people sacrificing every facet of their lives to multiply the life of Christ in others."
- Radical, by David Platt p.104

Last week I attended the annual banquet for the alternative school where my husband works. I cried four times, the first being before they had even served the salad. There's something about witnessing wild hope stretched long in a line across the stage in shiny shirts and long, unruly hair, nervous smiles and worn-out eyes. These kids have battled their way to where they are right now. They have failed. They have been failed. But they claw and reach. They fix their eyes on that speck of shine, way, way up at the horizon, and they just keep trudging toward it.

I have wondered if teenagers like these have any hope at all. I have worried that maybe their hurts have scraped them clean of the capacity to really grow. Maybe all we can do is jump back in the line, back to their little brothers and the sisters that aren't even born. Maybe only then.

Or maybe I'm a coward. Maybe I'm lazy. Maybe I like a make believe world where the easiest option is the answer.

I look around my lunch table at noon, my plastic fold-up dinner table at dusk, and I see three faces wide with hope, filled all the way up with future. Oh, that they just believe down beneath their skin that they are truly, fully loved and honored. That's what carries hope.

It's staggering to think of the lives that might be plucked up and carried on to hope with the simple intervention of the love you and I already have for the giving.

We can do this. We have enough love for the ones in our care and the ones barely cared for at all. We can do our best to make up for lost time when they're older and harder and reluctant to believe. And if if they still don't and they still won't, we can keep on loving.

So this, this aside from life-piercing faith in Jesus Christ, is what I want to bury in the souls of my three. I want them to know way in the deep-down that there is enough Mommy and Daddy to share. I beg that they see so much earlier these truths that I am only seeing through the wrinkle of years - that our business extends far past the walls of wherever we call home.

I want them to witness the power of God's love through us, and then I want them to slip it on and see how well it fits. They can trust Heaven's math that defies textbooks and modern convention - love given is multiplied, never divided.

What I want, more than anything, is for Calvin, Ruby, and Silas to feel the soul-yank of suffering as they see it growling and mad in the lives around them. I want them to be quick to act in love; ruthless to believe for sure that hope is never lost.

Makeover Monday

2011-11-14T09:38:00.001-06:00

Here are a few updates from this week.

My dad finished trimming out some of the windows, including filling in the inside of the frames with fresh, new wood.

By the way, I've decided to convert to all extra-large photos on the blog. Don't you like that better? ...Me too.

The two new closets my dad built in the kitchen are also now finished, with doors on them.

The one on the left will be for trash, brooms, mops, etc., and the one on the right will be a small coat/shoe closet.

This week we also picked up the new kitchen island we had custom-built, along with a couple other fill-in cabinets.

Here is the island getting unloaded from the back of the truck. Of course, it still needs to be painted, get a top and have the front doors put on, but isn't it nice? Don't you like the pullout drawers for pots and pans?

We are planning to just paint the original cabinets and get new hardware, but we did have to have a couple additional cabinets built. Here is one of them. The stove will fill in the space between these cabinets.

And here is a random photo... my parents found this microwave on a bargain. It had a small dent in the side so we got it for like 75 bucks!

............And now, I have a big announcement! I'm having a Guest Post on WEDNESDAY that you will NOT want to miss! It's from one of my favorite bloggers, and you'll just have to wait to find out who!

See ya on Wednesday!

A Fettish

2011-11-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

I'm ashamed to say that once upon a time I did not enjoy the taste of pumpkin. But, thank the Lord, every seven years our taste buds change (or so I've heard), and when it came to this big, round, orange fruit, mine changed in a BIG way.

I'm now obsessed with all things pumpkin. And as soon as the leaves change and cool air sets in, every American is afforded a free pass to bake as many fattening, delicious things as they want -- as long as the ingredient list includes pumpkin or spice!

(At least this is what I'm telling myself; don't burst my bubble, yall.)

So far this fall, I have whipped up quite the yummy list of pumpkin treats. So yummy that I decided I should share the recipes with you all. You need some spice in your life, right?

Ok, here 'goes.

Just click the links for the full recipes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

photo credit

These were as yummy as they sound. Anything with pumpkin and chocolate chips just has to be a winner. Fair warning though: this recipe makes A LOT of cookies. I took a Rubbermaid bowl full to my mom and my cousin and still had TONS left for our house. Hope you're hungry.

Pumpkin Casserole

photo credit

I think this recipe is going to become a "family tradition" in our house. I've made it for the past two years and am just in love with it. It's so easy and so delicious. I think it's misnamed though. It's definitely more of a "dessert" than a "casserole," just so you know.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

photo credit

Yes, this sounds a little different. When I announced it to my husband, he looked like he was going to barf. But after he took one bite, he said, and I quote, "I think that's the best chili I've ever had."

So there you go.

Pumpkin Pancakes

photo credit

Breakfast food is my weakenss, So Pumpkin PANCAKES... um, Yes Please. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I already had all the ingredients these needed right in my kitchen. So when I found the recipe, obviously I had to make them the next morning. And obviously I had to add chocolate chips to the batter since that was already in my fridge too.

Can you say, "YUM?"

Pumpkin Smoothie

photo credit

This one is from The Pioneer Woman so you just know it's going to be good. I'm going to be honest, though, it's a little stout. I think next time I'm going to try it with regular ole pumpkin puree instead of the pie filling. Still, it was yummy. And fattening. So it made the list.

So there you are. A pumpkin recipe list that will keep you busy for a few weeks. When you're done with all those, it's incredibly likely there will be more where they came from....

Until then!

Makeover Monday

2011-11-07T10:52:00.000-06:00

Guess Whaaaaaaaaaatt!

We accepted an offer on our house! And it was a good one!

If you prayed for that, thank you! Now we're just praying nothing goes wrong again, and we can close on the sale as planned. If nothing changes, we'll be in our house until the first week of December. Then, we'll be moving.... somewhere :s

I'm thankful we won't have as long to be "homeless" as we would have under the original plan, but I'm still a little nervous about it. My dad is now feeling more pressure than ever to get the house done. Speaking of that, here are a few updates from this week.

We got a new front door... going from this....

to this.

And it's going to look so much better once it's painted black!

Also, we got a new back door in the carport... going from this...

to this....

And the kitchen is now about half-way sheetrocked...

Now, once again, let the countdown begin! We move in four weeks :s

Stay tuned!

Random Updates

2011-11-04T10:20:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy: Baby Selah feels like she's getting bigger by the day. Well, actually I guess she is. She pokes and prods me all day long (and while it's a little annoying at bedtime), it's also the coolest feeling. I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday (31 weeks and counting!), and I started to freak out a little about HOW CLOSE her arrival really is. I picked up a pregnancy magazine in the waiting room -- something I haven't done all pregnancy -- and realized how much I have NOT been doing to prepare. As in... I haven't done a single thing. I mean really, I haven't bought one thing, cleaned one thing, gotten one thing out of the attic... Nada. Now I'm realizing how much I have to get ready (in the midst of the crazy busy holiday season) to prepare for her world-entry. [insert slight panic mode here]

The Sale of Our House: It still hasn't happened. But, we did have a realtor show it to a family this week, and they are coming back to look at it again tomorrow. The realtor says our house is one of their "Top Two." Could you please be praying that they choose ours and make us a good offer??? That would be awesome.

My New Job: It's going really well. I feel surprisingly "in my element" when I am in the front of a classroom teaching kids (especially about such an important topic). And the kids all seem to be very receptive of me and my message so that helps. I am, however, pretty darn tired. I have to get up when it's dark out to drive to the school, and I'm just not used to it! Plus, I'm still with my other job, raising babies on the outside and inside, trying to sell a house and staying busy with fall/holiday events. No wonder I need a nap.

Baby #1: Ok, I don't know who came up with the term "Terrible Twos," but I'm just not buying it. I am LOVING this age. It is the most fun yet. Eden says the cutest things and just makes me laugh every single second. Yes, she has her stubborn, whiny moments. But so far they're not any more common than they were in Age One. (Knock on wood.) Also, she is sleeping good again, (Praise Jesus!) including laying down at night with no problem whatsoever. We read her "new Elmo book," tell every single Sesame Street character goodnight individually (true story) and are off to bed with Minnie Mouse and Panda. She's actually happy to go as long as her two bestest companions are there by her side. In other news... did I mention how adorable she was on Halloween??? At first, she was quite unexcited about her slightly itchy costume, but Thank the Lord, Dora the Explorer was also a Bumblebee this year. So suddenly, Eden was way excited about it too.

I love that kid.

Happy Fall, y'all!

Makeover Monday

2011-10-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

I don't have anything HUGE to show you this week; however, if you look at this week's pictures remembering where we've come from.... you'll feel, along with me, that the progress is great.

My dad put in all the interior doors this week and put up the trim around them all.

Living room door leading into Eden's bedroom

Completely sheetrocked living room with trim

Dining room with doors leading into master bedroom, Selah's room & second bathroom

Installed closet doors in master bedroom

Door leading to master bath from master bedroom

Isn't all the wide trim pretty? I think it's going to look great!

And then, my dad built these two closets in the kitchen. The one on the right is a coat closet, and the one on the left will be for brooms, trash, etc.

This week he is going to start sheetrocking the kitchen. This will make a huge difference, as it is the only room that has been mostly untouched.

Stay tuned!

30 Weeks and Counting!

2011-10-26T17:08:00.000-05:00

I think it's about time for a pregnancy update. Agreed?

Well today I am 30 Weeks.

This is what I look like.

BIG.

And yes, I am in my pajamas because let's be honest, at 30 weeks there's just not much else you can still fit into.

And here are just a few of the comments that have been said to me lately:

"Wow, Kelcie! You're looking VERY PREGNANT today!"

"Girl! I don't think you're going to make it to January!"

"I think your due date must be wrong!"

People, can I just tell you that as pregnant women, WE KNOW WE ARE BIG. Being constantly reminded is really. really. unnecessary.

Now that that's off my chest... let's move on with the update, shall we? :)

Size of baby: approximately 15.7 inches long, 3 lbs., and the size of a head of cabbage

Maternity Clothes: I finally went out and bought a cute pair of maternity jeans, which means I have one whole pair. I have one other pair of jeans that aren't maternity but just big, but even they are getting snug. The options in my closet are getting limited.

Gender: A GIRL! But yall knew that.

Movement: A lot! Tyler and I indentified her head over on my right side, and it is the coolest thing to cup it with my hand. And her little feet, arms, and elbows are constantly poking me.

Sleep: So far I'm sleeping better than I expected. I don't wake up that much to go to the bathroom, and somehow I'm still managing to sleep mostly on my stomach (I know, I know!)

What I miss: Looking cute and having energy. I get tired and out of breath really easily. Pretty sure I need to be exercising like 100 times more than I am. (Don't tell my doc!)

Cravings: None. I'm thisclose to believing the whole "craving" thing is a myth and an excuse for women to eat weird and terrible things. Now, I have been craving anything and everything made with pumpkin. But that's just because it's fall yall.

Symptoms: Besides getting out of breath easily, I have a bad back and cramp up really easily. My back often feels like that of a 90-year-old woman. And any out-of-the-ordinary movement makes me cramp. But I can deal.

What I’m looking forward to: Meeting Selah! Now that I am feeling her so much, I feel like I know her. And I can't wait to just hold her.

Me holding Eden right after she was born

Makeover Monday

2011-10-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome!

Since I last updated you, the whole house had insulation blown in it, and every room except for the kitchen has now been sheetrocked. Things are looking a lot ~~different~~ better!

Here is what will be Selah's bedroom, which had the ceiling sheetrocked this week.

Isn't it cute?

The second bathroom/laundry room was also sheetrocked, and this sliding pocket door was put in.

What you're looking at there is the bathroom, and then you walk through that door, and here is the back half (laundry room).

In case you don't remember, this used to be one big ugly room.

Gross.

And last, but definitely not least, is the master bathroom, which was also sheetrocked. Let me jog your memory about what a beauty this room was too.

And today...

MY what a difference some sheetrock can make.

'Til next time!

A Chocolatey Message for Daddy

2011-10-20T21:14:00.000-05:00

(...and the rest of the Blog World)

Enjoy.

Makeover Monday

2011-10-17T09:26:00.000-05:00

Well, first I have to update you.

The sale of our house fell through. :(

And now we're totally back to Square One.

Honestly, I have to admit I am SO RELIEVED we're not moving in two weeks. But now I'm afraid the stress will come in a couple of months instead of the first week of November. We HAVE to have a buyer before our house is ready! Will you be praying for that? I would so appreciate it!

So... what does a person do when they find out they're not moving as planned?

They go ahead and put out their fall decorations, of course!

And they enjoy the rest of fall -- pumpkins, cider, bumblebee costumes and all -- without thinking too much about boxes and storage. This I am OK with.

...I don't have any updates to show you from the house this week.

Instead, I'm going to show you (bore you with?) some decorating ideas I've been gathering from Pinterest for our new house... because obviously that is the fun part of this whole thing.

This is close to what I want to do in Selah's bedroom.

link

Except maybe a slightly softer shade of pink.

And this brings me to a question... has anyone out there painted their wooden baby furniture white? I really want to paint our crib, changing table and dresser. It's espresso and has a smooth finish, and I'm wondering how difficult this would be... advice is welcome!

And also on that note, I'm planning on painting this dining table that we bought.

I want to do either a distressed white or possibly turquoise... maybe something like this.

link

And then find random chairs from flea markets and such to put around it...

link

This will be cute, right?

OK. I know it's been random today. I promise there will be an actual house update next week.

'Til then!

We Party Hardy

2011-10-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

This weekend my baby turned TWO! Maybe that means she's not a baby anymore, but that's still hard for me to accept.

But then, babies probably don't talk in full sentences or actually do what you ask them or take care of their OWN babies.

:-( All signs point to a real little person.

Anyway, as much as it saddens me that Eden is growing up, we celebrated in a big way.

We started the Birthday Morning off by having 2 Year Pictures made of the Birthday Girl. For her, this just meant running around a field with her cousin while his mommy (the photographer) chased her like crazy. Hopefully there are some good shots in there somewhere!

Then she, her daddy and I were off to Chuck E. Cheese, where a kid can really be a kid! For some reason, Eden is TERRIFIED of all the little rides, but she had a lot of fun "playing" the games.

Then Saturday was the BIG day. I can't help it; I like to have blowout birthday parties. I've heard and read other moms ~~talk~~ brag about "keeping it simple." Like they wake up on the Birthday Morning, call a few playmates to come over and whip up the cake mix in the cabinet. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll ever be That Mom. I don't do the big birthday parties to impress others; to me it's fun. And yes I mean that. It's fun and it's memories. And I love every bit of it.

Did I mention I won these adorable cake pops from Ariel's Cake Pops from a giveaway on this blog? Well I did! And they were delicious!

How could you not celebrate a face like that?

Makeover Monday

2011-10-10T08:33:00.000-05:00

This week my dad worked a lot on the plumbing. After crawling under the house, he discovered that basically all of the plumbing had to be redone. Joy Joy. So he spent a lot of hours in here...

He also had another family member help him with this, and he says one more good day of work and most the plumbing should be finished.

Also this week, my grandpa, "Papa," came down to the house and started mudding the sheetrock. He has a bad back and is not even supposed to be doing work like this anymore so I'm really thankful for his help but am going to feel really bad if he hurts himself! Thanks to him, though, several of the rooms are starting to look a lot more finished.

Tyler worked on prying off more of this tile in the living room, but as you can see there's still more to be done. And, WHEW, are those floors dirty. It's going to be a JOB getting them clean.

And last, but not least, we got a new back door.

Before

After

It's funny how the little things can make such a big difference, huh?

'Til next time!

New Beginnings

2011-10-05T19:08:00.001-05:00

I have something to tell you.

(and it has nothing to do with moving out of our house or getting a new one or having a baby...)

I have a new job.

credit

Yes, it's true.

I wasn't really looking for it. It kind of found me. (I think God pointed it in my direction.) But anyway, it's here and I'm in it.

What is it? Oh yeah...

Well I am a Program Coordinator/Presenter for a local abstinence education program. Right now I'm teaching classes in the high school where Tyler graduated, and next semester I'll be back at my own alma mater.

Cool, huh?

Like I said, this wasn't something I was looking for. It's definitely a stretch from my home field of journalism. But it's something I'm passionate about. I have a heart for it. And kids today need to be educated. So I'm thankful I've been given the chance to do the educating.

credit

So two days a week I go into the schools and present my program. Of course we can't talk about "God," but the values this program is based on are rock solid, and you kind of don't even have to. We teach them all the consequences (and statistics) of being sexually active before marriage: physical, social, emotional... and we empower them to start making healthy choices.

It's such a valuable program.

And if you're wondering, I'm also still working at my old job. (which means I'm incredibly overwhelmed at the moment...) I'm transitioning out of my role there, and after Selah is born, I'll officially just be a freelancer. I have mixed feelings about this. Ok, actually they're not mixed. I'm pretty sad about it. I love my role with the magazine, and I honestly hate to give it up.

But I know this is what's right for me and for our family. I have a peace about my new role. And I'm excited about the lives that will be impacted through it.

If it changes the life of one teen then it's worth it, right?

I think so.

Makeover Monday

2011-10-03T10:37:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday Folks!

Well I have two weeks' worth of updates to show ya. And honestly, I'm starting to forget what you've seen and what you haven't. But the main thing that has been going on up is a lot of sheetrock. The living room, dining room and baby's room are now all sheetrocked, which makes me feel like we are on the homestretch... however, my dad tells me not to believe it... :s

Living Room

Dining Room

Baby's Room

Also, Tyler has been working on scraping up the ugly tile that was/is on the living room floor. Beneath it are pretty wood floors, which we plan to refinish. I can't wait to see the finished product!

So that's about it. Remember that plea for anyone who wanted to donate free labor? Well, it's still out there! We are officially scheduled to move out of our house the first week of November. Let the countdown begin!

Happy 10 Years

2011-09-29T19:29:00.001-05:00

Today, Tyler and I have been a "couple" for 10 whole years. On Sept. 29, 2001, on the walkway in my parents' front yard, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and the rest is history. In honor of the occasion, I've decided to re-blog this post I wrote last year during football season. I always get a little nostalgic this time of year.

There's something about high school football games that make old memories spill over you like Gatorade over a winning coach. At least for me anyway. Friday night Tyler and I attended the annual clash between our hometowns. When we pulled up to the field, I was immediately swept back to the ninth grade. Everything looked the same. And when I stepped out of the car, I couldn't help but think of standing in that same spot exactly nine years earlier.

That spot- where I stood after a senior high football game, waiting on my crush to come out of the field house. My best friend was there with me, waiting on her crush as well. It was Homecoming, and we were both hoping for an invitation to the team's post-game dance.We were dressed to impress (as far as ninth graders are concerned) and spent no less than an hour on our hair, making sure each and every detail was perfect. We chatted with each other, giggled nervously and made small-talk with those around us, trying not to make it obvious that we were lingering around waiting.

Finally, the boys came out, and my hot, sweaty, football-playing crush walked toward me, as did my friend's. My palms sweated, and I giggled some more. The four of us chatted, trying to overcome any awkward silences, and I tucked my hair behind my ear one more time. Finally, after some hinting and beating around the bush, we were both invited to the Homecoming dance. And there in that high school cafeteria, beneath the disco lights and the Food Guide Pyramid, I got to dance with the guy of my dreams. I knew it was something I'd never forget.

Nine years later, I now share a bed...and a baby...with that same guy. And when the stresses of marriage, jobs, a mortgage and a baby seem to pull us in opposite directions, it's nice to remember the old times- when things were simple, we truly enjoyed and cherished every moment together, and we both thought the other was just plain "hot."

2002- Our first prom, that same year.

Makeover Monday

2011-09-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

This week my dad hung a lot of sheetrock in the house. (Yay!)

However, due to a slight mishap, I don't have any photos to show you right now...

Instead, I've been looking for photos of color schemes I like for the outside. Eventually, we plan on painting the siding and getting shutters, but I keep changing my mind about the colors that I want.

First, I was thinking gray siding, black shutters, white trim... then I leaned toward a greenish siding... and now I'm considering the traditional 'ole white siding and black shutters.

I know I want it to look Southern.

And that's about all I know.

Here are some pictures (from Pinterest) of different color schemes I've considered. (And yes, I know that these houses are bigger! and grander! than our fixer-upper. Again, it's the colors I'm looking at...)

Gray

White

Green

What do you think???

The Words I Don't Have

2011-09-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

It just so happens that one of my favorite bloggers is coming upon her last month in her home, as am I. For both of us, the end of October means the end of calling our houses "home." Houses that we have loved, given thanks for and made many memories in.

I'm not sure I have the words to say how I really feel about this. But thankfully, I don't have to.

Because she pretty much summed it up for the both of us.*

*Granted, there are a few differences in our stories. But the need for a new mantra, like "My baby will stay wrapped up in my arms no matter where we go"...we totally have that in common.

Makeover Monday

2011-09-19T09:47:00.000-05:00

This week they did a lot more wiring on the house. Still not a lot I can show you on that, except some wires hanging out the back... just for the heck of it.

Exciting, I know...

There were a few other cosmetic things done though.

My dad put up trim around the living room/dining room entryway.

He re-hung the new closet doors for the master bedroom and Eden's bedroom.

And in the Baby's room, he built a closet and hung sheetrock on one wall.

In other news, it appears we have a buyer for our house! While this is very exciting news, it also means we will soon have to move out of our house and go... somewhere? We would so appreciate your prayers, blog readers! Until our house is finished, this is going to be a difficult transition. And if any of you have the slightest bit of construction/cleaning/oldfashionedhardwork skills AND some free time, we'd take your help on our new residence. I'm just throwing it out there!

My goal (which is a huge stretch) is to be in by Christmas!

Growing Blessings

2011-09-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

Eden is really blowing me away these days. She's almost TWO, yall! Before I had kids, I remember always loving little ones around this age. They're so interactive, and they say the darndest things.

Well that's definitely the case with Eden. All the sudden, it's like she's a little person... a little person that understands what I'm saying and says SENTENCES back to me. Sometimes it still freaks me out when I ask her something, and she answers me... with a string of words put together.

Wow.

Some of her favorite sentences are... "I won't (don't) like it," "I not see it," "What is that?," "I can't find it," "I want down," "I wanna go in'ere (want to go in there)," and truthfully... tons of others. AND she puts several little sentences together. It all amazes me.

When did my little baby learn to have conversation??

She has also gotten such a little imagination lately. She's had babydolls since she was born, but only lately has she REALLY played with them. She wants to put them night night, cook them food and put them on the potty (SHE still won't use the potty, but that's another story...).

And the cutest thing is when she puts all her babies, bunnies and teddies "night night" beside each other, and says, completely unprompted, "THEY ALL FRIENDS!" She exclaims it like it's the most joyous thing ever. She came up with that one completely on her own, and I just love it. She loves for people (or stuffed animals) to be friends.

AND she has recently started singing. I LOVE this. Her Mimi and I sing to her all the time so I knew it was just a matter of time before she started, and now I randomly catch her singing all our favorite songs.

Today it has been... "Hush wittle baby, don't say word, Mama gone buy you mockinbird... anif dat mockinbird on't sing, Mama gone buyyou dimon wing."

She has the sweeeetest voice. It makes my heart (and my mouth) smile big time.

Time is going by so fast. I guess I no longer have a "baby." I have a growing, learning little toddler, who honestly, is even more fun at this age. (I say that at every stage.) But really, I can't imagine anything being more fun than this.

But then again, ask me in four months, and I'll probably tell you that newborns are the Best. Thing. Ever.

Oh well. That's the thing about blessings, I guess. They just keep getting better.

Makeover Monday

2011-09-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

This week they started doing the electrical work on the house. While this is a very important step, it doesn't provide a lot for me to show you in pictures.

So I decided instead to talk about something a little more fun. Remember how we got all new windows? Well that left us with lots of old windows just lying around.

Plus, there's that old closet door you see lying behind them... and we have the old front door, which will soon be replaced.

So I've been looking for ways to repurpose these old windows and doors and turn them into something unique... once we finally arrive at the time for finishing/decorating the house.

My cousin Casey and his wife Leah salvaged some old windows just like mine from an old house on their farm. Here's what they did.

They have a two-story house with a lot of blank wall space on the second floor so it made the perfect area for using their vintage finds.

Here they hung old bed frames, along with the windows. Love it.

Here are some other photos of repurposed old windows I found while scouring Pinterest.

I love the hanging windows idea. I'm trying to figure out where I could do it.

I saw another girl hang hers inside her dining room. (Go ahead and check out her full dining room makeover here.)

And this girl hinged two windows together to form party decor... but I'm thinking you could do the same thing and hang photos.

Ok... moving on to doors. Here are some ideas I like.

Use them for a headboard.

Or a coffee table. Or a desk, for that matter.

Or, simply, as my friend Leah did, paint it pretty and adorn a corner.

Ok, I'm out.

What ideas do you have for repurposing old windows and doors???

I'd love to know your ideas!

Makeover Monday

2011-09-05T09:15:00.000-05:00

I must say, I think the house is looking more... like a house. It's becoming easier to envision it as our home. All the weird layout problems are mostly corrected, and you can now tell how you'll get from one room to the next.

Let me show you what was done this week.

The closet doors that my dad added in the master bedroom last week now open up into an actual closet, which he built onto the other side.

There will be three doors opening into this closet because it's extra long.

In case you don't remember, the master bedroom closet used to be on the OTHER side of the room, but we tore it out to put a door there that would lead directly to the bathroom.

Other side of the room

And on the other side of this new closet is what will be Eden's bedroom, now a little smaller since we took out some space for that closet.

New wall on the backside of master closet

On the right side of this photo, you'll see the newly built closet for her room. So now we have a pretty accurate idea of the size and look of this room.

'Til next time!

Our Biggest Hope and Dream

2011-09-01T10:05:00.001-05:00

Before you become a parent, you're told the cliches.

"You'll understand when you have your own kids." or "There's no love like a parent's love."

And then you become one, and you realize they weren't cliches.

They were the honest-to-goodness truth.

Because there is truly no love like a parent's love. And you understand so much more when you have your own kids. And suddenly you love like you didn't know possible. And you're filled to the brim with hopes and dreams for your babies.

Topping the bucket of hopes and dreams, as Christians, is the desire for our children to know Christ. For them to experience the abundant life of following Him and all He has to offer.

A good friend (Thanks Monica!) told me about this new video by Shane and Shane, whom Tyler and I LOVE! With one daughter and another on the way, she thought we would appreciate it. She was right. ~~Thirty~~ five seconds after finishing it, Tyler broke out his guitar and started trying to learn it.

Sit back and enjoy. And if you have daughters, grab a Kleenex.

Makeover Monday

2011-08-29T08:34:00.000-05:00

Something pretty big happened this week. Those windows that were just sitting around in the house? Now they're all installed and making a big difference in the looks of the house.

Before

After

Here are some of the windows from the inside.

A couple other significant things were done too. Remember how we're closing-this-door-opening-this-one-moving-this-closet-building-this-one? Well the opening for where our new master bedroom closet will be was built (new doors will replace the ones standing there now.)

My little Vanna White wanted to help show things off.

And a wall was built in the utility room, which will divide it to create a bathroom and utility room (bathroom in the front half; utility room in the back half, with sliding pocket door in the middle.)

Vanna, just doing her job.

So that's that. I think progress is really starting to show through.

'Til next time!

What's in a Name?

2011-08-25T09:52:00.001-05:00

I have been meaning for a while to explain the new name of this blog.

This Beautiful Inheritance

It's based on one of my all-time favorite scriptures, Psalm. 16:5-6.

I first fell in love with these verses at a time when I wasn't very content with my life. We've all been there, right? Contentment is not a popular state of being in our society. We're not satisfied with who we are, where we are or what we've got. We tend to think the grass is greener on the other side.

But if we are Christians, redeemed and on our way to Heaven, we have EVERYTHING to be thankful for! These verses reminded me then, and do today, about the Beautiful Inheritance we have as believers.

THE LORD is our portion. There is no better portion than that!

HE HOLDS our lot. What a secure future!

The lines have fallen for me in PLEASANT places. How pleasant it is to live within His will for us!

If we believe those things, we truly do have a Beautiful inheritance. Because our inheritance is not based on our earthly circumstances. Those can seem dire, even hopeless. But with Christ, they are not. There is no greater hope than knowing that He has already won the battle for us. In the end, we are victorious. We'll be delivered from this sinful world. And we'll spend forever with Him in

This Beautiful Inheritance.

Makeover Monday

2011-08-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today I decided to take a break from showing you the makeover of our house and show you someone else's. This was a post from a couple weeks ago from a blog I have come to love. It is all about DIY projects, home renovations and decor. (Perfect inspiration for me right now!)

This is an amazing home makeover. In fact, it's probably a bad idea that I'm even showing it to you, as ours will most likely be less drastic/beautiful. But I just can't resist. The style and color scheme of this house are exactly what I'm going for. If I could duplicate this house in every way, I so would.

Check it out here.

Going to See the "Aminals"

2011-08-19T14:32:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I got the chance to take Eden to Heifer Ranch in Perryville. If you've never heard of Heifer, you should check them out. Awesome International organization. Doing all kinds of good.

Anyway, they invited the staff of Little Rock Family to come, bring our kiddos and tour the whole place. We got to ride around on an open-air trolley and see all kinds of animals, or "aminals" as Eden says.

(Despite the scared-stiff look on her face...I don't know what that's about), Eden loved it. Here's the real proof.

Eden chased every animal that wasn't caged. And got up close and personal with those that were. I love the way she loves animals. Her little brain doesn't think about things like dirt or germs (or danger for that matter). If it's alive, bottom line, she wants to get as close as possible. She's still talking about those darn goats.

Oh! The other highlight of the day was that we got to hang out with The Bees! Eden even got to share a stroller with The Baby.

Full of life, those two. I think they may just be two peas in a pod.

IT'S A GIRL!!! (and her name is...)

2011-08-18T13:29:00.000-05:00

Well, if you haven't heard... now you have.

We're having another Baby Girl!!

We couldn't be more excited. Tyler has been saying all along that he just KNEW it was a girl. I was trying to stay neutral and picture things either way, but anytime I brought it up, he'd say something like,

"I'm telling you WE'RE HAVING A GIRL."

I should never have doubted him. He pegged it last time too. And sure enough, he was right again.

I was so anxious all day yesterday to find out. I kept catching myself randomly smiling at nothing in particular just thinking about the fact that in a few hours WE WOULD KNOW what our little bundle was.

It's such a good feeling to know. (Nothing against all you folks who keep it a surprise... yall have waaaay more patience than I do.) But for me, I love being able to say SHE instead of "It." ...Yuck.

And now we can officially call this sweet baby by name...

Selah Avelyn

That's "SAY-LUH" "a-VUH-lyn" (like Evelyn but with a short a sound.)

I am so excited. I debated over the name Selah when Eden was born and have been hoping all along that I'd still get to use it one day.

And now the day is here.

We are so blessed.

And The Winner Is....

2011-08-16T08:45:00.000-05:00

Wow, we had great response for this giveaway!

I tallied up all the comments and totaled everyone's entries. Then I gave each participant the number of entries she had. For example, Jamie entered 38 x's so I gave her numbers 1-38. Here are everyone's numbers.

Jamie: Numbers 1-38
Carly: Numbers 39-41
Audrey: Numbers 42-44
Amanda: Numbers 45-48
Beth: Number 49

And then I went to the Random Number Generator and told it to pick a number from 1-49........

And the winner was...

Audrey Skarda!

(I promise this was not rigged, folks!)

Audrey, contact Ginger via Facebook to claim your prize!

I would also like to give special props to Jamie, who entered like crazy. She gets the effort award!

And thanks to everyone else who entered too!

Until next time!

Makeover Monday & a Giveaway!

2011-08-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome, welcome!

Well this week my dad picked up the new windows for the house. They're not actually installed yet, but they're sitting in the house and in the storage building giving me hope for the outside of this house.

Ignore the graininess. These were taken with a phone.

I think these new windows are going to make a huge difference in the looks of the outside. Here's a picture of the outside of the house for you newcomers.

He also closed up several doorways this week. (Remember the whole "weird layout" thing?) We're fixing that one doorway at a time.

Master Bedroom

Other than that, there's not a lot to actually show you.

However...

There's still a GIVEAWAY going on to talk about!

It started on Friday, and I am going to announce the winner tomorrow (Tuesday). That means you just have today left to enter! All you have to do is promote my "Makeover Monday" series on your Facebook, Twitter or blog with a link and leave a comment here (this post or the original giveaway post) telling me you did so. You can enter as many times as you want!

You can win an ADORABLE knit hat (of your choosing) hand-made by my friend Ginger.

So get to entering!

Happy Monday!

Giveaway Time!

2011-08-12T09:00:00.003-05:00

It's time for another Grand Giveaway!

As you know, I recently launched a new series called "Makeover Monday." Each Monday I post an update of the complete makeover of what will be our home.

I hope you all have been enjoying "Makeover Mondays" so far!

To help promote this new series, I'm doing a little giveaway. And here's what you could win!......

------ OR --------

OR some total other style!

My friend Ginger makes the cutest knit hats, and she is GIVING one away here!

Here's how you win...

All you have to do is promote "Makeover Monday" on your Facebook status, Twitter or blog!

Change your Facebook status to tell your friends to check out "Makeover Monday" with a link to my blog, or Tweet about it, or do a blog post about it... or do all 3!

For every one you do, come back here and leave a comment telling me that you did it!

You can enter as many times as you want!

The giveaway will end on Tuesday so if between now and then, you do 25 Facebook updates, Tweets and blog posts about "Makeover Monday," you can enter 25 times! FOR REAL! Just make sure you come back here and leave a comment telling me about each one you do.

And if you win, you get to choose any knit hat you want!

It could be one for you, one for your baby or one for a gift!

How cool is that?

Ginger is awesome. (Be sure you LIKE her album!)

And start entering now!

Makeover Monday

2011-08-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

Not to sound like a broken record, but you might think the house looks a little worse again this week. (We're still on that "it must get worse before it gets better" trek.)

More of the paneling and old sheetrock has been torn out so the walls are basically stripped to the bone.... and not that those orange walls looked good in the bathroom, but this looks a little bit worse.

Another thing my dad worked on this week was reinforcing the ceiling in what was formerly the "green bedroom."

This doesn't make for too exciting pictures, but he said these beams really helped repair some major sagging in the roof.

The other main thing accomplished this week was the addition of some new doorways. I mentioned before that the layout of this house was really weird. (You walked from one bedroom into the next with the one bathroom at the very end of the the third bedroom.) Obviously that wasn't going to work so here is the new plan.

This is a doorway we added from what will be the master bedroom into what will be the master bathroom. (Now we won't have to go into one of the kid's rooms to get to the bathroom.) The doorway that was between this bedroom and the green kid's room will be closed up, and instead we added a doorway going into it from the dining room.

The doorway on the right is the one we added into the kids' room. Now you will be able to access it from the dining room and not the master bedroom.

So there you have it. Not too exciting, but it's all part of the process. And you wanted to watch the process, right? :)

ALSO! I'll be hosting a very exciting giveaway on Friday! So check back!

My Little Poolside Cutie

2011-08-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

So here's something I haven't told you, blog friends.

Saturday I put Eden in a "Poolside Cutie Contest" at Splash Zone.

We love Splash Zone. It is the cutest little kid-friendly water park and it's cheap and it's close to home. So when I heard they were having this Poolside Cutie Contest, I just knew we had to enter it.

(OK, honestly, I knew we had to enter it because Eden has the cutest swimsuit ever, and she is the cutest cutie I'VE ever seen poolside!)

Tyler was not too sure about the whole thing. He has never wanted to put Eden in pageants so I had to convince him that this wasn't really a pageant... I mean the kids were just walking around the pool in their swimsuits, like they would at any ole pool party, right?

Well, he came along, as did my parents and sister because there is just NO WAY they are missing their baby in anything closely resembling a pageant. (I think they actually kind of like them!)

So we showed up, and the event turned out to be as darn close to a real, bona fide pageant as anything could be. I was instantly scoping the competition, trying hard NOT to become one of those crazy pageant moms on the inside.

But I could tell immediately who the competition was. This adorable little girl in a yellow swimsuit (ironically the exact one Eden had last year) with long hair and a big ole yellow flower.

She was a cutie.

Eden liked her too. (Sidenote: It was not freezing. At this point, Eden had just finished a blue, lip-staining slushie)

After a lot of waiting, it was our turn, and I held Eden's hand as we strutted our stuff around the big, kiddie pool for the judges.

It was hot, and the sun was bright, and Eden wasn't sure what was going on, so she, in no way, showed out. Of course, if the judges had NOT been watching, she would have been laughing and singing Bible School songs and carrying on, but at the needed time... nothing.

Still, she was stinkin' adorable. And she didn't cry or whine so I counted that as a plus, plus.

We took our place back in the line-up and anxiously waited for someone else to mess up big time.

I'M KIDDING!

Finally, after all the age divisions had gone and after a whole lot more waiting, they announced the winners.

By this time, Eden was just ready to break out of the chain link gate surrounding us and play on the playground she saw on the other side. She was in no way interested in who won.

After naming off a couple other awards, I heard the announcer say the name for "Cutest Swimwear."

...."Number Two- Eden!"

I scooped her up and ran out to claim her trophy. Go Her!

"And the overall winner is............"

drum roll...............................

"Little girl in the yellow swimsuit with long hair!"

(OK, that's not what they said, but I have no clue what her name was.)

Darn.

You just can't compete with that long hair.

I was mildly disappointed, but at the same time, I was so proud of my girl. I thought she was the cutest thing ever, and I was excited she had won something shiny to take home.

She, as you can see, was just glad to get to the playground.

Makeover Monday!

2011-08-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, so you've heard the phrase "Diamond in the Rough," right?

Well, right now this diamond is really, really rough.

You've also been told that things have to get worse before they get better, right?

Well that little piece of wisdom most definitely applies to the house remodeling process as well.

With that said, here is the house this week, looking worse than before.

This week my dad and Tyler tore down all the paneling in the living room, leaving layer after layer of wallpaper, cardboard and general disgustingness. My dad also tore out the 8-foot ceiling, raising it to 10 feet. This gives the living room a much more dramatic look upon entering and just makes it feel bigger. ONCE IT'S ALL SHEETROCKED, I think it's going to look really nice.

Another thing they did was tear out the closet in the middle (blue) bedroom.

This is the wall where the closet was. The bathroom is right on the other side of it.

This bedroom will eventually be the master bedroom, and the plan is to put a door where that closet was so that we'll have a direct entrance to the "master bathroom." The rest of the plan is to then tear out the wall on the other side of the room and add the closet over there. I know... it's a lot of rearranging. That's what comes with re-doing old houses that are just laid out WEIRD.

The other main thing accomplished this week was a lot of tearing out in the utility room. It was full of junky cabinets and mess from the ceiling that had fallen, and all of that is gone now.

You can't really tell from the picture, but this is a fairly large room. The plan is to make the front half of it another bathroom (kids/guest bathroom), and the back half will be utility room. And a door will be added where that window is so we'll have a door going into the backyard.

So there it is... It make look like we're taking one step forward two steps back, but that's just part of the process of progress.

At least that's what I'm told :)

A Not-As-Bad-As-We-Thought Day

2011-07-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday was the day.

The day that Eden got tubes put in her ears.

Even though I was dreading it, I was also looking forward to it. She hasn't slept well ~~for a couple of months now~~ ever, and I was really hopeful this would help.

So we got up at the crack of dawn and headed to the surgery center. I was nervous about how Eden would do with us waking her so early and strapping her in the car seat for a 30-minute trip WITH NO JUICE. But shockingly, she was so happy!

She was being the sweetest little thing on the ride over. She was giggling and loving on her teddy bear. She was all smiles. It almost made me feel bad about what we were taking her to do. She was so clueless!

When we arrived, the receptionist gave her a handful of Dora and Pooh Bear stickers, which turned out to be a lifesaver. They kept her fairly occupied while we waited in the prep room. However, every time a nurse or doctor came in to talk with us, she got a little more nervous. She started to realize that something NOT SO FUN was about to happen.

My hubby, who was totally aggravated that I kept making him take pictures at A TIME LIKE THIS, kept snapping them at the completely wrong times. Hence, the odd half-smile I'm sporting.

Sad, scared girl

Finally, a nurse (who thank goodness knew the names of every Dora character) carried our sweet baby away from us and down the hall. She kept her occupied for about 15 seconds, naming Dora, Boots and Swiper, but we heard the cries start as they were just out of sight.

Then, we waited.

For a whole 10 minutes.

Seriously, it was the quickest procedure ever.

The doctor then led us back to the recovery room, where our sweet baby was soundly sleeping off the anesthesia. She looked so sweet and peaceful. I was seriously tempted to take a picture if the hubs wouldn't have killed me.

After about 10 more minutes, she woke up. The nurse had warned us that she would probably be hysterical when she woke so I was prepping for the worse. But as she stirred and started to cry I grabbed her up and gave her a cup of juice.

And all was well.

We were stunned at how well she did.

She wasn't hysterical at all. In fact, I don't think we could have asked for it to go any better. We sat in the recovery room and ate "Dora snacks" and counted our stickers and sang Bible School songs, and in no time, we were free to leave.

By the time we got to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, it was just another day.

And a fun one at that!

Extreme Makeover Monday!!!

2011-07-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to an extreme edition of Makeover Monday! As you can see, there has been a complete overhaul of my blog! The new name is "This Beautiful Inheritance." It's based off a scripture in the Psalms (I'll share more on that later), and I think it's something that will fit our family for many, many years to come.

There has also been a complete redesign by Danielle Moss Graphic Design and Photography. I love the way it turned out! It is exactly what I was going for.

What do you think about it??

Anyway, now on to the portion of this post where we talk about The House.

There was actually something pretty significant accomplished this week -- the roof! Gone is that old, yucky, orange roof, and in its place sits a new, pretty black one.

A piece of metal fell off the front, which has to be replaced, but doesn't it look better?

Of course, there's still a whole list of things to be done to the outside, and most of it will happen at the very end, but I think this alone makes a huge difference.

Here's the back. Ignore the burn pile and huge mess in general.

On the inside, my dad did a lot of tearing out. The ceilings in the back (green) bedroom and in the utility room were ridiculously low so he tore out the sheetrock so they'll be higher.

These next few pictures are really bad quality because they were taken with a phone, but here's a little of that "tearing out" process.

Looking better, right? :)

And the finished product......

It's really hard to tell in this picture, but basically the roof is going to be slanted upward. Once it's sheetrocked, I think it will actually look really cool.

So there you have it. That's pretty much everything that's been accomplished this week. There is still sooooo much to do, but I'm excited to see some kind of progress!

'Til next time!

Where We've Been All Week

2011-07-23T08:37:00.000-05:00

So we've been a little preoccupied this week; hence, the lack of posts.

Our days have been consumed with...

Pandamania Vacation Bible School!

I was a crew leader and song leader again this year. I wasn't sure what Eden would think about the overwhelming number of wild and loud children. I thought she might freak a little and want to get out the door as soon as possible.

Um, no.

She LOVED it.

Mommy and Eden

She thought Bible School was the most fun event of her life. She ran wild just like the rest of the kids. She sang and danced and clapped like crazy. She made crafts. And she hauled around one or more panda bears for the entire week.

Givin' some sugars

Eden and her new Bible School buddy, Colton.

Mimi and Eden

My dad got some really cute video of Eden singing and doing motions during the songs, but I couldn't get it to upload. Let's just say it's adorable. Her new favorite phrase is "He's Wild!" (God is wild about us!)

Poor thing is going to be so disappointed to find church "back to normal" on Sunday.

Introducing... Makeover Monday!

2011-07-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

Welcome to a new weekly series on Then There Were Three! It's called "Makeover Monday."

And what will we be making over, you ask?

This.

This is the house that Tyler and I plan to move into once it is completely MADE OVER.

That's right, we're moving.

I know, I know, we just bought our house. And we love it. But moving is going to put us in a much better financial situation so we can worry less about money and working and more about spending time with our family.

And that's a plus.

(In the meantime we have to sell our house so you can PLEASE be praying that that happens!)

Over the next few months, I will give you an update on the makeover of this house because, let me tell you, it's going to be a big one. My dad is doing practically all the work. (That's him on the porch.) And before I go any further, let me just give him major props. He works miracles in houses. He turns dumps into "showplaces," as he humbly calls them. And he's the only one I'd trust to turn this mess into something livable.

Living Room

Bedroom #1

Dining Room

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #3

You thought I was exaggerating when I called this place a mess, huh? Yeah, totally not.

Utility Room

I mean TOTALLY not.

Bathroom

At least the paint colors are nice though, right?

Kitchen

Back of House

Let me also say that I am quite embarassed to even be showing you these pictures. I mean, wow, you can see why. But I also think it will be fun for you to watch the progress as it happens. And I promise, it will happen!

So sit back, relax, and come back each Monday.

(and other days too)

And enjoy (and tell your friends and share through your social networks)

Makeover Monday!

It should be fun. :)

P.S. Another interesting aspect of this here process will be the race between the selling of our house, the finishing of this house and the arrival of Baby #2. I'm totally pulling for the sale to win, the remodel to come in second, and the baby to come in third. But we shall see.

What Love Is...(an anniversary post)

2011-07-15T08:53:00.000-05:00

Today, Tyler and I have been married five years. (FIVE!) To me, that seems like a lot, considering most of my friends have been less than half that.

But we was youngins' when we got hitched.

Me, 19, Tyler, 21

But in case you didn't know us back then, it was not something we rushed into. We started planning our wedding (in our minds) years before the big day. You see, we may have been youngins' when we got married, but we were babies! when we started dating.

Me, 14, Tyler, 16

So actually, we have just now been married as long as we dated. Wow.

Nothing can beat the memories we've made in our five years of marriage. We finished college together, bought our first house and had the most precious little girl God could ever have given us. Sometimes it seems like this has always been my life (Married With Kids).

But then I look through old pictures, like I did preparing for this blog post, and I'm swept back to the ninth grade, when I had the biggest crush on the hottest guy I'd ever met.

In those days, I worked hard to get that boy's attention. I wore my dark denim skirt, stretchy kitty cat shirt and perfectly crimped hair to church every Sunday because it was just so darn cute, and one of these days that boy is going to show up and see just how cute I really am.

Me at 14, thinking I look hot.

Finally, the kitty cat shirt won him over and "Kelcie and Tyler" became an item. A real Cory and Topanga kind of item.

We watched each other grow up. We watched each other fail. And we forgave each other along the way. Because that's what love does. (1 Cor. 13) And even though we were babies, we kind of got it.

Five years into marriage, life is definitely different. We have bigger challenges, struggles and real world problems to deal with every day. We still fail each other a lot. But love isn't feelings; love is commitment. And we still get it.

Happy Anniversary, Babe! xoxo

And The Winner is...................

2011-07-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

First of all, thank you to all who entered the Yellowbees Giveaway! We had a lot of good participation and blog traffic!

According to the Random Number Picker, the winner is...........................
...................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................

Comment Number 1: Candice Hair!!!!

Congrats Candice! Please contact Yellowbees Facebook Page to claim your prize!

Thanks again everyone else for entering the giveaway! If you visited my blog for the first time, please become a follower! Also, you can LIKE my blog Facebook Page. I would much appreciate that! :-) And come back soon!

Yellowbees Giveaway!

2011-07-06T07:59:00.000-05:00

Today is an exciting day... for YOU!

Because it's a GIVEAWAY DAY, that's why!

I'd like to introduce you to my friend Jacklyn, the owner of Yellowbees.

Say "Hi Jacklyn!"

She hand-makes some stinkin' adorable stuff for little guys and gals. Here are a few of my favorite items from her shop.

Birds in Flight Toddler Backpack

Ladybug bloomers and onesie

Reversible pinafore

Are you in love???

Ok, so here's the deal. Visit the Yellowbees Facebook Page and LIKE it (that's a requirement). Then look around there or the Yellowbees Etsy Shop. Find your favorite item (the one you want to win!) and leave a comment on this post telling me which is your favorite. I will randomly select a winner on MONDAY from the entries.

Good luck!!!

Learning is All Around

2011-07-01T09:54:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned how much Eden is into letters and numbers? Ok, yes I'm sure I have because my mom says I ~~brag on her entirely too much~~ talk about things like that a lot. Well, now Eden is finding letters and numbers EVERYWHERE. She's finding them in things that you or I would totally overlook. But her little observant eyes and education-craving mind spots them.

For example,

there is this random little piece of plastic outside on our patio. I have no idea what it came from. If it hadn't been for her, I'm sure I never would have noticed it. But one day when we were playing outside, she brought it to me and proudly proclaimed....

"Nine!"

And as if that alone weren't a keen enough observation, she then turned it around and said...

"Six!"

Ummm, sure! I never would have spotted this little do-hickey and seen numbers, but my child, she watches a lot of PBS Kids, and education is at the forefront of her little brain.

A couple days later, my mom and sister were watching Eden at their house while I worked. I got a message from my sister with a picture of the plug in Eden's plastic swimming pool.

"Eden saw this and said 'Q!'" the text said.

Of course she did.

The next day Eden and I were in the kitchen and she knelt down, eyeing something on the floor. What had she spotted? A chip in the tile, which she proudly labled...

"D!"

What can I say? My girl, she's all about her education.

Preparing My Head and Heart for Baby #2

2011-06-27T13:58:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't seen it, I wanted to share with you the "Family Chatter" column I got to write for the July edition of Little Rock Family. It's a column we run each month on the last page of the magazine, where various parents/grandparents get to share what's going on in their lives and hearts concerning their family.

As soon as I knew I was going to do it, I knew I wanted to write about Baby #2. I had to be quiet and still for a while and just think. I had to think about the new baby entering our family and process the feelings that came with that news. This piece is that process.

Click here!

But the bottom line is this: I am SO excited about having a second child. Tyler and I both are. Like I said in the article, I know there's room in our hearts and home for another one. And I know God will work out the not-enough-hours-in-the-day, not-enough-arms-on-my-body, not-enough-money-in-the-bank issues. He always does.

I can't wait to watch the rest of our story unfold.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

2011-06-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had my first ultrasound for Baby #2.

Seeing our baby on the monitor was no less remarkable this time than it was with Eden. It was absolutely amazing.

There is something about seeing your baby in an ultrasound that just makes the pregnancy so much more REAL. There is a real, live, beating-heart baby inside of me.

I have always been a supporter of Pro-Life issues, but being pregnant makes me want to be one even more, if that's possible.

As of tomorrow, I'll be 12 weeks along. That means, according to Babycenter.com, my baby is the size of a lime, has fully formed arms, legs, fingers, toes, eyes, nose and even reflexes. Its kidneys are functioning, its nerve cells are rapidly multiplying, and synapses are furiously forming inside its brain.

To me, that sounds like so much more than a "fetus"! You can call me crazy, but I even think I've already felt this baby move a couple times, which the doc told me is possible. And judging by how much the little stinker was kicking and flinging around on the ultrasound screen, it's likely!

Bottom line is that I will never comprehend how we can, as a society and a nation, "OK" the practice of aborting babies. Tyler and I talked about it later and could only shake our heads in disbelief and disgust. That baby we saw kicking around on the screen was just as alive as the one sitting with me on the exam table.

I read that 84 percent of women decide against an abortion after having an ultrasound. (That's why they are so important) And that makes perfect sense to me after seeing how very ALIVE those little babies are.

But even more than to me, I know they are very alive to God.

Psalm 139:13-16 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

She's Diagnosed; I'm...Delusional?

2011-06-14T17:09:00.000-05:00

We just got back from the doctor. On top of not sleeping, Eden developed the runniest nose ever and a horrible hacking cough. So I relented and took her in again.

And I'm glad I did. Double ear infection. Again. Or *still*

Apparently drugs didn't do the trick two weeks ago. So we got a stronger round of antibiotics, and I'm hoping/praying these do the trick. And we can all start sleeping again.

And speaking of sleep... (lame segway into a ~~totally~~ mostly unrelated topic)

My sleep these days is filled with some INTERESTING dreams. They say that's normal for us pregnant ones. And I've always had frequent, vivid dreams. But these lately are just STRANGE.

Here's the latest. The other night I dreamed Tyler came home FULLY tattooed. Like from his neck to his fingers to his toes.

And the best part? It was all NEON. Everything except his face was a huge splash of pink, orange and green tye-dyed disgustingness.

Something like this.

credit: BodyPaintZone.com

only BRIGHTER!

Anyway, as soon as I saw him I literally fell prostrate on the floor, buried my face in the hardwood and bawled my eyes out.

But then, to save the day, Tyler told me The Good News: it washed off! Most of it...

There were only two tattoos that were permanent. One on his back was a huge eagle with a computer in the middle of it. He told me it symbolized..........................

wait for it................................

Online Witnessing!

bahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa

This still makes me laugh at its ridiculousness.

The other *permanent* tattoo on his body was one on his ankle. And it, thank goodness, was just his dad's name. Except it wasn't his dad's name at all. It was something crazy like "Merlan" (I apologize if that's your dad's name), but it's definitely not his, and it was just WEIRD. Even weirder though was that, once again, this tattoo was all neon and girly, in BUBBLE LETTERS no less!

Oh well. I guess I'd take a man with a weirdo religious symbol and a girly looking grandpa name tattoo over one who was FULLY tattooed.

Just for kicks, here's the picture again.

He seriously thinks he's bad to the bone, huh?

Oh, also, Kat has crazy pregnancy dreams too! Read and laugh.

The End.

I Don't Miss This

2011-06-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Ever since we got back from vacation a couple weeks ago, Eden has not been sleeping well. Actually she didn't sleep well on the trip either. But I attributed that to the fact that we were in a strange place, she was sleeping in a pack-n-play, and everything was out of routine. So I figured when we got home it might take a little while for her to get back in her routine and start sleeping through the night again. But after a few nights of her waking up several times, we had a REALLY bad night. It was some early morning hour; she was awake again, and she sat crying on my lap. And then she pulled her ear.

Duh, Mother of the Year! Your child has an ear infection!

I (mentally) slapped myself on the forehead and made her a doctor's appointment the next morning. Actually her daddy had to take her because I was babysitting, but sure enough, the doc said she had an infection. But he called it a "slight" infection, which I immediately found hard to believe considering the last week of sleepless nights we had had.

But alas, I faithfully gave her her antibotic for the five or so days it was prescribed and trusted it to take care of the problem.

But it didn't.

At least not the sleeping problem. I am assumming her ear infection is gone now. I mean, surely. But she is still waking up at night. Also, I noticed that she is cutting FOUR new teeth. So that could definitely be part of the problem.

I am thinking it's actually a combination of all the problems. Part "I got out of my routine," part "I got out of my routine more when my ears hurt," and part "My teeth hurt."

Which is really making night time no fun for mommy. Or daytime for that matter. She is so much more whiny and cranky when she doesn't sleep well at night...

All that to say... I do not miss those first 12 months of Eden's life when we were up all night every night.

I'm over it.

(And I'm choosing not to think about the fact that in seven months I'll be doing it all again.)

Babysitting...at least it makes for good pictures :-)

2011-06-03T16:02:00.000-05:00

Well, yes, I am still babysitting two days a week. And yes, sometimes I do feel like pulling my hair out. But lately I've been pulling out the camera instead. When the babies get into mischief, I snap a picture and it helps relieve the stress, at least for a minute! Here's some pics from our crazy days lately.

First, I have to show/tell you about what sweet friends Eden and Brylee have become. When Brylee gets to my house in the mornings, she goes into Eden's room with me to wake her up. And you have never seen two more excited toddlers!

"Bylie!" "Edie!" they exclaim.

Of course, within a few minutes they're stealing each other's toys and pushing each other out of her chair. But they also make-up quickly!

One cute thing is watching the girls love on Luke. I'm sure Brylee does it all the time at home, but I think it's especially sweet to watch Eden do it. I think she is going to love being a big sister!

But then, there is that blessed mischief I was talking about. I thought Eden was a daredevil until I started keeping Brylee. The girl is scared of nothing. She will jump, crawl and climb onto, into and over anything. I have found her in some interesting places!

Yes, they are in this pool with their clothes on. It has been sitting in our yard with water for a week. Until today, Eden would walk up to the edge and stick her hands in it and splash. But today Brylee showed her, "Look Eden, you don't have to wait on a swimsuit to go swimming!" So they just plunged in :-)

Technical Difficulties and Vacation Pics

2011-05-31T09:46:00.001-05:00

Well due to some extenuating circumstances, my "blog vacation" went a little longer than expected. We returned from Florida late Thursday night, but I wasn't able to get my computer back until Saturday. It was once again getting fixed because a small child (this time my own) had once again removed the majority of the keys.

SO I finally got my computer back and Sunday sat down to blog and catch up on every Internet thing I had missed during the last week. Before getting started, I left the computer unattended for two minutes to make a phone call, and when I returned...
&%$#!#$%%^^&^%$#$%%%^$$%$%$##@#@#$%%^

Disaster (small child) had struck AGAIN.

What followed was a total nervous breakdown by me and genuinely terrified cries by the small child who saw FIRE in her mama's eyes.

However, I am happy to now report that I am typing on my BRAND NEW DESKTOP COMPUTER, purchased yesterday. It has much more durable keys that.....(drum roll please).... easily SNAP back into place! Hopefully my blogging can continue now without interruption.

ANYWAY, yall want to see pictures from the beach right? Here they are. We went with my mom, dad and sister. Except for my poor sis being sick the whole time, we all had a great time. The weather was perfect. I highly recommend going in May!

Eden had a great time. She was a little scared of the ocean water, but she had fun playing in the sand, and she LOVED the pool.

She took a good long nap on the beach every day. I think she thought the waves were relaxing!

We also had such a nice place to stay. The view from our 14th floor condo was amazing!

We definitely made some lasting memories. There's nothing like your child's first trip to the beach. Can't wait to do it again with the next one!

VACAY

2011-05-20T19:23:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you all know that we're leaving for Florida tomorrow so the blog will be post-less for the next week! I fully intend to vacation from the Internet, along with everything else. A full post with all the beachy details and adorable pics of the cutest baby out there will follow.

Don't be too jealous.

credit: FloridaFlorida.org

Adios!

Change Is A Comin'

2011-05-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

Today, I had my first doctor's visit, and they confirmed that I am PREGNANT. (I tend to have doubts until a doc tells me for sure.) I am approximately 7 weeks and due Jan. 4.

We are so excited. I really think Eden is going to love being a big sister and having a little baby to love on. And I am truly excited about touching, cuddling and smelling another sweet newborn.

But at the same time, it's a little overwhelming to think of all that needs to be done before he/she arrives. (More on that later. There's big, gigantic things to be done.)

But the biggest, (duh), is COMING UP WITH A NEW BLOG NAME!

The comment section is now officially open to suggestions. Let me have 'em!

Eden Knows the Alphabet

2011-05-13T14:07:00.000-05:00

I can't help it. I have to show off another of my daughter's new skills because it amazes me and should you too. At 18 1/2 months old, Eden already knew all her letters except three! She usually mistakes F for P, J for Q and X for K. But that's understandable, right? Anyway, this video does NOT do her skills justice, but it's the best I've gotten captured. Repeat Disclaimer: this is probably one of her worst performances (but of course the only time I had the camera). But it's still pretty darn good!

GAME CHANGER

2011-05-10T08:09:00.000-05:00

Well, I have big, exciting, life-changing news to share with you all today! ............................................................................................................................................
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........ I'm PREGNANT!!...................................................................
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........................................................................And it's TWINS!!!!!
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Ok, that last part is TOTALLY a joke!! At least I hope so, anyway.

But the first part is TRUE!!!!

Eden is going to be a big sister!

We're pretty pumped around here.

Oh, and can I just say that this comment on my last post just made me laugh?

Savannah, you must be prophetic!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Discipline is a Doozie

2011-05-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

Before I became a mom, I watched little kids scream and cry and make a scene in Wal-Mart because they didn't get the water gun they wanted... and I swore my kids would never be like that.

I, of course, would be a much more stern, in-control mother, whose kids were well behaved in public because they knew if they weren't.... they would deal with The Almighty Spanking. (Just spank that kid, woman!)

But then... I became a mom.

And that sweet, innocent newborn became an independent, personality-filled toddler.

One who, let me tell you, LAUGHS at spankings.

Lately, I have really been struggling with how to discipline Eden. She is 19 months old, and most of the time, she is a sweetheart. But, oh, there is that blessed rebellious streak in her (and most toddlers, probably) that just wants to see how much she can get away with.

One of her favorite "No No's" is climbing on top of the coffee table. She knows it's wrong, but she still does it CONSTANTLY. The other day, after I had gotten her down and told her "No!" about three times... she did it again. I knelt down to her level, looked her in the eye (I watch "Supernanny" sometimes), sternly said "No Eden!," and swatted her little leg! (Sorry, Supernanny)

Do you want to know what Eden did? ...Cry? Bawl? Melt down?

Um, no.

She said, "Hi Mama!" then smiled and gave me a big hug.

Excuse me?

I'm at a loss with this discipline thing.

Another thing Eden is always getting in trouble for is throwing her food on the floor during mealtime. I know this is a common behavior among toddlers, but I still haven't figured out how to deal with it.

She thinks it is just sooo funny to throw her food and waste it or, usually, to throw it to Barnaby (the dog).

But the ~~best~~ worst part? While she's doing this unapproved behavior, she yells, "NOOO!!!!" because she knows it is wrong.

Actual photo of the word "NO" coming out of her mouth.

Ugh.

I try everything I can think of. I swat her hands and her legs, and she quite literally laughs. I have even left red marks on her (which made me feel like the worst. mom. ever.), and she still thought it was funny.

We've even tried "time-out." There is no way Eden would stay put in any chair or corner, so a couple of times my husband has put Eden in her crib and told her she was in "time-out." ...Her response?

Playing and laughter.

We fail.

(It's obviously just a matter of time til she throws that fit for a water gun in Wal-Mart.)

What I'm Loving Wednesday (and an announcement)

2011-05-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday to ya!

First of all, I'm Loving that I got to spend the entire day on Saturday out on the town with my little girl.

We went to the March of Dimes' March for Babies in the morning...

And after a lunch at Chick-Fil-A, we went to "help" out at Arkansas YES! (an event that the company I work for was putting on) (except we didn't do much in the way of volunteering, cause I was, ya know, chasing a toddler to and fro)

She really did have fun running around all over War Memorial Stadium, but as you can see, she did NOT have fun when I made her stand still (or when I put the leash on her, but that's another whole story I'll share with you later).

Moving on! I'm Loving these Barbecue Chicken Legs that I made yesterday because I am still (and will probably forever be) on a Pioneer Woman Cooking Kick. Yummmm. (oh, and the lonesome one without sauce was Eden's...)

And I'm Loving this video of Carrie Underwood singing "How Great Thou Art." Isn't it awesome to know that no matter what comes our way (tornadoes, floods, family problems), God is great. He is in control. And we have the hope of one day going home to be with Him! This video almost brought me to tears.

And now, I have a rather sad announcement to make...

Today will be my last What I'm Loving Wednesday. But don't worry, I have other, more exciting things in store. If you're visiting from the WILW link-up, please become a follower and come back! Like I said... there are even more exciting things to come. So stay tuned!

And Happy Wednesday! :-)

And the Winner is...

2011-04-29T15:16:00.000-05:00

It was a close competition :-) but the winner of the Family Four Pack of tickets to Arkansas YES! is...

Bambi Bartlett

Bambi, contact me to find out how to pick up your prize. I hope your family enjoys the event!

YES! Event Giveaway

2011-04-28T09:18:00.000-05:00

What are your plans for this weekend? According to Today's THV, it's going to be beautiful!

After hunkering down and hiding out from storms all week, you and your family should treat yourselves to a fun-filled Saturday out in the sun! And what should you do???

Attend Arkansas YES! (Youth Enjoying Summer) at War Memorial Stadium from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

This event, brought to you by Little Rock Family and Arkansas Sports 360, is a full day of family fun where kids can compete in individual sports competitions and parents can plan their kids' entire summer!

Competitions will include Boys & Girls Club Basketball, The First Tee Golf, Junior Deputy Home Run Derby, LifeCHAMPS Pass & Kick Challenge and YMCA Soccer Shootout. Plus, exhibitors will line the field to promote and demonstrate the summer's best activities, camps and programs, and you can sign your kids up on the spot!

And guess what!?!?

I'm GIVING AWAY a Family Four Pack of Tickets RIGHT HERE! The package also includes 8 YES bucks to use on the sports competitions! AND each ticket is also good for one free admission to an Arkansas Travelers baseball game!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below saying YES!

And, if you'd like additional entries, do any of the following:

"Like" Little Rock Family on Facebook and leave a comment here saying that you did.

"Like" Arkansas Sports 360 on Facebook and leave a comment here saying that you did.

"Like" Then There Were Three on Facebook and leave a comment here saying that you did.

Follow @LRFamily on Twitter and leave a comment here saying that you did.

Follow @ArkSports360 on Twitter and leave a comment here saying that you did.

Follow me @KelcieHuff on Twitter and leave a comment here saying that you did.

SO... you can have up to 7 entries!

I'll announce the winner tomorrow (Friday) afternoon around 3 p.m.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-04-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna cheat a little on this Wednesday and just give you one thing I'm Loving.

But it's a good one.

It's called...

"After Bath Time Jam Sessions with Da Da"

I mean, how could you not Love that?!

What are you Loving today? Link up here and let us know!

A Day of Celebration

2011-04-25T09:39:00.000-05:00

It seems like each Holiday is getting more and more fun with Eden. As she gets older, there are more activities we can do with her that we couldn't do last year.

Our first Easter activity of the weekend was dyeing eggs on Saturday. Last year I dyed eggs by myself while Eden napped, but this year I wanted somehow to include her. So I sat her up on the counter and attempted to let her "help me." Eden is just 18 months old so this was still a very brave task! It was all I could do to keep her hands out of the dye and keep her from taking bites out of the eggs! Her favorite part, though, was naming all the colors she saw (which she's very good at doing!).

Then Sunday morning, when her daddy got home from work, we gave Eden her Easter basket. I didn't attempt to do the whole "Easter Bunny" thing. I just brought it out to her (obviously from my closet where it was hiding). My parents never really stressed the "Easter Bunny" so I guess that's why I haven't either. Not that she knows the difference right now anyway!

She loved her basket. There wasn't a lot in it, but I knew as long as she saw something with either Dora/Diego and Sesame Street, she would love it. And I was right!

Then it was off to church, where we had a totally packed house! Unfortunately, I had to miss most of the service because Eden refuses to stay in the nursery with any nursery worker. I did get to go back in at the end for the Baptism that we had. Two girls from our youth group got Baptized. I was very excited for them!

I tried to think of a way to do an Easter activity with Eden that would help teach her the TRUE meaning of Easter, but I couldn't think of anything age appropriate. Hopefully she got something out of the part of the service she did stay in! :-)

After church we headed to my Nana and Papa's for lunch with the family. Each year our gatherings get bigger and bigger as more people get married and have kids. This year we had enough little ones for a good egg hunt. Most of the kiddos (especially Eden!) were too young to really understand the concept, but they had fun anyway. And all the adults had fun watching and taking pictures!

It was a really great day. I was so thankful it didn't rain like I thought it would. I love spending beautiful days with my family and praising our Lord for the gift of His Son!

"Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead!" Luke 24:5-6

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-04-20T10:26:00.002-05:00

Hello all!

I'm Loving that my computer has been fixed!!!

I really meant to mention this in one of my last couple of posts... but a HUGE shout out to my cousin Heidi who made this happen! She worked a miracle, folks!

I'm Loving this watch I picked up at the Memphis Flea Market for just ten bucks!

I think it's a rip-off of some expensive brand, but it's cute, right?

I'm Loving cooking with Pioneer Woman's recipes! In the past couple of weeks I have made her "Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic," "Fried Round Steak," and most importantly.....

THIS!

I mentioned that she told us about this easy, amazing Apple Dumpling recipe at the Lit Fest a couple weeks ago, and well, I tried it. And well, she was 100% correct that SOMETHING MAGICAL happens when you pop these babies in the oven. They were absolutely the most delicious thing my taste buds have ever touched. Seriously. I'm still kind of in shock about it.

I'm Loving that Flower Patch Farmgirl (whose blog I mentioned in my last WILW) commented on my last post! :)

And lastly, I'm Loving that last night I got to go eat with some great friends for sweet Ginger's birthday. Good times and delicious food!

What are you Loving today? Link up here and let us know!

Happy Wednesday!

Easter Fun

2011-04-18T10:23:00.000-05:00

Saturday, my sister and I took Eden to the Easter Family Festival at the Clinton Presidential Center. I have to say, it is an event well worth attending. All of it was FREE! It was a little cold when we first got there, but thankfully it warmed up and turned into a really pretty day. I think Eden had a lot of fun, and she sure did look cute!

This hair bow was supposed to make its debut on Easter Sunday, but my sister convinced me to break it out for this outfit. I think it was a good choice! :-)

The Easter Egg Hunt was perfect for Eden's age group. Basically there was just a bunch of eggs on the ground, and the kids could go pick them up! They weren't hidden at all. Anytime there are a bunch of "balls" all over the place, Eden is all for it!

Speaking of balls, I wasn't sure what Eden would think of being put in this closed-in ball pit, but like I said, anytime there are a bunch of balls, she loves it! I should have known. She thought it was the best thing ever!

There was also a petting zoo with some pretty unique animals.

I really wanted to get Eden's picture made with the Easter Bunny, but the line for that was a mile long. So our last activity of the day was letting Eden bang on a bunch of drums and play with other instruments. Needless to say, this area was LOUD!

Then it was off to a yummy lunch at Olive Garden. I love days like this. Nothing like beautiful spring days and fun times with my girl! (and Sis! :))

She's A Smart One

2011-04-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

Eden is 18 months old, and not to toot her little horn or anything, but I think she is a stinkin' smart toddler! She can identify and name all her colors, plus a ton of other random objects. There are some blocks at my mom's house with letters and pictures on them, and Eden can name practically all of them! Here's the video to prove it. And if you can't make out what she's saying, you'll just have to trust us. She's saying what we say she's saying! :)

Something Like This Was Bound To Happen

2011-04-12T11:48:00.001-05:00

My new babysitting days are Thursdays and Fridays, but yesterday the Monday girl couldn't do it so I filled in.

I was back in my bedroom yesterday trying to get Luke, the baby, to sleep and left the girls unattended for just a few minutes. I came out to find Brylee standing on the computer desk chair.... and this is what was in front of her.

Somehow I kept my composure well enough to snap this photo, but on the inside I was having a ~~slight~~ nervous breakdown.

I'm typing this post on my parents' computer, and I'm supposed to be getting a loaner from another girl this afternoon. So hopefully this mishap won't affect my blogging too much.

I told Brylee's mom not to worry about it. I know this could have JUST as easily been Eden who did it. In fact, I'm surprised it wasn't. She had already pulled off my shift key.

Like I said, something like this was bound to happen: 3 babies +1 adult = (some form of) Trouble.

Or maybe I'm not the SuperBabysitter I thought I was.

Three Little Munchkins

2011-04-09T10:30:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting/needing to find some extra work for a while now. Something part-time, close to home, flexible. I've thought about babysitting but was always nervous that someone else's kid(s) plus my own would be... tough. After all, I've only ever had 1 kid! I don't know anything different.

But last week an opportunity presented itself for me to babysit two kiddos two days a week, or at least to try it out. After giving it some thought, I decided to give it a go.

Bright and early Thursday morning Kourtney brought over Brylee and Luke. Brylee is exactly the same age as Eden (18 months), and Luke is 4 months. So, yes, I had my hands full!

But all in all, it went smoother than I expected. Brylee and Luke are great kids!

Eden had so much fun with Brylee. Even though she called her "Lella" the whole two days (that's babytalk for Ella, our cousin).

We played outside a lot! These two looove their wagon rides. And sticks. And dirt. And leaves. And rocks.

And most definitely, they love their popelles! (that's babytalk for popcicles)

And Luke found something he loved too -- The Swing.

My biggest achievement from my first two days on the job? Getting ALL THREE BABIES to sleep AT THE SAME TIME.

Two days in a row, people! For this, I declared myself #SuperBabysitter on the Twitters.

Like I said, altogether, everything went really well. Although I was exhausted at the end of each day (I think pulling 50 lbs. in a wagon with a 17 pounder strapped to my stomach had something to do with that...), I still really enjoyed those wittle babies! And I think I just may keep them again :-).

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-04-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Today!

I'm Loving these ready-made pizzas from Wal-Mart. We've had two of them in the last week! They are only $6.98 and they are HUGE! So huge that you can eat off one for like 2 days.

Disclaimer: Obviously Wal-Mart didn't give me anything for promoting their yummy pizzas. Besides the fact that Wal-Mart has no idea who I am... no one would have to bribe me to promote these! Did I mention they're only $6.98?!

Also, I'm Loving these sugar-free cake mixes from Pillsbury. Make it with apple sauce instead of oil and you have one dee-licious, healthy(er) sweet treat.

Again, this is totally my unbribed, honest opinion. Although, it would be nice to be a big enough blogger that people actually paid me to do this stuff!

Next, I'm Loving these blogs. So So Much.

Flower Patch Farmgirl

Storing Up Treasures

The Wiegands

That third one is a beauty! Makes me jealous!

I'm Loving the way Eden and Barnaby play together now days. They are BFFs.

And lastly, I'm Loving that this weekend is the Arkansas Literary Festival, and I get to hang out with Savannah and listen to Kyran!

You should come too!

Don't forget to link up here and share what you're Loving!

Happy Wednesday!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-03-30T10:07:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

Today, I'm Loving that Eden is finally over this crazy virus! She was a very sick little girl for several days.

Sad, sick baby :(

Saturday night her fever got so high we thought we might have to take her to the ER. Thankfully she's been fever free now for two days! Thank the Lord!

I'm Loving that I made chocolate gravy Saturday morning for breakfast. I used to make this a lot when Tyler and I first got married. But I haven't made it in a couple of years. Amanda reminded me how good it was...

I'm Loving the memory board in our living room that I filled with photos from Wye Mountain. I thought it turned out so cute!

I'm Loving this one-pot lasagna I made for supper last night. Think lasagna is too hard to make? Try this EASY recipe.

1. Brown 1 lb. ground beef (we use deer meat). Drain and return to skillet.
2. Stir in 1 jar of spaghetti sauce and 1 TBS Italian seasoning. Bring to boil.
3. Add 1 cup water and 8 oz. uncooked egg noodles. Cover and cook on medium for 15 min.
4. Stir in 12 oz. (we use 16 oz) cottage cheese. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Voila! I don't usually post recipes, but that was just too easy not to!

I'm Loving the movie I watched last night, "The Next Three Days," with Russell Crowe. Oh my goodness, it was good! Go rent it at Redbox NOW!

credit: Cheri-Movie.com

And, lastly, I'm Loving my two favorite people.

What are you Loving today? Link up here and let us know!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-03-23T08:08:00.000-05:00

I'm Loving that yesterday Eden and I got to go to Wye Mountain and take pictures in the daffodil fields! I wanted to take her last year and never got the chance so I was so excited when a few of our friends decided to go! I'm Loving these pictures I got too. Even though it is SO hard getting pictures of Eden because she runs WILD and I have to chase her like crazy, I managed to get a few good ones. Enjoy.

What are you Loving today?