News to share...

A few months ago, we were ecstatic to see this...

...and a few weeks later, we were blessed to see this...

We are thrilled to announce that Lord willing, we will be parents to two in mid-May (that means I just finished the first trimester).  I have been feeling great.  I didn't get very sick with Adeline, and this baby has been even kinder.  I've been tired a lot, but I've just made a point of getting more sleep and napping some days when Adeline naps.  It is amazing how much faster I've popped out the second time around.  I know....I'll post pictures soon.  We would appreciate your prayers over the coming months.

Sunday Finest

This was not a Sunday outfit, but I decided to include it because it is just too darn cute and getting too small for my growing girl.

Here's her real Sunday finest...and you even get to see that cute baby belly.  

...her serious face.  You didn't think she smiled ALL the time, did you?

When you want parenting advice...

...blog about it!

I just know one of you has the perfect solution for me.  We are blessed with a spare bathroom...which means Adeline has a tub all to herself, and I can leave her bath toys in the bottom of the tub to dry.  It is a wonderful luxury to not have to clean them up every night.  However, some of them have a nice little scum forming on them, which is not ideal for the environment where you want to clean your child.  Does anyone have a way to keep those bath toys slime proof?  What solution do you use to clean your bath toys?  I am looking for a soak them in a solution of _________ while the grime dissolves into the universe type of answer and not one that actually requires the use of elbow grease for me to wash each toy.  Bleach seems a bit harsh.  I've seen the toy holders where you can scoop up the toys and hang them to dry, but I don't understand how having them piled in a heap will help the drying situation more than leaving them in the bottom of the tub (btw, I do make sure the cup-type-toys are emptied of any standing water).  Help!!!

What I've Been Reading...

It has been quite some time since I've done one of these posts.  I do them mostly so I can keep track of what I'm reading....and to give my opinions for those of you who are readers.  Enjoy!

The Shack by William P. Young

I read about this one on SEVERAL of your blogs.  Since I enjoy reading, I had to find out what all the hype was about.  After our move we figured out that we have WAY too many books.  We need to downsize, and we are going to try to be more diligent about getting things from the library.  So, off I went....I was 90th on the waiting list!!!  Granted, there were at least 30 copies in circulation across the county, but still!  Okay, now for the actual review...

I must admit, I didn't love this as much as I thought I would (based on the glowing reviews from most of you).  However, after I finished it, I found it was still on my mind....FOR WEEKS!  I guess it impacted me more than I thought.  The author certainly helps to answer the age old question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  He shows how God not only cares about the trials in our lives but actually REDEEMS them for our good and His glory.  I think this one is worth the read.

Completely His (Loving Jesus Without Limits) by Shannon Ethridge

My friend, Valerie, lent me this book over the summer, and I DID read it several month ago (sorry, Val, I know I need to send it back to you soon).  I think she did this as a women's study at her church.  I really enjoyed this book.  The author really captures our God who LOVES us and pursues us with a passion and depth that we can only imagine.  She begins by telling her story of how God redeemed a truly tragic event in her life and changed her forever.  If you struggle with self esteem or feeling like you are truly loved by God, this book will help you to feel worthy and see yourself as God sees you.  Pick this one up!

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

A classic that I read for the women's book club at my church.  I LOVED THIS BOOK!  You really must read this is you haven't already.  It is Corrie Ten Boom's account of her life during the holocaust and the witness she and her sister had in the concentration camps.  Their story of faith, grace, and sacrifice will change your life.  They truly believed you need to give God thanks and praise for EVERYTHING.  At one point, Corrie is complaining about the lice, and her sister insists they must be thankful, even for the lice.  Later, it is revealed that the guards stay around the perimeter of their work area and do not infiltrate the center because of the lice!  This is the reason they are able to read the scriptures and share the gospel with so many.  There are many examples in this book of how to live your life sold out for Christ.  This one makes my all-time favorites list.

Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers

I don't know what it is about this series that just gets in my head!  This was my fun vacation read, and I devoured it in 2 1/2 days.  Although they are thick, they are quick, and action packed.  I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and twists in the story.  I still maintain my position that these are "chick lit," but this chick definitely likes them.

Strange commenter anyone?

As I've been spending my evening tooling through your blogs and catching up on your lives, I just realized that my husband is signed in to the comment section after leaving a comment on this post.  There is no way I will figure out all the places I have been or where I have commented, so just know that if you got a comment from "Patrick"...and you've never gotten one from him before....IT'S ME!!

Wordless Wednesday---I dunno

Beach Vacation

Just thought I would share a few pix from our wonderful beach vacation.  Here is our lovely room...

Adeline loved to sit on this glider...she loves all things that rock.  Grandma loves to be anywhere Adeline is.

Addie with her first taste of the adventures of bike riding.  The first time, she fell asleep for most of the ride.  The second time, she kept saying, "Wheeee!"  And, yeah, the helmet didn't last...sorry daddy.

We all had lots of time for reading (I read an entire book...it was wonderful).  Post coming soon with reviews of the books I have read over the past few weeks....

Adeline went away with Grandpa (paw-paw) every morning while the rest of us got some sleep (Addie apparently thought playing and rocking with grandma were much bigger priorities than sleeping, much to our chagrin).  She LOVED to watch the ocean.  He had a hard time getting here away from there.  In the picture below, they are people watching while grandma and I enjoyed some shopping.  

Thanks, mom and dad, we had a blast!

Sunday Finest

Alana, this one's for you...

Queen Anne's Farm

Oh, how I love all things fall, and this trip to Queen Anne's Farm was the quintessential fall activity.  We went with our friends, Rob and Megan, and their kids, William and Lucy.  Such fun!  The weather was perfect.

Here's Lucy

...and William

Beautiful fields of sunflowers and pumpkins

There were other fun animals to see...chickens, sheep, and a sweet golden lab.

Nothing better than playing peek-a-boo with daddy in a pumpkin house.

We came home with apples fresh from the trees.  I threw on some burgers, and we had a wonderful meal on our deck.  What a great day!

Sunday Finest (on Tuesday)

Sorry, I've been a bit lax about posting these lately....she's still cute as a button though.

We are heading to the beach tonight.  We are meeting my parents there and will be gone until Saturday.  Have I mentioned before that I LOVE vacation?!?  I have one more post coming this week, but I'll catch up with you all next week.  Have a good one!

Isn't it ironic...don't ya think

...a little too ironic (thanks Alanis for the intro)

My sweet hubby is rarely the lead character in my blog posts...he prefers it that way, but this story was too good not to share.  You may remember this recent post.  While I was home for the farm show and all its glorious attributes, Patrick called me one evening at 9:30 to tell me he was locked out of the house.  The door leading from our house to the garage strikes again.  I proceeded to go online and find a locksmith in the area, and I called from PA to send them his way.  I called Patrick to share the news and we ended up chatting for about 20 min while waiting for them to arrive.  I asked if he had checked the mail since I'd been gone (usually my job).  He hadn't.  What a nice surprise to find a package in our box.  The conversation went something like this...

P:  Did you order something from ebay?

L:  I don't think so.

P:  It sounds like broken glass

L:  Great...well, open it!

P:  Do we know anyone at Fort Collins,?

L:  um, where is Fort Collins?

P:  Oh!  It's from the people who sold us the house (sidenote...we never met them.  They moved out west and did their part of the closing from there).  Their packers were a little ambitious, and they are sending us stuff that should have stayed at the house (aka the dish drain stopper, instruction manuals, and KEYS!).

L:  Does this mean you can get in the house?

P: Oh, right....KEYS!!!

The keys worked.  I immediately called the locksmith to cancel.  He was pulling in the driveway.  $39 later, I had a blog post and a story that we will otherwise try to forget in our pile of memories labeled "OOPS!"

Yes, we bought a lockbox for outside and this will hopefully be the last blog entry of this topic.  sigh...

The Farm Show in all it's Glory

One of the many reasons I love fall......and small town life.

                    

(yes, that IS a giant ketchup stain on her white shirt.  She got a little crazy with the french fries).

Adeline LOVED playing in the corn.  Seriously, she could stand here for hours.

The next evening she had to show Grandpa and Grandma all the fun.

We weren't sure how Addie would do at the parade.  It is past her bedtime, and there are a lot of loud noises (truck horns and sirens).  She didn't love the fire trucks at the beginning, but she enjoyed the tractors, marching bands, baton twirlers, floats, and music.  Maybe next year she'll appreciate all the candy being thrown her direction.  The highlight, of course, was seeing Leigh Ann waving to all her fans.  Sorry gang, I wasn't quick enough on the draw with my camera.

Forever her love...a bouncy house.

I didn't take a picture of us downing the AMAZING milkshakes (yes, that's plural)....it was all out war to get every sip.  Yep, they're that good.