A Day in Pictures

Here's a little of what we did today:

Coloring with Emma at her table
Stealing some snuggles with Hannah Sue Mommy eating some piggies

The girls lying in Emma's bed with their Loveys

Emma was giving Hannah some kissipoos

I got these in the mail today. They're the 4th of July shirts I ordered for the girls on Etsy. They came out super cute and I can't wait to put them on them!

Lazy Saturday

It has been so HOT, for a couple weeks now. We haven't been making it outside much because our backyard doesn't get any shade and Hannah just doesn't tolerate the heat very well. So, today has been a beautiful-looking-through-the-window-Saturday and I just set first foot outside a minute ago to check the mail. Whoo. I felt like I had my breath sucked out. I'm actually debating keeping Emma up late tonight and taking her outside after Hannah is in bed and the sun has gone down...we'll see.

To beat the inside blues, Emma made a little craft today. I'm really looking forward to when she's a little bit older and less inclined to eat shreds of paper so we can do more crafty stuff. She loves to color and use her Color Wonder markers.

Today we made a cut-out of her hand and decorated it. The scripture written at the top is Isaiah 6:8 "...Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said here am I. Send me!" I pray she does answer God's call on her life and follows after Him.

Oh, and to end with, here is a little shot of her impatients that she's been growing. No blooms yet, but hopefully we're getting close!

Wishes, Hails, and Farwells

We have been having a really great week. Emma is feeling MUCH better! Turns out, poor girl had some pretty bad double ear infections. Boo. But, she's on antibiotics and by the second day she was back to her old self again.

Hannah got a fun surprize in the mail from her Auntie Mae and Uncle Ian (or Uncle Ebee, as Emma would say.) It is a sweet growth chart to hang on her wall. Each increment has a "wish", a total of 100! It's so precious and matches the quilt that they got Emma after she was born. What really makes it sweet is her name and birthday are embroidered at the top. I can't wait for Hannah to be big enough to stand up next to it and see how much she's grown. Thanks, guys!

I also attended my very first "military event" tonight. Don't get too excited, it was pretty casual. Kevin's unit had a Hail and Farwell. Basically, they welcome in new officers and say goodbye to those who are leaving. Kevin was "Hailed" tonight since he is new. It was pretty fun and I got to meet some of the other wives. I may have accidentally gotten myself roped into doing some FRG stuff after talking to the commander's wife; ha, we'll see how that goes. Uncle Joe and Auntie Jill hung out with the girls tonight so we could go. I meant to have them take a picture of us before we went but I totally forgot :) So, I had Kevin take my picture after we got home. I am going to have to corner him to get a uniform picture soon!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Random

Emma is still feeling really yucky today. She started having a few more symptoms so we called the on-call doctor; it is nothing needing urgent care but we are supposed to call and get her an appointment in the morning for an evaluation. Sweet girl, she's been in a pretty good mood considering she's her temp has been above 103 since Thursday afternoon. She felt especially horrible this morning. She just wanted to lay on the couch with her pillow and watch Mary Poppins.




And because I can't post a picture of Emma without posting one of Hannah, here's the sweet girl after her bath tonight



So, I've been attempting to enter the coupon world. I've read so many blogs of people who save $90 on their grocery bill, or get diapers for $2 a pack, or end up getting things free after discounts. It seemed so overwhelming to me to have to cut-out papers and organize everything and then match it up with sales. But, I've been slowly giving it a shot. Today, I had my first big success! I went to Walgreens with a bunch of coupons and a sales ad. Below is what I purchased:
Every single one of these items were already on sale in the store. Even with the discounts that Walgreens applied, the value of these items came to $61.34. After applying my coupons that I had, I only paid........

$21.03!!!!!!

My coupons saved me $40.31! AND, I got $6 in Register Rewards (basically like a gift card) to use on my next purchase so that makes it more like $15.03.

I'm so super excited. I am trying very hard to cut back our grocery budget (I spend WAY too much money on food) and I'm hoping to get it down to $30 a week. Not too bad for a family of 4. Now, I have to see if I can top my savings at the grocery store this week!

Poor Girl

Poor Emma is either sick with a summer virus or is perhaps cutting her next set of molars. Whatever the cause, she has had an "impressive" fever for the last 3 days and is feeling really miserable. She pretty much has not eaten anything and isn't drinking much either. I feel so bad for her because she can't find the words to tell us how she feels or what we can do to make her feel better. We've been keeping her dosed on Tylenol and Motrin round the clock to keep her fever under control. Today, she woke up crying about an hour into her nap. I brought her into the living room and cradled her in my arms and she laid there for nearly an hour! Emma never lets us hold or cuddle her anymore and while I was sad for her that she felt so terrible, it also felt precious to have my girl in my arms. Sigh.

If it is a bug we've managed to keep Hannah from catching it (so far.) She has been in a fantastic mood and smiles all the time. She is really getting the hang of rolling over and loves to chew on her fingers and toys. Last night we discovered that a tip of her second tooth has broke through. She's thinking, "Bring on the steak!"

I think Kevin is going to church solo tomorrow. Emma needs to stay home for obvious reasons and I'm afraid to send Hannah in case it is a bug or virus. Maybe I'll read to the girls from one of Emma's Bible Story books.

*Side note* I always laugh when we read from that book because on the cover is Jesus with a bunch of children. One of the little girls is dark-skinned with dark brown hair and Emma always says, "Dora!"

Trying To Tackle The Terrible....Twenty-one Months???

Tomorrow, my sweet Emma girl will be 21 months old! I can't believe how quickly her second year is going by; we're already thinking about what to do for her birthday. She amazes me with how fast she is learning things and quickly she is fading from a baby into a little girl. She LOVES her baby sissy and is always trying to play with and soothe her. She is turning into such a Daddy's girl and asks about all her Aunties and Uncles every day.

She brings so much joy and entertainment into our daily lives and I am SO blessed to be her Mommy.

However,

lately we are seeing a different side of our little angel. I've heard of the Terrible Two's but, I think our little prodigy is getting a head start. I find myself feeling so unprepared to deal with tantrums, crying fits, ultra sensitivity, and defiance. I love her more than I could ever put to words, but in recent days I feel exhausted. Some days I feel like I am trying to negotiate world peace and doing a song and dance to keep her happy.

I guess, I naively thought, "Not our little sweetheart. She'll never hit me or yell NO! Nope, not this sweet girl."

I know it's normal. I know it's a stage like any other and that she's learning and growing and testing boundaries. I think I'm having such a hard time with it because it makes me realize I am not in control. I can not make her stop screaming. I can not make her obey my words. I can not make her stop hitting. Yes, I can enforce discipline and time-outs. But in the heat of battle, when I'm at my witt's end - I can't make her act the way I want.

I didn't know I had issues with control. Really. It is turning out to be a humbling task of parenting that I'm entrusted with right now. We have "good" days and we have "bad" days. I'm finding comfort with accepting the fact that no matter how good of a Mom I am; even if it were possible for me to be perfect, my child can still rebel.

My pastor once preached on the topic of God's understanding and empathy with parents. HE created the perfect environment for HIS children. HE afforded Adam and Eve every luxury. HE spent endless amounts of quality time with them. HE was available to them all the time and in every perfect way. But, they still rebelled.

While I think this can provide immense comfort for parents with older or adult children that have gone astray, it provides comfort and relief for me too. I know that HE has equipped me with all that I need to raise Emma and Hannah. But, nobody said it was going to be easy. :)

Truth be told, I think the photos of Emma's sad faces are kinda cute.

New Ventures for Everyone!

Wow, things have been busy around here. Last week, we were so lucky to have Mae, Ian, and baby K come visit us. We had such a good time hanging out and catching up. We also took the three cousin girls to have their picture taken! It took 2 tries but we finally got some really cute shots.

We all have embarked on some new ventures. Kevin has officially started working in the ER in the post hospital and will continue until he leaves for OBC in July *sigh* :(

I have started a new Ladies' Bible study and am just loving it. It is a video series of a conference by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur on the life of David. We just had the first week and I am super pumped and feel like God is really going to work some change in my heart and my life.

Hannah Sue has just cut her first tooth!!!! We didn't even know she was teething but I felt around in her mouth yesterday and sure enough there was a little pearly white barely poking through. I told her we could start with some cereal but she would really prefer some steak! ha!

Miss Emma has something pretty exciting to share also. She has started potty-training! Lord help us. I've actually been dreading this; I don't mind diapers but boy I hate pee on the floor! ha! She's been showing signs for a while now, though, that she's ready. Say some prayers for Mommy!

First Sprouts!

We were so excited to look in the pot today and find this:

Emma has been faithful in watering her "fower" and telling it "Love you!" Can't wait to see some blooms...

Flower Power

Emma has planted some Impatients and is very "impatient" to see some results. She did it (pretty much) all by herself. We'll keep you posted on the growth progress. It might be awhile.

She loved scooping up the dirt

She tried picking up the dirt that fell on the ground with her hands; sweet girl :)

She was very careful putting in the seeds

Hannah helped too; she held the supplies until Sissy was ready

The finished product. More pics to follow once we have a sprout!

Drum Roll Please....

This little sister isn't so little anymore

Happy 4 Month Birthday Hannah!!!

Happy Easter (A day late)

Sorry this is coming a day late but yesterday was pretty busy and I just didn't make it to the computer. We had a wonderful day of worship and with family. Jill made a delicious ham dinner and the girls got all kinds of goodies from Mommy and Daddy and their aunties and uncles (the got their Easter from Grammy and Nana and Papa a couple weeks ago.) Here are a few pics of yesterdays highlights. We hope you had a blessed day of reflection and time with loved ones. We love you! Kev, Mandy, Emma and Hannah

Easter Egg Eggstravaganza!

Emma and Hannah went to their very first Easter Egg Hunt today! It was hosted by a family of our new church and was so much fun. Following all the festivities there was a picnic lunch with lots of yummy deserts. There was also a jump house and a little craft table where the girls made foam crosses with their names on it. We got to meet more great people from the church and had a great time. I'll leave you with some great pics and a hilarious video of Emma playing "fetch" with Daddy. Tune in tomorrow for pics of the girls in Easter dresses!!

Big Girl Bed

Emma is officially the proud owner of a toddler bed. Poor girl has been sleeping in her Pack-N-Play for the last 2 weeks :( It's barely big enough for her to lay in and she has hardly protested her lack of space.

Although I'm excited about this new step for her I've been dreading it also just because it's another change and transition for her to have to undergo amidst all the others going on. She would be perfectly happy sleeping in her crib for months to come but we need it for Hannah. Baby girl has been sleeping in her bouncy seat and bassinet and has about reached capacity.

Emma was really excited when we put it together and liked playing on it. She was not so sure about going to sleep in it. She was a little upset this evening at bedtime but after about 10 minutes settled down. Hopefully she'll be able to sleep well through the night (and not fall onto the floor). I've been looking online for some supercute toddler bedding to order for her new room and can't wait to decorate it :)

We're having our home inspection tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed). Also, we still haven't had any luck getting Kevin's status updated so that we can enroll for medical benefits but he made some phone calls today a little higher up the chain that will hopefully make some things happen for Hannah getting her follow-up.

That's all our excitement for today. TTFN- Ta-ta from Tennessee ;)

Home Owners

Our offer has been accepted and we should close by the end of the month!!! yay!!!!

Have you missed us?

Sorry! I'm finally taking some time to sit down and fill you in about what we've been up to this last week or so. Even though not much is going on yet, I feel like we've been so busy!

Kevin is still working on trying to get all of his in-processing accomplished so that me and the girls can be enrolled for benefits, get ID cards, get our vehicles registered for entering post, etc. It turns out that when Kevin's recruiter had him take his initial oath several months ago she entered him into the system as a Reservist instead of Active duty. That means this has to be undone and changed before his family is eligible for benefits. While all of this is just a technicality and will all be taken care of (obviously we have active duty orders and we're here) it is putting a delay on things. Normally I wouldn't be too concerned but I'm anxious to get things squared away so we can get Hannah an appointment with an orthopedist.

---------->UPDATE ON HANNAH----------------> Sorry, I realized I never posted on update after her appointment in Springfield. The pediatric ortho said that in he is almost positive that she will correct her hip situation all on her own, however she does need to be monitored periodically until everything is normal. He feels that she needs another ultrasound and ortho appointment by the end of April to monitor progress. He said 95% of babies like Hannah will not need any intervention at all but it is still imperative that it is monitored closely. We are so thankful that no treatment is needed. Thank you so much for your prayers and support! So, hopefully we'll get all this benefit stuff squared away this week so that we can get her appointment set up. We'll keep you posted :)

We should know for sure tomorrow, but we think we have bought a house!!!! We put an offer in that we think will be accepted but I'm trying not to get my hopes up until we know for certain. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath ranch with a bonus room in a really cute subdivision. If the offer goes through I'll try to post a picture tomorrow and we'll close at the end of the month. Keep your fingers crossed! We have looked at a bunch of houses this week. We started off looking at the high end of what we were pre-approved for and quickly realized that just because the bank says they'll give you the money doesn't mean you can afford it! I think we finally figured out what we wanted to spend and found the perfect house (lets just hope the seller agrees our offer is perfect!)

It's been a ton of fun staying with Joe and Jill. Emma is a big fan of her auntie and uncle whom she is affectionately calling "Sheel" and "Sho". Jill has been gracing us with her yummy cooking all week; I think we'll have to come over for dinner every night after we move out. Their house is basically done and is beautiful. I can't wait for them to be able to move in and see it with their personal touches.

This morning we attended a new church, Madison Street UMC. I have to admit, I was really nervous about trying to find a new church and thought we might have to try several. But, I think this is going to be our new home. We went to a Sunday School class for 20's and 30's and everyone was so kind and welcoming. Also, most of the members were military so they knew what we were experiencing, being new in town.

It made me a little sad, though, because I really miss all our friends and our faith family from our church in Springfield, Wesley UMC. We developed such strong relationships there and I miss everyone so much! (Shout out to Julie, Cindy, Misty and Joel, Missy and Brad, the rest of Turning Points, Jennifer, Carrie and David- love and miss you guys!!)

I'll try to get on here more often and post about our new military life. Also, I got to get a pic of Kevin in his uniform! Miss and love all of you!