Just One Year Ago

Today was the day last year that we found out we would be parents for the third time.

We were a little surprised at the time but of course we wouldn't have it any other way.

Our sweet Katie is a joy and light that God knew we needed.

And we thank Him for her every day.

And thanks to my friend CE for the reminder... (her baby girl,Eden was born just 8 days after Baby K but she was actually due before me!)

Just Cuz

Sometimes I start to tear up when I see her face. Like right now. I just had to post this picture because I love it and HER so much.

P.S. Larger picture is thanks to One Crafty Mama and her tip on how to change the size. Thank You So much Michelle! : )

PSF - Uh Oh, It's Started! (Honey, Don't Read This)

Dressing a girl is a WHOLE new ballgame. Or maybe just ball (as in "gala").

Tights, bows, SHOES, dresses, SHOES.

I was somewhat inspired by this post by Steph and realized I hadn't visited the local resale establishment since Baby K was just a wee babe (looking for Halloween costumes at the time).

For Shame.

So, she and I took a trip while the boys were in school.

I'll admit, I was a little overwhelmed at first. There was SO MUCH girl stuff. I used to have to pick through quite a bit to find decent things for the boys (many of The B Man's clothes came from resale and have been passed down to Little G). But the girls stuff - WOAH!

So, after two passes I picked out a few dresses and a sleeper and THEN.

THEN I saw the shoe bins. Three of them with Baby K's current size and future presumed size for Summer. O.M.G. I was in heaven.

We came home with ONLY six pair. I could have bought twice that many or more. Oh and the total, a little over $17.00. Score.



And today, I've been on the internet inquiring about bows, headbands, more shoes, pillowcase dresses on Etsy, etc.

Yep, it's definitely started. It's all over Dear (a.k.a Tim).

Love, your girls! : )


Hosted by Cecily

See this last week's worth of photos at my 365 blog. There's another pic of the shoes there!

You Capture - Color

This week's You Capture feature is COLOR and Beth said we get extra credit if it's found outside and well, I used to LOVE extra credit when I was in school, so I found some (easy to do with the continued Camellias blooming!)

Here's my COLOR for the week...

I love the contrasts of the bright pink flower on the winter grass.
Colorful coloring - do I get more extra credit for that?? ;-)

Love the rainbow of The B Man's bubble gum machine

And Baby K's bouncer toy (BONUS: cute baby face!)

And this would be the traffic light that I sit at for about 2 minutes every week day of my life after picking The B Man up from school (well, except for holidays of course...).

Weekly Weigh In - Week 4

Well, I stayed the same this week - still at

173.6

And you know, I'm okay with it for a few reasons:

1) I didn't GAIN weight
2) I stopped pumping last week so "the girls" kinda feel like boulders right now.
3) I didn't eat that well last week so...

I call it a wash.

I did exercise quite a bit so that may have helped. I did all three regular workouts, several walks in the neighborhood and even some yard work. So, I'm good. I hope to see a loss next week though.

p.s. I'm thinking of giving up CHOCOLATE for Lent which starts in three weeks. Think I can do it?? I don't know....

WW - My Three

My three children are growing up right before my very eyes. (I know, I can hear you saying it, “Well of course they are, Elaine, that’s what children do!”)

I registered The B Man for soccer last weekend.

Little G uses the word “actually” correctly.

Baby K smiles hugely as I come toward her to pick her up and has outgrown many of her clothes already.

They are amazing and beautiful and I love them so very much.

My three.

Have I mentioned yet that My Three and Me are taking a road trip, just the four of us?

Yeah, in about 2 and a half weeks I’m driving to Texas without the hubs and all these “wascally wabits” in tow (sorry, we’ve been watching a lot of Looney Tunes around here lately). First to Austin then three days later up the interstate to Arlington. Tim flies in for the last leg of the trip and thankfully will be there for the ride home, but I’m already praying lots of prayers that the “just Mommy and kids” part of the trip goes somewhat smoothly. I’d ask for perfect but I’m guessing that may be just TOO much to ask…

I can’t wait to see many of our friends and family and for them to meet Baby K but I kinda wish someone could just “beam us up.” I mean this is 2010 for Goodness Sake – wasn’t that supposed to be working for reals by now??? Hello, Scotty?

Also, I have TWO giveaways going on right now. One HERE and one HERE. Come check 'em out!

Halo Sleep Sack - Review & Giveaway

A month or so before Baby K was born I was sent two Halo Sleep Sacks with the swaddle option. I meant to give one away a LONG time ago but well, I had a baby and we all know how that goes...

So now the time has come and here I am to say that "the Halo Sleep sack with the swaddler attached saved my bacon!"



I'm NOT the best swaddler. Tim's pretty good at it, but me, not so much. And since I was the one who was getting up more frequently with Baby K for the middle of the night diaper changes and feedings (not to say he didn't help, but he has a day job so...) it was wonderful.

The velcro that attaches the swaddle section is VERY strong and you can make it as tight or lose as you want. AND! It zips from the bottom so you can open it up down below for a diaper change without having to undo the top as well! Plus, once the baby out grows the swaddle portion you can completely detach it and continue to just use the sleep sack.

I do recommend attaching the velcro before you launder it though... otherwise you'll have ALL kinds of things attached to it once you pull it out of the dryer (you know socks, little boy underwear, etc.)

The Halo Sleep Sack was invented by a parent who lost a child to SIDS and in my opinion is a wonderful product for parents who can't swaddle so well and also gives the parent peace of mind that their baby is still warm and safe while sleeping.

This would make a great gift or be wonderful for your own baby!

If you would like to win the Halo Sleep Sack (looks exactly like the one pictured above) please leave a comment with a favorite baby name of yours these days (just for fun!)

You can get an extra entry by tweeting about this giveaway and leaving a link to your tweet.

Contest ends Monday, February 8th when one winner will be chosen via Random.org. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win, either by leaving an email in your comment or having it attached to your blog profile.

Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

I'm also giving away some Suave Kids body washes. Click HERE to enter giveaway.

Suave Kids ® Wash Them Grow Sweepstakes & Giveaway

Bath time around here is usually Daddy's territory. However, I buy the products he uses on the kiddos, so I play somewhat of a part, right? As a MomSelect blogger I was given the opportunity to try four bottles of Suave Kids® body washes, including their Free and Gentle body wash, which is free of dyes and perfect for Baby K, and Berry Body Wash, which is great for the boys.

Right now Suave Kids® is running the "Wash Them Grow" Sweepstakes. During the sweepstakes there are weekly prizes to be won (digital camera, camcorder, etc.) as well as a grand prize trip to Orlando, Fl. And a MomSelect blogger and 10 of her friends (that could be YOU!) could win the big prize which include a year's supply of Suave Kids® products and a $100 Build A Bear Workshop gift card!

So how do WE win? Just GO HERE as many times as you like and the blogger (hopefully me) who drives the most traffic to the sweepstakes will win as well as her friends (that could be US!).

What do you get for clicking and entering? A chance to win two bottles of Suave Kids body wash including the Berry Body Wash and Strawberry Body Wash. Plus, a chance at the big prizes!

Just go to THE LINK and check out the sweepstakes page. If you would like to enter to win the sweepstakes yourself put in your info (you can opt out of getting additional emails, etc.), answer some trivia questions and then come back here and leave me a comment to let me know you did so (it's an honor system yo).

I will pick a winner for the body washes via Random.org. from those that comment about entering the sweepstakes.

The sweepstakes runs through February 22nd however my giveaway here will only run until Monday, February 8th.

Open to U.S. residents only. (sweepstakes not open to Canadian residents, sorry.)

Thanks so much for entering and good luck to us! : )

Winners of the Infamous Muffin Giveaway & Some New Blogs

Wanna know something fun? There are TWO winners for the muffin giveaway. AND? After all the hoopla and MANY entries being deleted because LOTS of people don't understand that I cannot get in touch with them just by having their NAME in the comment section, the TWO winners are bloggers I know. WAHOO!

So Burgh Baby and Forgetfulone congrats on winning some very popular muffin mixes! : )

Also, I need to let you all know about some new blogs I've found lately that I like A LOT. I do this every now and again and in the last week or two I've found some great places to visit. Although I know a few of these are pretty popular I had NEVER clicked on them before. So y'all have probably heard of some or even all of them but I'm just excited to find even more sites I enjoy! (seriously, there are KAZILLION blogs out there!)


I am mommy

Vanilla Sugar (thanks to Scary Mommy for her tweet about this one!)

Greeblemonkey

Lifenut

The Lonely Baker

Skip to My Lou (awesome craft ideas and fun snacks that I dream about doing and hope to make a reality...)


A couple of these blogs are devoted to food. Go figure. And the others I just started reading and liked.

Also, I'm going to have several more giveaways this coming week so stay tuned. I've been getting things to feature left and right and well one of the items I've had since before Baby K was born... (shhh.... don't tell). Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

PSF - Blown Away!

So.

I was just minding my business, trollin' around the internets on Wednesday morning when I decided I would click over to Sitemeter and take a gander at how many visitors I had the day before. And when I looked at the stats for the current day my eyes kinda started to pop out of my head.

205?????

See, this was about 9 a.m. in the morning or so and I usually have anywhere from 15 to oh say, 20 visitors by that time in the morning.

So, I clicked over to see where all these folks were coming from and this is where the link led me:

http://www.redplum.com/Pages/ViewArticle.aspx?articleId=3597

RedPlum.com had featured my muffin giveaway on "What's Free This Week" and Oh. MY. Good. GOLLY were people coming to see if they wanted free muffins or not.

I had over 2,440 hits on my blog on Wednesday. That's usually ALMOST a month for me (about 3 weeks on average). CRAZY, huh?

And I've had over 700 in one day as I type this.

Now I know this is probably just a one-time thing and I'm cool with that. I don't expect a muffin giveaway to make my blog any more popular in the long run.

However, it is kinda fun to look at this:


P.S. The muffin giveaway is still open until the end of the day today but your chances of winning have gone WAY down... ; )

P.P.S. Here is the RECIPE for the blueberry muffins I made and that are pictured in yesterday's post.

P.P.P.S If you would like ti see my pictures for this week of 365 go to my separate blog HERE:
elainea365.tumblr.com


Hosted by Cecily and Michelle

You Capture - Love Around My Home

Love is all around as they say.

Obviously we know I love my husband and children and all of my family for that matter.

But there are certain things that make a house a "home." Things that just "speak" to us and make our hearts soar.

Here are a few of mine...

I bought this "sweetheart" chair at an estate sale a few years ago. The gentleman selling it had recently lost his wife and was clearing out their home and moving on. Every time I look at it I think of him saying that "she loved that chair" and the love they shared together. And I love seeing the hearts in the back of this great piece that I paid too little for...

Baby K's "somewhat of a mish-mash, with touches of modern and traditional" nursery is based on this rug that I found at IKEA. We play in her room a lot lately because it makes me very happy. I do love it and I think she does too.

Because I love my family I make them homemade muffins with cream cheese and big, juicy blueberries. Oh and I kind of like them myself too.

This lamp used to be in Tim's Grandparents' home but after they moved from their house and to a retirement community we were able to bring it into our home. I love it and also adore the fact that it makes me think of them often. They are wonderful people.

Share the love too... join in with You Capture at Beth's place.

WW - I Can't Stop!

Ever since I got my new baby camera, I can't stop taking pictures. The poor kids constantly have the camera in their face. Especially the baby girl. I'm not sure what she's thinking in this one but I'm guessing it's something to the effect of "Hey crazy lady could you possibly take that thing out of my face, for like at least a minute???"

(okay, raise your hand if you are totally LOVING her "sticky uppy" hair!)

And I KNOW what Little G said when I took this picture because well, he said it.

"STOP IT!!!!"



It's just that they are so cute and I'm with them all day and the camera turns on with the flip of a switch and I want to preserve their sweet faces forever and ever and ever...

Yes, I'm a tad obsessed.

Watch out kids, 'cause here comes Mommy with her camera! Love me!

Weekly Weigh In - Week 3

So, this week, not so good.

I feel stuck.

I keep fluctuating between the same 2-4 lbs. Up and down, back and forth and guess what!?

This week - back up 1.2 lbs.

I could say a really bad word right now but I don't have that kind of blog. ; )

Anyway, I teared up as I stepped off the scale this morning. I have SO many clothes in my closet that don't fit right now, and it feels like they never will. I'm not quitting because that's not who I am but this week, I admit, I'm a little depressed about it all.

And yes, I know I JUST had a baby but not really, I mean she is nearing 4 months old and it's hard when I see other women whose weight just falls right back off, and it's hard for ME to see the scale basically in the same place.

And the worse part, I was HUNGRY this week. And I kept away from food and I still felt hungry and I still GAINED weight back.

Yeah, this last week stunk. Hard.

Here's to hoping this week is better...

Love and Prayers for Haiti

As I click around my little corner of the blogo-sphere this week I feel like I'm about the only person who hasn't said something about the tragic earthquake in Haiti.

It's not that I don't know it happened and it's certainly NOT that I don't feel for the people of that nation and pray for them (even with my boys) every night. Because I do.

I'm kinda weird when it comes to big tragedies. It's almost like part of me wants to block it out. I'm not trying to pretend that it didn't happen or anything ridiculous like that. It's just that sometimes I feel that if I let myself process the REAL scope of what happened that it would be truly overwhelming for me.

I visited Haiti when I was 14 years old. I had the opportunity to tag along with my parents, their best friends and my aunt and uncle on a Caribbean cruise and the cruise line docked on the "safe" side of the island for a day of food, snorkeling and beach volleyball.

I remember the staff from the ship telling us not to even attempt to go over "that" hill "over there", as it was not safe for us to cross over.

I remember the marketplace that was okay for us walk through and my mother "haggling" over a hand-carved wooden container that she would purchase from a very shy woman sitting on the ground, selling her wares. I wish she would have paid ten times the price.

It was an emotional day for me, my Dad and I trying to decide whether we should snorkel or not and my father's best friend telling us we must go because we many never get another chance. He was, at the time, ridden with pancreatic cancer and would pass away a month after we returned from the trip. He never did get the chance. We decided to take ours.

I remember the beauty of the aqua-colored water and the colorful, amazing fish I came face to face with while below the surface of the ocean.

I remember the lavish and delicious lunch that they spread out before us under white tents.

I knew NOTHING of what the people of the country were going through then and still do to this day...

As I put the plethora of clothes away that I've laundered for my children or get them yet another snack I think of the children in Haiti and how they suffered even BEFORE this awful, terrible event took place. I contemplate how they are probably hungry and dehydrated and scared. And then I have to stop for a bit because my heart can't take it.

I gave money last week through Compassion because I know that my donation will make it to the children there that need it so. I know it's the least I can do - I probably should have given more...

I feel somewhat guilty that I can't give more, like my time or clothes or food. Or that the children there can't live the lifestyle that mine do. I feel that same guilt every night when I pray for our sponsor child that lives in Uganda. It's just so hard on a mother's heart to think that every child cannot have the same luxuries, even something as 'simple' as clean water.

Of course in the wake of tragedy come many, MANY people who want to help and do. I must highlight two of my blogging friends who raised money through their comments and the generosity of those around them.

Way to go OhMommy and DesignHER Momma! You ladies are awesome and have done such an admirable thing. My hat is off to you. (p.s. I know there are MANY bloggers who did this kind of thing but I follow these two the most and "contributed" to their comments...)

My heart goes out to everyone in Haiti but especially the children. I just cannot imagine what their little hearts and minds are going through since this terrible event took place.

If you have yet to donate or even have and want to give more, and find it in your heart to do so, I recommend Compassion. They are a wonderful organization, helping underprivileged children around the world.

Many prayers and much love for the nation of Haiti and its people.

On My Body and Soreness and Age, etc, etc, etc

WARNING: This post might be a little rambly.

(as if you couldn't tell from the title...)

So, as we know, I've started working out again. And it's going pretty well.

Except.

My body doesn't seem to like it as much as it used to.

In the last two weeks I've had SEVERE soreness in my upper thigh muscle on my right (also known as my groin area and ask Lisa, she was with me when that was hurting and it even effected the way I walked. so NOT hot.), my biceps, my calves (just started after Saturday's step class) and a 'crick' in my neck that won't go away.

Perhaps this is because 35 is looming. Perhaps it's because I didn't do very much exercise at all during this last pregnancy (unless you count walking to the fridge or pantry...). Perhaps it's because I'm not stretching well enough beforehand or after or that I'm over doing it here at the beginning.

Whatever it is (probably a combination of those things, huh?) it's just a reminder to me that I'm getting older and well, "creakier."

I did go to a step aerobics class over the weekend and it was my first time to do that in well over a year. And the instructor, well, I'm going to have to nickname her "NAZI Woman" because yeah, she was so fast and her music was so fast and she was all like 'this is my easy routine so suck it." Okay, maybe she wasn't QUITE like that, but when I had to stop and just march like 10 different times while she was still jumping back and forth over the step, it kind felt like that's what she was saying into her cute little microphone.

And then her ab routine.

Well, I just had to not do most of it because I wasn't going to be walking around with MOST of my body out of commission (and it's possible if I'd done it all I wouldn't have been walking AT ALL). I do still have kids to look after you know lady. Ahem.

And in the middle of class, I had a realization. I'm one of the OLDER people in this room. Sure, there were ladies (and even a man) older than me. But I definitely can not lump myself into the youngin's group anymore. You know, like the cute little girl next to me who got every step and had a word sewn on to the butt of her pants? Yeah, can't be in the same group as her.

Or the other "little" girl who had cute little perky chesticles that I'm guessing have never nursed a baby. Just a guess of course. Nope, not like her anymore either. We'll see what mine are like in a couple of weeks when I quit pumping. (okay, WE won't see, but I will, you know what I mean...)

Honestly, I'm cool with getting older except for the body betrayal part. That's part of the reason I'm exercising again and hope to keep it up for the rest of my long life (really God, it's okay that I'm getting older, I'm NOT complaining and it's totally better than the alternative, and I really do love my healthy, well body Jesus, thank you...). I just hope my body can adjust to me exercising again soon so that I'm not in so much misery all the time, you know?

Alright, I'm done whining for now. Besides, I gotta go pop a few Advil and find my heating pad...


By the way, I'm still giving away muffines HERE so go enter - just leave a comment!

Three And Half Months

She's smiling like crazy.

She needs the paci to settle down at night.

She's sorta getting a schedule. (especially in the mornings).

She's outgrowing clothes.

She's babbling and cooing a lot.

She's sleeping through the night. (God bless her!)

She enjoys her play mat on the floor.

She's not as fond of the bumbo chair.

She's chewing on things (no way is she teething already, right???)

She's getting longer hair.

She's watching her brothers play.

She's stealing our hearts.

All of them.

(typical morning around here, brother watching 'Word World' in the background, my laptop open with a blog on the screen, toys everywhere...)


Hosted by Cecily

And Now We're Gonna Talk Muffins (A Giveaway!)

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!***

We are quite fond of muffins around here for breakfast and snacks. Many times I will make them from scratch but I also TOTALLY appreciate the convenience of a boxed mix. Just add a couple of things and VOILA! into the oven they go!

Back before the holiday I was contacted by Duncan Hines to review and giveaway a box of two of their new flavors that contain 100% whole grains. I'm big on whole grain bread and other products made with whole grains. Combine that with muffins and I was SOLD!

I was sent a one box each of two flavors, Apple Cinnamon and Triple Chocolate Chunk.



They were both baked and consumed within the week. And they were both VERY tasty. The boys even ate the chocolate ones as dessert {and I may have done the same...}.

Each box makes 12 large muffins, which is good for our family because the boys will eat 1-2 for breakfast. And then there are usually also some left for breakfast the next day as well! The mix can also be made into 24 mini muffins, which I plan to make when I host a play date at our house later this month.

I definitely recommend these muffins for convenience, taste and the fact that each muffin has 3g of fiber.

So you wanna try them for yourself? You know you do! One lucky reader will receive a box of each flavor, Apple Cinnamon and Triple Chocolate Chunk! Trust me, if you and your kiddos like muffins (and really, who doesn't?) you'll love these and you get the added benefit of whole grains.

If you would like to win some free muffin mixes just leave a comment telling me your favorite muffin flavor. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner. Leave an email address or if it's tied to your blog account that's fine too. If I cannot contact you, you cannot win

You can get an extra entry per day by tweeting this giveaway and leaving your link to your tweet in a separate comment.

And also, it's Delurker Day 2010 so you SHOULD really leave a comment today. You can get a third entry by commenting on ANY other post of mine and leaving a comment here telling me you did so.

And please leave comments anywhere you go today! It's fun!

Giveaway will close Friday, January 22nd at 11:59 p.m.

U.S. entrants only.

Enjoy!

You Capture - Winter

I took these photos on the very same Winter day. No, we don't have snow, we have Camellias. And they are PRETTY.

Make no mistake, it has been cold here lately. At least for this Southern girl.

Show your Winter images at Beth's place - You Capture.

Wednesday Weigh in Week 2

After last weekend where I ate LOTS of food, with a fair amount of sweets included, I was sure I would either gain or stay the same. But guess what folks, the portion control and exercise is paying off!!

Last week's weight: 174
This week's weight 172.4

Say goodbye to another 1.6 pounds! Wahoo!

I also signed up on dailymile.com per Lisa's suggestion and can now track my workouts which is really cool.

And, I want to say "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!" for everyone's comments of encouragement and support on my weigh-in post last week. It really does keep me motivated and I'm so happy to have such a great support system through shrinking jeans and my readers!!

Okay, gotta go, baby needs me and I need to eat a little lunch. And, I already worked out today - YAY!

Them Boys

It's hard to get as much time as I'd like these days with my two sweet boys. Their baby sister takes precedence right now in many cases. But it must be said, they still have my heart. They will ALWAYS have my heart.

I can still find matching sweaters for them and help them dress for church and that makes me smile.

They play pretty well together these days and it's so fun to watch. Little G copies his brother and they play games together (including hide and seek, although G isn't very good at hiding - "uh, he can see you under my legs...").

The B Man can almost read and is so independent these days, getting his own snacks and even helping with both Little G and the baby. He's my big boy.

And Little G is talking so well (although he's got the classic toddler speech issue where he uses W's in place of L's and says things like "Wittle" instead of "Little."). I could listen to him all day. Well except when he's whining. But really, he's so dang cute either way.

They are my sweet baby boys and although they seem to be growing like crazy these days (The B Man's school pants that I bought back in August are too short now!) they will always BE my babies even if there is a smaller one in the house.

Kiss kiss my sweets, I love you. (and stop growing so fast.)


Wordful Wednesday hosted by Angie.