Turkey Day and Black Friday

We had a wonderful holiday, but boy, are we whooped! Went up to Jasper to visit my folks yesterday and brought some interesting Thanksgiving Day fare - parmesan roasted asparagus and creamed corn. It was delicious, in spite of many diet restrictions. It was so nice to see both of my grandmothers as well as my aunt, uncle, and cousins again. We missed having Brandon (and his girlfriend Laura) there, but they were with us in spirit. The kids didn't have any major meltdowns which makes any event more tolerable:) Audrey wowed us with her mad creamed corn eating skillz - I swear that girl had five helpings THAT I COUNTED before I cut her off. My mom said she associates their house with eating - oh really, well, can she live with you during these picky toddler years? :)

This morning my alarm went off at 3:30 am so I could tackle my first-ever Black Friday experience. And man, was it an experience. I got halfway to the Wal-Mart in Woodstock and realized I left MY ENTIRE SHOPPING LIST at home - the one I've been working on for almost two weeks now. At that point, it was too late to turn back, and I knew Robert would not have been too pleased with me had I called him at that hour, so I just tried to remember everything I needed to get at the five stores on my list.

Wal-Mart was an absolute zoo. I have never felt more close to random strangers in my life - and many of them I wouldn't want to be crammed up next to ever again. That www.peopleofwalmart.com exists for a reason, people. Regardless, I had a great time. I told myself before I left the house, that I was going to smile, be patient, and not get upset under any circumstance. I don't do crowds well, so this was a big deal for me. I met my friend Mari (who is also pregnant) and has two kids similar ages, so it was fun tag-teaming with her. We shared a cart, and would communicate via our cell phone while the other was on the other side of the store getting xyz. It was crazy, but thrilling at the same time. Nothing makes me happier than scoring a good deal, and plenty were scored!

Next, I went to Kohl's while Mari ran to Target next door. Could not believe the line at Kohl's. Wrapped around the entire store. BUT, they had the kids' big Santa gift half-off, so it was worth the wait. Kudos to the Kohl's staff. They were very organized, had plenty of staff, and the line moved quickly. Best shopping experience of the day. Enjoyed talking to a grandmother in front of me while waiting. It's neat to see the love people have for their family.

Old Navy was next - I got the kids some socks for their stockings, as well as Baby #3's coming home outfit for half-off. I have been eye-balling it for some time now, but they had one left in just the right size! LOOOONNNG, SSLLLLLOOOW line, but enjoyed talking to Mari while waiting.

It was almost 8:00 at this point, so we decided to stop for breakfast at IHOP. Since I didn't get my Starbucks infamous "red cup" this morning to fully inundate me into holiday mode, I decided to splurge on the Egg Nog pancakes. Mmmm:)

Next stop was the Family Christian bookstore. Least crowded of them all, but had some great $5 doorbusters. Didn't get everything on my list there though - they were sold out of a lot.

Lastly, was Toys R Us. Not as bad as I expected, but still not really a pleasant shopping experience. Nothing was where the signs said they should be - it looked like a tornado had been through there. Only found 3 out of the 6 things on my list, and two of those items were diapers and medicine for the new baby.

Overall, a GREAT day! When I got home, Robert had to leave to go to lunch with a work buddy, so I had to pry my eyes open til naptime. The kids went down early, as not even a Diet Coke and fresh air could keep me awake. I tried to nap, but had a hard time getting there with this silly nagging cough. Finally dozed off to be awoken by the most intense stomachache I've had in a long time. I was sick all afternoon - like I felt like I was on my deathbed for a good portion of that time. I began to have contractions, like the REAL THING. I had four back-to-back, which made things interesting. I missed getting to see my parents and grandmothers one last time at O'Charley's before they headed back to Florida in the morning. I prayed for healing, and as I slowly ate a banana and some toast, felt miraculously better! Thank you Lord! The contractions stopped, and my family ended up coming over to visit anyway, so this day turned out to be wonderful!

Audreyism of the Day:

A: "Who's that big kid over dare?" (referring to my cousin Chris)

Daddy: "That's your cousin Chris."

A: "Is he 3 or is he 4?"

She is convinced that being four must make you grow about three feet:)

A friend posted this recipe on her blog a couple days ago, and OH MY GOOOOOODNESSS...quite possibly the BEST cookies I have ever had. The kids and I had a great time making them! Thanks Danielle!

PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING:

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1.Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

2.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

3.Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

4.Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)

5.Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

In ALL Things Give Thanks

So this morning was a rough morning. Tyler screamed for almost three hours non-stop after waking. Wouldn't eat breakfast and wasn't even interested in his gummy vitamin. You know when that happens his world has been turned upside down. I couldn't figure it out for a while until I realized the ol' mommy standby - when all other excuses fail, it's the teeth. So we loaded him up with Tylenol and some Orajel and prayed for the best. Poor Robert felt terrible leaving us in such a state. I was crying out of sheer helplessness, and Tyler was, of course, a mess. He offered to work from home, but I resisted. Two stressed out parents are never a good thing:)

God revealed something to me tonight while I was at Bible Study, and it was totally unrelated to the topic at hand. I am a "to-do list" person, and not a "relationship" person. I would much rather choose to clean my house or organize a cabinet than get down on the floor and play trains with my children. My heart broke at the reality that I'm just not a toddler-oriented person, but it's so true. I felt convicted immediately. This morning, like many other mornings, I was rushing my kids out of the house. We had an agenda. Drop off hairbows at a customer's house on our way to a playdate at 10. Ironically, Tyler's screaming fit ended at 10:00, right after I called to cancel our prior engagements. God was showing me that TYLER was my priority. Although at the time I thought I would have rather had a tooth pulled without anesthesia than to deal with the helplessness I felt, I now am praising God for the episode this morning. He has brought things into perspective for me. My prayer is that I will remember this morning EVERY time I bark at Audrey for not eating breakfast faster, or choke back words of frustration when Tyler has a poopy diaper right as we are walking out to the van.

So during this Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded to be thankful for every minute I have with them, because I will regret not spending that time when they're older. And the house (and our plans) can wait.

First Post

So I've been feeling convicted lately to journal/blog. I have a friend who does this (and she has 4 small children!), so I feel like if she can do it, so can I. She wanted to have something for her kids to remember one day, and if God forbid something should happen to her, there is something for them to remember their mommy by. I am always touched by reading her blog - she is a mentor to me whether she knows it or not.

This week just reaffirmed my decision to start this. An online acquaintance whom I know from a mommy board I frequent passed away after fighting an infection, leaving behind her husband and 8 month old baby girl. While I never had the pleasure of meeting Shelly, my heart just ached for her family, especially baby Ella, who will never remember her mother. I hugged my kids extra hard that day, and vowed that no matter what - I want my kids to remember me, and know how much I love and adore them. I also wanted to record some things about them, so when I'm old and gray (it's happening much sooner than I would like!), I wouldn't forget these memories. Days with toddlers are so precious, yet so fleeting.

Audrey is 3 1/2 now, and Tyler is 20 months. Baby #3 should be along early February. I am so thankful for each and every day God has given me to spend with them. According to many doctors, I was never even supposed to have children - the chemotherapy I received as a teenager was supposed to make me barren. I guess God had other plans! :)

I suppose it's only fitting to start with my beautiful firstborn, Audrey, a.k.a. Boo Bug/Bear, Bug, Baby Girl. From the day we found out we were pregnant with her, we knew God must have something very special planned for her and us! She has the most sweetest disposition of any preschooler I know. My girlfriends are jealous and don't believe me when I tell them she has never thrown a temper tantrum, but it's true. She is quite the people-pleaser, and so full of love and admiration for everything and everyone she encounters. Oh, to have the innocence and joy of a child! Her smile could light up a room. While she is dramatic and sensitive (what girl isn't!), God uses those traits to her advantage. She has a way with her adoring brother - when no one else can make him smile, she can. She told me yesterday, "Mom, I love Ty because he's my best friend!" Man, if only she can keep that up when she's 13:) She is also extremely smart. She loves learning, and would much rather choose to learn about the solar system than about how to feed a baby doll. I'm okay with that. She'll get plenty of practice on the real thing in a couple months:) I love watching her learn new things, and while most days I am exhausted from the pregnancy and not wanting to hear another "Why?", I'm so thankful she's inquisitive. It's my joy to help her learn about her world. And she's still my little princess - she humors me when I pick out her clothes with the matching hairbow:)

New things she's learned lately:

- Today she read the word "pig" by sounding out the letters.

- She is learning to dress herself. Those long-sleeved shirts are the hardest though!

- She knows how to play Daddy's "space game" (Eve) better than I do, and probably better than he does.

- She is now sleeping through the night without wetting her pants! Yay for no more pull-ups!

- She is learning to take her plate to the kitchen after she's done eating. Next on the agenda: doing the dishes!! :)

She loves:

- Daddy's slobbery zerbert kisses at bedtime. She'll say "Eww, DAD! That's goobery!"

- Her Daddy! I love hearing her tell him all the time how much she loves him - it makes my heart melt!

- Singing. The past couple weeks she has been fighting a cold and the cough would keep her up at night. She decided to ignore our advice to not sing as it would aggravate her cough. Nothing could squelch her spirit:)
- Dinosaur Train. She is OBSESSED with this new show on PBS.

- Grits. This girl could eat cheese grits all day, everyday, and never get tired of 'em!

- School. Mrs. Mitchell and some select friends (Steele and Braylee) are her idols.

She hates:
- Blowing her nose. But what kid doesn't.

- Taking a nap. Lately, this hasn't been her bag - wish it was for Mommy's sake - I could sure use one!
- Drinking. Poor kid - it's like pulling teeth to get her to drink anything.

- Taking risks. She leaves that up to Tyler.

Next is my precocious, yet precious son, Tyler, a.k.a. Buddy, Ty, Little Man, Ty-Tys. My heart leapt with joy when I found out I was having a boy. One of each - life couldn't be more perfect! How little did I know then how different boys can be! Just when I thought I had parenting figured out, God gave me Tyler, and what a blessing he's been. I have never learned more about diligence, love, laughter, and sacrifice, than I have this past year and a half. He looks just like daddy, but with a completely different personality! He's a thrill-seeker, comedian, social butterfly, and gives the best hugs and kisses any parent could ask for. He is the oil to Audrey's water - they are so incredibly different, yet play so well together! I love that when I turn around they are holding hands, or Tyler's sharing a toy with her, or Audrey's fixing his train track for him - it makes me melt. Tyler is addicted to his big sister. He wants to do whatever she's doing AT ALL TIMES. I've noticed his interest in older children at playdates also. To be honest though, it makes me nervous. I have to remind him often he's not that big yet. He's 1 going on 11. We're working on getting through the tantrum phase, but he's got a pretty passionate personality, so it's proving to be much more of a challenge for us, as we're both pretty laid-back people. A lot of the tantrum issues are subsiding with age, as well as advancement in his communication, and especially now that most all of his teeth are through. My kids do not cut teeth well. It's quite the production - for months! He's definitely a mama's boy - nothing soothes his pain better than mom - and I'm all about it - there will be a day when he wants nothing to do with me:)

New things he's learned lately:
- We're potty training people! He's shown an interest, and he's actually doing quite well, considered we haven't gone full-steam ahead on it just yet. I'm hoping to do that this week.

- Speech. He's talking up a storm, and just the past couple days has been putting two words together at a time. What a blessing it is to be able to communicate with our son!

- Animal Sounds. We love to ask him what a tiger says, then a lion, a bear, a dinosaur, etc. They're all the same, "ROAAAAR!" It's so precious in his sweet little raspy voice.

Things he loves:
- Cars, planes, trains. Anything that moves. It's been this way as long as I can remember and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon.

- Also Dinosaur Train. He calls it "Dine Treen". So cute.

- His right thumb and his Blankie, which is my old black velour pajamas. The things you give kids when they're young to get them to sleep through the night:)
- Holding things. You will very rarely find Ty without a small object in each hand, and God forbid you take them away. Some favorites: dice, trains, rocks. CPS would have a brain aneurysm if they only knew the choking hazards!

- The dogs, especially Ernie. It's a good thing he loves them so - that's one of the only reasons they're still around..

- Being chased. His all-time favorite game. He craves it, especially when Daddy comes home.

Things he hates:

- Getting dressed/getting his diaper changed. It's an inconvenience to his oh-so-busy schedule:)

- Vegetables, of any kind. The only thing I can get him to eat is canned green beans.

- Dropping Audrey off at school. He pouts. It's cute, really:)

- Being forced to share. This will be a battle I foresee having to fight for a looooonggggg time.

- Having messy hands. Totally baffles me. He's 100% boy in every other way, but having a speck of oatmeal on his hand ruins his morning.

Next is Baby #3. Poor little guy, he still is nameless, and Robert and I will probably not agree on his name until we leave the hospital. That's okay with us though - God knows his name already:) While he was undoubtedly a surprise for us, we are so thrilled to be adding on to our family. God has blessed me with my easiest pregnancy thus far - I think He knew I needed it since I have to chase after two toddlers as it is. I am now almost 29 weeks, and I can't believe in just 11 short weeks he will be here! His big brother and sister are so excited. I love watching them lift up my shirt and feel him kick or talk to my belly. Tyler thinks the baby is in my bellybutton and is convinced that if he pushes it back in, the baby will come out. I can't wait to see the dynamics there. We had the pleasure of seeing him in a 4D ultrasound a couple weeks ago, and it was so amazing to me how much he resembles Ty. It'll be neat for Tyler to have a younger brother to wrestle with. But he'll be ready, as he's quite an active baby - much more so than I remember Audrey or Tyler being. I remember they had waking periods, usually around 11 pm when I was going to sleep. This one moves CONSTANTLY, but I LOVE it. The best thing about pregnancy is feeling the little kicks, and what great reassurance it is to know that everything is alright. I'm really looking forward to meeting this little guy in person, but am incredibly nervous about how I'm going to manage being a mother of 3 under 4. I feel like I go crazy now. God will get me through it, I know. I know He wouldn't have blessed us with this little guy if He didn't think we could handle it:)

Well, that's all for now. I don't anticipate all the blog posts being this long. I suppose that's just what happens in the first entry. I didn't want to feel like I was forgetting anything! :)