Goings On

Another week gone by!

We've had a "normal" week around here, and not too much to really talk much about. I had my eyes checked on Thursday and discovered that I now need my glasses all the time. I'm very thankful that there are ways to improve my vision, but I'm disappointed that I have to wear them 24/7. I don't like the way they look on me. My doc said I was a good candidate for contacts, but I'm a little apprehensive about putting something in my eye. We'll see, I'm considering it.

Last Friday Opa (Aaron's dad) came through on his way home from Tampa. He brought Caroline some Valentine candy and little stuffed Woodstock.



She liked the chocolate, but I ended up eating it in the end. She gave Opa a real shock when he was offering her some of the chocolate and she dove right in with a big bite. He forgot she has teeth now! We all had a good laugh.

Aaron and I had a nice Valentines Day. I got him tickets to the Western Kentucky vs Troy basketball game. It was on Valentines Day and he went with some friends. He went to both schools (WKU for undergrad, Troy for graduate) but he's decided to cheer for WKU in basketball and Troy in football, when they play each other. I will ALWAYS be a Hilltopper, in case anyone was wondering. ;) He completely spoiled me this year, and I was shocked! He came home with a new bag for me and I love, love, love it!



While the bag is WONDERFUL and perfect for my needs, what I found truly romantic was that he remembered it at all. MONTHS ago I told him about the new pattern I liked and that this particular bag would be great because of the size, and he remembered! I don't think we discussed it again! This may not seem like a big deal, but Aaron willingly admits that his memory isn't the best, so I know he really thought about me when deciding to buy this. It's a great bag for toting around all of Caroline's essentials, as well as mine. I was tired of the big, bulky diaper bag, but my purses weren't quite large enough. Anyway, I don't have to be concerned about that anymore because my wonderful hubby got me the PERFECT bag!

Aaron is involved in a leadership program in our community. The group meets once a month and travels around the community, learning about the industries represented here. He had a meeting yesterday and after he got home, Caroline was very interested in his name tag. Just to be clear, she pulled it from his shirt, and she reapplied it to her head.




She walked around like that for about 15 minutes. Oh the joys of small things like name tags.

I want to take a moment to introduce y'all to my new best friend.



I've never been much of a cook, but in the last few years I've been trying to learn new recipes and get into the kitchen more. I love the book because hiding veggies in foods isn't just good for Caroline, but for Aaron and I as well. I've used her recipes but she's also inspired me to come up with some of my own. Last night, for example, we had baked spaghetti. This is one of Aaron's favorite meals, and Caroline and I enjoy it too. I decided to try my hand at hiding a veggie in one of my normal meals, so I poured some cauliflower puree in with the mixture and it worked out GREAT! You couldn't even taste the cauliflower and Aaron informed me he felt "deceived" but in a good way. I'm really enjoying the cookbook, and I highly recommend it. I also recommend continuing to offer veggies in their "normal" state because you never know when a child's tastes might change. Making veggies in several different ways can help you find the way your child likes it. This was how I discovered that Caroline likes broccoli in spaghetti sauce. It's quite tasty, and now I always include broccoli in my sauce and we all love it!

We're having more company this weekend. Aaron's sister, Karen, and her husband, Justin, are coming through on Saturday night. Aaron's parents are also planning to worship with us on Sunday. They will be on their way home from a funeral in Jacksonville. We're looking forward to time with family this weekend!

Enjoy your weekend!

A Week of Firsts

We've had a week of "firsts" around our house this week.

Sunday morning, fresh from a good night's sleep, Caroline came down with a stomach virus for the first time. She'd never thrown up before (other than baby spit-up) and she didn't like it too well. Sunday was a hard day for all of us. Then, on Monday we got to experience what it was like to be a family of three who ALL had a stomach virus. We holed up in our bed, Caroline in the middle, and only got up to get Pedialite/Sprite/Gatorade or because we were going to be sick. The first time we were all sick together---such family bonding!

On Wednesday Caroline wore her first skirt.



She's worn dresses a lot, but never a skirt and top. I thought she looked pretty cute!

Today was errand running day and it was going really great...until we went to Wal-Mart, which was the last stop on our long list of stops. As I was carrying Caroline in, I noticed her behind felt a little damp. Yes, she had a leaky diaper. Now, this wasn't the first time her diaper has ever leaked, but, this was the first time it's ever leaked away from home where I had to change her in a public bathroom. I made sure to really scrub her in the bath tonight!

Tonight was the first night we were really feeling back to normal so I celebrated by making homemade Macaroni and Cheese for the first time!



This isn't your normal, run of the mill Mac and Cheese. In the dish I included chopped organic cauliflower, onion, and I used whole wheat pasta. I know it's still not the healthiest side dish, but I felt better knowing it had extra fiber!

So, that's our week in a nutshell of "firsts". Hope y'all had a good one and enjoy the weekend! It's a long weekend! :)

Another Prayer Request

Sadly, another set of our friends are on the brink of losing their precious baby. Our friend, Becky Dobbins, was diagnosed with Toxemia/Preeclampsia last night and will have to have an emergency delivery. She is only 22 weeks pregnant. The doctors have told them there is no chance of their little girl surviving. I know that the Lord can do anything, so I am hoping all the prayer warriors who read this will begin praying for the Dobbins family. Thanks.

Update: Baby Chole passed away last night inutero. Becky hasn't delivered yet, but there is serious concern for her life due to damage that has been done to her liver. Please continue to pray. Thanks.

Are you ready for some football?

Where did January go? I can't believe it's February already! Time is really is flying past at rapid speed.

Aaron has taught Caroline something new: throw the football. He has a stuffed Tennessee Titans football that he uses to play with her. It's almost as big as she is, but she will go get it, pick it up, and throw it. After she's thrown it (which is really more like dropping it with a slight toss in front of her) she will grin and giggle, then clap for herself.




She's bending to get the football. I don't have a picture of her throwing it, she's too fast for me!



The celebration once the football has been thrown. She's so proud of herself!

We also welcomed a new addition to our church family this weekend. Our friends and brother and sister in Christ, Thomas and Krysta welcomed their first child on Saturday morning. They named her Olivia and we're hoping she and Caroline will be great friends one day. I have about 48 chins in this picture, but I'll post it anyway because I think it's cute of Caroline checking out Baby Olivia.



We rejoice with our friends Matt and Candee, who were able to bring Baby Blake home on Monday. He is doing better than any doctor expected. I think this is a testament to prayer and a good reminder that the Lord is in control.

Our Daily Lives

The Lord is continuing to bless Matt and Candee with more time with Blake. We are continuing to pray for their family.

We've had an interesting week around here. It's not been too busy, but we've had a few things going on. I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday so my friend Deborah kept Caroline for me. I had to have a filling. It wasn't fun, but I'm glad it's over and I really like our dentist. I guess it could have been worse.

While on the subject of teeth, Caroline has been getting teeth left and right. She's gotten all of her 12 month molars except for the ones on her top left. She's been getting those and also her eye teeth (I think that's what they're called) and we've had some issues with pain because of them. Aaron and I are exhausted from her waking. She always wakes when she's getting teeth. ALWAYS. Last night she only woke once, so we're hopeful that this round is over. Of course we're still waiting on those left molars to come in. I'm hoping for some sleep this weekend!

Caroline is so much fun now. She's all over the place, all the time, and communicating so much more. Of course this means we're having to discipline some more, but overall she is such a fun, happy, and obedient little girl. We are so blessed to have her in our life! My friend Vicki recommended a book to me called Growing Godly Tomatoes that I'm reading. It's interesting. I'll say more once I've finished.

I've rambled on long enough. I know the grandparents want to see some pics! :)

I came into the bathroom the other day to discover this. I guess she knew it was time for them to be washed, but she had the wrong room and washtub!



On this night she took almost every toy she has out of her basket. It wasn't too much fun to clean it up, but it did help us teach her more about picking up her toys. I think at some point she did fall in, but laughed about it!



This pic is a little off centered and blurry, but I love her smile and bright eyes in it!



I'm not sure what has her attention here, but she had been playing with her bead maze, book, and Dora phone. Apparently the maze wanted to hold the book and phone. I love watching her interact with her toys!



Hope you all have a great weekend!

Requesting Prayer

I would like to request your prayers for our friends Matt and Candee Dickey, and their week old son, Blake. Blake was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 and isn't expected to live through the week. Matt was one of Aaron's suitmates in college and has remained a close friend all these years. Please pray for God's will to be done and for no suffering for Blake. Matt and Candee have tremendous faith and are comforted by the fact that Blake will be with our Father. Please pray for the entire family. Thanks.

Weekends are for Family

We had a really great weekend. Friday night we stayed in and had Taco Salad for supper. This has become one of our favorite meals. It's fairly cheap, easy, and delicious. One of the main reasons it's cheap is because I usually have most of the ingredients in my fridge. I usually have to buy the Fritos "special" because I don't keep them on hand all the time. In case anyone wants to know the recipe, I'll share. :)

Taco Salad

1 head fresh lettuce
1/2 lb hamburger meat or chicken
2-4 tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 TBSP salsa
Fat Free Catalina dressing, to taste
Fritos

Wash and tear the lettuce, then add the chopped tomatoes and onions, making a tossed salad. Brown meat or cook and shred chicken. Mix meat into salad and pour salsa over top and mix again. Serve with Fritos to add crunch, and Catalina dressing to taste.

This salad has become one of our favorite go-to meals. Anyway, so we had that on Friday night and got caught up on "24." Aaron's mom has been taping it for us and we got the tape last week so after Caroline went to bed we spent some time with Jack Bauer. It is because of Jack that we sold out and got the digital converter box so we can get the local channels. :/ We really do love that show though. It's one we both enjoy so we'll be watching it live tonight!

On Saturday we spent the morning around the house and then ran a few errands and had lunch at the food court in the mall. We hardly ever go to the mall, so this was fun. Caroline did not get to ride the carousel this time, but maybe some other time. While at the mall, we hit up The Children's Place sale. 50% off their sale items was great! I had a gift card and got several things for Caroline for next fall/winter. I love paying $2 for pants! Once we got home, Caroline went down for her nap and I went to the library and checked out some books. I love the library!

After Caroline got up from her nap, we took her over to the Hinson's to play with Hunter and then Aaron and I went to the movies. We very rarely have any type of date, so this was fun. We saw "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" starring Kevin James. We love Kevin James! It was a really funny movie and one I'm sure Aaron will be wanting on DVD.

Sunday was a great day too. We spent the morning with the saints and then I helped host a baby shower for a family from church. The shower went well and we returned Sunday night for another excellent sermon and more time with our brethren. Sunday night we came home and had noddles tossed in butter and Parmesan for supper. It was a great cap to the weekend!

All day I've had the words to a favorite hymn in my head.

"Then will He own my worthless name before His Father's face; and in the new Jerusalem, appoint for me a place."

"I'm not Ashamed to Own my Lord"

I'm trying to live for Christ by being like Christ.