Picture Day

This morning we went to JcPenney's for some annual pictures.  It was TONS of fun.  (I'm not being completely honest with that last statement).  We weren't in the best mood to begin with upon arriving.  Then I realized I forgot Evelyn's hair brush (I hadn't brushed it at all yet), and her pretty red bow I was going to put in her hair.  Then Josiah and Evelyn wouldn't smile.  Usually they are pretty smiley kids, but not this morning.  I get a kick out of this-- the one time you *really* want them to smile, they don't.  And Josiah-- the little booger-- everytime we asked him to smile, he closed his eyes and often looked away from the camera.  We got a couple cute pictures, but definitely not all I was hoping for.  Oh well, I guess there is always  next year!

On another note, I did something today that I really enjoyed.  While Evelyn was napping this afternoon, Josiah and I sat on the couch and talked.  Though he is only 2 and still has limited language, I still think we did a good job communicating.  We talked about the construction workers who were digging a hole near our building, how they wore yellow vests, how the sky was blue, how there was a squirrel in the tree and how that squirrel likes to eat nuts just like Josiah does.   It is amazing the conversation you can have with a 2 year old!  I am looking forward to more!

Evelyn is extremely close to crawling.  Any day now I expect her to bolt across the room.  She is such an adorable, beautiful little girl.  However, I would appreciate anyone's prayers though who reads this blog.  She is just extremely slow in gaining weight.  She had some blood work done this past week to check for allergies/digestive issues that might be contributing to this.  As her mom, and her main food source, it has just been a *huge* burden on my shoulders.  It is hard to express in words the emotions I feel-- you just feel like a big failure to your child.  I have cried rivers of tears since her birth (over the many issues surrounding nursing)-- just ask Jason.  Poor fellow has seen and heard it all.  So, long story short, we would appreciate your prayers.  (Part of me feels silly asking this-- especially when I see so many people around me struggling with what can be considered far worse problems.  But, she is my daughter, I love her, and I am asking for prayer even in a "small" matter.)

And in closing, I have read and heard some edifying words during this stressful time as a mom.  I thought I would include them, too.  Unfortunately, I do not have the source of these quotes-- I have just been writing them down here and there as I have heard them:

"Don't try to crawl out of your problems and hard times.  Are you looking to God because you want a quick fix out of your troubles?  Stay in them-- God is wanting to *change you* in these difficult times.  He will move you out of them when it is time."

"I will never be enough-- because only my God is enough."

"My focus needs to be on Jesus-- He will keep me at peace and still through the ups and downs of life.  If you keep your eyes on the situation or on people, you will ride the waves up and down.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, and He will keep you steady."

and finally, a Scripture:  Isaiah 61:3

"To appoint to them that mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

A Whole Month-- Yikes!

I can't believe I have waited this long to write another post-- sometimes life just gets the best of your blog! Well, things are going pretty well on the home front. Josiah and Evelyn are as cute as can be. Evelyn is 7 1/2 months now, and weighs about 15 pounds. She is a petite little thing weight-wise, but she is so active, just like her brother. She is so curious and attentive, and really reaching at anything in her grasp. She is doing great with sitting now-- hardly ever falls over. And it looks like any day now she will be crawling. She is just about there-- then watch out mommy! It will be *very* interesting to have a teeny home with a crawling baby and energetic toddler in it! This Friday she goes for another weight check. If she is still falling in the weight percentiles, the doctor said that they would be "obligated" to do some blood tests and make sure that there are no allergies or other problems that are causing the slow weight gain. I am hoping and praying that she is doing well enough that she doesn't have to go through blood tests. Josiah went through the same round of tests, and I thing he handled it much better than I imagine she would.

Josiah is enjoying the first snow this season. Last year he was still young enough that snow wasn't all that exciting yet. But this year, I think he will have lots of fun in it. We got out of the car today after preschool and he stood in the same snowy spot for about minute, and jumped up and down in it. Then he stuck his fingers in it, and then looked at it closely and smelled it. Snow is curious stuff! I am looking forward to playing in the snow with him this winter-- and maybe even sledding!

They are such blessings-- Thank you Lord for my children!!

And one more post...

Josiah has been doing such a wonderful job lately with speaking.  It seems like language is really starting to take shape-- yippee!  Here are some of the words that he enjoys using right now:

car

bike

bob (veggie tales character)

pop (for popcorn-- just introduced him to it, and he is hooked)

yellow

sissy (sounds more like "ditty")

broccoli

juice ("duce")

It is so fun to hear your child say his/her first words-- yeah Josiah!!!

And Evelyn is officially sitting up on her own.  She will be going for her 6 month check-up on Friday, so I will type out all current stats then!  Until then... have a great rest of the week everyone!

Bath Time...

I have been meaning to post some bath time pics of Josiah and Evelyn.  Josiah very much enjoys having his little sis join him for baths now... even though he can pester her a little too much... as you will see in the pics.

Pumpkin fun...

A few weeks ago we visited my sister down in Indy and took the kids to an apply orchard for their fall festival.  We enjoyed the really tasty apples-- the "Crispin" variety was excellent-- I'll have to remember to get more of those next year!  We attempted to get some pics of Josiah among the pumpkins, but sometimes he just isn't in the mood to stand around.  They also had a blown-up activity thing that he enjoyed bouncing in...

It's been awhie...

Sorry for the long time since my last post... I'll try to stay more consistent in my postings from now on!!!  Well, I'll catch everyone up on the latest and greatest events, and work my way back from there.  This past Friday we went to a party at our friends' house-- the Jordan's-- they live on a nice piece of land out in the country.  Since we are not (and they are not) really in to Halloween, they invited us and several other families over for a party.  It was a great time-- food, fellowship, campfire, and lots of activites for all the kids.  They hand-made a pumpkin pinata, and all the kids-- from the youngest to the oldest could take a whack at it if they wanted.  Josiah (assisted by daddy) had a total of 6 whacks at the thing.  I would think that with his active gusto that he displays at home, he would really get into hitting it.  However, he mainly just showed a huge grin, looking at everyone looking at him, and gave some gentle taps.  He enjoyed it though, and we are expecting a harder hit next year.  He also enjoyed throwing bean bags into buckets to get candy as a prize.  Yes-- he really enjoys his candy.  Unfortunately, we have no pictures to show... wish we did!

Menu Plan Monday... Coming Soon!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

I've got a new blog!! This one is dedicated to food/cooking. Tatortotmishmash will be dedicated to mommyhood/my kids. Please feel free to come on over and check it out!!! This is where I will be posting my "MENU PLAN MONDAYS":

thehumbleherb.blogspot.com

Good Reminder...

My brother-in-law has a blog called LifeChange. He posted today about the need to stay attentive to your marriage. Check out his post below and watch the video clip!

LifeChange

"NO": It's official!

Well, Josiah is officially in the "No" stage. Do this please... "No". Come with me... "No." Do you want some of this..."No." So, we are now in the "NO" phase. However, he does say "NO" really cute! And this morning was my first parent/teacher conference with his preschool teachers! They said that he always has a smile on his face all the time, even when he is doing things he is not suppose to be doing-- like pulling a little girl's braids! He's already flirting with the girls! Also, they said that he is a big "watcher"-- he is just so interested in watching what everybody is doing, including potty time. They said that he will just stand there and stare when another little child is on the toilet. Once a little child was wiping their behind, and they said he even tilted his head just right so he could watch them wipe!!!

And Evelyn... her personality has REALLY been coming out in the last week or so. She is often reaching for anything out of curiousity, including mommy's food. So I often try to hold her out of arm's reach. She doesn't like that at all, and starts squirming and fussing because she isn't getting what she wants! She had a check-up today, and she weighs 14 lbs! She's a petite little thing (but tall-- 25 inches!).

To Evelyn...

Evelyn,
You are now 5 months old! How quickly 5 months have passed, and yet it seems like you have been in our lives for much longer than that. Baby girl, you are so precious. What I am enjoying so much about you right now are your smiles. You love interacting with me and daddy. You love to be held and talked to-- it brings a huge smile to your face every time. And your smiles warm my heart up so much! I am looking forward to seeing you sit, crawl, talk, walk... but for right now I am content just holding you in my arms, seeing your smiles, and listening to you jibber-jabber. We love you!

To Josiah...

Every now and then on this blog I want to write some notes to my kiddos...here's the first to Josiah.

Josiah,
You give us such joy and laughter, even in the midst of some tantrums! :) Today Daddy gave you some gum, one of your favorite treats right now. You are finally learning not to swallow it-- yay! When you saw that daddy was going to give you some, you got the biggest smile on your face-- it was the "I'm the luckiest boy ever!" look. Then you started dancing excitedly-- when you dance like this you look like a little horse galloping-- no other way to describe it. Whenever I talk to parents, they always comment on how fast their children grew up. I am constantly reminding myself to treasure these times with you, because before I know it, you will be 5, then 10, then 16, then off to college... We love you so much Josiah. We thank the Lord for you.

Count your blessings... and pray for this family!

You just never know how good you have it until you see another family going through such a difficult trial. The Decker Family has been through a big trial during the past few months. You can see their story on their blog here:


Scott & Carol Decker Family

Carol, a young mom of two daughters, went into early labor with her second daughter in June. She ended up having an emergency c-section. She then had a severe septic infection, and the drugs which were needed to save her had some very unfortunate side-effects that caused her to lose both legs below her knees, her left arm, and her eyesight. Please pray for this young mom-- I can't imagine not being able to see my precious babies, or care for them in all the ways you would want to do as a mom. Pray for her amazing husband who is standing strong by her side, and her two daughters Chloe and Safiya.

And more pics...

Here's more... I had to post them all since she is just so darn cute...

Pics of Evelyn...

Here are some pics of Evelyn eating cereal! Unfortunately, I didn't take pics when she ate it for the first time, so here are pics when she ate it the second time! She seems to really like it! :)

What are you saying "Yes" to?

Well, I said this blog would be about lots of things, and this is one of them-- my thoughts. Many times I have thoughts that I want to remember and don't. Many times I sense the Lord is trying to tell me or remind me of something, and I forget it 24 hours later. So, here is where I will be recording some of these thoughts.

Recently, I feel the Lord asking me, "What are you saying 'Yes' to?" When we say yes to something, we are always saying "no" to something else. We only have 24 hours in our day, so we much choose where we will be spending our time and energy. Like right now, for example, I have dirty dishes to attend to. However, I am choosing to say no to them and yes to this blog. I deem it to be more important at the moment. Why am I having these thoughts about management of time? Well, I have not been the greatest lately at putting my time where it matters most. I am a huge bargain shopper. I enjoy it, and it is satisfying to find great buys. It can also be very time-consuming. But the Lord has been reminding me a lot lately that these things will not last, that these "great bargains" will not ultimately bring me happiness. What matters in this life? Christ, family, people... I need to keep my heart on what truly matters. I don't want to look back 10 years from now and have a heart of regret, thinking about the things I could of and should of been doing with my time-- namely spending it with my husband, children, family, and friends. Lord, help me to follow YOUR way!

Lyrics to the song, "Life Means So Much" by Chris Rice:

Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there's plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Every day is a bank account
And time is our currency
So nobody's rich, nobody's poor
We get 24 hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest, or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who's under

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life
And don't you think giving is all
What proves the worth of yours and mine

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much

Every day is a gift you've been given
Make the most of the time every minute you're living

Josiah's First Day of Preschool

Here are some pictures of Josiah's first day at preschool. He is going twice a week for just a couple hours each time. He is enjoying it very much! Notice how difficult it was to get him to just look at the camera for 3 seconds and give a us a huge smile?! (If you want to see the pics larger, you should be able to click on them and they will open up a larger pic.)

Look what I got, Mama...

Josiah has this thing lately where he knows what I don't want him getting into, but it doesn't stop him from getting into it (especially when I am not looking). Today, for example, he got into a small box that had some bottles in it. I told him this morning that I didn't want him getting into it. But while I was nursing Evelyn, he got into it. A few minutes later, he brings over one of the bottles to me. He looks at me with mischievious little eyes, and a big grin. He hands me the bottle and nods his head, like he is saying, "Look what I got, Mama..." He often does this half-way through things that he knows he shouldn't be doing. He just pauses and looks at me with a grin, letting me know that he is in the middle of doing something he shouldn't be! Silly little man...

And I thought I would add this... Josiah decided to add some crayons to my grape juice today.

Evelyn's first taste of cereal

Today, I took the plunge and gave Evelyn her first taste of rice cereal. She handled it like a champ! She ate almost the whole thing of cereal. Took her a couple attempts at first to figure out how to keep it in her mouth. She really seemed to like it though! Pics to come...

Zipcar

Now this is a cool concept. I only wish they had this in West Lafayette!

Zipcar.com

It is all because of the Haircut...

Today was a rough day.  Josiah was into everything and anything!!  Here's the list:

* There was a box of crayons on top of the microwave.  He pulled a chair over and ended up dumping all the crayons out.

* He took a magenta-colored marker and scribbled (quite a bit) on the carpet.  

* I spilled a little bit of couscous (a tiny, pebbly pasta) on the floor and he had a hay-day spreading it everywhere wildly with his hands.

* I had him sitting at the table with his markers.  I am fixing dinner, and when I look at him a minute or so later, he has bitten the blue and black marker tips out of the markers-- he has marked all over his arms with the black marker and there is marker all over his mouth.  Thankfully, it is very washable (thanks Crayola!)

* He of course wouldn't leave sis alone on several occasions, which led to several time-outs. 

* He got into a bottle of dawn on the countertop and spilled a nice puddle of it on the floor.

* He bit into a lovely rotten apple on an outing at the park across the street (that was just gross)

* At the same park, I thought he was following behind me as I was pushing the stroller.  When I look back, I see that he has found an old fast-food cup on the road, has taken the lid off, and has the straw in his mouth.  Nasty.

Now why was it a rougher day than usual?  Well, I cut his hair this morning.  According to Jason's mom (hi Angie!), boys act up when they get their hair cut.  At least, both Jason and Eric would act up, so I guess he is at least continuing the tradition.

Spinach Salad

One of my passions is good food-- that's good tasting and good for you.  This is my favorite time of year, with all of the wonderful fruits and vegetables that are being harvested.  We have a great little farmer's market here in Lafayette every Saturday morning.  I took Josiah and Evelyn to it this past Saturday.  Little man nabbed a green bean from one stand when I wasn't looking!  Anyway, we have had lots of yummy veggies and fruits to eat this week.  I decided to try out a new recipe this week.  It is a Spinach Salad.  It turned out really well-- a keeper.  I added some sliced grilled chicken (that I had marinated in italian dressing) on top of the salad too, to make it a complete meal.  It looked so pretty too (I can't always say that about my meals)-- wish I had taken a picture.  Here is the recipe for those who might also want to try it.  This was posted by "Hey Jude" on recipezaar.com:

Spinach Salad with Honey Bacon Dressing:

• 8 cups torn fresh spinach
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of grater
• 7 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard or spicy brown mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. 1

   Combine first 6 ingredients with 5 of the cooked, crumbled bacon strips in a large bowl.

2. 2

   In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, vinegar, oil, mustard lemon juice and remaining 2 strips of cooked, crumbled bacon.

3. 3

   Pour over salad.

4. 4

   Serve immediately.

Josiah and Pop

First cute story about Josiah.  He is such a smartie pants (most moms probably think this about their kids!)  All four of us are sitting on the couch tonight.  Jason is drinking some pop, and Josiah already has a sweet tooth.  Sometimes daddy will pour a little pop into his sippy cup as a special treat.  Well, Jason told him that he couldn't have any pop at the moment, but Josiah wasn't done trying.  He reaches over and holds Jason's hand-- the way to daddy's heart.  Jason nudges me to show me what he is doing.  I bend down and whisper into Josiah's ear: "Are you holding daddy's hand because you want some pop?"  Josiah, with a big smile, nods his head yes.  Silly little man!

I'm so excited!  My first post!  Well, I have been busy trying to design this blog so that it looks cute.  This is my best attempt so far-- it is quite time consuming.   I think I have seen on other blogs that there are people who design blogs for a living-- which means I would have to pay for a cute blog design.  But, that would be money that could be better used elsewhere right now, so I won't be doing that.  Well, on to other things.  First of all, why did I name my blog "Tator Tot Mish Mash"?  Well, first, because "Tator Tot" was one of my nicknames when I was little.  Second, I have tots-- two of them, which I will be writing about on here.  Third, this will be a "mish mash" blog-- lots of different topics will be on here.  I can be pretty scatter-brained-- thinking about a lot at once.  So, this blog will probably reflect that.  Whatever I want to write down, I probably will.  I was inspired to start blogging from my friend Amanda (hi!).  She has two tots of her own, and she is a great writer, and a great mom, who enjoys blogging about their lives.  A main reason for my blog is to write about the everyday happenings of my children.  I know that they will grow up so quickly, and I want to blog about the little things (and big) happening in their lives.  Why blog though?  Well, I am just not a journaler.  I know this after 29 years of life.  But, blogging is different (don't ask me how).  Also, after a couple weeks of posts, I plan to print all the posts, then file them into a binder.  I will have this to keep for a lifetime.  I know that if I don't blog about the little everyday things, they will get lost in this brain of mine.  So, here we go...