The Towells

Update

lori — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:04:17 +0000

Yes, I know it’s been awhile. Things are just too crazy and special to find time to blog. The only time I get a chance to be alone is when the girls’ naps overlap, and all I wanna do at that time is relax. Sorry. I will continue to post, but it’s not gonna be every day– or maybe even every week. If you want to subscribe with RSS, you’ll be able to keep track of my posts better.

Here’s my lazy way of recording memories . . .

We went to a concert by Josh Wilson. He is a friend from High School and has now made a name for himself in the Christian music world. I’m so proud of him; he’s ridiculously talented and a great Christian guy. So, do yourself a favor and check out his music. Below is a picture of us in HS and a picture of him at the concert.

Our family was on the second page of our city’s newspaper last Friday. Out of the 95 pictures they took at the concert, they chose ours to be featured in the newspaper.

Abi is potty training. She’s gone a few days of being completely dry- but we’re having issues with the pooping. Any tips!??

Abi melts our hearts lately with the stuff she says about God. Yesterday, she said, “I’m gonna get the monkey baptized. It goes like this. He goes under the water.” Then 10 minutes later, “I’m gonna lie Rachel down and get her baptized.” She can say all the New Testament books by herself and sings tons of “adult” Christian songs by herself.

Lydia is 4 months now and sleeps 11.5 hours at night. Yesterday, I had to wake her up for church. Thank you Lord for happy sleepers who fit into our scheduling plans.

I’m gonna start making Lydia baby food in the next few weeks.

I’ve frozen my Amish bread starter, so I’m done with that for awhile. I’m happy to say that with 5 different times of making it, I only threw away one starter. And really, I made Jonathan do it because I can’t stand to waste food- or well, anything. It’s a blessing . . . and a curse.
I’ve been doing lots of crafty things lately

Jonathan and I are starting to read Crazy Love. I just finished reading The Last Song, so I’m ready for a new Nicholas Sparks book to come out. I’m also gonna start reading a Jodi Picoult book and an Ann Brashares book. They’re on my desk right now, begging for me to pick them up, so I think I will.

Free 8×10 Photo (Today ONLY)

lori — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:29:20 +0000

Walgreens is doing their annual Week of Photo Deals. For today, Sunday, August 15, they are offering a free 8×10 photo.

Enter FREE_8X10_DEAL code, and be sure to “update total”

If you choose in store pick up, you won’t have to pay for s&h, and your total will be $0.00! YEA! Normally, they’re ready in one hour for pick up.

Toddler Dress from Adult Shirt Tutorial

lori — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:00:44 +0000

So far, I’ve made these two dresses from old shirts I had. They are definitely not perfect, but Abi likes them, so I guess that’s what matters.

This was a super simple project. Can’t believe I didn’t make one sooner. Here’s a tutorial for you:

Lay a dress or shirt of your toddler’s on top of the shirt you’re going to cut. Make sure the necklines match up and fold the sleeves in on the toddler shirt.
Draw around the top item with disappearing ink pen, and then, cut around the lines.
Cut around the neckline.
Then cut the back side of the dress to be closer to the neckline
Sew up the sides with a straight stitch and then a zigzag stitch.
Then sew around the arm holes and stitch the back part, too.
Then, cut the neckline in the middle on the back part (where the tag used to be), and sew the ends onto the back of the dress, to make spaghetti straps.

You’re done, unless you want to embellish more. The first one, I decided to make some flowers with the left over fabric. (I was a little worried that the flowers wouldn’t hold up in the wash, but they stayed perfectly intact!)

For the second dress, I made ruffles. I’ve cut out 4 other shirts, but I haven’t gotten around to sewing them into dresses, yet. Any ideas for other ways to dress up the dresses??

Oh, I learned from making the first one that I should’ve make the bottom part of the dress more like an A-line.

I also made these bows to match the dress themes:

Let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any questions.

Freezer Paper Stenciling

lori — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:05:08 +0000

I’ve been asked several times how I made the following projects:

The answer is with Freezer Paper Stenciling. It’s super easy. I’d say the hardest part is cutting out your design with an exacto knife.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Freezer Paper (I got mine at Walmart in the section that has Aluminum Foil, Wax paper, etc.)
Exacto Knife (also purchased at Walmart, in the sewing section)
Fabric Paint (I got mine from Hobby Lobby and Walmart.)
Iron
Paint sponge/brush
Cardboard

I’ve made up a video to describe the process for you. One thing though, at about 50 seconds into the video, I gave the wrong info. . . . You actually put the middle sheet of paper waxy side UP (not down, as said in video).

Some extra information . . .

****I’ve been told by one person that she had a problem with printing her image (the paper got really stuck). Sooo, you might wanna be on the safe side and trace your image onto the paper side of the freezer paper.
Freezer paper is rolled up like wrapping paper. I like to cut mine in 8.5x11 inch sheets, so they can go directly in the printer. If you don’t want to print onto the freezer paper, you can print onto a normal sheet of paper and then trace the image onto freezer paper. Regardless of how you print, you want your design on the freezer paper to be on the paper side because you want the waxy side to be ironed onto your fabric.
Also, cut the image with an exacto knife on top of cardboard, cutting board, or a rotary board.
I open the shirt and insert a cardboard in the middle, so the paint won’t bleed.
You can use tweezers to remove the small bits of freezer paper after you’re finished painting.

Any questions?

Happy Birthday Husband

lori — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:00:28 +0000

In honor of your 28th birthday, I am going to list 28 things that I love about you . . .

You’re hilarious in a one of one level and group level.
You are never nervous. How is that possible!
You want to and do serve people.
You’ve been my nurse 3 times after I’ve had major surgeries– you know, not like your cyst removal.
You pray with me every night. I love that you love the Lord.

You’re normally the first to apologize.
You’re handy with technology.
You’re not hairy.
You don’t worry about things; you are that rock who lets me know I should relax about some things . . . that they will eventually be okay.
You’re smart, and if you don’t know something off hand, you want to find out the answer.

You give Abigail her bath every night, which gives me a much wanted break.
You’re a hard worker. You don’t want to simply finish something; you strive to complete it well.
You do things I would never in a million years want to do: kill spiders and roaches and other nasty bugs, mow/weed eat/edge/blow the lawn, take the trash out to the dumpster, fix the car, sweep and mop the house. I love that you get rid of the dirty stuff.
You bounce your eyes.
You get Abi up on Saturdays and Sundays.
You assumed the responsibility to give Toby his shots, so I wouldn’t have to.
You are so good to my PaPa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and Brothers. They all love you.
You love to play sports.
You love to watch sports. I would’ve never dated you if this weren’t the case.

You can make up songs spur of the moment that make me laugh.
You pop my back for me and never complain that I complain about my physical ailments.
You ask for my opinion on issues and compliment me.
You eat left overs.
You love (truly agape love) me.
You help clean up the house.
You’re confident in yourself and not concerned about what people think about you.

You are in a good mood about 360 days of the year.
You’re my better half.

Thank you for being the best human being on the planet. I love you now and forever. You’re my #1!

Amish Friendship Bread

lori — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:39:11 +0000

After trying some of my friend’s Cinnamon Bread that was so yummy, I asked for the recipe. She told me there was a starter and she’d bring it over with the instructions. Anyway, the basic recipe involves eggs, oil, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla pudding, etc. It’s called friendship bread because you’re supposed to give away the starter to 3 friends and continue baking a starter that you keep every 10 days.

Thinking that the bread might get a little time consuming, expensive, or boring, I went looking for variations. Here are some good ones . . .

Ways to Save Money

Instead of 3 eggs, you can use 2.
You can substitute applesauce for the vegetable oil.
You can substitute water for the milk.
And you don’t have to include the pudding.

The cinnamon bread is awesome! Love it, but I found these other ways to make the bread . . .

Other Flavors, instead of cinnamon and/or vanilla pudding

add 1-2 cups of blueberries
add box of instant chocolate pudding, 3 tsp. cocoa and 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
1 box of butterscotch pudding and 1 cup of butterscotch chips.
lemon pudding and add 1/4 cup of poppy seeds.
3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 3/4 cup macadamia nuts and used cheesecake pudding
1 small box of strawberry jello, 1 c. thawed strawberries
see more here
you could also bake in a 9×13 pan for 35 minutes.

When You’re Tired of Baking

You can freeze the starter for up to a year. Thaw it for 3 hours at room temperature when you’re ready to start baking again.
It can be 1-2 days off schedule, early or late.
If you wanna say goodbye to the starter but don’t want to throw it out, you could bake all the starter by dividing it equally into 4 bowls. Then, add the ingredients. Each bowl would make 1-2 loaves each. Then, you could give away some of the baked bread.

Soooo, who wants some of my starter?

10 Tips to Prepare Toddler for New Baby

lori — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:00:43 +0000

People often look as me with concern and say, “So, how is Abigail doing with the new baby?” It’s like they’re expecting me to tell woes about how Abi has mistreated Lydia (and just so we’re clear, she has not), just like when they cock their heads to the side and say, “So, you getting any sleep at all?” (And I happily say, “Yep, a normal 8 hours, and it could’ve been 10, if I went to bed when Lydia did.”) I’m not trying to be cocky; I’m just trying to say that some people have misconceptions about how ALL babies and toddler will behave, and I want to clear up one of those today.

Thanks to my super cousin Katie, I got some great advice about how to transition the former only child to becoming a big sibling. She even sent me this book: Welcoming Your Second Baby, by Vicki Lansky. So giving and thoughtful! I love her!

Anyway, here are a few tips I learned . . .

Take your child to your OB appointments. Abi went to all of my OB visits, and when we listened to baby’s heartbeat, we told her that Baby was “calling her”. Abi would say, “What’s she sayin’? How you doing Baby?”
Read books about what it is like to be a big sister/brother. Here’s one I love, and here’s another one that’s good, too.
Get a baby doll. We got Abigail this baby do ll 3 months before Lydia was born, so Abigail could learn how to hold a baby and be gentle. This baby doll, who she named Rachel, even cries, so Abi learned that babies cry a lot. Also there are times when Abi wants me to do something with her, but I’m nursing Lydia, and I say, “Go get Baby Rachel, so you can take care of your baby, too.”
Get a doll house. We bought this doll house, so we could “roll play” what it would be like to have a new baby and to be a big sister.
Buy or make some Big Sister/Brother shirts. Abigail loved (and still does) wearing her shirts.
Put a picture of yourself and hubby in your child’s room, so they know you’re still thinking of them when you’re gone at the hospital.
Hide a few small gifts around the house. When you call from the hospital, you can tell your child where to look for them. We hid a toy camera for Abigail in the laundry room, and when I called, I told her to go to the place where she helps me put the clothes in the washer. This was helpful, too, because everyone wants to take picture of the new baby, so she could join in with her new toy camera. Also, make sure to take plenty of pictures of your older child.
Have a present at the hospital for your child to open; tell the child it is from the new baby. We had 3 gifts at the hospital– one Abigail could open each day we were there. The first day, she got a barn with animals. Day 2, she got two dolls. Day 3, she got a foam puzzle. This also keeps them entertained while there.
Make sure Mom is not holding Baby when the older sibling comes to visit the baby for the first time. Your child needs time to warm up to Baby on his own time. When Abi came into the room, my arms were empty, so I could love on her. I told her after a few seconds of hugs that the baby came out of my belly and wanted to give Abi a present. Then, she opened the present. We didn’t show her Lydia for awhile. Eventually we said, “Hey, Abi, would you like to tell your new baby sister thank you for the gift?” And that’s when she met Lydia. It was presh!
We try to refer to Lydia as “OUR baby”, so Abigail doesn’t feel left out.

Abi adores Lydia. Abi always wants to hold Lydia, touch her, kiss her, hug her, and help her. Abi has never once tried to hurt Lydia emotionally or physically. Abi has never acted hurt or unloved by us or Lydia. We’re so fortunate. I hope these tips can help you, too!

Abi’s Newest Thing

lori — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:49:17 +0000

We have a smart 26 month old. We’ve known this for awhile, due to Pediatrician appointments where they tell us that she’s advanced and way ahead, but it’s still shocking to watch her comprehend and remember things so easily. We’re learning that not much is outside of her reach.

A few months ago, we taught her to know the difference between her left and right. She gets it correct 100% of the time now. She’s been able to count to 20, say her ABCs, know all her colors, know shapes, quote entire books, say the NT books of the bible, and communicate in paragraph form with us since well before she turned two years old.

What’s the newest thing on the list of her knowledge . . .

Spelling!

When we don’t want Abi to get too excited or disappointed about something, if we decide to not to it (like go to the P-A-R-K or to take a B-A-T-H), we spell it out to each other. Sometimes, if I’m spelling, Jonathan doesn’t even know the word, and vice versa. So, it completely shocked us when the other day . . .

I asked Jonathan: “You want some D-E-S-S-E-R-T?”
Abi: “Oh, I want some.”
Me: “You want some what?”
Abi: “Dessert! Please may I have dessert?”

Wow, I’m pretty sure we had never spelled out dessert before. How did she do that!?

I was thinking about that at lunch today and thought it might’ve been a fluke, so I tested her.

Me: “Abi, what does D-O-G spell?
Abi: “Dog!”
Me: “Okay. What does D-U-C-K spell?”
Abi: “Ummm, umm, Duck.”

I tried B-U-G next, but she said Pig.

She just catches on to things so quickly. Hopefully her love of learning will turn out to be a good thing. Sometimes I feel like it’s a blessing . . . and a curse (as Monk would say).

Any neat stories about how your kids wowed you?

Prayer Request

lori — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:56:04 +0000

I don’t know how to write this post. So many thoughts going through my head and tears flowing from my eyes. As a mother of two young girls, this story has really impacted me.

[On July 10] Preslee fell into a canal in Rigby (Idaho). About 2 miles down the canal a farmer who was working in the water saw her and immediately started CPR. His brother was with him and called 911. She was air lifted to EIRMC (Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center) and then flown down to Primary Children’s Hospital. . . Her body is healing . . . but her brain is swelling.

Please join me in prayer for this sweet 18 month old little girl. I’m praying that she grows stronger to live a healthy life with no brain damage. But above all, I’m praying for peace, strength, and joy for her family and for the doctors to make wise decisions and for God to show mercy and grace to this family.

Videos that Make Me Laugh, part 2

lori — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:00:20 +0000

Do you Swagger?

“Wanna make you smile; wanna be your sunshine!”

$21.82 Worth of Food . . . for FREE!

lori — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:06:38 +0000

So, we went to Chick Fil A for the Dress Up as a Cow Promo and got $21.82 worth of free food (1 sandwich, 2- 12 ct nuggets, 3 drinks, 2 fries, and a fruit cup). Jonathan actually went to different ones for breakfast and lunch, too, so I guess it was more like $35 worth of free food.

I felt so sorry for all the people there without cow outfits on who had to PAY for their food.

Abi excited to go get her grub on

Our Cute Little Cow Family

One of the workers asked to take our picture with the company’s camera

My Gorgeous Girls

We had a good time, and I’m saving the outfits for next year. All I did was paint the shirts and headbands we already had on hand with fabric paint I already had, so I spent nothing on supplies or clothing. Jonathan opted for wearing ears (I cut from scrap fabric) taped to a hat. Check this post to see him sporting udders, too.

Can’t wait til their next promo! Way to go Chick fil a; we love you!

Free Chicken Combo!

lori — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:00:37 +0000

What’s the greatest chicken restaurant, Emily???? Um, that’s right . . . Chick fil a. They’re the best because . . .

their chicken is yummy!
their shakes are even better
they have awesome service because “it’s [their] pleasure”
the founder is a cool Christian
they do tons of promos where you can get free food!

Friday, July 9th is Cow Appreciation Day. If you dress like a cow from head to toe, you’ll get a free combo meal. If you just wanna sport a few items, you can get a free entree. Go to the link to see some ideas of how to dress up.

So, Jonathan went to get breakfast with Gary (Melody’s husband). I made the outfit, but my favorite touch was the udders, so he could milk it for all it was worth (pun intended!). We’ll all be going for dinner tonight, so I’ll update the post later.

Also, on July 11, you can get a FREE 7.11oz Slurpee from 7/Eleven! We’ve done this for the past 2 years, and they let us get as many as we can hold. :) As always, call your local 7 Eleven before you go to make sure they’re participating.

What is this?

lori — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:24:49 +0000

This animal came to visit us one afternoon. The pictures aren’t that great because he was so stinkin’ fast. He jumped over our fence, onto the neighbor’s shed, and then “flew” onto their roof. Craziness. Abigail loved seeing it, prays for the animal, and frequently asks when it will visit again.

So, we’re taking a poll . . . what animal is this?

Happy 3 Months Lydia

lori — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:00:30 +0000

We’ve seen big improvements from you in the last couple of weeks. You’re adjusting better to life outside of the womb.

You weigh 11 lb, 11 oz (almost a 4 lb gain since birth).
Not sure on your current height, but at your last check up (at 2 months, you were 23.5 inches), you were in the 90% on height. You’re about to outgrow your bassinet. Everyone always comments on how long you are.
You rolled over from your stomach to your back.
You’re still so fidgety. You are only still when you’re asleep.
You try to sit up and stand alllll the time.

You track us really well with your eyes.
You went swimming for the first time.

You “talk” a lot.
You seem to be the happiest baby these days. What a change from your first 3 months! You smile allll day long. You do still have a fussy time from about 9:30-11pm, but other than that, you’re happy.

You laugh now! Love it! I can’t believe you’re laughing so soon. Thank you for this!
You’re doing soooo much better in the sleeping department. You go 8-9.5 hours in between eating at night. Most nights, you go right to sleep without fussing, but some nights, you pout for up to 5 minutes, and then, you settle down. Also, your naps are great! You have 4 one and a half hour naps. No crying. Love it!
You always get comments on your big, beautiful eyes.

Here’s a short video of you at 9 weeks old.

We love you, and we’re so happy you’re a part of our family.

Videos that Make Me Laugh

lori — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:47:11 +0000

You’ll love this if you’re a parent. And if you know my older brother, pause it at 2:24, and tell me if it looks like him.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck. You touch my chicken, I beat you up . . .”

Free Stuff for July

lori — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:00:26 +0000

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted freebies. Well, here you go . . .

21 Children Songs- download these for free
Photo book from Pixable- FREE 8 x 5.5 photo book when you use coupon code: PIXBOOK
Amazon Video on Demand- Get a $3 credit when you use code: HDNATION or code: FILMRIOT (expired)
Pampers Potty Training Kit
Pet n’ Shape Dog Treats
90 Points for Pampers Gifts to Grow- when you type these codes: ENJOYYOURSUMMER (10 pts, expires July 6, 2010) and GTGLEARNMORE089 (10 pts) and 15GTGSUMMERFUN (15 pts) and 25GTGSUMMER2010 (25 pts), GTGPLAY3USA2010 (30 pts)
Print and Color Greeting Cards
1 Free Audiobook (expires July 2)

A Car Seat Tent/Cover

lori — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:00:28 +0000

Several women have commented on Lydia’s car seat tent, so I’m finally getting around to doing the tutorial. It’s SUPER easy!

I remember going out with Abigail and getting frustrated, trying to keep the sun completely out of her eyes with the car seat sunshade. And don’t even get me started about when it would rain. Also, the wind, oh the wind where I live is killer and blankets would always blow off, and it was a hassle to hold her car seat, while trying to keep a blanket over her. So, thank goodness I discovered an awesome way to cover up your newborn with a car seat tent. Here’s what you need to have on hand to make one yourself . . .

Supplies

about 2 yards total of fabric (if you want it to be reversible, you can use 1 yd of one color and 1 yd of another color, or you can simply use two yards of the same fabric)
thread
velcro (not the adhesive kind; buy the kind for sewing)

Okay, so I started typing up a tutorial for this but erased it all, but I don’t have the patience to remember what all I did, since it’s been about 4 months since I made this. So, I’ll just leave you some links to some car seat tent tutorials that will be helpful. Also, here are some of my measurements that might help you (keep in mind that this won’t make sense to you until you look at the tutorial links):

I cut 2 inches off the bottom; it left my fabrics to be 36 L x 42 W (35 long when sewed)
For my velcro straps: soft side up, facing back (velro down, facing front) 7-8 inches long
When I measured the cloth front to back, I sewed the straps directly in the middle lengthwise (21 inches) and measured side to side; 12.5 from outside (7 ¼ in b/t each other).

iPod/iPhone Apps

lori — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:36:09 +0000

So technology is awesome. Sometimes it kills me though . . . like when it comes to my husband’s iPhone. He has that thing in his pocket, by his nightstand, or in his hands 98% of the time. The only time it’s not with him is during a shower, I suppose.

I like to refer to this piece of technology as his “mistress”. I have threatened many a time to throw his obsession across the room.

I, however, have a healthy relationship with my iPod touch. It is mostly shared with our toddler; she probably uses it 80% more than I do. Anyway, here’s a break down of some FREE apps we like . . .

Toddler Games*

WordWorld- Drag letters to build word animals. Abi loves it so much we bought the full version.
Baby Piano Lite
FirstWord Sampler- Move letters onto letters to spell simple words.
Baby Draw- Draw shapes with different color choices.
Shapes- Touch the diamond, hexagon, etc. Then they earns stickers and applause.
Ding Dong Bell & I Close My Eyes Lite- Abi loves these animated cartoons.
I Hear Ewe & iBabyBuddy- Touch animals, and they make sounds.
Shape Lite & Toddlelite- Puzzles. Abigail really likes these ones.
PreK Safari Lite- watch animals and learn letters
Peekaboo Barn- find animals
123 Counting- Counting Animals, etc
123 Count with Me- Set up like a book
Alphabet Creatures Lite
Super Match Madness- matching game
Letter Quiz Lite
Up- Pop balloons to find the house.

Healthcare:

iNeedMilk- It tracks how long you’re nursing and on what side you’re nursing.
Breastfeed- Mostly for newborn management. Has FAQs and lets you know what meds interfere with nursing
What to Expect

Sports:

ScoreMobile- Convient way to find scores in all sports.
At Bat Lite & Pro Baseball- Tells you scores, play by play, and more of MLB

Games:

Paper Toss- Super addicting. You flick a wad of paper into a trash can, while a fan blows.
Word Warp- Like Text Twist.
Sheep Launch- Tap a sheep up into the sky.

Misc

Voice Memos- Need a microphone for this.
Mapquest- Find gas stations, stores, restaurants quickly.
TheFind- Finds nearby and web stores that carry whatever item you search for.
Bible- I like taking my bible to church so I can mark it up; Jonathan, however, likes using this app.
Pandora- Choose music you like.
Moron Quiz & Imbecile Test- How smart are you?
Traffic!- Especially helpful when you live in a big city; it tells you which streets/highways are crowded, etc.
Sporcle- Trivia game. This passed the time on a 9 hour car ride.

So what other apps should I look into?

*I feel as if many of these apps are quite annoying. However, they occupy Abigail’s attention, so I allow her to play them.

Cute Toddlerisms

lori — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:58:07 +0000

Abigail is always saying funny and cute stuff. Just an hour ago, she told me, “Mommy, you’re my BEST friend.” Awww. And not two seconds ago, she asked, “Oh what happened Mommy? Let me kiss you. [Kiss]. That feels you better.”

(too cool)

And then, there are times when she’s clever. The other day, we were out swimming and taught her about the dinosaurs on her pool. We asked her to say Stegosaurus. She said, “Um, I can’t because I’m too busy.” Wow, in the amount of time it took you to say you’re too busy, you could’ve said said word.

(silly girl)

Or there are times when she’s random and says things like, “Hey Daddy, I wanna tell you something. I make milk with my boobies.”

We knew the day would come sometime for her to start saying “inappropriate” phrases. Two Sundays ago, I was in the nursing room with Lydia, and when I came back into the church auditorium, Jonathan informed me that Abigail had asked, “What’s wrong with that man’s head?” That man . . . was bald.

(look how innocent)

The next Sunday, she asked again, “What’s wrong with that man’s head?” when one of the ministers got up to speak.

Rachel posted about her daughter acting inappropriate. And I’d like to know, what has your toddler or child said or done in public to embarrass you?

**Also, Happy FIRST Birthday to our sweet niece Harper!**

“Happy Father’s Day”

lori — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 04:00:34 +0000

I have the best daddy. And my girls have the best daddy, too. How is that possible when they’re two different men? I don’t know, but it most certainly is.

I often see someone’s status update on facebook saying, “I have the most beautiful kid” or “my husband is the best.”

I used to think, “What are they trying to say: that my child is not cute, or that I don’t have a good husband. Do they think that?”

Then, I realized that it’s so awesome that Emily S. and Ryan & Jess love their kids so much that they’re the cutest. And it’s terrific that Jennifer and Audra, can say they have the best husbands. It’s great that those men can be best friends to their wives; it’s awesome that there are enough men out there who love their wives and enough parents who love their children, just as my Dad and my Jonathan do. Thank you God for this.

Sooo, all that to say that when I tell my daddy, “You’re the best daddy,” I in no way mean that Jonathan is not the best. He is! He is the best for my girls, and I love that.

To my daddy: As the church song goes, I love you because “you first loved me.” And I mean the real agape love. You have always displayed a Christ-like attitude. It was very rare that you got upset. You are known for your good humor, patience, gentle teaching, kind words, and knowledge. I admire all these things, and I want to be a good parent as you were (and still are) to me.

To my husband, my baby daddy: Just as I am confident God matched us up perfectly, I also know that he made you to be the best daddy for Abigail and Lydia. I adore seeing you play with Abigail’s baby doll house. I love the look on your face when Lydia smiles at you. Abi loves riding horsey on your back, reading books with you, giving you butterfly kisses, and going to get pizza with you. You are the best Father for them. Thank you!

To all the good daddies out there, like my brother Joshua and brother-in-law Travis and Father-in-law Rob: Thank you. Thank you for raising your kids up in the Lord. Thank you for helping out with the dishes and giving baths and kissing boo-boos. Thank you for being good examples so that your kids know what to look for in a spouse. I hope you all have a wonderful day and know that people appreciate your hard work.

Happy Father’s Day!

World Cup 2010

lori — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:35:00 +0000

On Tuesday, Brasil will be playing their first game in the 2010 World Cup! Finalmente! We’re gearing up for tomorrow’s big game; here’s my to-do list:

Make Abigail a Brasil soccer shirt with freezer stenciling (Check out the picture. I’ll do a tutorial for how you can make your own personalized shirts–if you want–at some point in time.) ✓
Make Lydia a Brasil shirt ✓
Get a new WC Brasil shirt for me ✓ (thanks Judy!)
Make Brigadeiros
Make Pao de Queijo ✓
Have Guarana ready to drink ✓ (thanks Daniel! I only have two left from my Xmas/Bday gift. I’m drinking on for Brasil’s opening game and saving the other for the final, in which I hope Brasil will be playing.)
Pray that the girls will be napping or otherwise not needing my attention during the game. ✓
Celebrate like crazy

Va Brasil. O tudo mundo tenta, mas so Brasil e penta!!!

Happy 2 Months Lydia

lori — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:29:10 +0000

We can’t figure out this sleeping thing with you. We’re doing everything like we did with Abigail (who was sleeping 8-9 hours straight at this time), but it’s not working so far with you.
You’re still pretty loud and fussy. And your toots are so stinky. I didn’t know newborns’ toots could smell badly, but you’ve proved me wrong. Sooo, I think your gas is the source of your fussiness.
You have had a few blowout diapers. Your daddy was holding you last night, and he literally caught a handful of your poop.
You give us THE BEST SMILES ever. And you give them a lot, too, which is super fun. I’m loving your dimples!
You’re cooing and “talking” so much. We like to have conversations after you eat. You’re very excited about watching the World Cup later this week!
We got you a new car seat, and you’ve done a bazillion times better. Since we got it, you haven’t cried in the car (or at least not for more than a few seconds- whereas before, you could cry THE WHOLE time). So, that’s nice!
You went to your first wedding, and you did great.
You went on your first “vacation”. We rode in the car for 8 hours to Colorado, and you did great! No meltdowns. You gave my cousins and aunts several smiles. They adored you.
You weighed 10 lb, 5.4 oz today. That’s a 2.5 lb more than your birth weight.
You’re still ridiculously strong. You “crawl” and “stand” alllllllllll the time. You’re very fidgety, too. I warn people who are about to hold you of this, but they always comment about how strong and how much of a mover you are.

The three of us love you so much. Thanks for being our Joy!

*these pictures were taken by Pam Johnson. You can see all the pictures here, and check Pam’s site for a post she did about our photo session.

Abigail’s Big Girl Room

lori — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:19:14 +0000

So, it’s still not 100% done, but I just can’t wait any longer to show you pictures of Abigail’s new big girl room. Now why didn’t I ever take pictures of the room before when it was just an office/guest room?? Oh, I know, because it looked awful! So, sorry you don’t get the full effect of before and after shots. Just imagine an ugly off white wall with ugly brown doors and brownish, ugly carpet.

Okay, here are two pictures I found of the day we started doing the redo.

And here are the “after” pictures

I made her wall letters. Here are instructions of how to make your own.

We painted a block wall (I talked about it here). Eventually, I’ll do a tutorial for you.

Jonathan painted her doors; they used to be a nasty brown wood.

The window treatments are made from tulle. A friend made the bow holder.

Jonathan and his dad made the clothing rack. The shelf has picture of Abi at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 weeks old.

Still lots of work to be done. I want to make tissue paper flower pom poms. We need to convert her crib to a toddler bed. And we need to get new door hinges and knobs. And I want to make a wall decal and vinyl lettering. Oh, and Jonathan’s going to build her a low play table that we can put her baby doll house and barn on top and store her toys underneath. But overall, we’re pretty satisfied with her room, and she loves it!

BOGO Free Sonic Shakes for a Month!

lori — Mon, 24 May 2010 03:31:39 +0000

I haven’t been doing “freebie” posts lately, like I used to, and I’m sorry! I just can’t find the time to post about them. But this offer is not just limited to one day, and it’s pretty awesome, so I thought I’d share . . .

From now until June 27th, you can Buy One milk shake at Sonic and get one for free. You don’t even have to get the free one at the time; you can get a rain check coupon (which doesn’t expire until July 15, my brother’s birthday!). Large shakes are $2.91, so that’s almost a $3 yummy treat for FREE! Love it!

Happy One Month Lydia

lori — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:50:24 +0000

So, I’m late with this post, Lydia, because let’s face it, you occupy a lot of my time. You’re napping now, so hopefully I can finish this post, instead of putting it in the drafts folder like I’ve done with the following posts: Easter update, Tutorials on a car seat tent, legwarmers, recipes, your birth story, etc.

Okay, so, you’re actually 5 weeks and 3 days.

Last night, you went 7 hours (and 8 minutes) in between feedings! SEVEN! Praise the Lord. For the two nights before that, you went 6 hours each, so hopefully, we’re getting you on a good sleep routine.

I’m guessing those steroid shots I got really improved your lungs because you sure let us know (very loudly) when you want something. Holy petes, girl, you can yell!

You gave me your first definite smiles yesterday. I really can’t put into words how beautiful they were. Keep giving them!
Your umbilical stump came off at two weeks, and you were left with an umbilical hernia. It doesn’t seem to bother you, and the Pedi says it’s fine.
The first 4-5 baths you had, you hated. Now, you seem to like them! Yea! We’re still working on you liking the cold lotion afterward.

Yesterday, you weighed 9 lb, 4 oz. You’ve been gaining about an ounce a week, which is great! Hopefully you won’t start slacking in a few months like your sister did and stress me out.
You took your first bottle yesterday! Words cannot express how wonderful it was that you didn’t fight it. Daddy said he loved bonding with you during this time.
We’ve also given you a pacifier a few times in the last two days. I thought I would never do this, but the Pedi said since you nurse such a short time, you might need the extra sucking.
You hate car rides. HATE them. You pretty much yell the whole drive from the church parking lot to our garage (10 minutes). Please improve in this area, especially considering we have a 9+ hour drive to visit our Colorado family in a few weeks.
You’re so unbelievably strong. You can stand for around 5 seconds with our slight support. During tummy time, you move about a foot forward. I think you’re going to be an early crawler. And your neck was super strong from day one. You’re always so stiff though. We can’t stretch out your arms, and diaper changes are super hard because you don’t let us bend your legs easily.

Lydia, we think you’re awesome. You’re a huge light in our lives. We love you!