Updated Family Portrait

Sunday, May 30, 2010


We've waited a long time, but we finally got our family portrait with Andrew today. He was finally happy and healthy enough to cooperate for one!

Speaking of such, Drew has been doing a LOT better lately. He's stopped screaming all day and has started to become content and smiley more often. We're still battling colic in the evenings, but it hasn't been anywhere near as severe as before. Praise the Lord!

Pizzookies Recipe

Saturday, May 29, 2010

This recipe is simply awesome! And by simply awesome, I do mean simple and awesome at the same time! Another slam-dunk from Our Best Bites.


Pizzookies

Chocolate chip cookie dough (homemade or premade)
Chocolate syrup
Caramel syrup (optional)
Vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 350. Fill ramekins about 1/2 full of cookie dough.

2. Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until golden around the edges but still soft in the middle.

3. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with caramel and chocolate sauces.

Robby & Drew/Two Months Old

Friday, May 28, 2010

Robby & Drew - Twin Falls, Idaho - 2010

This is very typical of these two. Drew's getting mad at Robby's pestering and Robby's laughing because Drew's getting mad. I foresee this happening a LOT in the future.
Two Months Old - Twin Falls, Idaho - 2010

Two months already? Wow. It's been a rough two months, though. Between Drew's tummy issues, colic, and general moodiness, it hasn't always been a happy time with him, but we're still thankful to have him in our lives. Here's praying the next month is better.


Just for fun. I thought he needed a remote to perfect the couch potato look. =)

Drew's Diagnosis

Saturday, May 22, 2010

After three weeks of listening to Drew scream in misery, I finally broke down and took him to the doctor. We did everything we could leading up to this point; gas drops, gripe water, switching formulas, using filtered water instead of tap...everything....to no avail. I couldn't take it anymore and started breaking down mentally. My step mom was here to go with us, thankfully, and held a screaming Drew in the pediatrician's office the whole time, as I tearfully answered the doctor's questions. He was very thorough and determined that it was very possible that Drew had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). He prescribed easy-dissolve Prevacid ($60!), told us to keep him on sensitive or soy formula for the spitting up, and to keep him upright for 30 minutes after he eats. We should expect changes within a week and so far just a couple of doses have made a difference. From what I understand, he'll either outgrow GERD or have to take medication for it for the rest of his life. We're just praying for peace in our household, no matter the cost. He goes back to the doctor for his two-month checkup on June 2nd.

Bounty Indeed!

My Bountiful Basket contained:

1 head of lettuce
2 cucumbers
3 squash
1 bag of baby carrots
6 avocados
3 oranges
9 peaches
1 bunch of bananas
9 tomatoes
1 container blackberries
1 container strawberries
10 apples
1 coconut

A friend of mine posted this blog post from a blog called My Frugal Lifestyle talking about a site called Bountiful Baskets on Facebook. I was definitely curious, so I took a chance and ordered a basket for $16.50 (there's also a $3.00 newbie fee). Basically, you "claim a basket" (up to three) by ordering with a credit card on their website (create a free account first), find the location nearest you, and go pick it up at the scheduled pick up time (using your own basket - I used a laundry basket). Each basket contains half fruit, half vegetables, all local (as possible) produce. They also offer organic produce if that's your thing and sometimes offer extras like bread and cake. I just ordered one regular basket, no extras, and received a definite bounty! You never know what you're going to get, so I was pleasantly surprised. So worth it! If you live in the Twin Falls area, Bountiful Baskets will be available again in two weeks. Check back then to claim your own basket, but do it quick - they're limited and go fast. I don't know what the schedule is like for other states, but I do know it's limited to Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington.

Seriously?

Monday, May 17, 2010


"Is that thing glued to your face or something, Mom?"

Photos

Sunday, May 16, 2010



A couple of photos I snapped today with our new camera.

New Camera!

Saturday, May 15, 2010


Matt just brought home our third baby. =)

Made some changes to what we wanted camera-wise, saved up some more, sold some stuff, and finally got our camera. Now to wait the two hours for the battery to charge...

Smilin'

Friday, May 14, 2010


Drew has been smiling "on purpose" since he turned a month, but I finally just caught it on camera for the first time the other day. He's a very smiley boy like his brother was. =)

Car & Camera Update

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Well, we got our car back yesterday. It's back in one piece, I'm happy to report, but our savings (camera fund included) has a $643 hole in it, now. Ouch. The bill was up to $817, but some parts were cheaper than initially thought and the mechanic told us that the other repairs didn't necessarily need tending to right away. The cost of that repair would be $290, mostly for labor. So, we're going to be getting together with a mechanic friend and see if we can fix it for cheaper. Here's praying we don't do more harm than good.

So, obviously the camera idea still fell through, but I'm one bound and determined woman. I've been scraping together any funds I can get my hands on. I've been trying to sell my prints, my amigurumi critters, and I'm even holding a "Facebook yardsale" as we speak. Just a few unwanted items around the house that I'm offering up to my Facebook friends. So far, I've sold an old stereo, some books, and have had many offers on Robby (jokingly, I posted him for sale, also). At the moment, we're only $197 away from our goal! If anything, I know we'll have enough extra next payday (a week from tomorrow) to cover, so we may possibly be getting it then, Lord willing. We bounced back from our crisis quicker than I thought we would. My hope and goal is to get the camera and learn how to use it before our Church Camp in June. That would definitely be ideal, since all we have now is one SX10 and my pocket camera, the A2000. Since we've been asked to do the photography again this year, I want to be able to provide quality shots for them and if I have the chance to do it with a better camera, I'm definitely going to jump on the chance. Plus, it will be fun to really test the new camera's abilities. I'm very excited, but am afraid to get my hopes up again. Silly, I know, but I really do have a passion for the art. Was that a bit obvious? =)

Another Lesson Learned

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

We had saved for months. We sold one of our cameras to aid. The dream of finally owning our very first "legit" camera (a DSLR) was one step away from becoming real and boy - were we pumped. We could finally further our photographic passion and skill. The money was in our hot little hands and we were going to make that victorious trip into Best Buy the very next day...then the car started making odd noises.

 As soon as I heard it, that all-too-familiar lump hit my stomach. This ALWAYS happens, I thought bitterly. And it does seem to. Everytime we try to get ahead financially or save for something, the car takes a dive and requires all our extra funds. At first, it wasn't so bad. We had $350 in our Emergency Fund and the repairs thus far would cost us $326. We can still do this! I thought. It got worse. The more layers the mechanic peeled back, the higher the bill rose - and may still be rising at this moment, I might add. As it sits, we're at $697 in repairs on our $1300 car. Good-bye camera fund. It made my stomach churn to hear and think about. I sat there attempting to absorb everything after Matt updated me on the situation, hands together and fingers laced. In walks Robby, looking at me with those inquisitive eyes; those gears in his head always turning. Glancing down at my hands, he places his chubby hands together, looks at me, and asks innocently, "Prway?" I chuckled. "Oh no, honey. I'm not pra..." The words caught traction on my tongue. A chill ran down my spine. Should I be? We sat very quiet for a moment, staring at each other. "Yes. Let's pray." I watched him as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. I started to cry as I prayed out loud.

I repented for my poor attitude and selfishness and thanked the Lord for His gracious provision. If He hadn't of allowed us to save for our camera, we wouldn't of had the funds to fix our car. I had been so selfish once again, desiring passions for worldly things and my own ambitions rather than for the God that gave me not only life, but also eternal life. I see God's hand in all of this, now. My thoughts keep drifting back to the sermon on Sunday, speaking of creating our own personal idols and desiring things more than God. It struck me hard then, but it struck me even harder today. But yet I stand amazed. All in one fell swoop, the Lord taught me a lesson and blessed me at the same time. Trite in comparison, but I can maybe relate it to a parent giving their child a hug after scolding them. The child deserved to be disciplined and will be better for it, but the parent assures the child that they still care for them with affection. God used this situation to make me realize the error in my ways, but still chose to provide for us when He could have easily let us flounder. We surely would have been floundering; scrambling frantically for funds to fix our only reliable means of transportation. Completely undeserved, He still graciously provides for this little family day-in and day-out and especially during these out of the blue "catastrophes". Lesson learned, but still a hard pill to swallow, considering just how close we were. Will update later when I know more about the car.

This all comes on the shirt tails of a tough time with Drew. After listening to him fuss and scream over his food for about a week or so, we were quite worn and cranky. A dear friend clued us in on the possibility that he may be lactose intolerant - something I had no expounding knowledge on. I referred to my wonderful nurse step mother, who suggested we switch him to a formula for sensitive tummies. That night, we bought him lactose-free formula and the results were almost instantaneous. He hadn't slept more than two hours at a time the whole day and fought and fussed at almost every feeding, but as soon as he was finished eating a bottle of his new formula, he was peacefully asleep - and stayed that way for the next six hours. Now, he's a completely different child. Very happy and content and no more fussing during feedings. Even his horrible diaper rash, which I swear he was born with, finally went away. This tells me that he's probably had this issues for a lot longer than we thought, but it all came to a head just recently. I am so thankful for the knowledgeable people God has surrounded us with. Drew would probably still be suffering if it wasn't for them. That aside, Drew is doing really well and is thriving. He's almost outgrown some of his newborn clothes and has started smiling socially (smiling on purpose, if you will). He especially loves to smile, gurgle, and coo at us during the wee hours of the morning, which although I'm half there mentally, still makes me tear up. Those are sweet moments I never get tired of, even though I'm tired. =)
 
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