Water Fight

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The battle begins!

Plotting revenge against his own father. Very Star Wars.

Take that, Daddy!

Brutal battle tactics were necessary against the sworn enemy.

Beg for mercy!

Victory is mine!

Fight to the death!

Defeated...

...but taking you down with me!

Bubbles & Chalk

Rob was driving me bonkers, so I did what any good parent would do - I threw him outside! But after awhile, I decided to join him. We drew shapes and wrote our names on the porch with chalk, I blew bubbles for him as he chased them yelling, "Wait! Wait!", we wrestled in the grass, and then we had a nice big drink of cool water. I need to spend more time with this little guy. It sickens me that I don't, for one reason or another. I'm looking forward to spending some Mama/Daddy time with him at the Speedway this Saturday! Should be lots of fun, since Rob's never been there before! Pictures to come, but first, our time outside today:

There's a smile!

We were brushing up on our shapes, colors, and letters.

This requires something to drink!

I didn't get pictures of our bubble-blowing, but it's tricky trying to operate a camera and a bubble wand at the same time.

Three Months Old

It's been a rough three months, but I think we're finally starting to see the light at the end of our tunnel.

Carrying on a tradition, I took a similar picture of Robby with his Build-a-Bear around the same age.

Arguing With Myself

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I'm holding my finally happy baby, staring down at him lovingly as he's cooing and smiling at me when a little argument starts up in my euphoric little brain...

Yeah, I guess I could have another one of you someday.

Wait. What? Did your brain erase all the trauma from your memory, you idiot?! Were you zoned out to your happy place a little too much for the last two months?! Do you recall the colic, acid reflux, screaming, screaming, and more screaming -- ring any bells?! And don't EVEN get me started on the pregnancy and the cost...

*twitch* Okay, obviously not RIGHT NOW. Way down the road. Like when Drew's two or so.

Somebody get the Raid -- she's been bitten by the baby bug already!

No, no, no! Definitely not right now! I'm just saying that I'm more okay with the idea of having a third child than I was before.

Yeah, you know that thing you got ten hours of last night for the first time in...oh, I don't know...FOREVER? It's called "sleep". You liked it, didn't you?

Of course. It was really nice.

Yeah, kiss that goodbye again.

Yeah, but it's only for the first couple of months.

Yeah, well...you weren't pretty without it for the "first couple of months", were you?

Good point.

Exactly. Still want another one?

...well, it's only temporary!

Oh! Like pregnancy, right?

Well, yeah...

Remember when you thought you'd be pregnant forever?

Yeah, I was hormonal and miserable, but...

Again, not one of your finer moments.

I know, but I was pregnant!

But you were M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E. Heartburn. Extreme discomfort. Peeing yourself.

You had to bring that up? Okay, okay. I know, but really...

Shall we talk about the bills that are still rolling in?

*doubletwitch*

Survive the first two years, pay off your tab, and then talk to me.

You're so negative.

You started it.

---

Why yes, I'm crazy. Why do you ask?

DISCLAIMER: Before you all freak out on me, NO - I do not want another baby already. This is purely for entertainment purposes. BUT I am more open to the idea of another child in the DISTANT future, now that we're on the other side of our hard times. For now.

The Many Faces of Robby

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The Many Faces of Robby - Twin Falls, Idaho - 2010

I couldn't pick just one!

Father's Day

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Happy Father's Day - Twin Falls, Idaho - 2010

This is Matt's Father's Day gift. I took the boys out one day for the pictures, printed it out, and framed it for him. It didn't turn out exactly how I had hoped, but he still liked it. What a sweet man.

I doubt I have any dads that read my blog, but Happy Father's Day anyhow!

Top 10 Things Ungodly Cultures Hate That The Bible Tells Men

Friday, June 18, 2010

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I had to share it. A must-read for Father's Day, found on a blog called A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

Top Ten Things Ungodly Cultures Hate That The Bible Tells Men

  1. Men protect women
  2. Men are leaders
  3. Men are responsible as heads of their families
  4. Men are to teach their children 24/7
  5. Men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and be willing to die for them
  6. Men are to be fruitful and multiply
  7. Men do not own their bodies, their wives do
  8. Men must bring up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord
  9. Men must insure that their whole families and everyone else around them should celebrate the Sabbath
  10. Mens hearts should be turned toward their children
--Scott Brown, National Center for Family Integrated Churches

Dear Mothers,

Are we helping our husband raise sons like this?

We know that this is our husbands role to teach our sons in that special way that only a way a father could and should.

However, the reality is that many mothers are home with their sons for the majority of the time.


Are we reinforcing what Dad is teaching throughout the week?

And...

What kind of sons do we see being raised in culture today?

"...It's Always The Crazy Times..."

Thursday, June 17, 2010

*Channels Jars of Clay days*

Haven't a clue what I'm talking about? Don't worry. You're not missing anything. In short, it's been nutso lately. Chaotic. Insane. Non-stop. Go-go-go. The usual.

I thought I'd update and atleast let ya'll know we're still kicking. Even though I don't really feel like blogging right now, but I finally have a quiet moment to myself to do so. Better take advantage of it, right? Naturally.

We just came off a busy weekend at Church Camp. It was a completely different dynamic than last year; it rained the whole time, there wasn't as many families there, we had two kids instead of just one, and I had to leave for part of the time. It was just...weird. Fun, but weird. As expected, I spent a good amount of time indoors; although, so did everyone else because of the weather, it seems. But my excuse was tending to Drew, who did much better than I expected - as long as he was being held. He was one of three babies there, so we all kind of just played "pass the baby". It was Robby that was driving us nuts. As soon as he got his first taste of freedom and fun, he was a beastie from then on out. He kept grabbing whoever's hand he could (I coined it "hitchhiking") and tried to drag them outside. Atleast he was smart enough to remember he needed a big person to go with him. But still. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir on this, but I would look away for a second, look back, and he was gone. Out the door. Each time, I had to drag him back in full tantrum mode. It was pretty. Not really. And the first night was a bit of a mess, mainly because Robby was scared of the bunk bed he had to sleep in. When placed up top, he was scared of falling. When placed on the bottom, he was freaked out by the bunk above him. So, we used the tactic we always use with him when he's scared of something - we told him it was a robot. If Robby is afraid of anything, he'll automatically accept it if you tell him it's a robot. No matter how scared he is. No matter what it is. No joke. So, after that, he slept fine in his "robot bed". Other than that, Robby played and played and got lots of love and attention from everyone until he would literally pass out at naptime or bedtime. It was a little stressful having to tend to both boys at once - mainly because it required going up and down a very steep set of stairs to get to our room - but with the help of our church peeps, we survived and had fun along the way. Saturday was the weirdest, in my opinion. I had to leave early to go back to Twin (an hour drive from Albion) for a photo shoot, (you can read about how that went by going here) leaving Matt to take care of the boys and to the photography duties. Thankfully, he had plenty of help while I was gone, as I thought he might, and I was only gone for a few hours. We have the best church family in the world. Saturday night was the best, though. There was a big BBQ dinner for everyone, with the best pulled pork I have ever had in my entire life, provided by the church and smoked by a member of our church. We all stuffed ourselves silly with way too much food and then stayed up way too late and laughed way too hard while playing a couple of rounds of Mafia. We all came home absolutely exhausted Sunday afternoon. Always the case, but still definitely worth the time and money. You can view some of the photos I took on my photowalk I managed to get in here.

Things with Drew are getting better every day. He's finally becoming the happy baby we have been praying and waiting for. His screaming is few and far between and is non-existent most days. His colic seems to be lessening, only causing him to fuss a little before going to sleep in the evenings. I'll happily take fussing for a half an hour over screaming for three hours. He's still on Prevacid, only because I'm too afraid what will happen if I take him off of it. We did have the doctor switch to a cheaper alternative, Zantac. We have yet to see it's results, as we're just now to the tail-end of the Prevacid. I like the idea of the Zantac better not only because it's $40 cheaper, but also because it's in liquid form and he'll get two doses a day. I do notice that his stomach starts to bother him a bit in the evenings, as the medicine starts to wear off. He's doing extremely well otherwise. At his last doctor's appointment, when he turned two months, he measured at the 80th percentile for height, 90th percentile for weight. BIG BOY. Robby always stayed about average throughout his first year, only going over just a bit in height. (Could we have football players in our future?) The poor kid also got his shots at his appointment, but didn't react whatsoever. No fever, no fussing. He screamed at the initial pain, of course, but after he was over it, that was that. Perhaps it's the feistiness.

Robby is doing really well, too. When he's not driving us nuts, he is one fun little guy. Incredibly affectionate towards us and his brother, eager to learn and explore, and has the most infectious smile. And I can't get over how incredibly smart he is. Yeah, I know - all moms think their kid is bright, but really, I'm not being biased here. He is one smart cookie. He already knows a lot of the alphabet and regularly points out letters (or atleast gives it a good effort) on books, labels, and on TV. His attempts at counting are really amusing ("...two...two...three...one..."), but he tries. He came up to me one day, out of the blue, showed me one little index finger, and said proudly, "One!" Where he learned that, I have no idea. Thank you PBS, I suppose. He also will show off his myriad of sounds he knows (i.e. animals, vehicles, his brother crying, etc.) and his mad somersault skills. He received his very first Mr. Potatohead as an early birthday gift from Matt's parents when they were here. Yes, we had to tell him that was a robot too, but now they're best buds. It's really cute to watch him try and place the arms and eyes in the right spot, though they very rarely do and he ends up looking like a Picasso. I can't believe he's turning two next month. How did that happen? I have a two year old? Really? Two years I have definitely cherished, though. He's still such a blessing.

As I said before, Matt's folks were finally able to visit, only couple weeks after my dad and step mom were here. Have a baby and they will come. Both were very blessed, yet different experiences. Unfortunately, the time spent with my folks wasn't the best - not because of them, but because Drew was still really miserable. It was just before he was diagnosed with GERD, so we spent much of the weekend listening to him scream in agony. I wish things would have been different, but atleast we got to see them. They were an immense help with Drew and if that's all we got out of it, it was still worth it. I'm always so sad to see my step mom go - she's such a huge help! We spent most of the time at home, only going out a few times, but the most important thing is that my dad finally got to meet Drew and got to bond with Robby a bit more. Both were quite solemn when they had to part, from what I hear. The visit with Matt's folks was really nice; albeit short. We take what we can get. We still managed to have too much fun and eat too much food as usual. We ate out at our favorite restaurants, let the kids (and my mother-in-law, evidently) play at Hop 2 It, and just enjoyed one another. We were also sad to see them go, since we don't know when we'll be able to see them again. Traveling is difficult for both of us at the moment. We'll cherish the times we do get with both sides of our families, no matter for how long or the circumstances.

I've been very busy with my photography lately, definitely putting that expensive "toy" to work. After we bought it, we had Church Camp, a wedding, and vacation bible school scheduled to shoot, and then added on the shoot I had on Saturday and now a t-ball team in a couple of weeks and a bridal shower on Saturday. I can't say that I've made tons of money off of these opportunities, however - all the church events (the wedding included) were freebies. But that's not the point, right? Sure. Really, it doesn't bother me too terribly much. I'm enjoying just gaining experience and blessing others. I guess I'm just too nice to be a decent entrepreneur.

Wow. I wrote a lot for not wanting to blog. I'm such a hypocrite. Or perhaps I'm just lazy, but long-winded. Take your pick. Until next post.

It's Quiet...Too Quiet...

Monday, June 14, 2010


I'll get to blogging about Church Camp and such in a bit, but I had to share this first.

It got really quiet during Robby's usually chatty lunch time. I came around the corner and this is what I found. Evidently Banquet dinners contain sedatives.

Ready For Camp!

Thursday, June 10, 2010


Sporting his new hat and newly-found sunglasses for Church Camp this weekend. Can't wait!

Ever Curious Robby

Wednesday, June 2, 2010


I had to share this cute capture of Rob I got on Memorial Day. With his bright red shirt and blue jeans, it made for a perfect desaturated photo.

He is so very curious about his little world. I love it. Most of the time.

Strawberry Fudge Pie Recipe

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

This is the epitome of dessert. Fudge brownie, cheesecake, strawberries, and chocolate - what more could you possible want? I found this recipe on Pillsbury's website and decided to make it to take over to my folks' place for Memorial Day. Needless to say, it was a huge success.

I did make a couple of changes. I couldn't find the smaller box of brownie mix, so I went ahead and made big box according to the directions on the back and guessed on the amount when pouring it into the pie crust. I poured the rest into a muffin tin and made individual brownies (waste not, want not!). As for the toppings, I read on the site that slicing the strawberries instead of halving them made it easier to cut. And instead of hot fudge ice cream topping, I used regular chocolate syrup.

Photo by me. It was just too pretty not to photograph. =)


Strawberry Fudge Pie

Crust
1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Brownie Layer
1 (10.25-oz.) pkg. fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons water
1 egg

Cheesecake Layer
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Topping
3 cups fresh strawberries, halved
2 tablespoons hot fudge ice cream topping

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan as directed on package for one-crust filled pie.

2. In large bowl, combine all brownie layer ingredients; beat 50 strokes with spoon. Spread in bottom of crust-lined pan.

3. Bake at 350°F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is shiny and center is set. If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.

4. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and 1 egg; beat until smooth. Working quickly, drop cream cheese mixture by small spoonfuls over partially baked brownies; carefully spread to cover brownie layer. Bake an additional 18 to 20 minutes or until cream cheese is set. Cool at least 1 hour.

5. Arrange strawberry halves, cut side down, over top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 1 hour or until serving time. Immediately before serving, place ice cream topping in small microwave-safe dish. Microwave on DEFROST for 45 seconds. Spoon into small resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag; squeeze bag to drizzle topping over pie. Store in refrigerator.
 
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