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Monday, January 31, 2011

Wiggles' Day Out!









Mimi came to Columbia this morning to take Addie and Carlie to the mall to get Wiggles (Addie's Build A Bear) a treat for Valentines Day! Since Carlie didn't have a "Wiggles", we had one made for her too! Addie insisted that his name be Wiggles also! Addie chose a pink stroller for her Wiggles that she has played with all day!  The girls had a great day!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Friends

We are SO thankful for wonderful friends.
 Friends that we can count on, that love having FUN!!

 The kind of friends that make you smile

 ...and learn.
 Friends that can share!

 Friends that let us just be ourselves when we hang out.

Yes we love our friends....and we also love cloth diapers! Carlie's little bottom is so cute in Addie's old SwaddleBees!
 We have a good life!



Thursday, January 27, 2011

No Ma'am

"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening- it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."
-Hebrews 12:11

 "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it."
-Proverbs22:6


 "For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life."
-Proverbs 6:23


Today was a DAY! Some days are easy, some are difficult, and some are just DAYS that no words can describe! Carlie is teething and Addie is not napping- the combo can be quite a challenge at times. Without that extra hour or two of sleep, Addie can have some true "2 year old moments"! The bible is crystal clear on discipline. I've posted about this topic before but felt the need to revisit it. It is our "duty" to discipline our children. The bible says to "...not withhold discipline from a child" (Proverbs 23:13). I find this task to be one of the most difficult challenges in parenting. I seek ways to discipline that pleases the Lord and yet in the midst of what feels like 110 "no ma'am" moments, it can quickly make me feel terrible. Brad shares these feelings- what is fun about saying no? NOTHING!  I'm so thankful for God's Word about this issue. Everyone is willing to give their opinions, advice, book references, and thoughts about how to discipline two year olds. At the end of the day, I choose to go back to the bible and recognize there is no need to feel guilty. It pleases the Lord when we give healthy instruction with loving hearts. It is right to offer clear direction to our children, even through stomping feet and temper tantrums. He smiles when we teach, preach, and direct our babies in ways that set them up for success. It's not always easy or pretty. In public, it can frankly be embarrassing! But, the fruit of our labor one day will be so sweet!

Monday, January 24, 2011

A Peek Into Our Day!












It takes lots of creativity with two little girls on cold, January days! Addie painted an adorable tea set that I purchased on sale at World Market before Christmas. Later today, she played in brown rice- hiding her sea horses she brought home from a zoo class and making shapes in the rice. I stole the idea from a couple of mommy blogs I read. We also played indoor hopscotch. When daddy came home from work, he made the girls a "fort"! Lots of playing, a little cleaning, and a big day of fun at home!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

10 1/2 Months



Sweet Carlie is BUSY these days! She loves to stand and always has something in her hands! She's been waking up fussy in the middle of the night for about a week now. FINALLY this morning, Brad discovered one of her top teeth popping through! Thank you Lord for our sweet baby!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Girls

I'm sure one day, we'll have a decent picture of them together! Until then, here are our two cuties at Gibson Pond Park today!

Friday, January 21, 2011

I'm Learning!

This silly girl stayed dry again at preschool today!! Every time she sits on the potty, she says, "Mommy, I'm learning!" Yes you are sweetheart....yes you are! I'm so proud of her!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Go Addie!!





We are SO proud of Addie for her great progress in potty training this week! She stayed dry the entire day yesterday, including a dry pull up after nap and a dry pull up this morning! Carlie and I thought it might be fun to pick up Addie a treat for all of her hard work. When she came home from preschool today, she found her little surprise and loved it!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

2 Days Left and Still Going Strong!



Since I started this whole "21 Day meal plan", I've had lots of friends want to know more. Well, here ya go! First, I must tell you that there is nothing magical about the number "21". That was the number that I came up with, after taking a complete inventory of our freezer, pantry, and refrigerator. I knew that I could feed our family of four for at least 21 days on what we already had in our home, plus one brief, inexpensive shopping trip to Publix. Now, here's the kicker: you MUST get REALLY creative in this process! We're not eating fancy meals and we are eating lots of leftovers and "kid-friendly" food (which is fine with us, since we have 2 kids!). Above, you'll see pasta salad that I made two days ago. We're 19 days into this process, so you can imagine the pantry is a little low! I still had a box of pasta, some deli ham, 1/2 of a bottle of ranch dressing, a can of corn, and some bacon in the freezer, so.......voila! A pasta salad was born! We continue to use our bread machine for our bread-above is a loaf of French bread to go with dinner tonight- add a little butter, garlic powder, and parsley and you have wonderful garlic bread. That last little treat you see, is slightly random too. I STILL had cornflakes leftover from a very large box bought a while back that needed to be used. Part of Addie's "potty treats" have been big, pink marshmallows (side note: Addie has been dry all day!!). So....Valentines Day Rice Krispie treats (really corn flake treats, I guess!) were made!

I've probably spent around $160 total for this month on groceries for our family of four. We have eaten dinner out two times, ONLY because we have had coupons. I am determined to go one more week before heading to the store for our next big shopping trip. This whole process has made me realize how wasteful we can be- both in spending and in throwing out expired  food that we have purchased. We realize what is important- eating a hot meal, at the table, together as a family, whether it be a steak or  the most simple spaghetti you could make! I'll keep you posted on the rest of our week- a produce/fruit/milk trip is definately in order soon!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Let it Snow!










Finally, I'm posting pictures from our beautiful snow last week!! Fun, fun, fun!!!