I woke up this morning thankful for many things. Most of all, that I am no longer teaching and don’t have to go to work this morning with 26 crying 5 year olds!!! Thank you Shane, for working so hard so that I can stay at home with our two loves. Second, that school starts for everyone else, which means Walmart and the mall are peaceful shopping experiences again. Happy Monday!

We just ended two very stressful weeks with a fantastic family vacation.  My dad was put in the hospital a few weeks ago for blood clots in his lungs and we are so thankful that he is home and recovering well.  Thank you all for your prayers.  Once Greg was home and recuperating, we spent some much needed time away in the mountains with our sweet friends the Dipiero’s.  

We had a great time considering Mai got sick during the trip, I lost a contact ( and had no extras) and pretty much every night all 4 of us (Shane, me, Mai and Jax) shared a full size bed.  With all that, we still had a great time and came home feeling a little more relaxed than when we left.  It is hard to have a completely relaxing vacation with an infant and a sick toddler, but we did our best.  Becky and I even managed to find time to take family pictures!

My favorite memories:  Mai riding her first horse, The boys hiking with Mai and Vincent in backpacks, feeding Jax in the wilderness while facing an amazing view of the mountains and a hummingbird, eating the best steak, watching Mai play with Vincent, Chai and shopping with Becky, snuggling on the couch with Shane watching Michael Phelps, and there is nothing like a good thunderstorm in the mountains while sharing a piece of cake with your honey. Here are pictures of our favorite moments on our trip.  

I have not had more than 3 hours of sleep in several days, so this post is based on those little annoying things that when you have had sleep, just annoy you, but when you are exhausted, can really throw you over the deep end.  

1.  The word neat - I hate this word.  It seems so cheesy and fake, and well, just needs to be eliminated from the english language.  Phrases like , “That is so neat. ”  ick.

2.  The word honkin’ - a word used most frequently by country folk here in Texas. Used in a sentence such as, “That is one honkin’ mosquito bite you got there.”  Just plain awful.

3. Sponge Bob Square pants - now, I know that I am outnumbered here by the people who adore this character.  But if you want to see me have a nervous breakdown with a toddler, a crying baby, and the phone ringing, just flip on Nickelodeon to Sponge Bob and crank the volume.  This show is not funny to me.  Am I missing something?  The bright colors, the chaos, it makes me feel mad.  

4.  When people use the word christian as an adjective.  The word christian is a noun, meaning a person under obedience to Christ.  So when used as, “I am a christian writer.”  No, you are a christian that happens to have a talent/enjoyment of writing.  Am I wrong here?  

5.  People that only read or listen to christian material.  Do you want to be a part of something that is about a religious experience or be a part of something that is a religious experience.  I think these people are missing out on some amazing ways to experience God.  Not that you can’t experience God in Christian fiction or music, but don’t limit yourself to just these experiences.  Shane and I have been a part of some amazing concerts in which we both walked away in tears knowing that we had just experienced God through music.  Thank you Bono. 

Please refrain from all of the above if you happen to be around me today.  Thank you kindly.  

Ok, now that I have probably made most of my readers mad, I will give you a chance to let me know the little things that put you over the edge.  Put them in the comment section and I will add yours to this post.

 Kristen:
“People that have perpetually bad grammar and/or spelling.”

Becky:
I cringe when people take their babies to Wal-mart at 11:00pm in just a diaper and yell at them for misbehaving…does this count? Actually, here is a little secret…I can’t stand the Baby Einstien videos. Am I a bad mom or what? Vincent would probably love them but no thanks! They are outrageously expensive for 20 minutes of weird toys moving.

Heather:
Okay, so this is really recent…and I am sure I have a bajillion other things that I can’t stand, but my brain is dead from lack of sleep as well…but I really dislike when other moms turn childhood into a competition. Like trying to schedule the birthday party place before anyone else can get it, or one upping what you say your child can do b/c their child is always better, or an “all-knowing” mom…..just gets on my nerves.

I haven’t blogged in a few weeks, so I thought I would give a top 10 ( or 13) of my favorite things about the last two weeks ( in reverse order, because #1 is so good.)

13.  Built Lego’s with Shane - we of course had to build a castle for all the Disney princess’, but was still fun.

12.  Took Jax swimming for the first time - he hated it.  Screamed until he almost puked.  

11.  Dressed, un-dressed, and dressed again every Disney princess Mai owns - about a thousand times a day.  

10.  My friend Kristen encouraged me to start a plan of never having dishes in the sink.  And, I am proud to announce operation clean kitchen has been going on for the last two weeks! 

9.  I met my new neighbor and delivered a baby gift.

8.  Went on a date night with Sweet baby Shane which included steak and shopping.

7.  Have started a new routine of breakfast and reading aloud with Mai, Shane and I for the last two weeks.  

6.  Scheduled my getting back in the groove  tennis lesson  - the last time I played was when I was 8 weeks prego with Jax.  

5.  Went to our favorite swimming spot with our favorite buds 3 times.

4.  Scheduled and began planning my best friends baby shower!!!!!  And scheduled a vacation for next week with more best friends!!! 

3.  Watched baby birds hatch, grow and fly away in a nest under our garage. 

2. Watched 4 movies with Sweet Baby Shane. And, watched Cutiest George (know to the rest of the world as Curious George) 5 times with Mai.

 . . . and drum roll please . . . 

1.  Successfully potty trained Mai, hallelujah, praise the lord, yippee!

At 3 months yesterday, Jax weighed in at 15 lbs and 2 oz and is 26 inches long.  Putting him in the 95th percentile and 6-12 month clothes.  Yikes.  What happened to my newborn?  

And, here are pictures of the last 2 weeks favorite moments.

EATS

(just FYI, Karrie and Becky have posted recipes for this week also.  Thanks girls!)

Lemon Basil Chicken Salad

download the recipe and 3×5 card design by clicking here

4 cups diced cooked chicken 
1 rib minced celery 
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup slivered almonds 
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/2 cup mayonnaise 
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, celery, basil and almonds. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to chicken mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill. 

READS

Well, I devoured the book Honey For a childs Heart and have now bought Honey For a Womans Heart.  Gladys Hunt discourses on a broad range of issues from “Why Read?” to the classics, genre fiction, nonfiction, book groups, poetry, the Bible, making time to read and a host of related topics. As well as listing her choices for best books in each of the categories she discusses.  

My favorite picture book we are reading over and over this week is Llama Llama Red Pajama.  I love this book so much, about a baby Llama with some separation anxiety from his Llama Mama.  

We went to moms today to play, eat lunch and lay in the sun.  Here are some pictures of Mai enjoying one of the many treats at Gigi’s house.  You know your parents are doing a great job spoiling your kids when the first thing they say when running into Gigi’s arms is, “Can I get a new toy today Gigi!” Now, this does happen to be my moms fault, as last week Mai was a very sick girl and Gigi felt that a high fever and puking deserved many a new princess’.  No, she did not get one today.  But seriously, who could resist those blue eyes?

And by the way .  .  .   have you met my new love?  This boy, ahhh, I mean seriously,  I have to force myself to put him down for a nap.  I could just cuddle with this chunky boy all day.  I have officially fallen in love with him.  Here are some 10 week photos of my “Jaxie Boy”, Jax Maxmilian.  What a doll.  Those chunky rolls everywhere, those piercing blue eyes . . . makes me think I could have another . . . that is until I am up all night.  Look at those chunky legs in that second picture.  I just love it.  Ok, I have to go kiss his toes one more time.  

Tonight Shane took us to eat Sushi for the first time since I got prego with Jax. Sweet Baby Shane and I have an obsession with Sushi and have been patiently waiting for the moment that I could consume raw fish again. For all you moms out there that share my love for sushi and are pregnant or nursing, here is a great download of a Sushi Wallet Card giving you a list of sushi with the lowest levels of mercury. Print and go enjoy some ikura.

I have a neighbor who is pregnant with her first baby.  I have never met her, and and doing so is on my list of to do’s this week (as soon as Mai gets over an awful stomach virus).  I laid in bed last night thinking about what advice I would give a new mom, and the basket of goodies I would get her before the baby comes.  As I have stated before, I am by no means the perfect mom, and in fact have had to learn the hard way about what works and what doesn’t work.  There are things that have worked for us that may not work for you, so with that said, here is my top 10 must haves and advice for all new parents.  

1.  A miracle Blanket :  This is truly a life saver.  I did not have one of these with Mai (unfortunate, because we seriously swaddled Mai until she was 11 months).  I have one for Jax and it is amazing.   He is huge and strong, and he can’t get out of this thing.  This will be in my basket of goodies for sure!

2.  Baby Wise :  Now, you don’t have to be a Babywise nazi to make this book work for your home.  My friend Kristen threw the book in the trash with her first, and understandably so, as this book does not lend itself well for moms that work or have kids in PDO or childcare.  You can make it work though.  You just have to relax and do the best you can with it.  We have used this technique with both kids and Mai started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks and Jax just started sleeping through the night last week (10 weeks). 

3.   What to Expect series.  These books are invaluable for pregnancy through toddler years.  Anytime I have any worry or medical concern, that book has an answer.  It stays on my night stand.  

4.  A fan:  Yes, the cheap portable kind for $10 at Target will do.  We have a fan in every room to create white noise.  We have a small house and a new baby, and having a loud fan going in Mai’s room blocks out the rest of the noise going on in the house and helps her sleep.  It also helps Jax not wake up to Mai screaming and playing during his nap times.  Go get one today.  We face ours against a wall , so it is not actually used for cooling, just noise.  And, yes, we love the fan so much we pack it when going out of town.

5.  A bedtime routine:  Even when our day is so hectic and there is no schedule for the day, there is one thing that goes like clockwork  in our house . . . bath time.  We try to bathe our kids every night at around the same time.  I use the same bedtime lotion ( I call it the smell of bed time) the same order of events (lotion, pj’s, brush teeth, book , kisses, prayer, kisses, lights out.)  We do this with Jax too, and is a huge factor in sleeping through the night.

6.  The Le Leche Leagues: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding:  If you plan on breastfeeding, this is a must have.  I took it with me everywhere I went the first few months nursing Mai.   Anytime I had any question the book had an answer.  

7.  First Meals:  Even though you think you won’t need this book right away, those first 6 months fly by and you will be glad to have it on hand.  It has fantastic recipes for making your own baby food and fun ideas for toddler meals.  I am not including this on my top ten, because you can make your own baby food with out it, but a good investment if you are going to make your own baby food is a 3 tiered steamer.  This is a huge time saver. 

8.  A bedtime lovie:  I may be crazy, but I think that this is an important security for a child.  If your baby isnt latching on to a specific toy or blanket, then find one you like and lay it by them at nap and bedtime and get them familiar with seeing it every time they sleep.  When you go on vacation and are sleeping in strange places, the bedtime routine and bedtime baby will make your child feel secure and you can hopefully get a good nights sleep no matter where you are.  I specifically love the Jellycat brand of stuffed animals.  Mai currently sleeps with 4 jellycat kitties and takes them wherever she goes. I never had a lovie as a child, but my baby brother did, an no he did not carry it with him past the age of 4.  However, my mom did keep his lovie, and to this day ( my brother is now 25) when he sees his old lovie he says he gets a warm fuzzy feeling inside.  Aww.  

9.  A stock pile of meds.  You never know when your baby is going to get ill, and more than likely it will be 3 am, and a walmart or CVS run at 3 am makes for a grumpy husband.  So, go ahead and buy the infant tylenol, Motrin, Mylecon, teething creams, rash creams, neosporin, bandaids, saline drops, and stop by any pharmacy and get the free medicine droppers to have on hand.

10.  The forehead thermometer.   Man, what a great invention.  Just swipe the forehead and your done.  You can take a sleeping babies temp without waking them up, and it takes just seconds.  Our whole family uses this.  I think I paid $50 for this before I had Mai, and have now seen them at Walmart for around $30.  

So, if you have any more suggestions of things you couldnt live without for your kiddos, let us know.  I think of must-haves as things that, if you went on vacation, would have to go with you.  

This week I am reading an amazing book called Honey For a Childs Heart. This book should be a staple in your home. This book gives you everything you need from how to choose good books for your children, to encouraging them to be avid readers. This fourth edition also includes an indexed and updated list of the best childrens classics ever. I have devoured this book and can’t wait to read more by Gladys Hunt. She is an expert in excellent literature for children, teens and adults.

This week Mai is reading the Olivia books by Ian Falconer and The Real Mother Goose. She loves Olivia, maybe because she is quite the drama queen, which Mai can relate to. I really enjoy this author as well. I laugh at things that Mai just doesn’t get yet. We especially like Olivia and the Missing Toy.  The Real Mother Goose has beautiful Illustrations by Blanche Fisher Wright and now comes in an eightieth anniversary edition, a must have classic for your library.