Wonderful Wednesday

I am happy to report that the rest of the week has been better since Monday. No tears for Ally this morning when I dropped her off and Jase had a great day as well!

While the kids were at school I went across town and had lunch with Shawn and some of his work friends. We went to an El Salvadorian restaurant. The outside was rather rough, but the food was pretty good. El Salvador is know for their pupusas, which are made out of thick corn tortillas and are stuffed with various ingredients. My favorite one was with cheese and refried beans inside. It was a great treat to see my hubby during the day!!

Crazy to think that on Friday I will be 18 weeks and next Wednesday morning I'll have my ultrasound . . . so excited!!! Last night I was reading that the baby is only 5 ounces right now, which is tiny. It is amazing to think they can check all the measurements and do a full scan (and find out the sex) just at 18 weeks.

After I picked up the kiddos from school we ran some errands that I didn't have a chance to do earlier this morning. We went to Barnes & Noble to get a gift for a cousin's birthday. The kids were great and we had fun reading books in there. Of course Jase found a pretty cool Star Wars Lego book to look at. And Ally found a liking to one of the books we are giving as a gift. I hope she doesn't cause a scene when he opens it and she says "that's my book!" Glad my mom is taking her to the party!! ;)



I also bought a new study bible at Barnes and Noble. I am excited to use it while doing my daily homework for the James study we are currently going through with some women from my church. I am thoroughly enjoying the study and my quiet time with the Lord each day.

Rough Monday

Yesterday morning we were all dragging.  Well not Shawn, I think he left the house at 5:30 am for work!! But me and the kiddos did not want to get up at all.  We were a few minutes late to school, but lunches were made, hair was fixed, breakfast was ate, kids were dressed and teeth were brushed, so that is a success in my book! ;-)  Here lately Allyson has not wanted to go to school.  She is definitely a Momma's girl, but she will nearly be in tears when I tell her that she has school today.



Ally on the way to school

When I dropped her off at her classroom she had a major melt down and tears were flowing, and almost by me as well.  ;(  I hated to leave her like that, but the teacher took her and off they went into her classroom.  About 5 minutes later I got a call and it was her teacher, telling me that she has calmed down and was playing. Whew!!

I am in need of some pants/capris to wear since my existing maternity wardrobe is a size or two too big.  Last week I went to a resale store and picked up some cute maternity capri pants for $12 and I love them. I was talking to a friend and she suggested thrift stores . . . never thought about looking there.  Maternity clothes are not cheap, so I don't want to drop a ton of money on clothes that I'll only be in for 5-6 more months.  So, if I could find some cute, used pants, I am totally fine with that.  I was able to find two pair for around $7 each, so not too bad.  After I washed them, one pair worked out great and the other was a little tight in the thighs (a problem area you could say).  I did; however, find a huge selection of women's western shirts.  So, if this is your style or if you want to match with all your girlfriends, let me know and I will pass along the hot spot! :-))

While I was out, I decided to stop and grab some lunch.  Yes, lunch for 1.  I actually do not mind eating alone sometimes, gives me a few minutes stop and think.  Just as I'm seated my phone rings . . . it's the kids' school!!  Oh no, what happened?!  The Director told me that Jase was in a collision in the gym and the back of a boy's head hit Jase's nose while they were playing basketball.  She said that his nose bled pretty bad.  If you're not aware Jase has a pretty sensitive nose and will have nose bleeds when the weather gets real dry.  She said he was ok, but wanted to call and let me know.  I asked if he was fine to stay and she said that he was ok, but wanted to make sure she told me and also that he has blood on his shirt.  My poor kiddos were having a rough day!!

When I picked them up, they were both playing and all smiles.  I was definitely glad to see that.  There have not been any major set backs today, so we are doing good.

Home Sweet Home

There is just a way better feeling to picking someone up from the airport, rather than dropping them off. Goodbyes are so difficult, while hellos have a much better feeling about them. Me and the kiddos picked Shawn up from the airport yesterday afternoon and we were all very happy to see him. His flight landed early, so we got an extra 20 minutes out of the deal! :)

He had a great time and the implementation of the well was a success. He was amazed to see God move through the locals during the dedication of the well ceremony. He said they were very appreciative of this water well, and especially the women, as they have to fetch most of the water since they do the cooking and cleaning. I'm so glad he got to go and be a part of this ministry. We are definitely glad to have him home. :)

Battle

Nanny and PawPaw came over this evening after we got home from Jase's practice. PawPaw brought the kids back t-shirts from his New Mexico trip. Nanny also picked up some Star Wars Hero playing cards for Jase . . . they were a HUGE hit!! PawPaw taught Jase how to play battle with them and he really got into it. Here are Nanny and Allyson playing match and Jase and PawPaw playing battle.



They played 2 rounds of battle and they went fairly quick. After they left Jase and I started up a battle game. Ally just wandered around, I knew she was getting tired. After an hour of battle . . . not kidding we were still not finished. I told Ally to go lay on the couch and not soon after that she was asleep. Jase got up and told me to hold on; I thought he was going to the restroom, but he came out of my bedroom with her pink blanket and covered her up, it was very sweet.



I felt like I was playing a never-ending game of Monopoly!!! We finally went into battle mode, where we laid 2 cards face down and then flipped 1 to face off for each play. That made it go a little faster. After 1 1/2 hours of intense Star Wars battle, Jase finally won and off to bed they went.

We pick Daddy up from the airport late tomorrow afternoon and we are so excited to have him home again!

Typical Thursday Morning

This morning we had no where to be, and we usually don't on Thursday's.  Jase and I got up around 8:30 and Allyson slept a little past 9:00.  After the kids watched a show and ate breakfast, the kids found me at the kitchen table and joined me for some sticker/color time.  It is so funny because how Ally is with stickers was exactly how Jase was at that age.  She takes all the stickers off the sheet and just sticks them wherever.  No rhyme or reason on where it goes.  I remember that when Jase was this age I tried to find him a sticker book, you know the ones we had as kids with blank pages, but I never found anything.  I'm glad the kids enjoy coloring and being with me!

On Monday while the kids were at school I went to Lifeway Christian bookstore.  I picked up the books I went there for and headed to the kids section to see if I could find any books for the kids.  I saw the Frog Wars book and it was beyond perfect for Jase.  He is so into Star Wars right now I knew that he would love this book.  I also picked up Moses and the King easy reader so I could work with Jase on reading. 

Later this morning we all three got shoulder-to-shoulder on my bed and read Frog Wars.  VeggieTales does a great job with their movies and books.  The message is always great and there is always a comical level that keeps you amused . . . I even enjoy them!  Anyway, some of the characters in Frog Wars are Sweet-Pea-3-Oh (C-3PO), Dark Visor (Darth Vader), Achoo Bless-U (R2-D2), Cuke Sandwalker (Luke Skywalker), and Princess Hair-Spraya (Princess Leia).  Jase and I both giggled when reading their names.  The bible story in the book was about Moses trying to free the Israelites from King Pharaoh and the plagues and how Moses never gave up.  When we finished Frog Wars we then picked up the Moses and the King and I got so excited . . . how cool! I had no idea that Frog Wars would be over the story of Moses and the King.  It was great to reinforce the bible story again with a different book. We all enjoyed it!! I'm so thankful for this time with my kids!

Oh, and when Jase woke up this morning the first thing he said "only 2 more days until Daddy is home!" Can't wait! :-)

Red, White and Blue

Today was Red, White and Blue day at Jase's school. They sang songs about the USA, memorized the Pledge of Allegiance, and learned facts about Texas. Jase came home and told me that the Capitol of Texas was Austin, the state bird was the mockingbird, and the state flower was the bluebonnet. I remember learning all about that when I was younger as well. I looked up some additional information on the internet and we had fun looking at the map. I remembered that we had the 50 states puzzle, so he got that out and went over the states. I then remembered the Nifty Fifty States Song I learned in elementary and could sing it until about Montana and then I forgot the rest. We looked it up on YouTube, but I don't think he was as amused with it as me!! Below is my Jedi before school this morning.



Shawn is doing well. I get to talk to him about 30 minutes every evening over Skype. His days have been pretty long, so by the time we get to talk, he is worn out. It is crazy how much I normally communicate with him during the day, whether that is email, text or phone. On Monday I was driving down to Texas City and had a question and he is my go-to for directions, but not that day! And then on Tuesday I wanted to ask him something real quick, but I had to wait until the evening. It's great that I am able to communicate with him, I just wish it were more often. 3 more days!

Here is a picture of Shawn and Jim, who Shawn has known for 6-7 years now and asked Shawn to go on the trip. Behind them is the drilling rig/equipment they are using to drill the water well.

Weeds, Baby Bump and Lent

This afternoon the sun came out and it was really nice outside.  I had to almost beg Jase to go outside with me.  With the cold and rainy weather lately we have not been outside a ton.  We started out on the swing set; Jase on a swing and me and Allyson on the teeter-totter.  Our swings face the back of our house and I could not help but notice all the weeds in our flower beds . . . it was terrible.  We also have a stone pathway and grass/weeds have taken over in between the stones.  Shawn did not get around to mowing/weed-eating before he left, so our yard is in need for some TLC for sure.  Those clovers just have taken over the yard and flower beds.
Anyway, I decided to go over there and pull some weeds while the kids were playing.  I went in the garage and got some of Daddy's work gloves and went to town.  After standing up after squatting for like 10 minutes I was completely dizzy and thought this is not going to work, so I went inside and got a stool.  At this point, I took a break and the kids got on their bikes and we went for a stroll around the block.

It was nice to get outdoors and get some exercise for a change.  After we got back to the house the kids played for a few more minutes outside, then they headed inside.  I made them some water and I went back out to tackle the weeds.  I left the front door locked, but both back doors were unlocked so they could come outside anytime.  I periodically checked on them to make sure they were not getting into trouble in there.

Long story (like 2 hours long) short I pulled all the weeds our of the right flower bed and all of them out of the stone pathway.  I got a garbage can to put all the weeds in and I couldn't even pick it up after it was full; I had to turn it in circles to move it.  And I'm not huge pregnant, but I am definitely going to be sore in the morning.  After the first 30 minutes I am asking myself "what in the world did you just start??" I really do not like to start and stop a project, so I was at least going to finish the stone pathway and the ride side.

I swept all the dirt back in between the stones, but it is definitely not even with the stones.  Hopefully my kids don't break a leg on the craters I have created!! When Shawn gets home we'll have to get some gravel or dirt or something to fill in the gaps where I pulled all the roots/dirt out.  And all those rocks to the right in the picture above were completely covered up with grass/weeds.  You can see the rocks on the left side of the pathway are like that.  I can't wait to do that side . . .

I think I used every muscle in my hands to try and pull every little weed out I could.  Next time I will get some gloves that actually fit, that way I won't have an extra 2 inches of gloves at the end of my fingers to get in the way.  I'm glad I got out there and did it . . . it definitely needed it.

Ok, so don't laugh.  Well, go ahead and laugh . . . I did!!  Taking self-portraits in front of the mirror is just not my thing, not my thing at all.  Well, after coming in today I thought "you know, I don't have a belly shot of me yet."  16 weeks and not a picture one to show my progress.  Within this past week or so, my stomach feels like it has grown 5 inches, not kidding.  After about 40 pictures, this is the best I could do to show my little baby bump ! :-)  Oh, and I also included some of my fine photography skills of my hand soap and towel holder!

The season of Lent is upon as tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.  I know that other religions outside of Catholicism participate in Lent, but it is really not spoke about it a whole lot at our Baptist church.  And I'm not saying that members of my church do not participate, I just do not hear a lot about it publicly.  Shawn and I started talking about it last week and both agreed that we wanted to participate this year.  These 40 days (actually 46) during Lent symbolize the 40 days that Jesus went into the desert before he began his public minstry and fasted without food or water and prayed and seeked the Lord's will.  During this time he was tempted by the devil, but God provided all of his needs.  Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and through his grace I have eternal life, so if he gave his life, then I surely can sacrifice something for 40 or 46 days.

For the past couple of days I have been thinking about what I am going to sacrifice during this time period.  I kept going back and forth on sweets, chocolate, dairy, pasta, but then I realized what I needed to give up during this time period . . . my time.  I need to sacrifice my time and grow closer to the Lord through reading and memorizing his word.  I will do this by giving up Facebook until Easter.  I have only been on FB for a little over a year, but it has became very addicting and very time consuming for me.  Some days I do not get on it all day, but then there are other days where I get on it way too much and it is just unhealthy.  I deleted the app off my phone and will be praying for strength to stay away.  So, if you see Shawn N Jessica commenting on FB, it should not be me!

Today I began a Beth Moore bible study on the book of James with a group of ladies from my church, and I am really excited about it.  I am looking forward to devoting time to it each day and committing myself to the word.  KSBJ also started a challenge yesterday to memorizing 10 bible verses in the next 10 days.  2 days down and so far, so good.  I taught yesterday's verse to the kids and had Jase quote it to Daddy on the phone this evening.  We love him, because he first loved us.  1 John 4:19

As a family, we are also committing to cutting back on the junk, primarily the sweets.  Jase would eat cookies or candy all throughout the day if I let him.  He will also drink chocolate milk for every meal if I let him.  I spoke to him tonight about Lent and the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made (and he knew) and that we too need to sacrifice something.  I told him that he would not be drinking chocolate milk everyday and that we would be cutting out most of the sweets as well and he agreed and understood.  In the morning I will be throwing out all of the leftover candy from Valentine's that is still hanging around and tempting us.  Praying for God's wisdom, strength, and guidance during this time.

Weekend Update

This weekend was a busy one, but a great one.  Friday night was family night at the house.  Saturday, we split during the day, and I went to a baby shower for a good friend who is expecting a new baby boy.  Here is a burp cloth and bib I made for her.  While I was making it, I had a realization that I could be making something for my new baby soon . . . EEK!!  So excited!! 16 weeks right now and in a little over 2 weeks we'll have the ultrasound to see our little Miss or Mr.  :-))

Later that evening we took the kids over to Aunt Alisha's and Uncle Joseph's to stay the night.  This was Ally's first time to stay the night over there.  Jase asked me "can I just stay the night at Aunt Alisha's and Ally can stay at Nanny's?"  Little toot!! He wanted to be the center of attention over at Aunt Alisha's house.  They had a blast and I think this has really connected Ally and Alisha, as she did not want to go with Mommy after church!!

Since we had the night without kiddos, we decided to hit the town and eat a little Olive Garden with some friends.  It was so yummy!! And maybe a little too yummy because I checked the scale this morning and I am a whopping 3 pounds heavier from yesterday morning . . . SICK! I gained 1 lb from 6-10 weeks, 5 lbs from 10-14 weeks and I think from 14-16 weeks I have already gained another 5 lbs.  I am not handling the weight gain very well.  I really need to increase the exercise!

The main reason the kids stayed the night away from home last night is so that I could take Shawn to the airport early this morning.  He is going on a Missions Trip to El Salvador to drill a water well for a village without clean water.  The team he went with will be working with Living Water International (LWI) to drill the well.  Me and the kiddos spoke to him this evening over skype and he is all settled in at the LWI home and they will head out in the morning to the village to meet the people there, have lunch in their homes, and start on the drilling process after lunch.  What a great experience for Shawn.  I am praying that the Lord uses him there to touch the lives of these people. 

On another note, it is never easy saying goodbye to your hubby, especially when you physically drop them off at the airport.  We both prayed before we left this morning and had a good talk on the ride to the airport.  We kissed and said our goodbyes and I told him I loved him and to be safe.  His last words to me were "it's not about us."  And that is so true.  At the end of the day, God called us to be His hands and feet to the world.  I had a few teary-eyed moments driving back home as I listened to Enter His Gates on KSBJ.  God really ministered to me through worship songs this morning, and by 7:30 I felt I had already been to church and felt the Lord had spoke to me.

This really hit home: My hope is in the Lord, and not in my circumstances.  How true is that? No matter what I am going through I need to realize that my hope and light comes from the Lord and not from what is happening around me, good or bad.  Also, a statement was made that we were made to be awake during the day and sleep at night while it is dark.  What a simple thought, but when you really think about it, we were made to be awake and live in the light, God's light.  Those words really spoke to me. 

Anyway, the 30 minute drive back home was great for my soul and I feel like it really gave me what I needed to endure the week ahead without him.  I am excited for Shawn and his trip and pray that he has a great experience and is able to be a blessing to the people in El Salvador.

Allyson at a baby shower tonight at Church

Family Friday Night

Yesterday at the grocery store I saw some precut Valentines cookies and I gave Allyson the option of Princess or Minnie and Mickey Mouse. She immediately said Minnie and Mickey. This evening after dinner I assisted her while she made them. She thought she was so big. :-)






And we also played our 40th round of match/memory for the day!! Haha! I mean, this never game never gets old for her! And I'm so glad that Jase will join us and play. I let him lay the tiles down sometimes and he thinks he is big time! What special family time this is for us. :)



Just like Jase did at this age, Ally too has a fetish with stickers. She is so funny with them, sometimes she will just look at them and won't take any off and other times she takes all of them of the page and sticks them wherever. Tonight was one of those nights where she took stickers off the front and put them on the back. :)



What a great night I had with my little family in the comfort of our own home.

Sesame Street Memory

EVERYDAY we play Sesame Street Memory. Allyson just cannot get enough of this game. We will play 2-4 rounds in one sitting and then will end up playing later on as well.

There are two sets of cards, and in both sets there are 2 pairs of girl characters. One set has Rosita and Abby and the other set has Zoe and Abby. No matter who finds the girl matches, you have to hand those cards over to Ally!! She is my little girly girl and HAS to have those matches. Most of the time I will not find the girl matches on purpose, but leave them for her to find. Even Jase knows that if he finds one of those, he hands it over to her . . . what a good big brother!

She really does a good job of following instructions: waiting her turn and only turning over 2 cards at a time. I run a tight ship over here and we follow the rules. :-)

She really enjoys playing and it is great to see her little mind at work and pay attention and remember where the characters are at.

1st T-Ball Practice

Today was a good day. While we were out and about I gave Jase the opportunity to pick where he wanted to eat for lunch. We were near Jason's Deli, so I suggested that and he jumped all over it. I pulled in the parking lot and it was packed . . . 12:30 and across the street from the hospital . . . what was I thinking?!? I tried to suggest other place, but not a chance. We parked the like 4-5 parking rows away from the restaurant, which is the furthest I've ever parked.

Kids ate great and stayed in their seats, which is always a plus. Here are my sweet Valentine's today!




Oh, and today was Jase's 1st t-ball practice!! Shawn did a great job of organizing practice and splitting the kids up into groups and keeping them busy. It was also nice to have parents help out . . . that is really key when you are coaching little ones. All and all it was a great practice. I don't think I've had that much exercise since November, that's pretty sad! Here are the kiddos balancing on one foot at the start of the practice.


One more thing. My mom made these adorable and super tasty treats for us for Valentine's. They are little owl faces that can be made any time of the year. She baked Wilton candy melts on top of pretzel thins at 170 degrees for 5-6 mins. She then took them out and put M&M's on top of the candy melts and put them in the freezer for a quick freeze. Super tasty and hoo-hoo wouldn't love them?!?

Happy Valentine's Day

We decided to exchange Valentine's with the kids tonight instead of tomorrow. Jase has his first t-ball practice and we will have to eat afterwards and get to bed for school for the next day, so tonight just worked out better.

Jase was so excited opening his gift. He got some new Star Wars mini spirals, crayola twistable colored pencils, strawberry plant, Star Wars bandages and coloring/sticker book, Lego SW stickers, and a bag of M&M's. I tried to keep the candy down to a minimal this year since we have had trouble with cavities and I knew he'd be getting some from school. He loved it all and I'm so glad. And I didn't spend a fortune either, most of it came from the dollar section in Target. :-)




Allyson liked her gift as well. She got some crayola twistable colors, doodle pad, M&M's, princess bandages, Disney Fairy Chapstick, Princess lip gloss, Minnie Mouse stickers, new cups, and flowers for us to plant. Shawn put the lip gloss on her right away and she loved it, of course.




I made a family gift of chocolate covered strawberries and they were yummy. This is actually my first time to make them and they were a big hit for all.




We all 4 went out to eat for Valentine's. This may sound cheesy, but we went to a Chinese buffet. The last time I went to one was probably a year and a half ago, a long time. I am not a lover of Asian food at all. I'll eat Mexican and Italian food until I am blue in the face, but I do not have a desire for Asian food.

Shawn has been on a spring roll kick lately, so I thought this would be a treat for him. The kids ate a TON of chicken nuggets and I stuck to my usual chicken fried rice, egg rolls and lemon chicken without the lemon sauce. I think I had one too many plates of rice because I keep burping it up . . . not fun. What stinks is that the place we went to first no longer has a buffet. They had the best corn fritters (not kidding) and cream cheese puffs. Those are staples for me there! The second place we went to was ok, but I was definitely bummed when I found out the other place removed their buffet. Oh well.

I'm looking forward to spending my day tomorrow with my two little Valentines. :-)

Tutti Frutti

Yesterday we ate a late lunch around 4:00, so dinner wasn't really calling our name. Instead, we decided to have frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti. It is so yummy and it has been several months since we have gone.

This was the first time Allyson got her own cup, she normally just shares with us. She is getting old enough now to want her own, so she got "pink" strawberry banana frozen yogurt topped with frosted animal sprinkle cookies, strawberries and M&M's. She thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted more after we finished. :)

Allyson's New Room

Where to start . . .  We moved Ally into her room a little over a year ago and we never really made it her own.  She had a crib, changing table and a rocking chair, but we never got around to hanging anything up in her new room.

We decided to move her into a toddler bed (we have one in the garage that needs to be painted white), so I found some bedding that I liked from Pottery Barn Kids.  Let me tell, I am a clearance shopper like no other, but when I found this quilt (below) I just loved it and could not find anything else that I liked.  That's usually how it goes right: you like the most expensive one!!  Shawn stopped by one day after work in early December and picked up this quilt and I ended up purchasing the sham shortly after that.

Hayley from Pottery Barn Kids

We went to Lowe's and matched paint colors.  We had visions of painting one of the trees on the walls and maybe a bird or two.  I would considering myself somewhat crafty, but I definitely have a shaky hand.  Anyway, we must have bought 5 different colors.  We painted her room two different shades of pink the week before Christmas.  (We matched the darker pink to a "Itsy Bitsy Spider" sign I picked up at The Nutcracker Market.)  We didn't want to paint the entire room light pink because we would be moving up an armoire that was in her nursery and was the same light pink, so that needed to be on a different colored wall.

For some reason we never got around to painting the toddler bed, so she has been in the crib still.  Shawn and I got to talking last week and decided to move the double/full bed from the guest room into her room.  Both of our parents live within minutes of us, so there's not really a big need for a guest room at this point in time.  Now we've got a plan, but ran into a fork in the road . . . the bedding!!

This past week I have been looking at every local store and online for new bedding to fit a full bed, but I haven't found what I am looking for.  We've painted the room, so I have to work with those colors, but a lot of bedding for girls have shades of pink in them.  Shawn took back the bedding after work on Thursday, but since it was over the 30 days they gave us in-store credit.  Some might just say get the full size Hayley quilt from Pottery Barn Kids.  Are you ready for this . . . it is $194!!!!  SICK!!  We do have $120 credit, but I'm going to want the quilt and at least 1 sham, probably 2, and maybe a cute stuffed owl.  Geez!!!  I didn't even spend that kind of money on my own bedding.  This is so unlike me to even be considering a $200 quilt.  I mean, it's not even a bed in a bag, I'll have to buy sheets (not from Pottery Barn) and pillow cases still.  I don't know.

The only thing is that if I were to buy new bedding elsewhere, I am going to spend at least $70+ from what I've seen on a bed in a bag set or another quilt.  And then I'm left with this PB Kids credit, and the Hayley quilt and sham purchases were our first ever in the store, so I'm not sure how much more I will be buying from them in the future.  Don't get me wrong, love their stuff, it's just too pricey for us.  I even looked on eBay and it was just as expensive as buying it in the store.

To make things a little more difficult, now I think I like the Brooke bedding (below) from PB Kids a little better than the Hayley.  It is a little more colorful and I think it will flow with the the darker pink better.  Here's the kicker: it's only on-line, so I'll have to pay for shipping.  :/  A friend of mine has the crib bedding and it is really cute, so I've seen it in person and at least feel good about that.  Shawn says just order it and be done with it, but I just hate spending that money.

Brooke from Pottery Barn Kids

I had to share the cute owls too...I'd probably get the small one

Sorry . . . I had to vent about the bedding dilemma.  A couple of nights ago we ended up moving the full bed over, crib and changing table out, and the pink armoire up (thanks to Shawn, Jay and Dave).  Ally has slept in the bed one time and did great, stayed in it all night.  She stayed the night with my mom last night (while we did our Star Wars thang), so this morning was D-day to start and finish hanging things on the wall.  And as far as the bedding goes, right now we just have what was already on it.  It actually matches the room pretty good, it's just not what I want for her room. 

I was so glad that we finished hanging everything up.  All of the little glass/porcelain items (except the Ally Kate plate and the bear) are from my Grandma Leonard and Nana (my mom's and dad's moms).  There is one huge wall, left of the bed, that is blank.  I think we decided to do a picture frame collage on it or something.  We need to get frames and pictures for it.  I looked around her room and there is only picture in there and it is of her hands folded like she was praying when she was just weeks old.  I guess after I solve the bedding dilemma, I'll start on the picture frame collage.

Since Allyson was gone this morning, she hadn't seen her room come together.  Shawn recorded her seeing her room with all the wall decor up for the first time this afternoon.  I think she likes it!  :-)

Movie Day

This morning I took Allyson to the movies to see Beauty and the Beast.  It has been out for a while and I have been wanting to take her, but never made the time.  Fridays are great days for us to do things together since Jase is at school.  She did great and I didn't have to chase her any.  She did wander down our row a few seats, but nothing too big.  I always tell her that she is a princess, so I was trying to drive home the princess factor in the movie.  I asked her what her favorite part of the movie was and she said "Bella" aka Belle! LOL!

As we were walking out she starting throwing the biggest fit and did not want to leave . . . she saw a Chipmunks "Chipwrecked" poster!!  We saw it back in November, but I guess she thought we were going to stay and watch it again.  What is really funny is when my mom came over later and asked her what she saw at the movies, she told her "Chipmunks"!!  Little stinker!

While we were at the movies I went ahead and picked up tickets for Star Wars: Episode 1 for the evening.  If you've read any of my previous posts, Jase is completely ate up with Star Wars right now.  Shawn and I previewed the movie a week or two ago and deemed it age appropriate for Jase.  We are very particular as to what he watches, so it was important for us to approve.

{I recorded a couple of the Star Wars cartoons: The Clone Wars, on Cartoon Network this past weekend and was excited for him to watch them.  Well, after sitting down and watching one with him I realized that it was not age appropriate.  It had a lot of sorcery/witchery in it that I did not approve of.  He probably did not understand what all was going on, but I pulled the plug on the show.  Yes he was upset, but it was a good teaching moment on things that we should and should not watch.}

Daddy and Jase sporting their Star Wars shirts at Firehouse Subs

Daddy tapping into the force and Jase using his light saber

So, at this point he has no idea where we are going . . . we love surprising the kids!! We told him that we have a surprise for him and he said "Chuck E Cheese?" I got a free poster when I purchased the tickets, so in the car ride over to the movie theater I handed it to him to open up.  Shawn was driving and I recorded him as he opened it up . . . he was SO excited!!

Waiting in line for the movie

Mommy and Jase waiting for the movie to start!

It was a great night!  He loved the movie and is already talking about seeing the 2nd one, of course!!  One at a time young Padawan! :)  (And for you non-Star Wars people, a Padawan is a Jedi Knight in training!)

Upstairs Play Time

We spent most of the morning playing upstairs, trying to stay away from the television. It is so easy to turn on a show for the kids when they get up and the next thing you know a couple hours have passed. So, last night I told the kids we would not be doing that in the morning and there would not be any whining about it. I am happy to report that they followed orders this morning. :)

We camped out in Ally's room for a while and played a new memory block game that Aunt Alisha got the kids for Christmas. We played several rounds and I can tell it will be a big hit for a while at the French house.

The kids broke out the costumes and Jase was my superhero and Allyson was my little cutie pie. It was so cute to watch Ally jump all over Jase and see them play on the floor together. They are getting so big!!

Baby French Update - 14 weeks

I had a check-up this morning and not much went on since I am only 14 1/2 weeks.  (I'll actually be 15 weeks on Friday.)  The baby's heartbeat was beating at 156-160 BPM.  He did tell me to go ahead and schedule my ultrasound for the anatomy scan in 4 weeks.  I was excited to hear this!! I wasn't sure if he'd have me do it at 18 weeks or wait until 22 weeks.  Either way, I would be pumped!

The appointment is set for March 7th at 10 am.  Shawn's birthday is on the 6th, so this will be a wonderful birthday gift for him (and me too!).  We are praying that this baby is growing to God's perfection.  As I've mentioned before, boy or girl will be more than perfect for us.  Of course, Jase is still cheering for a boy and wants to name him Little Man.  We explained that whole nick name idea to him and that we call him Boo and that is not his name, but his nick name.  He gets it, but is still sticking with Little Man French. :-)  And Allyson wants a little sister.  We have already started explaining that whatever God gives us, boy or girl, will be a miracle and a blessing.

If the ultrasound technician can determine the sex, then I'm pretty sure we will find out.  Aside from being super excited to know what we're having, I am a planner.  We will not be painting because the baby will stay in the attached study next to our bedroom for a year, but I would like to have everything ready.  And by everything I mean which crib/changing table/bedding to use and have clothes washed and ready to go.  Oh and a name too! :-))

Baby French on 12/12/11 at 6 1/2 weeks

My Life

I am so guilty of not taking more pictures with my camera since I have an iPhone.  If you're outside and in daylight, then my phone takes great pics, but otherwise they are fuzzy.

I came across the below pictures as I downloaded pics from my camera today.  These were taken a couple of weeks ago before bedtime.

These are new Princess slippers and PJs Allyson got for Christmas!

Daddy and Jase reading a book before bedtime

These three are my life!! I'm so thankful for them and love them to bits!!

Country Livin'

We had a good weekend! We were invited to the country with the Brownfiel's to stay a couple of nights out at their property. Jase and Shawn were in heaven with feeding the cows, shooting guns and just riding around and taking in the country surroundings.

 

Above is Mr. James with Jase as he shoots a BB gun for the first time. He wasn't scared at all and enjoyed it. Momma even shot a little as well! :) I'll have to download my photos and share some later this week.

 

A few interesting things did happen while we were there. Let's see . . . poor Ally got sick on the car ride up there and threw up all over her and on Jase as well. I chalk it up to way too many gummy bears (which were swallowed whole) and car sick from watching movies like 2 inches away from her face on the iPhone. :/ Later than night Jase had a nose bleed and had another one while he was sleeping. Then on Saturday, Ally was pushed off of the EZ Go (similar to a golf cart) by her older brother and her poor little cheek got bruised up pretty good. Thankfully she was not hurt worse.

Today was back to "normal" with Jase at school for Silly Day. I wish I would have snapped a picture. He wore his Tom and Jerry shirt, penguin toboggan and one black and one white sock.

 

Allyson stayed home with Mommy and I took her to the doctor. She has a nasty cough and I am having to wipe her nose every 10 seconds, plus she was complaining that her ears hurt. Poor baby, the doctor had to remove wax from both of her ears to even see inside them. That was not fun at all, but I'm glad the wax is now gone. She ended up having an ear infection in her right ear. Hopefully in a day or so she'll be back to full swing.

 

I took my baby girl to Chick-fil-a for lunch and that cheered her up a bit.

 

 

Change in plans

So, I didn't do yogurt and fruit this morning for breakfast!! The kids woke up before 8:00 am and got dressed pretty quick, so I told them we could go eat breakfast out this morning.  I gave Jase a choice between do-nuts at Shipley's or kolaches at Morning's.  He chose Shipley's . . . fine by me!  :-)

On the way there I asked him if he wanted chocolate milk because last time he drank chocolate milk at Morning's it made it tummy . . . and I paused because I could not think of the word he used.  And the chimed in with "rumbly".  Haha!  He said he wanted chocolate milk anyway.  We didn't have to go to the bathroom before we left Shipley's, so hopefully he was ok at school.

This is after do-nut holes and on the way to take Jase to school.  Yes, Jase has his new Star Wars book that we checked out at the library yesterday and of course he is pretending to hold a light saber!!  I love my little Jedi!

Time with Jase

The past few days I have heard Jase pick up his Star Wars books from the library and try to sound out words.  I have sat down with him in the past to sound words out, but he was not ready for it.  Based on the past few days, he is ready now.

After I laid Sister down for her nap today, Jase and I sat on the couch and we read the book together.  I started off following the words with my finger and then he quickly followed.  Monkey see, monkey do!  :-)  I would say a word and then he would repeat it.  If I came across a word that we had already read or was a 2-3 letter word then I would wait and see if he would read the word first.  I was so excited to hear him read a few of the words on his own.  After a few pages (and these pages had quite a few words on them) he said he wanted to take a break and get a drink. I told him that his mouth was probably dry from all that reading!!  Chocolate milk doesn't really sound like something I would drink to quench my thirst, but apparently it does the trick for Jase.  :-)

We then went into the office and he wanted to practice writing letters and numbers.  After that I went through a stack of sight words with him.  We made up sentences for all the words (of course, some were Star Wars related) and I had him spell some of them.  It is so great to see his little mind working!!

As for breakfast, I made pancakes this morning.  It was a no-go for Ally and I had to stay on Jase to finish one!  Man . . . what is with kids these days?!?!  Tomorrow morning sounds like yogurt and fruit if you ask me!