The Gospel According to Moriah

The other day I was folding laundry on my bed and my 3 year old decided to come and hang out with me. She climbed up into the chair next to the bed with her Bible and began this profound conversation with me:

Mo: Momma, where is Jesus in the Bible?

Me: The whole Bible is about Jesus and God's love for us.

Mo: No Momma! I mean His STORY!

Me: Do you want the story of his birth? (we've been focusing on that-you know with it being December and all.)

Mo: Yes, where is that one?

Me: It's towards the back, honey. (Now this is where I wish I had a hidden video camera to record her precious words! This dialogue doesn't capture her animation-it was hilarious!)

Mo: Oh here it is!

(She found the story of the Angel Gabriel and Mary.)

Momma, he is telling Mary, "Do not be afraid! I will make all your dreams come true!" (um, that last line may have come from a Disney movie, but hey, it fits, right?) She was scared momma but he said, "Do not be afraid" so she wasn't. He also told her, "Be nice and kind to others."

(She turned a couple pages to the story of Jesus calming the sea)

Look it's Jesus. The storm, and there was wind and rain. And Jesus said, "Be calm!" and then he went swimming in his baby suit. (She might be alluding to his baptism, I'm not really sure...At this point I am trying to suppress the giggles and intently listening to what she will teach me next. A few more pages get turned.)

Here is Jesus with all his friends. (She is referring to his disciples.) He told them, "I will be your greatest friend!" Isn't that right, momma?

Me: Yes, baby, that is so right. He will be your greatest friend.

She went on reading and telling stories from the Bible. Things we've been reading her and talking to her about throughout her 3 years of life. I felt such joy at what she has learned! All our talks are not in vein, even when she seems distracted or I wonder if it is too big of a concept for her-God in his glory allows her childlike mind to grasp it. AMAZING!

Isaiah 55:11 "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Amen.

Operation Christmas Child

This week a friend of mine had the awesome idea of putting together a party for our kids to help them get involved in giving. Samaritan's Purse runs their Operation Christmas Child program every year. Our church did a drive for toys and had a wrapping party but sadly we missed it. So off to our mom coordinated event we went. We had such a blast putting together the boxes. I loved being around moms who are like minded and striving to teach their kids about serving and sharing the love of Jesus. I felt totally blessed! My friend Amy was there and captured the party with pictures and wrote a wonderful blog about our day. My desire is to become more intentional about teaching my littles about outreach and service. Any innovative ideas out there on practical ways to give throughout the year, not just at Christmas?

I'm Not Ready

For change.

For upheaval.

For the loneliness that is sure to follow.

For taking care of three kids three and under alone.

For all the emotions that are about to burst out.

For the grown up decisions we have to make that will change our lives as we know them.

For the stress of a move.

I am just not ready, enough said.

But God is ready for all of it and today I am resting in HIM and trying to cling to any peace he might give me for right now. Because today is what he has trusted me with and I am trusting him for the rest.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

One Busy Momma

I would love nothing more than to be able to have the time to sit and catch up on blogging. I have TONS of things to share! But with a two week old, one year old and almost three year old running around I have chosen to do other things with my time recently-sorry! So for your viewing pleasure, please feel free to catch up with our family via pictures from facebook. Just click the link below and you will get a glimpse into what we've been up to this month!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=470937&id=684265547&l=d7cadb158a

Hopefully more blogs will come...

Selah Grace

She's here!

Born on 8/5 at 5 PM

8 lbs

20.5 inches

Birth story coming soon!

So He CAN Walk

Levi took his fist steps on Mother's Day but has not been motivated to walk since then. Even with much bribery (yes, we did use chocolate and other various sweets) he just would not move those feet! Oh, he would walk holding my hand, or if he had the wall or a piece of furniture but not on his own. Such a stubborn little guy.

Last night we were spending time together after baths and before bed. We tend to just hang out with the kids in Moriah's room and read, play, talk until bedtime rolls around. Lo and behold Levi slid out of the reading chair and walked across the room to me! Zack ran to get the camera so we could catch it on video and we spent the next 30 minutes having fun getting him to walk. Moriah especially loved it when he would try and walk to her.

32 Weeks

Things are going well on the pregnancy front. I am feeling the heat and starting to get into that totally uncomfortable stage but over all I am doing great. Our baby girl was breech a few weeks ago but the midwife thinks she has now turned head down-THANK GOODNESS! We will know for sure at my next appointment.

I am nesting up a storm here at our house. It is amazing how much you think you need to get done before the baby arrives. It is like something just kicks into gear. An urgency to accomplish all these tasks-as if they wont still be there after she comes. I have been trying to pace myself (as insisted on by my loving hubby-who remembers the last time I did too much in one day-contractions till 1 AM-YIKES!). So, the necessities are top priority, then the rest of the list (which is 3 pages long!).

The kids are getting so excited for her to come. Moriah loves pretending she is pregnant too and often reads stories to my belly and sings to her. She reminds me often that she will be coming out in August and prays for her "baby sister in mommy's tummy" every night. Levi has taken to seeing my belly. It is kind of embarrassing when we are out and about. He likes to pat is sister in my tummy and give my belly kisses. He will just come up and lift up my shirt so he can "see" her. I think he is learning that he can only do that at home. Lord knows I do not want my huge belly exposed for the public!

Zack is just as excited as I am to meet her and snuggle our little girl. We have yet to 100% decide on a name though. There are a couple contenders that we are close to settling on. Some have given us a hard time for not knowing her name yet, but it is a big decision that she will be stuck with for the rest of her life-so we are ok with being sure before we announce what we will call her. We are open to suggestions if you have any! We are trying to pick something with great meaning, biblical, and pretty to say.

Makes My Heart Smile

Yesterday we were driving home from the store and Moriah and I have this conversation:

Mo: Mommy, are YOU my MOM?!?

Me: Yes, honey, I sure am.

Mo: And I'm your big girl?

Me: Yes, you are my big girl.

Mo: Oh, Momma, I SO love you!

Me: And I SO love you too!

Sometimes she just melts my heart!

There is much to catch up on-I'll be back soon to post about swim lessons and our trip to FL.

My Little Mermaid

Moriah has been obsessed with Ariel for quite some time now and asks to see the movie almost every day. She has been singing this song (or trying to) for awhile but has yet to cooperate for the camera. she really cracks us up!

She's Awesome

So I just had to tell you about a Moriah moment that just warmed my heart. Yesterday our neighbor came over to ask a favor. She brought her little girl (about Moriah's age) with her and the two hit it off. When it was time for the mom to leave, the little girl asked if she could please stay and play longer, so she did.

The girls went off into Moriah's room and I picked up around the house (I was a little embarrassed about the state of our home when the neighbor came over-I've been sick and kind of let some things go...) When I went up to check on them I hear this:

"Do you want to hear about Jesus? and Moses? Ok, let me show you..."

I turn the corner to see Moriah, with her bible open, "reading" to her new neighbor friend. JUST PRECIOUS! Hope she didn't scare her new friend off and she comes back to play more. I am not sure what our neighbors believe, but Moriah was sure to tell her about Jesus!

I Love Timbuk2!

I have been in a diaper bag dilemma with each one of my kids. There have been numerous bags I have bought, tried and then wanted to replace. Among the many problems with them, two really stood out. Size and how they were carried. With one kid it wasn't as big of a deal about either one of those. I just carried it and it had enough space for one baby's stuff.

With two kids I got the most gorgeous Vera Bradley bag for Christmas. I used it for a whole year but alas, I didn't realize when I asked for it, that it would be falling off my shoulders all the time (which is quite difficult to fix when you are in the street with a baby in your arms and a toddler holding your hand). It was also, HUGE! Which you would think would be great, except for I tended to load it up (since, hey, the stuff fit, so why not take it "just in case") and it only had one huge pocket where all my baby necessities and my things seemed to converge into one gigantic mess that I was constantly rummaging through. I also threw my back out on more than one occasion carrying it and my kids.

Recently, I have been using a cute red backpack that a friend got for me in Korea. It even has our name embroidered on it. It's only issue is that it is too small for day trips and has a fully unzipping side that when searching for baby treasure in the bag, everything tends to fall right out.

The task before me was for me for the "perfect" bag (which I truly do not believe it exists!). I was dumbfounded at the cost of diaper bags. I needed one that either had an over the shoulder strap or was a backpack and could hold all the essentials without being huge. I needed something durable, cause lets face it, I (and my kids) put our bags through the ringer. It travels with us everywhere and holds various items that can leak, spill, stick...you get the picture. Something easy to clean that can keep up with me with out looking grimy. I also did not want an obvious diaper bag (you know the ones with Pooh or Mickey on them). I wanted a bag that fit me.

So I landed (at the keen recommendation of a good friend) on the Timbuk2 website. They have all sorts of bags for everyone, not just moms, and you can even design your own. I choose to buy one that was on sale (because that is just how I am), and it just came in the mail today! I felt like it was my birthday! I reorganized all my stuff and loaded it up. So far I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I am so excited about this bag that I decided to write a post about it-instead of nap with my littles! That should tell you a lot.

Enjoying Spring

We have been loving the spring weather around here! Here are some highlights of how:

Trip to the zoo (Mo is checking out the elephants here).

Our group of kiddos in front of the Panda exhibit.

Levi LOVES the sunshine!!

Hey LION!

We also went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. It was gorgeous!

Yay for spring and beautiful weather!!!

25 Weeks!

Hard to believe that I am over half way to meeting this little girl! I am officially in the "nesting" stage (much to Zack's dismay!). I have been taking it relatively easy-I just have a running list of everything I want to get done before pure exhaustion and summer heat set in. I have BIG ideas about redecorating the kids room and nursery. I will share pictures as it progresses.

No names picked out yet but there are a couple front runners. Moriah wants to call her "baby Quinn" (we already know a baby Quinn) and enjoys talking to her and giving my belly kisses. So EXCITED about snuggling her!!

Photography Classes

Photo by Me

Photo by Zack

For Zack's birthday this year I got him photography classes for us to take together. He is very talented (if I do say so myself) and takes some amazing shots for not ever being told how. He has always had a great eye for good photos. I on the other hand, have not taken the time or have the patients to capture the great scenery and moments like he does. I thoroughly enjoy his pictures though and I want to be able to have a common hobby with him. So, that brings me to our classes! Yippy! For the next four Saturdays we have procured babysitters for our kids and will be spending time together learning about this thing Zack loves so much and I love looking at so much! I might just post some of my efforts with the camera too, once I have some clue as to what I am doing (give me a point and shoot any day!).

Professional Photos

We recently got our pictures taken in a portrait studio (JC Penney's-can't beat the $3.99 a sheet coupon!). I have to say I LOVE the pictures that Zack takes of our kids. Capturing them enjoying life is so much better than a posed shot in my opinion but sometimes you just want those milestone classic pictures (and a family shot where BOTH kids are looking at the camera!). The trip to get pictures started out well. Levi just woke up from a nap so he was rested and Moriah was happy to be in her pretty dress. As soon as the camera came out my kids acted CRAZY! Moriah kept giving the photographer mean looks and Levi kept crying. Zack and I did our best to distract and try to get a few good shots. Then Moriah opened the stool prop up and whacked Levi in the head, marking the official end of operation photo shoot. Levi was hysterical and had a big red mark on his head so we called it a day and just picked the best of what they already took. My only regret is that we didn't get one of Levi standing...you know the big 1 year milestone. Oh well...we were lucky to get out of there without major meltdowns. Here is the best of the worst photo shoot ever!

A Walk in the Park

We enjoyed this beautiful day with a stroll around a lake, picnic lunch and play time on the playground. It was so relaxing and GORGEOUS out! Of course, I am not sure it would have been as much fun without our friends joining us. I love chatting with my momma buds and our kiddos sure love each other too!

Our Easter

Moriah in her Easter finery. Thanks Nana for the great outfits!

The kids' loot!

Levi was reading us the Easter story.

Moriah really got into the Resurrection eggs this year. She could tell us the whole story from memory. We did our best to keep our focus on the real meaning of Easter. She LOVES hearing about Jesus and has been trying to wash my feet a ton since reading the story about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet. Love her!

Sweet and silly Levi. He was such a trooper all day, even though he had been sick all weekend.

It was a great day with friends and our little family.

To see all our pictures from Easter click here.

Yoplait Greek Yogurt and Giant Gift Card Giveaway!

*Giveaway Closed-Congrats to Kaylyn our winner!!*

I had the chance to try the new Greek yogurt from Yoplait this week. Unfortunately I was in FL when the cold pack arrived at my door, so I had a good friend of mine pick it up and store it for me till I got back. I have to admit I was excited to get back and try it!

I received two flavors, honey vanilla and strawberry, but the yogurt comes in blueberry and plain as well. Moriah and Levi LOVE yogurt and happily participated in a taste test with me. While it took me a few bites to get used to the texture, my kids dug right in and gobbled it up.

The yogurt has 0 grams of fat and only 130 calories. With 12 grams of protein, it is a perfect snack for this preggo momma and my kids. Since the texture was so thick and creamy, it was also very filling, a definate good thing here at this house! I also plan on trying the plain flavor in recipes.

Wanna taste? Leave a comment on this post by Friday, April 2. On Saturday I will pick one winner randomly to receive their own prize pack which includes four free coupons for Yoplait Greek Yogurt and a $20 Gift Card to Giant. You can also visit www.yoplaitgreek.com to save $0.30 on one cup of yogurt.

(Make sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you are the winner!)

*Disclaimer: Giant and Yoplait provided me with the free product, information and gift pack through MyBlogSparkTM.

It's a GIRL!!

There is so much to catch up on but I just couldn't wait to share this news:

We are going to have a baby girl in August!

It was so great today to see her and find out that our sweet gummy bear is a girl. We are still talking about names but are just SO EXCITED!!! The ultrasound went well. Our little girl looked healthy and was extremely active. She really made the tech work for all the measurements. The only thing she cooperated on right away was showing us she was a girl! No question about that. We have a few years to work on modesty... At the end we were able to see her in 3D and she was just beautiful. She was done being looked at though and put her arm and hand up in front of her face. I can't wait to kiss her cheeks!!!

We came home and showed Moriah the pictures and told her she was going to have a baby sister. She got really excited and started telling us some crazy names for her. Levi is too little to get it but he seemed happy when we were talking =)

I am 21 weeks now and feeling pretty good. I think I am in that "babymoon" period between the morning sickness and being uncomfortable, and I am going to enjoy every minute of this part of pregnancy.

I'll be back later to catch up on our FL trip and Levi's first birthday. For now I am going to just enjoy the blissful excitement of our news!! (I had to restrain myself this afternoon from going through all of Moriah's baby clothes, that is how excited I am.)

A Breath of Fresh Air

Spring is beginning to show up around here and I could not be more excited!!! We have been enjoying the weather with tons of time outside. I LOVE being able to take my littles out for a walk and for some fun times on the playground.

Just For Today

So yesterday was hectic and rough. My kiddos were well behaved for the most part but we just had one of those run around days where it seems you get things done but at the same time get nothing done at home. Poor Levi has had two mornings in a row where he has missed his morning nap entirely. Unfortunately, I have paid dearly for that at night. (Isn't it funny how that works? Less sleep for babies and toddlers during the day = less sleep for them at night.) So I had decided last night that we would stay home for the day today so he can catch up on sleep. I had big plans to get all the stuff around my house that I neglected yesterday done today.
Funny, how your mind can be changed by one e-mail. Before retiring for the night last night I got a reminder about a group a moms who were meeting at Olive Garden for lunch today to have soup, salad and breadsticks. It only took a moment for me to reply, "YES!"
Just for today I am throwing my house responsibilities to the wind. I have laundry in various stages all about my house. Some waiting to be put away, some wait to be folded, some waiting to be dried and some waiting to be washed. I have dirty dishes in the sink (and on the counter) and a dishwasher full of clean ones waiting to be placed in their proper spot. There are toys scattered throughout the house and a pile of "stuff" waiting to be taken care of by the front door from when I cleaned out the car yesterday. But all of that can wait.
Just for today we are having nothing but FUN! We still stayed home this morning and played and relaxed. Levi is currently taking his much needed morning nap. I actually showered, got dressed, put on make-up and did my hair. Moriah was happy to chill with me while I took some time for myself. She likes watching me put on my "nake-up." In an hour we will be meeting those other moms and their kids and have some fun at lunch (at least that's the plan). Just for today we will snuggle on the couch, play games and just be together. I think it is good for all three of us to have a day every once in a while.
Now tomorrow...that is another story. We will go back to life-grocery store, laundry, cleaning- will all resume. Just not for today!

Fun things Moriah has said while snuggling me as I I have been writing this:
"You hair is beautiful!" (That's because I actually took time to blow it dry!)
"Your hair is wild." (After she messed with it)
"I like these." (Referring to the earrings I never wear)
"You want your glasses?" (I took time to put in my contacts today and she is just not used to seeing me with out my glasses.)
"Can I say hi to your baby? Hi baby! I love you!" (and she lifted my shirt and kissed my belly)
"I'm blowing my hair dryer, you want to blow your hair dryer?" (She was using her juice cup as a blow dryer, good thing it is leak proof!)

Hope you are enjoying the day too!

In a Nutshell

Wow, it has been almost two months since my last post. I have really been a horrible blogger, huh? (You can't tell but I am hanging my head in shame.) So I thought I would use this post to catch you up...


Moriah is funny as always. She has really become quite the little boss around here. I am told it is the oldest girl syndrome. I know I sure did a lot of bossing of my siblings when I was younger. We are still working on potty training (I am giving it till August-I will NOT have three kids in diapers!). She has the sweetest spirit and genuinely cares about those around her. She was talking the other day to the baby and said, "Baby, since you are stuck in there, I want to give you my chapstick." And she proceeded to try and stick her chapstick (a prized posession around here) into my belly button. It melted my heart. She is constantly telling Levi, "It's ok. I love you. I know buddy." Once Grandma was sad and she said (in the sweetest voice immaginable) "Don't worry, Grandma." She fills our life with joy and tons of songs (she will sing and sing and sing).
Levi has been pulling himself up and cruising all over the place. He is quick to smile and laugh and has been trying all sorts of new words. He is also refusing any type of baby food. Nope, only real food for this guy, and make sure it is the same food we are eating-he doesn't want to feel slighted. He is really becoming such a "big" boy, even if he is really little for his age. Because of slow weight gain, he was tested for liver and kidney problems, as well as iron count and blood cell count. All the tests showed that he was healthy, but a tad bit anemic. So he is on iron and doing well. We are praying that he has gained an acceptable amount of weight for his one year check up that is right around the corner. (I know-can you believe he is going to be a year!) We love having a our little man around to keep us on our toes.

Here I am last week at 17 weeks. My morning sickness is finally passed-YAY! After a nasty case of food poisoning (thank you McDonalds) and some days of utter exhaustion I have come out of the "fog" of the first trimester. Our little gummy bear is letting me feel its movements more and more. I love that feeling!

So I know it's no surprise to any of you but we have had TONS of snow the past month. Below are a few of my favorite pictures of our snow days. It was fun to get a week as a family. Zack had several days off because of the weather, so we had a mini family staycation at home. As of today, the sun is shining and I can see grass in a lot of places. The snow seems to be melting away and there is not another blizzard due this winter. I am looking forward to spring, nice walks outside and playing on the playground with my kids.

On Valentine's day I celebrated 6 years of wedded bliss with my hubby. Thanks to my parents flying up to stay the weekend with our kids, we were able to get away for the weekend! It was wonderful!! I believe we have an amazing love story (which I wont go into here-since this post is supposed to just be our recent life in a nutshell) but suffice to say that the more years we are together, the more I love this man. I love the family we have together and the time we have been blessed with. I am so excited to see what God has in store for the two of us together. He is an amazing father to our children and such a strong but caring leader of our home.

Our littles decked out for Valentine's Day!

Zack turned 30 on February 15th. In honor of this momentous day we celebrated by eating Cheeburger with my parents on his actual birthday and the following weekend we had a superhero party! It was so fun. Happy late birthday, love, you are the best!

Grandma (Zack's mom) got to come and visit us for a week! It was so good to spend some quality time together. The kids just LOVED having her here (I did too!). It was so fun watching Moriah and Levi play all day with their Grandma and I got lots of rest having her here. Thanks for coming Grandma!

Well folks, that is about it for what the "big" things that have been happening around here. I will try and get back to posting more often but no promises (you know the whole being a mom of two and being preggo thing...).

Some upcoming events we are looking forward to:

Levi turns 1 on March 15!! WOW!

Trip to FL for Levi's birthday!

Our church's big launch on Easter! Check out their website here.

The arrival of my nephew in May!