What a crazy week (last week, that is)! I haven't had time to do anything. I feel like I was constantly busy, but accomplished absolutely nothing. I haven't blogged (and there's tons of topics I want to blog about). I wasn't able to go to BSF, a study I started going to since we've moved to Texarkana. My car decided to run over a miscellaneous object in the road, and go flat. Thankful for a hubby who can fix those kind of things so we didn't have to take my car somewhere to get it fixed! Yay! Lots of very important undisclosed decisions have been discussed within our little family. Matt had to work every single night with mandatory overtime (which translates into sixty hours soon to be seventy hours this week), which makes it hard to get out and do anything. But, I'm okay with that. He has a job! Sometimes, we need to take a step back and thank the Lord for that. Many people are going without a job right now. Oh, and on top of all this, I got my first big order from my Etsy shop which you can find here. Hopefully everything works out with the order. Its a wholesale order for a shop in Oklahoma. I'm pretty excited about it, but my spare time has been devoted to getting the order ready. Since its wholesale, its a large quantity!
With that said, I hope to write lots of blogs the rest of this week. I found some great recipes I want to share with you (after I make them first, of course). I want to have another financial blog post (haven't decided what the will be about yet). I really really want to post about Psalm 32 (go ahead, look it up). I have a running list somewhere in our apartment...
And, a shout out to all the new mom's this month! Congratulations! If you're reading this blog, and you just had a baby, I'm most likely talking to you! And, if you're not, I'm probably still talking to you! Seems like this month has been a month for babies. Horray for new, precious, God-given life!
And, those of you who got to watch The Hunger Games... I am sooooo jealous! The books are fabulous (if you didn't read the whole series in like a month like I did, you should read them)! I can't wait to be able to see the movies!
To my fellow blog readers who have a blog I can follow (if I'm not currently following you), let me know your blog site url, and I would love to read and follow you!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Couponing!
Okay, I'm labeling this post as a "financial" post because its going to help you save some moola! Anyway, I've been into this couponing thing lately. I am not an extreme couponer, meaning I will not buy out the shelves so that no one else can use their coupons or purchase the product if they need it. That's just plain greedy. Seriously, I don't know of anyone who needs twenty packages of razors because they got them for .50 cents each. Enough about that. So, I'm always looking for good deals, and while browsing the internet, I discovered that Target has in-store coupons you can print. Find those coupons here. You can browse different categories (i.e. groceries, baby, entertainment...) on the left side of this site. And, you can use a Target store coupon with a manufacturer coupon. So
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| Pretend this is a Target coupon for Colgate toothpaste! |
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Extra Savings!!!!!
Of course the coupons have to be for the same quantity and for the same product. So, say for example, you have a $2.00 manufacturer coupon for a package of Pampers diapers. Target has a store coupon for $1.00 of the same size package of Pampers diapers. You can combine the two and get $3.00 off! Yay for savings (especially on diapers)! Well, I came across some apparel coupons on the Target website. Search under "apparel & accessories" category on the website. There are $3.00 off coupons, 20% off coupons... etc. Well, did you know that you can use these apparel coupons on clearance items, too? Let me tell you what I did:
- I printed off two $3.00 off coupons from "apparel & accessories". You can only print two of the same type of coupon.
- I headed to the clearance section at target.
- I found a gray t-shirt marked $4.00 in the brand I had the coupon for.
- I found a white t-shirt marked $4.00 in the brand I had the other $3.00 off coupon for.
- I headed up to the check-out, and paid $1.00 for each shirt! Just a dollar!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Homemade Laundry Detergent.
Yikes. I never, never, ever, ever thought I would make my own laundry detergent. But, I did. I was trying to be the good, frugal housewife I am supposed to be (which, I'm sure doesn't include making your own laundry detergent, but oh well, if it saves a few pennies, right?). And, so far it has been working exceptionally better than I thought it would. I did some research for laundry detergent "recipes" online, and I found this one. This is the one I used. And, if you don't feel like going to that site for the ingredients, I'm listing the entire recipe below. Oh yes, and the original site gives an estimated cost-per-load if you want to know. Not to mention the entire description is going to be much better than mine... I am certain! I didn't feel like doing the math for what I made, and I didn't take pictures of my progress (tutorial failure).
Grate your bar soap. I used my regular ol' manual kitchen grater, and immediately placed the grater in hot soapy water after grating, and there was no soap residue smell on it. This is easier than it sounds! Fels-Naptha is actually fairly soft. It took maybe 5 minutes to grate the entire bar.
Step Two:
Add 1 Cup of Borax and 1 Cup of Washing Soda to the grated Fels-Naptha.
Step Three:
Stir. Stir. Stir. You want all of your ingredients to be mixed together well. I used the advice from this tutorial's original source, and whipped out my food processor. Don't worry, it won't smell either if you put it in hot soapy water after using it. Anyway, add all of your ingredients to the food processor and process it until its uniformly mixed!
Step Four:
Put into a cute little laundry detergent holder (a cheap, plastic container with a lid works well too). Display your handiwork! Also, be sure to check out this tutorial's original source for information about HE washers, pictures, cost effectiveness, etc...
Notes:
what you are going to need...
| 1 Cup of Borax. You can only buy a box of this stuff, but it has lots of uses! |
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| 1 Cup. I had a hard time finding this. I hear they have it at ACE Hardware. I did find mine at Wal-Mart, but I went to two different Wally World stores before I found it. This is not the same as baking soda! |
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| One bar of this stuff. I love how old-fashioned it looks! I found this next to the Borax in the laundry detergent aisle. |
Step One:Grate your bar soap. I used my regular ol' manual kitchen grater, and immediately placed the grater in hot soapy water after grating, and there was no soap residue smell on it. This is easier than it sounds! Fels-Naptha is actually fairly soft. It took maybe 5 minutes to grate the entire bar.
Step Two:
Add 1 Cup of Borax and 1 Cup of Washing Soda to the grated Fels-Naptha.
Step Three:
Stir. Stir. Stir. You want all of your ingredients to be mixed together well. I used the advice from this tutorial's original source, and whipped out my food processor. Don't worry, it won't smell either if you put it in hot soapy water after using it. Anyway, add all of your ingredients to the food processor and process it until its uniformly mixed!
Step Four:
Put into a cute little laundry detergent holder (a cheap, plastic container with a lid works well too). Display your handiwork! Also, be sure to check out this tutorial's original source for information about HE washers, pictures, cost effectiveness, etc...
Notes:
- This isn't going to leave your clothes smelling like Tide. To me, they just smell fresh (not stinky, don't worry). If you want them to smell, just add some fabric softener.
- I use about 1 tbsp. for small loads, and 2 tbsp. large loads. I purchased a metal coffee scoop to put in with my detergent. The coffee scoop is 2 tbsp. so I just use my best judgement for measuring 1 tbsp. of detergent.
- I also always add this before I add my clothes to the washer. I let the detergent disolve, then put in my clothes. We don't have an HE washer, and I find this works the best as to avoid getting any powdery residue on your clothes. Obviously, if you do get a residue, you can just re-wash, but who wants to do that, right?!
Isaiah.
Isaiah. My Little Man. My Little Monster. My Boy. My Buddy. My Baby. My Friend. My Love.
And... my extremely-high-spirited-two-year-old-who-is-also-my-blessing-in-disguise.
I was blessed beyond measure with a strong-willed child. I don't really want to use the term "strong-willed" because many (if not all) children are strong-willed at some point in their lives. Isaiah is high-spirited. He is a very active and very independent toddler (although still my baby). Let me give you and example. Today, I decide to break out this quiet book I worked on seemingly forever for my little man. What's a quiet book? I blogged about my quiet book in this post, however, I never got around to posting the finished product. Anyway, they are great. And, they are supposed to be entertaining, and as the name says, a quiet activity. So, I created this page where Isaiah is supposed to "hang the apples in the tree", and I show him how its done. Well, what do you know, Isaiah is hiding the apples in his shirt pocket. The farm animals all had to join Noah's animals in the ark. The telephone can no longer make "calls" due to missing buttons, and the mail ended up in the baseball mitt. The list goes on. Needless to say, he loved it. But, he wanted to test everything out. He had to it "Isaiah's" way.
Isaiah also loves suckers. We've been working on "potty", and if he goes, he gets a sucker. So, I unwrap his sucker, and hand it to my little monster. What does he do?! Cries because he wanted to unwrap it. So, this mommy wraps it all back up, and hands it back to him so he can do it. And, from that point on, Mommy does not unwrap suckers!
Isaiah decided he wanted to carry my grocery bag to my car the other day. He wanted to "help you" as he says. Well, I decided to let him. The bag was too heavy, and we were in the middle of the parking lot, and he kept dropping it, and so I said, "Let Mommy carry it to the car and you can help me when we get home." What does my baby do? Oh, he's that kid you see sitting in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I was literally dragging him to the car. He wouldn't get up. I mean, you would think since he had to come anyway, he would eventually stand up and walk. Not him! So, I picked him up and carried him (which he hated) to the car. Isaiah is extremely adventerous. He wants to touch and feel everything. He is very attentive, always asking me "Do you hear it?" when he hears birds, the train, a car, a fan, the washing machine, airplanes, you name it... He is curious. He is restless. He is a blessing. So, over the past week, I have been questioning myself, "What in the world am I going to do with him?" "How am I going to deal with this?!" A year ago, I could have given you all the answers to raising strong-spirited children. I would see a child acting out and think "I would not put up with that... EVER!" It makes sense until you have one of those children. There are obvious things not to do such as give in (although all parents do that sometimes) or becoming abusive. With that said, I have been doing some research on this topic, and these are some things that I'm going to try or think about during these testing times:
Number 1: Bible Verse.
And... my extremely-high-spirited-two-year-old-who-is-also-my-blessing-in-disguise.
I was blessed beyond measure with a strong-willed child. I don't really want to use the term "strong-willed" because many (if not all) children are strong-willed at some point in their lives. Isaiah is high-spirited. He is a very active and very independent toddler (although still my baby). Let me give you and example. Today, I decide to break out this quiet book I worked on seemingly forever for my little man. What's a quiet book? I blogged about my quiet book in this post, however, I never got around to posting the finished product. Anyway, they are great. And, they are supposed to be entertaining, and as the name says, a quiet activity. So, I created this page where Isaiah is supposed to "hang the apples in the tree", and I show him how its done. Well, what do you know, Isaiah is hiding the apples in his shirt pocket. The farm animals all had to join Noah's animals in the ark. The telephone can no longer make "calls" due to missing buttons, and the mail ended up in the baseball mitt. The list goes on. Needless to say, he loved it. But, he wanted to test everything out. He had to it "Isaiah's" way.
Isaiah also loves suckers. We've been working on "potty", and if he goes, he gets a sucker. So, I unwrap his sucker, and hand it to my little monster. What does he do?! Cries because he wanted to unwrap it. So, this mommy wraps it all back up, and hands it back to him so he can do it. And, from that point on, Mommy does not unwrap suckers!
Isaiah decided he wanted to carry my grocery bag to my car the other day. He wanted to "help you" as he says. Well, I decided to let him. The bag was too heavy, and we were in the middle of the parking lot, and he kept dropping it, and so I said, "Let Mommy carry it to the car and you can help me when we get home." What does my baby do? Oh, he's that kid you see sitting in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I was literally dragging him to the car. He wouldn't get up. I mean, you would think since he had to come anyway, he would eventually stand up and walk. Not him! So, I picked him up and carried him (which he hated) to the car. Isaiah is extremely adventerous. He wants to touch and feel everything. He is very attentive, always asking me "Do you hear it?" when he hears birds, the train, a car, a fan, the washing machine, airplanes, you name it... He is curious. He is restless. He is a blessing. So, over the past week, I have been questioning myself, "What in the world am I going to do with him?" "How am I going to deal with this?!" A year ago, I could have given you all the answers to raising strong-spirited children. I would see a child acting out and think "I would not put up with that... EVER!" It makes sense until you have one of those children. There are obvious things not to do such as give in (although all parents do that sometimes) or becoming abusive. With that said, I have been doing some research on this topic, and these are some things that I'm going to try or think about during these testing times:
Number 1: Bible Verse.
18 “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 NLT
I will teach Isaiah these things because, above all else, this is the most important! If I live a life of spiritual discipline, then perhaps he will follow by example!
Number 2: No Comparison
I will not compare my child to others. I will not compare is accomplishments and failures. I will not compare his developmental milestones, how quickly he reads, how well or how long he can sit still, what he likes... etc. He is his own person. And, I often find myself asking, "Why? Why does Isaiah have to act like this when I see other kids doing (insert whatever here)?" No more. He is himself, and I will nurture, encourage, and love him through his strengths and weaknesses.
I love this quote (in my own words): "Isaiah is a child of integrity... not easily swayed from his own viewpoints." When you look at being "strong-willed" from that point of view, kind of puts a new perspective on things!
Number 3: Stay Positive.
I will be positive, and offer positive rewards and praise more often than negative. I will say "yes" as often as I can, and use "no" only when neccessary. Sounds crazy, but Isaiah wants to be told "yes". He wants to be able to do what he wants to do. So, why not let him if it is something he is clearly capable of? Why not walk with him and show him how to do it? I find myself saying "No, you can't get into that" because quite frankly, I just don't want to deal with it. That leads to a very, and I mean very intense temper tantrum. He is full of energy, and it is going to require me to match that energy level with everything that I do.
Number 4: Be There.
Love him. Be there for him. Listen to him. Observe him. Learn him. Even when he thinks he doesn't need it, I'm going to be there anyway. He needs to know that I am always here for him, no matter the power struggles, the battles, the temper tantrums. How is he supposed to learn to guide himself? He's not. He needs a mommy, and that's what I will strive to be.
Number 5: Choose My Battles.
Some things JUST DON'T MATTER. And, I will use my best judgement to discern the things that don't matter, and leave those things alone. Along these lines, I find that talking to Isaiah about what is going to happen (i.e. you are going to ride in a cart when we get to the grocery store), actually helps him transition better. Telling him ahead of time (such as in the car on the way) that we are going to get (insert grocery list here), and you have to ride in the cart... really does help.
These are just a few things I will try to focus on with my little guy! And, I will rely on God's grace to get me through! I will laugh when I can, smile often, and play with him even more! Because, he's not always going to be TWO! Our battles are not always going to be about going to sleep, or getting in the cart, or putting away the iPad... one day they will probably be much more intense!
I will teach Isaiah these things because, above all else, this is the most important! If I live a life of spiritual discipline, then perhaps he will follow by example!
Number 2: No Comparison
I will not compare my child to others. I will not compare is accomplishments and failures. I will not compare his developmental milestones, how quickly he reads, how well or how long he can sit still, what he likes... etc. He is his own person. And, I often find myself asking, "Why? Why does Isaiah have to act like this when I see other kids doing (insert whatever here)?" No more. He is himself, and I will nurture, encourage, and love him through his strengths and weaknesses.
I love this quote (in my own words): "Isaiah is a child of integrity... not easily swayed from his own viewpoints." When you look at being "strong-willed" from that point of view, kind of puts a new perspective on things!
Number 3: Stay Positive.
I will be positive, and offer positive rewards and praise more often than negative. I will say "yes" as often as I can, and use "no" only when neccessary. Sounds crazy, but Isaiah wants to be told "yes". He wants to be able to do what he wants to do. So, why not let him if it is something he is clearly capable of? Why not walk with him and show him how to do it? I find myself saying "No, you can't get into that" because quite frankly, I just don't want to deal with it. That leads to a very, and I mean very intense temper tantrum. He is full of energy, and it is going to require me to match that energy level with everything that I do.
Number 4: Be There.
Love him. Be there for him. Listen to him. Observe him. Learn him. Even when he thinks he doesn't need it, I'm going to be there anyway. He needs to know that I am always here for him, no matter the power struggles, the battles, the temper tantrums. How is he supposed to learn to guide himself? He's not. He needs a mommy, and that's what I will strive to be.
Number 5: Choose My Battles.
Some things JUST DON'T MATTER. And, I will use my best judgement to discern the things that don't matter, and leave those things alone. Along these lines, I find that talking to Isaiah about what is going to happen (i.e. you are going to ride in a cart when we get to the grocery store), actually helps him transition better. Telling him ahead of time (such as in the car on the way) that we are going to get (insert grocery list here), and you have to ride in the cart... really does help.
These are just a few things I will try to focus on with my little guy! And, I will rely on God's grace to get me through! I will laugh when I can, smile often, and play with him even more! Because, he's not always going to be TWO! Our battles are not always going to be about going to sleep, or getting in the cart, or putting away the iPad... one day they will probably be much more intense!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Finances... Take 2.
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| Photo courtesy of: http://www.noelbagwell.com/blog/?p=5188 |
Okay, so in my "series" of financial blogs, I wanted to write a "what we did" post about my own personal finances. Previously, I wrote about debt consolidations. You can link back to that post here. Anyway, now to invite you into my personal life! Its so, so exciting, and you're gonna totally be blown away (sarcastic eye roll and awkward laugh here).
In my last financial post, I wrote that my student loan debt was under $10,000. Alas my friends, it is officially under $9,000! Yippee! It sorta feels like we've been making payments on it forever. But, I guess it really hasn't been that long. Just a few short months, actually. My interest is about three-point-two-ish percent. It was a whopping 6.7% through my student loan company. How did I drop my interest?! By my personal version of correct "debt consolidation". Here's how I did it:
My bank was having a fabulous deal on personal loans through them (in other words... low interest). And, if you borrow against your savings (also known as using your savings as collateral), the interest is even lower. When someone buys a car, and takes out a car loan through their bank, they use the new car as "collateral" which basically means that if you don't make your payments, the bank takes the car. So, the same goes for my personal loan. Matt and I had enough (and extra) to use as collateral against the new bank loan that would be used to pay for my student loan. So, if we didn't make the payments, well, the bank would just use our savings to pay for the loan. Okay, that's the sum of it, but here's what else you need to know:
- You CANNOT touch the amount in your savings that you are using as collateral. So, say you have $10,000 saved, and you took out a loan for $5,000, you are only allowed to use the difference ($5,000). So, I don't recommend doing this if you have just enough to cover the loan. You just never know when an emergency could occur.
- When you use some kind of account as collateral (savings, CDs...), your loan payment will be significantly lower. I'm talking my payment is $25.00 a month. However, if you only pay the bare minimum (at least this is the case for us), you will barely be paying the loan interest. We always pay a fixed amount every month. What is good about these low payments, though, is say something unexpected comes up; well, if you don't have the money to pay the amount you have been paying for the past six months, you can get by with paying the minimum. Then, pick-up the very next month.
- This is sort of like debt consolidation, but not. The key to this type of "consolidation" is that you are not going through an advertised company. You usually don't end up with bad credit. I mean, not paying your bill will obviously hurt your credit, but you have the money to pay for the loan in its entirety, so you shouldn't even have an issue with paying your bill. Oh, and this isn't really debt consolidation because I wasn't trying to consolidate debt owed to five different companies, and I wasn't trying to lower my interest because I couldn't make my loan payments. I just wanted to save some money!
- I feel that this is a good way to save extra money that would be going to my student loan company for interest. And, my loan payments to the student loan company varied by a few dollars each month because of the interest. Having such a low payment at the bank, I can be a fixed amount every month... and it knocks out a bunch of interest, and I know exactly how much I will be paying every month.
*Please note: I am not a professional financial advisor. These are only my personal opinions about this subject matter. Is there anything you do or did to help your finances or money management? I'd love to hear about them.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Finances.
Finances... money management... we usually *cringe* at the mention of anything that has to do with money. I would say 95% of people DO NOT want to discuss their financial situation with you, or me, or anyone! I, however, think if people were more open about their "money" problems, then we would be more apt to practice a little more self-control in that area. Having accountability with our spending habits would probably help us in the long-run. I believe... uh hum... that "money problems" or "financial issues" are actually a result of something deeper. Points:
Debt Consolitdation?! To do or not to do?
I wouldn't do it. What is debt consolidation? In a nutshell: taking out ONE loan to cover a series of multiple loans. So, maybe you owe several credit cards (insert numbers), and to get out of that credit card debt, you call those guys on t.v. that are always like, "We can help you get out of debt... blah, blah, blah..." (or something like that), and then they "buy" your loan for a "deal". Then, you make one monthly payment to that company. What they don't tell you in those commercials... it hurts your credit, it will show up on your credit report, and you can't apply for new credit unless approved by the debt consolidation company. Also, the consolidators often negotiate with your credit companies... they can get sometimes get extra fees waived, and they usually get lower interest rates. Then, when you pay the consolidating company, they take your payment and pay off your debt. They usually give a higher portion to the credit company you owe the most to. In essence, they do what you probably could be doing yourself with a little self-control. Another point to make: call your credit card company yourself. You can probably work out a deal with them to pay off what you owe (I know mine does... I always see it advertised on the company's home page). And, CUT THOSE DARN THINGS UP AND TRASH THEM! Seriously. If you don't have the money, DON'T get it. And, for the things you absolutely have to have a credit card for (i.e. hotel reservations), they will take a bank debit card, used as credit!
So, here's my first advice where debt consolidation is concerned, don't do it. Call the companies yourself, and work out a deal if possible, then cut your spending, and put that extra money towards your debt. I would pay my smallest debt first, then work up to your largest debt. Here's why I would do it that way. The smallest is the easiest. And, when its paid off quickly, you have a sense of satisfaction. You think, "Hey, I can do this..." and it just builds your confidence to working on debt-free living!
*Please note: I am NOT a financial advisor. These financial blogs are my own opinions. I have researched the advice I post, and this is what I think.
- A general lack of self-control... see something, gotta have it
- Envy: my neighbor (or friend, or co-worker) just got these really cute shoes, and I just gotta have me a pair of those!
- World conformation: we have conformed to what society says is good, or right, or "the thing to do". You must purchase your clothes from (insert name of store here). Second-hand?! Not cool! Don't ever be caught dead in a garage-sale find. Well, I can be caught wearing these second-hand clothing items, but please, please, don't ask me where I got them!
- Pride: oh yes... pridefulness... gotta show off what we have (or don't really have....). I think this leads to comparing ourselves to others... what their clothes look like, what kind of car they drive, how big their house is... ect...
Debt Consolitdation?! To do or not to do?
I wouldn't do it. What is debt consolidation? In a nutshell: taking out ONE loan to cover a series of multiple loans. So, maybe you owe several credit cards (insert numbers), and to get out of that credit card debt, you call those guys on t.v. that are always like, "We can help you get out of debt... blah, blah, blah..." (or something like that), and then they "buy" your loan for a "deal". Then, you make one monthly payment to that company. What they don't tell you in those commercials... it hurts your credit, it will show up on your credit report, and you can't apply for new credit unless approved by the debt consolidation company. Also, the consolidators often negotiate with your credit companies... they can get sometimes get extra fees waived, and they usually get lower interest rates. Then, when you pay the consolidating company, they take your payment and pay off your debt. They usually give a higher portion to the credit company you owe the most to. In essence, they do what you probably could be doing yourself with a little self-control. Another point to make: call your credit card company yourself. You can probably work out a deal with them to pay off what you owe (I know mine does... I always see it advertised on the company's home page). And, CUT THOSE DARN THINGS UP AND TRASH THEM! Seriously. If you don't have the money, DON'T get it. And, for the things you absolutely have to have a credit card for (i.e. hotel reservations), they will take a bank debit card, used as credit!
So, here's my first advice where debt consolidation is concerned, don't do it. Call the companies yourself, and work out a deal if possible, then cut your spending, and put that extra money towards your debt. I would pay my smallest debt first, then work up to your largest debt. Here's why I would do it that way. The smallest is the easiest. And, when its paid off quickly, you have a sense of satisfaction. You think, "Hey, I can do this..." and it just builds your confidence to working on debt-free living!
*Please note: I am NOT a financial advisor. These financial blogs are my own opinions. I have researched the advice I post, and this is what I think.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
A Little Overdue, But Nonetheless My Baby is Two!
Happy Birthday, Isaiah. Two years?! Where has the time gone?
Dear Isaiah,
I remember anxiously waiting in the hopsital for your arrival! I couldn't wait to hold you, to kiss you, to snuggle with you, to love you outside of my belly! I couldn't even wait to change your diapers! I was so excited to meet you.
I remember coming home from the hospital thinking, "Now what?" You were so little. You were so precious. So sweet. So perfect. I loved everything about you from your bald head to your tiny toes. I loved how it felt to hold you. I loved your soft skin and your little button nose. You were, and you still are an amazing baby boy.
I am so blessed to have been able to celebrate two years with you! I can't imagine my life with you. I pray for you daily. I pray for you in so many things, but I pray mostly that you will love God. That you will trust Him. That, above all else, is the most important thing in life. I pray for myself. I pray that I will encourage you, choose my battles wisely, discipline you rightly, love you, teach you, and strengthen you.
You have changed so much these past two years. You have gone from babbling to talking. You have gone from crawling to walking, dancing, jumping, climbing and running. You have gone from bottles to sippy cups, newborn to 3T, cooing to laughing, pacifiers to books...
Some of your favorite things are:
Love,
Mommy
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| We welcomed our Little Man to the world on February 24th, 2010 at 8:42 p.m.
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I remember anxiously waiting in the hopsital for your arrival! I couldn't wait to hold you, to kiss you, to snuggle with you, to love you outside of my belly! I couldn't even wait to change your diapers! I was so excited to meet you.
I remember coming home from the hospital thinking, "Now what?" You were so little. You were so precious. So sweet. So perfect. I loved everything about you from your bald head to your tiny toes. I loved how it felt to hold you. I loved your soft skin and your little button nose. You were, and you still are an amazing baby boy.
I am so blessed to have been able to celebrate two years with you! I can't imagine my life with you. I pray for you daily. I pray for you in so many things, but I pray mostly that you will love God. That you will trust Him. That, above all else, is the most important thing in life. I pray for myself. I pray that I will encourage you, choose my battles wisely, discipline you rightly, love you, teach you, and strengthen you.
You have changed so much these past two years. You have gone from babbling to talking. You have gone from crawling to walking, dancing, jumping, climbing and running. You have gone from bottles to sippy cups, newborn to 3T, cooing to laughing, pacifiers to books...
Some of your favorite things are:
- reading a snuggling with mommy before bed time.
- rocking
- playing on the iPad
- playing outside
- animals
- peppermint patties and ice cream
- popcorn
- playdough
- finger paints
- singing
- Elmo
- Spongebog (thanks to Uncle Lukey)
- naming the letters of the alphabet
- pretending to read
- singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" all by yourself!
- making sentences
- answering questions
- getting mad
- pretend play
Love,
Mommy
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