This is a test!!

My sweet friend, Cris www.peterspeapod.blogspot.com , just taught me how to do the photos correctly. I'm trying it out.

OK, so I am not the only one in my family that makes silly faces! I'm just the only one who does it without being asked. My family humored me on Mother's Day with these funny ones:


Genevieve's was so funny. We all stuck our tongues out at her and said, "lalalala". Being the smart girl that she is, she repeated us and I snapped the photo just in time.

Emma has alot of her Mama in her, because she likes to make funny faces too. This one is her "go-to" face- her favorite to make.

Not sure what to say about this one, other than, " I'm thankful that this isn't the face on the face that I wake up to each morning."

Why I blog!

I'm not the most computer savvy chick on the block. Don't get me wrong, I can do the basics, but I hadn't gotten into blogging, making a website, or putting my pictures on the computer. This was mainly b/c our beast computer and dial up internet made it a huge pain. Now that we have a new computer and high speed internet EVERYTHING computer-related is easier and faster. I have two good friends who live far away. They are awesome bloggers. They write well, include lots of photos of their families, and I connect with them. After reading their blogs I decided to start my own as a way of letting friends and family know what's going on in our lives. It's also a quick way to share photos of my kids. Although I am still figuring out how to be a "good" blogger (photos, layout, etc.) I enjoy it. It allows me to keep a journal of what's happening, to brain dump, to share my passions and pursuits, or just to have a good laugh sometimes. My friend said yesterday that she thinks it must be therapuetic b/c so many homeschool moms blog. I agree. It's a few minutes to myself and the outcome is something that can encourage or educate others (or just give them a laugh or a smile). Soooo... that's why I blog. It's SO easy to get started: I set up our blog in about 25 minutes one night and the average blog (depending upon who much I have to say) takes about 10 minutes or less. Try it!

Too Funny!

Introducing DJ Jazzy Genevieve! She's in the his-ouse! She's ready to spin and scratch- spin around to crawl out of her highchair and scratch you with her sharp nails. We're giving a shout out to our favorite rap-loving sista T.T. C with this post!

We took this photo on Mother's Day... she has a build-a-bear shirt on her head, but it looked like a rapper's head thing.

She's funny and trying to say some words... no real raps just yet though. She is standing alone for a few seconds and still crawling around like speed racer.

Quirky... that's Nice Talk for Weird & Freak!

My blogging friend tagged me to share 6 quirky things about myself. Only six? How will I narrow it down. Quirky is a cute, non-offensive little word that I'll have to start using more often... in place of weird and freak- which is usually how I describe myself and others' "quirky-ness".

1. Ever since I was pregnant with Emma I have had to have my drinks ICE COLD! If it is the slighest bit warm I cannot drink it. I stick Coke in the freezer until almost frozen, I fill up my water cups mostly with ice, and milk (on the rare occasion that I drink it) has to come out of the fridge and into my mouth as soon as it hits the glass (that one has been since I was a kid). Also, I won't drink a flat soda for anything in the world (even though I am quite possibly addicted to Coke and Dr. Pepper, I'd pass them both up if they were flat. I prefer cans b/c they provide the most fizz. (I'm with you Wife to the Rockstar!)

2. I'm quickly becoming a true germo-phobe. I carry around santizing wipes in a tub, antibacterial wipes in individual packets, and hand sanitizer in a bottle (which Emma has so adorably named "hand-tizer"). I'm the handwashing police in public restrooms and will talk out loud to Emma when we notice a grown woman not washing her hands... saying things like, " I don't know why she wouldn't wash her hands,Sweetheart,now she will spread germs all around and make people sick." Everywhere we go to eat I santitize the table when we arrive. So don't be offended if you invite us over for dinner and we complete our de-germ ritual at your dining room table (smile).

3. I spend alot of time finding, buying, and organizing matching outfits for our girls- who are 3 years apart by the way. I can't resist how adorable they look- G in a tiny version of something and E in the bigger version... like the red, white, and blue dresses I got them both (on clearance- yeah) to wear for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day at church...

4. I am a good smell-aholic. I love things that smell good: perfume, candles, freshly washed clothes, the hand sanitizer at my doctor's office, freshly lotioned babies, food on a grill, and on and on. However, I have an extreme aversion to nasty smells. At the slightest hint of funk I am holding my nose to prevent gagging and possibly vomiting. This made being pregnant the 2nd time and changing diapers a HUGE challenge. I could barely enter a public restroom and would start gagging in my own bathroom too. I do believe that I have been blessed with the most sensitive sniffer of anyone I know... Andy laughs at me all the time.

5. I have this interesting ability to spot errors in text that everyone else misses. My eyes seem to go right to the errors and then I sit there looking for more and usually find them... even in books! I even went back and changed an old blog of mine b/c it had a small typo. If anyone needs a proof-reader, jut let me know.

6. I'm nearly obsessed with nice teeth. It's the first thing I notice on people and if they aren't so nice, I have a hard time not concentrating on them. Right now Genevieve has a small discolored spot on her top front tooth. I jokingly said to a friend that God was saying, "Oh yeah, you wanna judge other people's teeth so much? Here's a spot on your kid's front tooth." We do have to take her to a ped. dentist to make sure everything is ok.

OK- I feel like a total freak now that I have shared my "quirks" with the entire blog world. I do feel free though... if I can share the weirdo-ness about me, then I don't have anything else to hide, right? The nice thing is that we all have them, so I'm in good company.

Our First Vacation Day.... Well Spent!

Because the girls are still really little and Genevieve naps twice a day, we decided to forego a week long vacation this year. We have opted for Andy to use his days through the summer and we're going to take day trips. Today was our first one. I just recently heard about a little amusement park just for small children. It was affordable, not too far away from home, and perfect for a 4 year old. My loving in-laws kept the baby girl and we took Emma.

The weather was beautiful today- sunny and just under 70 degrees. It was a bit more crowded than we had hoped, but still not too busy. This was Emma's first experience with an amusement park (other than the rides at the boardwalk and the county fair rides) and I'm so glad that we held out until now- whe was thrilled with this place! If we'd taken her to bigger places earlier, then this may have been boring to her. Not so, she had a blast.

We rode lots of rides, saw lots of little houses with story characters, and even saw a few animals. Our daring daughter loved the roller coaster the most. She couldn't wait to get on it and endured a LONG line. She and Daddy had FUN. When they were almost closing, Andy and Emma returned to the coaster for one last ride... well that turned into 5 rides in a row- 4 of which they didn't even get off for because there was not line. Emma laughed the whole time. She also rode a "carous-wheel" (that's ferris wheel for those of you who don't know Emma speak) ALL BY HERSELF. She was a very brave girl and had fun up there alone.

That's the beauty of this place... Mama and Daddy can ride w/ the kids or they can have freedom to try out some independence on rides that are perfectly sized and paced for them.

Enjoy the photos! You'll see Emma and Mama inside a whale's mouth and an illusion that Emma is being "spritzed" on (that's a word she uses for sprinkled) by that huge watering can. You can also see her enjoying some of the rides.

G's First Birthday Photos

Finally some photos of the first birthday bash! Emma was dressed for the occasion with her cupcake shirt. Genevieve didn't like the cake much at first, but then she really started chowing down and thought the pure sugar was yummy.

Spring Concert & Blessing

Wednesday was Emma's preschool spring concert and blessing day! They were adorable singing patriotic songs, pledging allegiance to the flag, singing Christian songs, and a cute rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with words changed to make it about the great life at preschool.

Her school year has been such a blessing and growing experience for our family. Letting go, allowing someone else to influence her, watching her work out behavior issues, seeing her grow in kindness to other children, seeing her confidence grow as she had new experiences, dealing with all manner of germs that she carried home froms school and shared with our family, seeing her learn about the discipline of prayer- everyday when we passed the "fountain place" we prayed for her teacher, classmates, and for Emma. We were able to see a tangible answer to our prayers about 2/3 through the year when another little girl (who was really struggling to share and get along) finally began to play nicely with Emma and the other children. What a neat opportunity to teach Emma about God's faithfulness and answers... even when they seem to take a while.

The best part of the morning was the blessing. The pastor of the church had each class come up and kneel at the altar as they were called individually by name. The pastor laid hands on each child and prayed a unique prayer for him/her. I was a teary-eyed Mama with a heart full of joy and thanksgiving! Enjoy these pictures and I may even figure out how to add some video- if Andy can help me.

I hate injustice!

Andy and I were watching the season finale of Law & Order SVU tonight. L & o is the one program that we both agree on and enjoy watching together. Otherwise, Andy is stuck on the History or Discover channels and I spend time on TLC, Foot Network, or mindless sitcoms. But that's not the point of my blog. The show tonight was about a young girl- raped and killed by two police officers- who got away with the crime for over 10 years. I was seething by the end of the show. I get SO angry when I see defenseless women and children vicitimized. I get furious when I hear of a woman being abused by her husband. I mean really angry. I gripe at the tv or to Andy if he's around. Then I have the notion in my mind reinforced that "most men are dogs." Of course that doesn't make my husband feel too great... even though he's NOT a dog. I really need to find an organization that ministers to victims of domestic violence to volunteer with. I need to find an effective and productive way to deal with my anger about injustice. Anyone have any ideas?? I want to find a way to turn rightoeous anger into righteous action that will help others, because me sitting around being furious about it helps nobody...

The Real Faces of a Mama!!

So, I was playing around with the camera today and I took a few funny pictures and then it hit me that the pretty, posed, perfect pictures that we take and re-take with the digital camera aren't the WHOLE PICTURE of motherhood. So.... here are some of FACES OF A MAMA... can you relate to any of them??

OK... I'm still new at this pictures on the blog thing and I just put them all in reverse order, but I'm too frustrated to change them now, so you'll have to figure it out yourself... sorry. I'm getting good... I just fixed it!!!



TIRED MAMA.... umm can hear you say middle of the night nursing calls?? Staying up all hours of the night blogging because it's the only time you have for yourself?

ANGRY MAMA... how many times have I told you to/not to (fill in the blank), please eat your dinner- you've been at the table for an hour, if you'd just obey the first time...














SHOCKED MAMA... you gave the giraffe a bath in the toilet?? (G just did this)




MAMA SMELLED SOME POOP... Oh my, I'm glad you didn't eat until 9 months...stinky! Mama, why are you frowing up?? Because I am pregnant and can't stand the smell of poop (this happened w/ Emma and a pull-up poop in a parking lot while pregnant w/ Geneveive) (Say that 5 times fast!)












CONFUSED MAMA... I have NO IDEA what I'm doing around here- Lord HELP PLEASE!! I feel like I should join the police force b/c mothering is one big investigation into things.








SAD MAMA... I really was too harsh with her. Can I take back those words?? This phase is passing way to fast.










HAPPY MAMA... I love my kids and wouldn't trade being a Mama for anything!!!! They bring me JOY!!


Emma's Top 10... A HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY!

10. She's my Best Mama ever
9. She give me hugs and kisses
8. She fixes my hair pretty
7. She sings beatisul (beautiful) songs to me
6. She changes my music and plays it loud for me
5. She helps get my food ready
4. She loves me
3. She helps me clean up my toys
2. She reads me stories
1. She helps me have joy in my heart from Jesus! (If this is all I ever do- YEAH!)

Happy Mother's Day

What a great day this was! I'm blessed beyond belief and after the struggles w/ infertility, to have 2 beautiful daughters... it takes my breath away sometimes.

My wise mentor mom at MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers www.mops.org) told us a few years ago and then again this year that we shouldn't set ourselves up as "queen for the day" on Mother's Day b/c we will inevitably be disappointed. I've always kept that advice in mind, but I needed it more than ever this year because Andy and I were scheduled to teach the preschoolers at church last week and this week (after last week we weren't sure if we could survive another week). Was I a little disappointed that I wouldn't be upstairs for the mother's recognition and service?Yes, but Carol's wise words came back to me, "do something that only a mother can do on Mother's Day and you'll not be sorry." That was it.... I changed my attitude and was actually joyful to serve my church's children and especially my own daughter today. What a difference it made. We had 14 kids, made handprint dish towels for the mamas, and survived!

We came home and had naptime (Emma, Genevieve, & me). I think Andy must have paid them off or promised them cookies b/c they both slept for over 2 hours and only woke up right when he was done with cooking. He prepared a delicious dinner from scratch: chicken, sausage, and spanish rice. It was GOOD and spicy. After dinner the girls and Andy presented me with my gifts. I pretty much cried through it all after reading the cards and Emma's Top 10 things she loves about Mama list. Andy had taken her to Dollar General and let her choose some things she wanted to give me: waterfall scented shampoo and conditioner, a flip flop candle holder with 3 candles, and the best of all.... a leftover, pink, bunny snow globe that she paid a penny for. The snow globe was the ONLY thing she really wanted to find for me because she'd seen many of them in a dollar store a week or so ago and wanted to buy it for Mother's Day then (but she was with me). There were no snow globes to be found, but she searched high and low and wasn't going to give up. Finally, she found it... the only one in the entire store (somehow I think that God put that one there just for her because He knew her heart was set on it). She also gave me some pink petunias that she and Daddy are going to plant in a basket out front (and hopefully water, too, b/c I have a brown thumb).

Andy got me some beautiful, hot pink (my favorite color) roses and two frames with a photo of me and each of the girls in them. And a card that was so special (sometimes as a stay at home mom you wonder if anyone appreciates what you do... it's nice to hear that they do.

We tooks some Mother's Day photos and now my sweet husband is putting the girls to bed (which he does most every night w/ only a little help from me) while I am blogging. I talked to my mom and grandma today and Andy's mom was here last night and this morning (we took her out for dinner, so I got two good meals in two days). My grandma made my day today by telling me what a good mom I am... she was just here for a week so she saw the good, the bad, and the ugly of my mothering. I appreciate her words so much (especially because she has very clear ideas about things).

I think I'm getting off of the computer to go make my great-grandma's buttermilk pound cake. I bought the ingredients this week and wanted to make it before now, but that's life. Last Mother's Day my mom was here and I'd just had Genevieve, so she made the pound cake with Emma. In a perfect world I'd have made one WITH Emma today, but the day was too full of other good stuff.

Comments... Anyone??

I just wanted to say that if you read our blog, I'd appreciate a comment just to know that you're there. It's easy.... just write your comment and sign your name to it (first names are fine). Then at the bottom click anonymous. This way you can comment w/o having to register w/ blogspot or anything like that, but I'll still see your comments and know that you're reading and interested in The Jacob Journey.

Want A Tan??

So, I went to my ENT the other day to have my tube checked... everything is good. I noticed the nurse had a nice tan and I asked her if she'd been away on vacation. She said, "No it's a spray on self-tanner." I couldn't believe it b/c it looked good and real- it wasn't all splotchy (is that even a word??)and it wasn't orange looking either. She told me that she got it from the store and sprayed it on herself- super easy, she said. What a BIG FAT LIE! A few years ago I decided to stop tanning in the sun because of the potential harm it causes on skin and the risk of cancer. I do love a nice tan though, so ff to Target I went, greatly desiring to rid myself of this washed out, toothpaste hue that I've been carrying around since last April when Genevieve was born. I searched the shelves high and low and couldn't find it- I almost left w/o it, but one more pass down the sunscreen/lotion aisle for the inner, tanned, goddess inside me... Voila! I found it. I carefully compared brands and finally chose one. I couldn't wait to get home and try it out. It seemed easy enough: open can, spray on, let it dry, and emerge from the bathroom all bronze and summery looking. I did what it said and let it dry before putting my clothes back on too (just like the bottle said). Off to sleep. I awoke in the morning resembling something like a cross between a zebra and a giraffe. Zebra b/c of the striped appearance covering my arms and calves and giraffed b/c of the organe/brown color mixed with the natural, pasty, white that I already had. It was BAD! I called Andy and asked him to look up remedies for bad self-tan disasters.... he said to exfoliate using baking soda. I exfoliated all right... baking soda and two other exfoliating lotions that I had. Then I was red mixed with my organge/brown and white. It did help some on my arms and I just wore pants to cover my legs. Then next day came and I decided that I may be able to "even out my legs". Mistake #2! Now my legs and feet have some REALLY dark spots and the white spots are only a little darker. My feet look like something rusted on them. The bottoms too, because I must have stepped in the overspray on my floor and they are stained beyond belief. Emma looked at them today and said, "Mama, why are your whole feet orange?" Then she ran over to my vanity and grabbed a pumice stone and said, "Here, let me get that off for you." She's too cute!! Today I took Emma bowling with a homeschool group. It was in the upper 70's and I would've worn shorts, but not w/ these legs. I wore longer cropped pants and ankle socks- what a sight, but it covered the worst part of my feet and legs and I don't think people could really notice. I've decided to leave well enough alone and just keep exfoliating until this nightmare is over. The point of the story: Either be pasty or get out in the sun, but don't fall for the lie of the lady in your doctor's office who says to use the EASY spray on tanner.

Mother's Day Tea with Emma

Today was the Mother's Day Tea at Emma's preschool! She has been planning and looking forward to it for weeks. She wouldn't tell me any of the "secrets", but a week ago she did give me a sneak preview of the songs that they were working on. On Monday she got her play teapot out and filled it with water and put it in the fridge... she was making tea for the two of us to take to school today. We didn't take it with us, but we did enjoy some "tea" as soon as we got home- 2 pink cups for us and a blue cup (actually it was the creamer) for Daddy. She was SO excited to serve that pretend tea to us. Back to the day at school..... All the moms came in and sat at a place made especially for them. There was a portrait of me drawn by Emma and a little questionaire that she filled out w/ her teacher's help. She said I was 20 (thanks sweetheart- another mom's kid said she was 50), that I said "I love you" alot (sure glad she didn't decide to say some of the more impatient things I say alot), I like to make pasta salad (she said this b/c it is her favorite thing to eat), and that I look pretty when I come to a tea party (mostly I look like a mom of 2 who did good to get a shower that day). They sang lots of cute mom songs and she was all smiles!! They came to sit with us and gave us presents they made: a framed photo of her made of puzzle pieces and in the photo she was holding a sign that said, " I love you to pieces". A colorful, rainbow necklace made of little, plastic tubes, a flower that she made and put real perfume on, a cute tulip card, and a sunflower plant that she planted herself. Of course I immediately put on my beautiful neclace... tonight when we were driving to church she reminded me that I had forgotten it at home, but that maybe it was a good thing b/cI wouln't want to accidentally lose it at church.

She is such a great kid and I love her so much! We've been really struggling w/ her behavior lately. Monday was a nightmare, but yesterday I wasn't lazy, I was diligent in diciplinining her immediately (before I got angry and frustrated). She responded so well yesterday, but it was an all day process. Then today I had to dicipline her once about something ALL day! Amazing! I commented to Andy tonight that it's a huge lesson to me that all it takes is a little effort on my part to be consistent and she will respond almost immediately. Praise God for some good books I'm reading about training my girls: Raising Godly Tomatoes, Train Up A Child, and Shepherding a Child's Heart.... YES I'm reading them all at the same time b/c I have felt desperate for some help and I have seen things getting out of control w/ her behavior and I want to learn some effective strategies before it's too late and she's developed a character that isn't very pretty. Some of this I've read before, but never really been faitful to put it into practice b/c things were going smoothly. Oh how I wish I'd have been diligent earlier on... it wouldn't be so tough now. Praise God for His mercies that are new every morning and that I can start now.

Tomorrow I will purpose to be faithful in my training and discipline- because it's good for us both and also because the fruit is glorious.... a day that we can truly enjoy one another! She was a joy to be around today and she was also excited that we wore matching aqua shirts to church. Being twins was SO fun for her and to top it off our pastor's wife sat w/ us at dinner and she had aqua on too... then we were triplets. Lots of people noticed and Emma has fun w/ all the comments- knowing that it was her idea.

I'm dead out tired tonight and my allergies have been a nightmare today, so I'm off to bed.