She's Back :-)

For the last several months...probably going back to April or May, I was convinced that someone stole my sweet Emma and replaced her with a 2 year old monster. :) Well, I am happy to report that the monster seems to have faded away (90% of the time, LOL), and my sweet girl is back. She was entitled to give me a bit of a challenge since she's always been so good, but I was really getting down, thinking she was going to throw fits the rest of her life :)
She's 2 1/2 today. Somehow that seems so much older than two. I love this age. I love that I can reason with her now. I love that we can talk and have conversations about Jesus and Elmo, Strawberry Shortcake and Woody, Tinker Bell and Mickey Mouse. She's so sweet and helpful. Tonight while I was putting Lexi to bed I heard something splashing in the bathroom. I was thinking 'great, wonder what mess she's making'. When I went to check, she had gone potty end emptied her little pot into the big toilet. Without spilling it! She adores her baby sister and has never acted jealous towards her. She potty trained in a day and has barely had any accidents at all. How many two year olds can live in a house covered in lights and decorations and NOT TOUCH them?! I can even light candles and she says 'too hot, Emma don't touch it'. I just adore her and the precious girl she is.
Something else that I love about her is that she loves to memorize parts of movies or TV shows and act them out. Sometimes I'll wonder where she comes up with something and then realize she's quoting something :) She memorizes my cd's, specifically Taylor Swift & Carrie Underwood, and sings along to them.
I love that she loves Jesus. Tonight I asked her who was bringing her prizes for Christmas (thinking she would say Santa...yes I teach my kid about Santa :)) and she said 'Jesus'. She loves to pray, and amazes me with her understanding of spiritual things.
And nights like tonight...weekend nights that my hubby is working...nights that could be long and lonely, she is there. My little buddy.
Thank you, Jesus, for the precious gift of Emma. These past two and a half years have been a blessing. I have learned so much from her. I can't wait to see how You use her to glorify You.

My sunshine :-)

It's fall. And today is a perfect, Florida, fall day...it's cool and breezy and somewhat overcast. The perfect Monday to be home with my babies and have a couple candles burning. I'm hanging on to these days because I know they will be so short lived. Kindergarten will be here before we know it for Emma, and these carefree play days will be behind us. Alexa's latest photo shoot is proof of how quickly the girls are growing up! She's closing in on 5 months old, and really is our little sunshine. Here you can see why:





Isn't she the sweetest? :0)

Happy Halloweeeeen!

We enjoyed Halloween in kind of low key fashion this year. For whatever reason, I haven't been feeling like my usual self, and had to drag myself out the door with my sweeties. The fact that Mikey worked tonight didn't help my lack of motivation either, but I'm glad we did it! Emma was in a sweet mood...those are becoming rare these days, and Lexi...well Lexi slept through it all :) I'm glad my mom & sister were able to be here to see the girls in their costumes and Emma enjoyed their company!
Emma was obsessed with 'pop pops' (which are lolipops-she made the name up and I refuse to tell her the real name :)) and after leaving one house she'd say, "Nother one trick-or-treat'! What a cutie :)
Without further ado, I present to you Minnie Mouse & the Lexi-bug:


Happy Halloween everyone!!

Pumpkin Patch!!

Here are the pics from our annual trip to the patch :)

October Thoughts

Here's an update on life this fall :-)
~We just got home from a super fun trip to Pennsylvania and NYC ♥
~Fall leaves are beautiful...but I am a Fl girl :)
~Lexi is laughing allll the time, grabbing her feet, and rolling every which way.
~Emma is dressing herself and carrying on full conversations. She keeps us laughing!
~I'm having a niece...Kylie Michelle...in March. My sister's and my childhood dreams of being neighbors and raising families together is coming true!
~I love being a stay-at-home mom!
~Karen Kingsbury's 'Unlocked' is a MUST read.
~I am planning to potty train Emma soon...I feel kinda sad at how big she's getting!
~I lost my Grandpa Johnson two weeks ago. He was a wonderful Grandpa & lived a long, happy life. He died at 88 after being married 68 years.
So there you have a bit of this, that and the other. What a random post! My brain isn't working well enough to write anything intelligent, but I did want to update the blog :)

All About Alexa :-)

Being the second princess in our family, Lexi always has to share the spotlight with her big sister Emma :) Well, this blog is all for her!
I can quite honestly say that Lexi is the most perfect baby ever! Lol. She has pretty much slept all night since she was born, and has been on a great schedule almost from the get go. If she's not eating or sleeping, she's cooing, laughing, smiling...I just love her and am so thankful for her! I think her being so low-maintenance is the main reason why we haven't had any jealousy problems with Emma. Lexi did end up being diagnosed with acid reflux,just like her big sister before her. Difference is, this time I knew what to look for and was able to treat it sooner. She started spitting up, choking, and screaming after nursing even after I drastically changed my diet and kept her upright all the time. Once she started on the medicine, the crying from pain and excessive spit up disappeared.
We're totally in love with the sweet little cuddle bug God has blessed us with. It's hard to believe she's three months old already!

These are the days ♥

There's an old song on a Jodee Messina CD of mine that says, "These are the days you will remember for the rest of your life. These are the memories you'll pack in a box and pull out sometime..." I think ahead to when the kids are grown and gone and the house is quiet...and neat :) And I realize that these days...right now...are the ones I will look back on with smiles. And tears. Cause time is a thief, and babies grow up, and life marches on. So here I am, savoring EVERY moment. Remembering that the diapers, the tantrums, the runny noses, the messes, the smiles, the coos, the 'I wuv you mommies', are so temporary. And one day I will miss it all.
Memories from August 2010:
This is the night when Emma & Alexa were laughing together. Lexi kept looking at Emma & cooing & laughing. That made Emma crack up. Emma asked to hold her baby 'Wexi' and then wanted me to take a pic.

Alexa really started interacting with us this month...lots of cooing and smiling :)

Alexa also met her Great Grandma Woods:

Daddy loving his baby girl:

Emma & Sadie got very close this summer :)

Me with my big girl:

Sweet Emma:

For the love of...

COOKING...is a blog I recently stumbled upon. I love it so much it's worthy of its own post :) I can't say I truly love cooking, but I do really enjoy trying different things. I especially love all the super healthy recipes for cooking chicken breast, but there are plenty of other categories worth checking out as well. My first meal from this site was the lemon basil chicken I made last night. Super easy, super healthy, and super delish :-)
http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/05/lemon-and-basil-chicken-breasts.html
Happy cooking!

Summer Days

I can't believe we're already into August! This HOT summer if flying by! The Back to School season is upon us...except that I'm not going back! There is that part of me that is missing the rush, the excitement of setting up a classroom and starting a new year, but for the most part, I am incredibly thankful to be home full time. What more could I ask for?
Life with two has really been great for the most part. There are days of course, where things get chaotic, but I have no room to complain. Both girls are good eaters, good sleepers, and pretty good natured. (Emma usually doesn't throw too many tantrums in one day, haha). We've been able to get out and about quite a bit thanks to my new favorite thing...my double stroller!

Emma keeps busy playing on the patio where she has quite the setup: a wading pool, water table, playhouse, toy car, chair, and shopping cart. It's wonderful because I can see her from my kitchen or family room & I can be in out of the heat. Most of the time. Sometimes I do sweat it out to be with her. I can't resist when she points to a chair and says "Mommy seat!"

Lexi is busy eating, sleeping, sleeping, eating, sleeping...you get the idea! And it shows! She was 9 1/2 lbs. at 6 weeks! Quite a change from the 5 lb., 10 oz. peanut we brought home from the hospital. See for yourself!

My main summer project was to get our garage cleaned up and organized. It had always at least been decent, but after we emptied the guest room to make Emma's new room, things got rather chaotic in a hurry. Factor in my pregnancy and the heat, and we had one disaster of a garage!


Since Mikey's former basketball/police room became Emma's pink princess room (hehe) I wanted to set up some shelves and display his stuff in the garage. We also organized everything and got rid of TONS. I hate 'stuff!' A big thank you to my wonderful in-laws for their much needed assistance!

I have also very much enjoyed having my mom here most weekends. It's nice to have an extra set of hands...especially on the nights Mikey is working...and of course I love her company. I am so thankful for my mom!

I have a couple other small projects to finish in the next few weeks, as well as keeping up with the regular chores, cooking and of course play dates. I'm thankful to not have to juggle full time teaching on top of all this! I am blessed.

Announcing Alexa!

A friend of mine posted recently how she was able to do birth announcements super cheap through etsy.com. I was not planning to do any, since our budget is tight these days, but thanks to her, I was able to do a gorgeous announcement of Lexi!! For anyone that's interested (there are bday invites and other things, not just announcements) go to etsy.com and search through the hundreds of choices of announcements or invitations. After you buy the one you like, you just email all the pics/info and the person you bought it from will put it all together for you and email you a proof. I printed my 5x7 announcements on winkflash.com-I had a coupon to print 5x7's for 10 cents each. Not too bad! Here is the finished product-I absolutely love it!

Thank Heaven for my little girls!

So here goes another shameless brag about the two most beautiful, sweet little girls on the face of the earth :) I just wanted to update on what they're doing, milestones, etc.
Emma just had her 2 year checkup and continues her trend of being petite. She's 22 lbs., 33" tall,and perfectly healthy :) She has certainly become a true two year old in the last few months. After being such a good baby and toddler, I don't think I was quite prepared for the sudden change in her disposition. Whining, tantrums and her favorite word 'NO' are all regulars in our home! Lol. To be fair to her though, she is still very sweet, and loving. She has done very well transitioning to having a baby in the house, and she listens well...most the time ;)
Right now we're working on colors, more counting and ABC's. She knows the alphabet from Q-Z in order...the rest sounds like she keeps saying 'P'...can count to ten, (although her fav. part is 7, 8, 9, 10, and that's usually all she'll say!)and knows the Cookie Monster is blue, Elmo is red, and Abby is pink. She has really become a parrot and repeats everything she hears! She still loves to read, play outside, and is a Toy Story fanatic. She also enjoys Pooh, Elmo, 'Cindewewa' and Minnie Mouse. She also loves to sing. Her favorites are 'Winkle Winkle Little Star', 'Elmo's World', and 'The Wheels on the Bus'. Emma really is a blast, and I love being home with her and being part of everything she's doing and learning. Although this stage is challenging, it is also very rewarding. Especially when after tucking her in and walking out of her room, I hear her say 'I wuf you mommy'!
Alexa is 3 weeks old...already :( I want her to be my tiny little newborn forever!! She was 7 lbs. and 20" at her 2 week checkup...she only needed to regain her birthweight, but added an extra 15 oz. to that!! She is such a laid back, sweet baby, I am so thankful for her! She wakes up only once during the night (a couple times she didn't wake up at all!!) and mommy is very thankful. She rarely cries, and seems to have her days and nights straight. I don't want to be pessimistic, but sometimes I'm afraid she's too good and it won't last, lol.
I am very much enjoying having two babies. It feels like Lexi has always been here...the transition was incredibly smooth for all of us and I thank God for that. I am enjoying having two girls...especially the matching outfits, bows, etc. I am really & truly blessed!

The newest princess in our family....

...is Miss Alexa Grace!! I still can't believe she is here already! My supposed firecracker baby who was due July 10 has a mind of her own and showed up on JUNE 15! I was only 36 weeks pregnant, and thinking I still had a couple weeks to prepare for her arrival. I had been having some symptoms of labor on and off for a few weeks and these symptoms were definitely getting stronger as time went on. Emma was a couple weeks early, so I thought at the most Lexi would be as well.
On Monday night the 14th, at around 10 or 10:30, I laid down on the couch with Mikey to put my feet up and watch a movie. This was one of the 'signs' that labor was approaching. I didn't have too much of a swelling problem this time around, and all of a sudden, Sunday and Monday, my ankles blew up. Anyway, I'd no sooner laid down with my ice water, than my entire stomach contracted. It didn't hurt at all, but neither did my labor with Emma, so I started wondering. I kept laying there and the contractions kept randomly coming. After the movie I went to bed thinking that in the morning it would all be gone. WRONG! I couldn't fall asleep! Although they still didn't hurt and didn't regulate, the contractions wouldn't go away. So Mikey took me to labor & delivery just to 'check things out'. The nurse couldn't believe it when she checked and I was already 5-6 centimeters dilated. I was admitted and pretty much spent the next few hours waiting for the labor to get going...it didn't. Just like with Emma, no pain, no regular contractions till the dr. broke my water. I got my epidural and just waited until Lexi was born at 12:19 pm. I am very blessed with early, small babies and short, easy labors!
Alexa Grace was 6 lbs., 1 oz. and 19" long. She was perfectly healthy despite being premature, and is doing well. We are having some problems with jaundice right now, but it seems to be under control. She is an EXCELLENT baby...never cries and sleeps literally around the clock. I just have to make sure I wake her up to feed her during the night!
Emma loves Lexi, asks for her, gives her kisses, etc. The best part though is that Emma is pretty much content to go about her usual business. The baby hasn't seemed to phase her at all.
So now we are four =) And I love it! God has blessed us beyond my wildest dreams. These two little girls and their daddy are my world, and I couldn't ask for more!

I ♥ sUmMeR!!

We officially kicked of summer 2010 with our fifth anniversary trip on Memorial Day weekend. Mikey and I took off right after a half day of school and headed south to a resort on the beach. Although we were only gone one night, it was a very relaxing way to end the school year and celebrate my retirement (I'm now back to full time stay at home mom-this time for a looong time!)




The very next weekend we spent celebrating Emma's second birthday. We had a pool party at Nana and Grandpa's house, and she really seemed to have a good time with her little friends. I still can't believe that my baby is two years old!!





In other news, we've been busily preparing for Baby Lexi. I'm 4 weeks from my due date, however, Emma was two weeks early, so I want to be ready ASAP! Her room is pretty much done. I still just need to have Mikey put the infant seat in the car, paint her letters, and wash a few more clothes and blankets. Slowly but surely, we are getting there! I'm still feeling pretty well considering the fact that I'm 36 weeks pregnant and it's 90 something degrees outside! I'm much preferring this pregnancy to the first one. I do have the usual pressure and aches, and some swelling, but being home instead of on my feet teaching makes all the difference in the world!

Emma is TWO!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet little Emma girl! I can hardly believe it has already been two years. What an absolute joy she has been! I'm so thankful for the gift of motherhood.

Everything's Changing!

I've been so busy I haven't blogged half as much as I should! The last few months have just sped by in a blur. I can't believe we're already halfway through the month of May!
So much has been going on, I'm not even sure where to start...
School is out in two weeks. I already notified my principal that I will not be returning in the fall. I have another full time job lined up...playing with my girls! Looking back on the way things worked out for me to have this position the last five months, I can only give God all the praise. Without me taking this job, being home in the fall would have been next to impossible. Because I've been working, we were able to pay off our car. This makes a budget on just Mikey's income possible. I'm always worrying about how we're going to able to afford this that and the other, yet God continues to show me that He will always make a way! I don't know what the future holds...but I know WHO holds the future!
In between working full time, taking care of Emma, and house projects, I got Emma moved out of the nursery and across the hall to her big girl room! My wonderful sister and mother-in-law painted the room, and I had lots of help setting up furniture and hanging up curtains. Emma adjusted very easily (especially considering she went from a crib straight to a twin bed) and loves her big girl room. =) I also have the nursery almost completely ready for Baby Lexi (Alexa). It's mostly the same as it was for Emma, but I did rearrange the furniture, and change the rug, lamp, and curtains. I found some valances in the garage that had been in my room as a little girl. They matched the nursery perfectly, so up they went! I just need to pull out all the bedding, cushions, etc. and wash them before I can say I am totally done.
Here are some pics:








I also managed to get Emma weaned off of her pacifier. She did great, but it was really hard for me to hear her crying at night at not be able to give her what she was crying for. Makes me not want to even start the new baby on one!
Mikey and I are looking forward to celebrating our 5th anniversary in two weeks. It's hard to believe 5 years have already gone by. It has been a great ride, though certainly not a perfect one! I still struggle with the crazy life and schedule of a police officer, and we're still praying for a move back to day shift. In the meantime, I'm trying to focus on being thankful that Mikey has such a good job and job security in this economy. He's such a wonderful hubby & daddy, we are blessed!
Emma will be two years old on June 3. I can't believe it has been that long already. What a blessing she is to us! We love her to pieces!
Of course our biggest change in recent months is our changing family! Baby Lexi is due July 10 (I'm hoping she's an early bird like her big sister) and we are so excited! I can't wait to go through the incredible experience of childbirth and having a newborn baby again. Only 8 weeks till my due date!
I can't end this long blog without giving credit to the One who deserves all praise and glory. Thank you, Jesus!