A Special Afternoon

I am behind on blog posts and I hope to catch up before the baby comes, but I guess we’ll see what happens!  During Jared’s holidays in July, my Mom took Blake for the afternoon while we surprised Kiera with an afternoon at a place with rides!  She has been asking to go there since she went last summer, so we finally went again.  We didn’t tell her where we were going until we got there and she had a blast!  Last year, she was a bit young and not confidant enough to try a lot of rides, but this year she did WAY better!  Her favorite ride was still the fish, which she went on about 25 times.  She switched fish each time because she wanted to try the different colors, which I thought was cute!

She only went in the little car a couple of times this year

Last year, she was too scared on the merry-go-round, but this year she was fine as long as either Jared or I were standing beside her.  We didn’t have to hold on to her, but just be next to her.

First time rides this year:

The airplanes

The helicopters (by pulling the bar, she went way up high)

The ladybugs

and the swings

This year, there were WAY less people there, so there was rarely a line-up at any of the rides, which is why she could go on over and over if she wanted to!  We packed a picnic lunch and had a really great time just the 3 of us.  Next year, we will bring Blake, too, and get someone to watch the baby, who will be a year old by then!  Crazy thought!  Oh, and she really was happy to be there, even though she’s only smiling in one picture.  Leaving was no problem, too, because Jared told her we were going to get ice cream, which we did! :)

Busy Fun

We had a fantastic week-end full of busy, fun activities!  I’m so thankful to be keeping busy right now as it is making the end of my pregnancy not drag on!  Single digits now…9 days ‘til due date! 

On Friday, I took the kids to a parade.  Jared showed up and surprised the kids!  I sat with some friends and they helped scoop up candy for the kids.  After, I took the kids out for lunch with some friends and their kids.  In the evening, we dropped the kids off with my Mom and Jared + I went on one last date before the baby comes!  We went to our favorite crepe restaurant and I had a rhubarb crisp in a rice flour crepe.  SO good!  I also had a green apple bubble tea which is one of my favorite flavors there.  This was a window on a building close by and I thought it was pretty.

After that, we went glow mini golfing.  I remember we actually went mini golfing on our last date before Blake was born.  I love mini golfing!  I bought a Groupon, so I paid $10 for 2 people instead of $20 and it included glow necklaces + bracelets.  We brought them back for the kids and they loved them!  This is Blake wearing his in the van.

On Saturday, I took Kiera to the mall and they had a petting zoo and face painting, which she LOVED!  We spent almost an hour in that area.  Here’s my cute little clown.

After that, she came grocery shopping with me and when we got back, we got ready to go to the beach for my friend’s 29th birthday.  The party was in the shade close to some play structures, so the kids just played + played the whole time and we were able to stay cool out of the sun.  Blake kept wandering off to meet new people and steal the ball they were playing with, so we were quite often chasing after him.  Kiera only went in the water for a bit right at the end.  On our way home, we decided to try to find Jared’s co-worker’s house out in the country that her + her husband are building (Jared knew approximately where it was), and our “stalking” trip was successful and we found them!  They gave us a tour and then we went home. 

On Sunday, we went to church and Jared + I did our last Sunday School “shift” as we will have a year off now with the baby coming.  I had woken up early to make slow cooker lasagna and we had my brother-in-law + sister-in-law over for lunch.  They stayed for a while and then an hour later, my sister-in-law stopped by with a container of fresh raspberries that she had just picked for me!  That was so sweet of her as I’ve been wanting to make raspberry muffins, so I did the next morning!  On Sunday evening, Jared worked at his pizza job and I took the kids to my friends’ parents’ house for games night. 

Yesterday, we all went to our friends’ house for lunch and they made bbq chicken and had fruit + veggies.  That was SO nice especially since I didn’t have to bring my own food.  My stomach has been acting up again, so I’ve put myself back on a very strict diet. :( We hung out for a couple of hours, came home and put Blake down for a nap, and then at 5:00, our friends came over to baby-sit while we went to a baseball game with some other friends.  Again, Jared got 4 tickets to a baseball game from work, so that was a lot of fun! 

Our friends, Jermey + Erin (yes, that’s how his name is spelled) who are a blast and they both work with Jared at the pizza place

My blue teeth from my blue raspberry slushie and you can see my 8-inch haircut

This is my hair, which is long enough to donate!

This was the first time in 3 3/4 years since Kiera was born that we paid for a baby-sitter!  Not too bad!  We left the game one inning early because it started to rain, but the team was losing really badly, so it was fine.  We had a great time and it was fantastic to get out and do a whole bunch of fun things this past week-end, as well as get some breaks from my kiddos after all the solo parenting I’ve done recently! :)

Warning: May Cause Drool

I got this recipe off of thesweetdetail.blogspot.com. This is the only recipe that I’ve posted so far that I haven’t actually tried, but really, I’m pretty sure I can 100% guarantee that  it would be AMAZING!!  I saw the picture and almost drooled all over the kitchen table.  For this dessert loving girl, this is the ultimate recipe (and appropriately named)!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes.

To half this recipe for an 8×8 brownie mix, just half the chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients. Enjoy!

Final Family of 4 Update

This will be my last official family update as a family of 4! My sister-in-laws were saying yesterday how it doesn't feel real to them that we're going to have another baby soon and I understand their viewpoint. They're not the ones carrying it around inside them, though! It definitely feels like there is a full-term newborn in there. :)

We've had some negative financial changes recently and we've been asking God to provide for us. Jared was thinking about possibly getting a part-time job again in addition to his full-time job, now that he's done the course he was taking. He mentioned he might want to deliver pizzas for a couple we know who are owners of a pizza restaurant, so I passed that information along to one of them. On Thursday, the owner texted her brother, who is close friends with Jared, asking if Jared wanted a job and could he start today at 4:30? This was around 2 p.m., so Jared said yes and started a couple of hours later. They trained him on making pizzas so that he will know how to do both, but he's hoping to mainly be a delivery driver. He will be working two 3 or 4 hour shifts a week over the supper rush. He has known the owners for years and some people from our church work there, so that's pretty cool and makes it fun!

Kiera has been conquering her fears this summer. I'm amazed at how she's growing in different areas! She used to be scared to climb in those tunnel/slide mazes they have for kids and now she has zero issues with climbing all the way to the highest one and sliding down. Last week, she overcame her fear of the automatic car wash. She screamed and cried at the top of her lungs the last time we took her, so after that we didn't take her. When she found out Jared was going to wash the van last week, she insisted on going along. So, Jared took her and she loved it! It was like a switch was flipped in her. Yesterday, we went to a park with a bunch of people from church and Kiera went on a zip line by herself! I had visions of her letting go halfway down and flying off, but she never did. She LOVED it and went down it over + over! She has also been throwing a lot less tantrums particularly when it comes to leaving a place she's having fun at. I've also been praying for a long time about her treating Blake nicely, instead of hitting or pushing him the second I walk out of the room. We're still having some issues with that, but we've also had several times now where they've played very nicely together for stretches of time by themselves! I see God at work and I'm just very thankful for all of the positive changes.

Blake has reached his "word explosion" stage. A few weeks ago, I wrote down all the words he is saying and the list was over 50 and now I can't keep track any more! I always thought he was way behind what Kiera was at his age, but looking back in the journal I have for them, he's not far behind! I've been praying he would be able to communicate with us before the baby is born and that prayer is being answered! He is definitely the clown in the family and makes us laugh quite often. I love when him + Kiera just sit there and make each other laugh!

There's not much new with me. I'm just getting ready for this baby. We moved furniture around this past week-end to get the baby room ready. We moved the bed to Blake's room and set up the play pen for the baby. Blake is still in the crib, but now the bed is there when he's ready (and when we're ready). I washed some baby clothes and this past week-end I washed all of the receiving blankets, too. I've bought a few packs of diapers and now all I have left is to pack our bags for the hospital! I've still been struggling with digestion problems and some days I get very discouraged. I was in the car one day last week and this song came on the radio which was PERFECT for how I was feeling. I only heard the last half, so a couple of evenings ago, I googled the lyrics I remembered and found it on YouTube. I sat there and cried through the whole song. It's beautiful! It's by Laura Story and she wrote it after her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After numerous surgeries and treatments, it's gone, but he has been left with a vision deficit and memory loss.

I have 2 very good friends, only a few years older than me, who were diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago and I know so many others going through different struggles, be it health problems or other issues. Here are the lyrics:

Blessings

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

The words that jumped out at me were "We know the pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home." Thankfully, I'm not in pain from my stomach problems and it could be much worse, but when I'm running to the bathroom, I'm just SO thankful that someday it will be over and ultimately, this isn't where I'm staying! I read a really encouraging verse yesterday: "He (Jesus) will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." Philippians 3:21 Praise the Lord, I will have a new body!! No matter what, I have hope!

That's where life is at right now and I look forward to updating you again when we're a family of 5! :D

A Few Short Videos

This was from last week when Jared was on holidays

Every day is a party!

This was last week when we took them to the beach for the first time

I'm so glad I can capture memories like these since we never had a video camera growing up and regular cameras didn't do that!

Yummy Cupcakes

As soon as I saw this recipe online, I knew it was going to be yummy and it did not disappoint!  It is a light, sweet treat and it’s not hard to make.  Here it is:

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

1 package white cake mix

1 (88g) package strawberry jello powder

1 cup mashed fresh strawberries (can substitute strawberry applesauce)

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup buttermilk (I substituted 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice)

4 eggs

In a large bowl, stir together cake mix + jello powder.  Make a well + pour in the last 4 ingredients.  Beat on low speed until blended.  Scrape bowl + beat on medium speed for 2 min.  Pour into muffin pans.

Bake at 350 F for 15-20 min.  Makes 24.

Lemon Icing

1 cup icing sugar

3/4 tbsp. butter (can substitute olive oil)

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a bowl and spread on cupcakes.

I brought these to a play date/brunch and the container was empty when I left. :)

Counting to 800

“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.” Psalm 50:23a

Jared was on holidays last week, so we were busy doing things together as a family.  When the baby comes, I don’t know how much time I will have to blog, but I hope to continue on a regular basis, even if it’s just once a week or something like that.  My kids have also been waking up earlier than usual, so blogging before they wake up (my usual blogging time) doesn’t always happen.  I’m behind on posting pictures, so I will attempt to catch up a bit today!  With feeling uncomfortable almost all the time, I have to make an extra effort to be thankful and focus on God and all that He has done and is doing for me.  Here are more blessings I am thankful for:

781. Watching the kids have fun with bubbles on my parents’ deck

782. Air conditioning having to come on at night and first thing in the morning because it’s so hot outside!

783. Watching Kiera learn to blow bubbles

784. Boston cream angel food cake with strawberries on top that our friends brought over

785. Hands raised in the air

786. After many suppertime battles and much chaos, we now have a better system of doing things which makes for more peaceful mealtimes

787. Jared with his kids on Father’s Day

788. Seeing Kiera run through the sprinkler for the first time at a friend’s house and she had fun!

789. Watching Blake finally being able to play with the NFL-sized football he got for his first Christmas at 7 weeks old (his uncle gave it to him)

790. Tan lines, which means I’ve been enjoying the sunshine!

791. Sharing big slurpees together as a family…I LOVE all the new fruit flavors they have this summer!  If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d be having a lot more of them.

792. The 3-hour Skype conversation I had with my sister

793. Watching him sleep in his crib…so sweet

794. Cheese + ham stuffed chicken breasts

795. Creativity in the kitchen

796. Kiera discovered a new movie that she likes from church…Boz

797. That my fingers hurt less after my chiropractor adjustment

798. The new glasses I got from Zenni online that were almost $300 cheaper than if I had bought them in a regular store

799. That I only have a few pregnancy doctor appointments left!

800. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3