Happy Blakes-Giving

Every year (I think 5 years now) the Blakes have a Thanksgiving Potluck at their house the weekend before Thanksgiving. It is wonderful! Amazing food, great friends, and this year… lots of babies!

Ali (the female half of the Blake household) was due the same day I was due with Elijah. It was so fun to be able to experience the journey with her and be exactly as far along as her. We would both get our email updates at work with “how big baby is” and look over our cubicle walls at each other and talk about them.

There was many an email between us comparing items on our baby registries from what was the best price to the cutest colors. The best part was once maternity leave started and the anticipation of “who would pop first”

The answer was… neither. Our boys would NOT come out! We both had to be induced to get the new babies out. Ali delivered her handsomely, adorable son Caedmon on June 3rd and on June 5th my doctor forced out my little guy.


This Blakes-Giving was the first time our boys got to meet. It was so amazing to me to see them interact… practically the same exact age. So different and so similar. I sure wish I lived closer so they could spend more time together, but the time we did have was still awesome.

Blakes-Giving is a great way to start of this holiday season. Of course some pictures of the little guys are below. Elijah on the left and Caedmon on the right.

Right Now

I am so blessed with my 3 very different kiddos. They are all so unique (still more to learn about Elijah of course). I wouldn’t trade them for ANYthing. I’m not sure why these past few days have made me dwell on the thought of how much I love them, but I have been and here are some of thoughts as a result:

*right now my kids cuddle and love on me… someday they wont want to
*right now my kids run to kiss me and hug me…someday they will be embarrassed to even be around me
*right now my kids tell me stories… someday they won’t even want to talk to me
*right now my kids get angry at me and a joke makes it all better…someday they will slam doors and yell things like “I HATE YOU”
*right now my kids ask for help…someday they will want to do it all on their own
*right now I am my kids’ best friend…someday they will have “new” friends and won’t want mommy to embarrass them
*right now my kids get sick and need mommy to take care of them…someday they will have a spouse take care of them
*right now my kids need me to show them who Jesus is…someday they will tell others
*right now my kids need me to change them and bathe them…someday they will change/bathe their kids
*right now my kids need me… today I realize I will always need them

I’ve been realizing I need to relish these moments… I don’t remember where, but some movie or something had amazing quote: “Enjoy them while they chase after you…someday soon you will be chasing after them”… or something like that

A Note for God's Ambassadors

My girls love to watch Shanda and her videos on her blog. She is teaching in China right now which the girls are slightly familiar with since their Aunt Gemmy spends a good deal of time in China as well.

Needless to say after Shanda posted her last video about getting a package I decided to get together with the girls to write a “letter” to Shanda. They had so much fun and of course the letters turned into pictures since they are 3 and 2. Taylor, however, did write most of her name! She got the T, Y, L, O and I helped her with the A and R. She was very proud of herself.

This all got me thinking. I would love the girls to be able to “write” to missionaries. I know they can’t actually send letters or words of encouragement, but a picture from a small child is encouragement right? So here is what I’m thinking.

Once a month (or more) I’d like to pick a missionary that the girls and I can pray for at bedtime and mail a letter to. I’ll include of course a note that says we have been praying for them along with the pictures.

Because I do want to be able to note that we are praying for them I want to make sure that we are only mailing letters to people that are NOT in sensitive countries. I don’t want to jeopardize them in any way.

What I need help with:

Should I include a picture of the girls too? I’m assuming most of the people wont know us at all.
I need missionary’s names/addresses! Please send me a message via FaceBook with a missionary you know that is NOT in a sensitive area.
Also if anybody else with children of any age would like to be part of this we can send a whole pack of letters/pictures to the “Missionary of the Month” (Or more often depending on how many responses I get)

Thank you all so much!

The Brain of a 2 Year Old

She’s 2. There’s not a lot I expect her to understand, but there are some things I expect her to realize.

She needs to realize that when we freak out every time she sits on Elijah like she’s “riding a horse” it’s because it’s a bad thing!

She needs to realize that climbing in his crib in the middle of the night to see if he’s sleeping is NOT ok.

I know she’s only 2, but how to I keep her from killing Elijah! Every time I turn around I swear she’s sitting on him, or trying to pick him up by his head, or in his crib…sitting on him or waking him up. We’ve tried time out, a swat on the toosh, a discussion as to how it could hurt him, and even some moments of pure freakout! I’m out of ideas.

Also things I’d like advice on…

We’d like her to realize that lifting your leg to see where the pee comes from while peeing makes a mess on the floor…and you get in trouble.

We’d like her to learn to watch where she’s going (she will have stitches before she is 3). She is SO clumsy!

We’d like her to stop standing behind doors and subsequently being hit with them or tearing her foot up under them when they are opened. Jordan why are you crying? Oh you ran into the front of the fridge…again.
<--- Jordan vs. Door

We’d like her to stay potty trained and not be perfect one day and have an accident an hour the next.

We’d like her to learn that copying Taylor is not cute, especially when it’s the bad habits, it’s just annoying.

Do I just fee like Taylor was much easier, or was Taylor in fact MUCH easier?

However, there are some SUPER cute thing Jordan does that I find irresistible!

Jordan does a “stuck” face. I have to try and get it on video for you!

She repeats you in the cutest way ever! Example:

Me: Jordan What is this (hold up movie)
Jordan: Blah-Me
Me: What?
Jordan: Tom-laaaa
Me: Are you just yelling things?
Jordan: YELLING THINGS!! YAAAY

She’s a cuddler; Grandma calls her Lover Girl. She gives the best hugs and loves giving kisses.

She is the most polite child I know. She always says please, thank you, and you’re welcome.

She asks for high fives, and if you don’t give her one (usually because my hands are full) she’ll give herself one.

She loves to help. She gladly throws away diapers for me, or puts dishes in the sink, or even brings me things for Elijah, like wipes, when I forget them.

I LOVE that kid!

Half Productive or Half Lazy?

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day which means the Federal Reserve was closed which translates into banks being closed which means I was off. I had a whole lot of things I wanted to get done… I got to everything on my list, but didn’t finish a single thing on that list…

I washed all the laundry, but none of it is folded
I did a spot clean on the carpets, but didn’t do the vacuuming portion
I made a grocery list, but didn’t actually go shopping
I prepped the kids to go jump in piles of leaves, but realized it was too cold for mommy to actually go outside
I unthawed chicken for dinner, but Justin made hotdogs instead

What did I do? I’m not sure actually… Sort of just hung out with Justin and the kids. But doing nothing is sometimes the better then doing a lot of somethings. Back to work, and when I get home I must finish the other half of my to do list.

The Nerdy School Girl

I am not a very quiet or shy person in general. I tend to be outgoing and rather social…in the right setting.

For some reason my whole life when it came to school I got focused. I tie it the fact that I am an “achiever” (from strength finders). In a nutshell, I like numbers. I like statistics. Not necessarily mathematical things, although I do adore math, but more goals for myself. I am that person who needs that A. Who cares if a B is passing I want the A. Not because with a better GPA I get a better scholarship or anything, but just to get the A.

All this to say, when I get to school/class I get in this “school mode”. I focus, I get quiet, I rarely ever talk, and I “achieve”. This has led to some great grades for myself fulfilling my need to achieve, but very few close friendships.

Outside of class I was the active, loud, social thing that nobody recognized. I was in drama in High School and on more then one occasion I had both teachers and other students tell me they were completely shocked when the saw me in a play…they never pictured me being so loud and being comfortable in front of all those people. This side of me is the “me” I know.

I sometimes find myself hearing about old friends from college or high school hanging out, visiting, still being very “close” and realize that my focus had pushed me away from so many people. I “knew” people from my classes, but I was never really that close to anyone. Not because I didn’t want to be, but because I was so focused on my school work that I didn’t realize I wasn’t making friends.

I now feel like I’ve missed out on huge part of my school experience. Looking back I wish I had take a B in my class in exchange for hanging out more with the other students. I wish I had been less driven and determined to be “perfect” in class and more driven towards building lasting relationships.

Of course now it is too late to go back, but I hang on dearly to the friendships I do have. I have managed to get my nose of book/computer long enough to make a few very close friendships and I wouldn’t change this for the world, but I do wonder what it would have been like to actually have made friends during school and not just acquaintances. I wonder if the people I “friend” on Facebook, or who’s blogs I read, actually know me or remember me? What do these people that I admire for being able to look outside of school and build the friendships I wish I would have actually think of me?

Do these people see that quiet nerdy school girl? Or did they mistake my focus and drive to be arrogance and conceit? Did they see a socially awkward girl or maybe just a shy one?

I don’t know what they see, or saw. I still wonder and would love to know out of pure curiosity of course, but I know who I am :) I know I thrive on social interaction of people I love and care for. I know I am quiet around strangers and the person who can’t stop talking around those I know and am close to. I know I am driven to get “good” numbers and have a hard time when I fall short of my goals. I love to serve and help anyone I possibly can in anyway that I possibly can to give my God the glory! I am a child of God, a wife, a mother and a friend (in that order) and will live my life according to that list! I am a nerdy school girl.

Mommies Can’t Get Sick

I went to work yesterday and was feeling super dizzy. I thought at first my Iron was low (I have a blood condition called Thalassemia) and I took an iron pill (which is normally VERY bad for me), but after an hour that wasn’t working.

I’ve had a cold since last Friday so I figure all the head congestion was causing the trouble. Needless to say, Justin came to pick me up from work because I didn’t think it would be a good idea to drive feeling as dizzy as I was.

I was talking with a friend from work about how being sick at home is worse then being sick someplace else like work. It’s easier to go take a nap in my car in the work parking lot then to go home and get rest. Kids, especially young ones, don’t understand that you can’t be “mommy” while you’re sick. As I lay in bed and try to get some sleep I appreciate Justin’s attempt to keep them away, but they just wanted to lay in cuddle with me to make mommy feel better.

The bombardment of questions, “Do you feel better yet?, Are you Asleep? Mommy do you have a tummy ache? Do you need kisses?” are sweet, but when you are just trying to sleep it off are rather inconvenient. So today I sit at work feeling super icky and wish I was in bed sleeping to get better, but I know my body is getting more rest sitting in front of my work computer then it could at home trying not to be ‘mommy’

Happy Halloween!

Friday is when the Halloween festivities began for us. On Friday night our church did their Trunk-or-Treat with 50+ cars, bounce houses, games, and rides. Friday morning I woke up with a horrible cold so although we did make it to the event, we left pretty early.

The girls had so much fun going from car to car. Taylor was saying “trick or treat” and Jordan would tentatively go up and just open her bag for candy givers…well actually Jordan would walk up to anyone (including other kids) and open her bag waiting for candy.

The girls were very polite and said thank you after nearly every person they got candy from. Taylor even told Papa the next day “I say trick or treat and get candy then I say thank you.”

On Sunday, the plan was to go to Uncle Sam’s Church, but my cold kept me home with Elijah and Justin headed off with both girls. They did Trunk-or-Treat at Shoreline then headed to Grandpa Bob’s house to go to this crazy awesome area that had a whole street blocked off for a huge Star Wars themed Halloween thing.

In the end the kids had a great time and brought home way too much candy! I took out the chocolate for Justin, the hard candies to get rid of, the sour things for me, and they still have enough to last them several months.


Here is my Princess, Pirate, and last minute Baseball Player :)

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