Water Into Wine

We had an "incident" yesterday. Bug was upstairs having her daily "roomtime" and I heard the water running. I figured she was just getting a drink and went about my business. I heard it again a minute later and figured I should go up and check it out but then I went to change the laundry and forgot all about it.

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When the timer went off I headed up to make sure her room was clean and give her a sticker...we're trying out a sticker chart as an room cleaning incentive. I found a lot of water on her floor. Then I opened the bathroom door. This the sight that met my eyes.

No our bathroom floor is not usually shiny. That would be about a quarter inch of water covering the floor. That monkey rug is usually a much lighter color, it just happened to be sopping wet.

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In my most shocked voice: "What happened?"

Bug pointed to those play dishes on the rug, "I was making wine!"

Me: "What?!? You were making wine??"

(We don't drink so my mind is racing as to how she even knows the word wine.)

Bug: "I was trying to turn the water into wine, like Jesus!"

Me: "Ohhhh"

Bug (with a very crestfallen face) looks up at me and says sadly: "I'm not Jesus."

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I burst out laughing. How could I not? We got the mess cleaned up and I thought that was the end of it. A while later I went to put some clothes away in my bedroom and heard a funny noise. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from until I looked around the room and saw that our bed looked like it was wet. Yes, wet. VERY wet. Then I looked up and was met with this.

Those shiny little beads would be drops of water. Our previously unmarred ceiling now looks like this. I guess there was more water up there than I thought. It was leaking in three places! It dripped steadily for over an hour. Good grief. Add yet another thing to our list of things to fix/do on this house.

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Watching her destruction from below.

Hopefully she has indeed learned the lesson that she

is

not

Jesus.

:)

4 Months Old

Boo is four months old today!!! I cannot believe how fast it has gone. It seemed like those first few weeks were going to last forever, but after that time took off and hasn't looked back!

Oh, I can't tell you how much I love this face! I am really enjoying Boo's babyhood. With Bug I was constantly worrying about doing the right thing for her, never knowing exactly what I was doing. Bug also has a more intense personality so all the emotions were a little more heightened. I am so much more relaxed with Boo, and consequently I am having a ball. I could just sit and watch her all day. She is so expressive, especially with her eyebrows. She makes us laugh all the time. :)

Sweet, sweet girl.

Binky time.

Did I fool you? That last one was a picture of Bug! When I put Boo in this blue outfit I knew I had to get out the picture of Bug in the same one. If you look closely you can tell it's not Boo, but they still do look a lot alike!

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Boo has been sitting in the highchair, during dinner, watching us eat. It makes me laugh every time b/c the straps to hold her in remind me of a parachute! It looks like she's about to go skydiving. Bombs away! :)

Some 4 month Boo fun facts:

Favorite toy is a burp rag

Loves to be held, especially by Mommy

Sleeps best in her crib

Conks out ANY time we put her in the car

(but wakes up as soon as we stop moving)

Eats five times a day

Still naps after every feeding (four times)

Sleeps from about 9:00pm to 8:00am

Starting to laugh out loud

Rolls from tummy to back, attempts to go back

Loves to stand up on our laps

Starting to get REALLY squirmy

Loves to watch her sister playing

Is getting really vocal

Is starting to get interested in toys

and

Loves to gives kisses!
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She is so cute when she tries to give kisses. She will open her mouth really wide and lean towards our faces. If we kiss her on the cheek she opens her mouth and turns her head toward us to give a kiss back. I haven't got it on camera yet, but I'll keep trying. Here's one from Mommy.

Our sweet little Boo. I am SO very thankful for the precious little girl. She makes our lives more beautiful.

Happy 4 months Boo!

Bowling and the "Flate-ables"

I am getting behind on my blogging! Last Friday night we went bowling with my family as a farewell to my cousin who is going back to Texas.

At the bowling alley, on the weekends, they put up the inflatables, Bug calls them the "flate-ables" on what used to be the rollar skating rink, and for only five dollars you have unlimited access all night! Bug used some of her birthday money and got the little wristband. She had a ball! These were the biggest inflatables I've ever seen!

One of them was like an obstacle course. This is the ending part that you climb up. It's actually really high...I was hoping she wouldn't fall!

And this is the other side of that...so fun! Apparently you can do private parties for a very reasonable price. I know what we're doing for her birthday party next year!

I had to take a picture of this...151...my best bowling score ever! I wasn't even trying that hard, which was probably why I did well. Before this my best score was a 148, but normally I barely break 100. I actually beat everyone, which has NEVER happened before! I quit while I was ahead though. My first game is always my best and then my arm gets tired and it all goes downhill from there. :)

Goodbye Uncle Sean! We'll miss you!!!

Pooh Bear - Boo Bear

Our beautiful warmish winter faded into a rainy, freezing spring. Yuck. We have had to bring our potted plants into the house several times in the past week because of frost warnings, and the other night we spent about 45 minutes covering our 100ft. of flower beds. I'm sure it was quite the sight to see our house with sheets, tarps, and pony pack holders covering all our beds. :) I'm definitely ready for it to warm up for good!

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We went to our final baseball game of the season the other day and it was pretty cold so I bundled the girls up. When Bug saw Boo she started laughing, pointed at her and said, "She's Pooh Bear!" She did look kind of funny. :)

Maybe we should start calling her Pooh Bear instead of Boo Bear. :)

Thumb Sucker

It looks like we have another thumb sucker on our hands! Boo has it figured out!

At least she doesn't poke herself in the eye like her big sister did. :) And speaking of her big sister, Bug is doing really well with the whole thumb sucking thing. I still catch her doing it every now and then, but she has kicked the habit surprisingly well. We told her when she turned three that she would have to stop sucking her thumb, so whenever I catch her she says, "I'm 2!" and runs off laughing. I don't think we are going to have a problem with it though. Phew! Now we get to start the whole thing over again. :)

Homemade

I seem to be living a little more "natural" lately. I'm not sure what is prompting the change. We've always been big DIYers, but until I start posting about hiking barefoot through the forest I don't think there is any cause for alarm. Haha:)

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I decided to make my own laundry soap! I saw a post about it on someone's blog and it kind of looked like fun so I thought I'd try it out. I just went to YouTube and searched for "homemade laundry soap" and got tons of how-to videos. I looked through a couple and picked one recipe to try out. You can make powder or liquid. I think the powder is easier to make, but I prefer liquid soap.

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One reason I did it was because I love trying out new things like that, but here is the main reason.

That would be nine loads of laundry in ten days. 9 in 10. And it wasn't an overly "messy" week. T and Bug are the main offenders. T b/c he has his office clothes, sports clothes, and work around the house clothes. Bug b/c she is so messy she sometimes goes through 2 or 3 outfits a day.

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I try to do laundry every Wednesday, but I was waiting for the soap to set up so it ended up being 10 days between laundry days this time. Plus the next day I had to do three loads to wash our sheets and blankets so it was really 12 loads in 11 days. We average about 8 loads of laundry a week so we go through detergent REALLY quickly.

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One website I found said homemade soap costs about 2 cents a load as opposed to 21 cents a load from store bought soap. Another website claimed 1 cent vs. 71 cents. I guess it has to do with what kind you buy...and my favorite is not the cheap kind. So if I am doing 8 loads of laundry a week I will be saving $1.52 to $5.60 a week, depending on which website is accurate, which is $79.04 to $291.20 a year! There are a lot better things I can think of to buy with $291 dollars than laundry soap. :)

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The other reason I did it is because T saw an article that was talking about how much money people waste on detergent because 90% of stains and dirt come out with water alone.

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So here is what I did. It was really easy. It was 1 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax...

1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda...not baking soda, washing.

And 2/3 of a bar of Fels Naptha. The soap was the hardest part b/c you have to grate it with a cheese grater, which really wasn't that hard at all, it just took a few minutes. The soap is yellow so it looks just like cheese when you are grating it...Bug found out it wasn't cheese, the hard way. Maybe that will teach her to stop sneaking her little fingers up into whatever I'm cooking. :) The "detergent" ends up smelling like this bar of soap so if you like that smell you will like it. I like it. It's not overpowering, just a nice clean smell. All the websites say you can use whatever kind of soap you like though, Dove, Ivory, etc., but Fels Naptha is a little more "heavy duty".

So you just boil all those ingredients together with 12 cups of water until all the soap has dissolved and then let it sit on the stove for 15 minutes. Then you pour it into a five gallon bucket and fill it up with water until you get about four gallons, and let it sit for 24 hours. It turns into a jello like substance. Then you stir it up to make it smooth and you can pour it into an empty detergent container. You need to shake the container before you use it each time, and you just put a cup in the washer.
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It was really easy, and kind of fun! Here's what mine looked like at the end.


I used it on all that laundry and it worked just fine! When you buy the ingredients you have to buy those boxes (only a few dollars) so I have enough ingredients to make soap for the next several years. We'll see how long it takes to use it all up. :)

gDiapers

After I posted about Fuzzibunz one of my roommates from college told me about gDiapers. In my cloth diaper research I hadn't come across that brand. I am SO glad she told me about it! I LOVE them! We have only been using them for four days, but so far they are awesome! We haven't had a single leak.

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It is a little bit different system than Fuzzibunz. Instead of being a pocket diaper it is more like a traditional cloth diaper, but it is a "hybrid" so it's MUCH easier than the whole cloth/pins/plastic cover thing. I would definitely recommend them.

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I think the best thing about them is that I had 6 Fuzzibunz and I had to do laundry every day, but I have 7 gDiapers and I only have to do laundry every two to three days b/c I have 12 of the cloth inserts. Unlike the Fuzzibunz, the outer part of the diaper doesn't get dirty so you are only changing out the inner part and you can keep the outer part on. Here is the website if you want to check it out. http://www.gdiapers.com/

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And here's one of our cutie patootie's gDiapers.

I bought the "Sweet Bundle" starter pack which came with 3 orange and 3 vanilla gDiapers, and then I had to buy this ruffle one b/c it was just too darn cute to pass up.

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I also have noticed that eBay has TONS of gDiapers, and since the outer part doesn't get soiled you could get them a lot cheaper off of there and then just buy your own liners and inserts.

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Another cool thing about the gDiaper system is that you can buy cloth inserts or "disposable" inserts. I haven't tried the disposables yet, but that's next on my list of things to do.

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Check em' out!

Nightcrawlers

Okay, I know I already posted today, but this is too interesting not to share. I've always heard the term "nightcrawlers" but tonight it really came alive for me. T just went out to check on the sprinklers and told me to come outside. It's not very warm, and it IS after ten, so I went rather reluctantly. He said he had just been walking across the yard and slipped.

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Yes, slipped. On these...

I should have put something down for size comparison but some of them were a good 10-12 inches long!

I think we counted 36 in this picture.

It rained today...I wonder if they only come out like this after the rain, or is this party going on every night when we are tucked in our beds? I like worms, but this is a little much. If anyone is going fishing we know where you can get some good bait!

John 16:33

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

I love the way Bug says "world". I also love this verse. This world can be such a terrible place. The things I read or hear about sometimes cause me to shudder. Raising two sweet girls in the midst of all this strife and unrest CAN cause me to lose heart.

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I love that this verse reminds me to take heart. Jesus has overcome the world!

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If I didn't have that assurance I think I would be a nervous wreck! I love the fact that I can trust the Lord to take care of my girls. As much as I love them, He loves them more.

~

I can't protect them from this world no matter how hard I try, but...

I

don't

have

to.

~

My job is trust the only One who CAN protect them and give them over to His loving care.

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And THAT gives me peace!

Baby Jesus

I was doing laundry last week and I set Boo down on some towels so I would have two free hands. Bug came in and started pulling the towels up around her. When I asked what she was doing she pointed to her sister and said, "See! She's baby Jesus!"

I guess she does kind of look like she's "wrapped in swaddling cloths". :)

Never Send A Wife to do a Husband's Job

This morning I was handed a list. When you live 45 minutes from the nearest Lowes and you are going to town to do errands it is only logical that you would make use of the trip and get the sprinkler parts your husband needs, right?

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Wrong. At least in this wife's case. There is nothing logical about me and sprinkler parts in the same sentence. Which is why my thoughtful husband, bless his heart, did everything in his power to help me out. Take a look at this list. Look at that detail! You would think that with a comprehensive list like this I would be able to get the correct items. Again, you would be wrong.

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Do you see the #'s next to the bottom items there? Those are reference numbers to insure accuracy.

I was given an "example" part.

#1

#2

#3

#4

And this is what I came home with.

Or rather these.

On that entire list I came home with 12 of the wrong parts. Yes, I tried. You wouldn't think it to look at my items, but I honestly tried. I found 1/2 poly tubing in three different spots, but do you think there was roll of 3/4 to be found? Nary a roll. Crimp clamps? No way. I searched high and Lowe. Get it? Lowes? Yeah, not so much.

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Maybe next time I'll try Home Depot...because that's where the butterflies go. And that is where we will be going tomorrow to get the parts I should have gotten today.

Butterflies

It is so nice having my mom as a preschool teacher b/c she often brings us the same project that her kids are working on and let's Bug do it here at home. A few weeks ago she brought us this butterfly cage with five little larva.

Bug cut out these squares out all by herself! I don't have any examples but rest assured her cutting skills are much improved from a few months ago. :)

Step 1: Egg

Step 2: Larva

Step 3: Chrysalis

Step 4: Butterfly

She did some of the coloring and wanted me to do some too. It's hard to say no when she says so sweetly, "You want to work together Ma-ma? It's more fun that way." :)

They came in the larva stage in a jar and we got to watch them crawl up to the lid to start to form their chrysalis. I didn't know that it is only called a cocoon if it is a moth, not a butterfly. So after they all attach to the lid you take it off and tape it to the top of the cage. Then we checked the chrysalis' every day and one day we found an empty one and a butterfly!

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Over the next few days four hatched and the last one partially hatched. I don't know if he is going to make it b/c it seems like he is stuck. I don't know if I should help him or not...anybody have any experience with half in/half out butterflies? Haha:)

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We waited several days to see if the last one would come out but he hasn't so we decided we'd better let the others go find their freedom.

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We took the cage outside yesterday afternoon and Bug said her goodbyes.

We opened the top and they didn't come out, so Bug had to help them along.

One by one they came out. I had no idea they could fly so fast but they were out of there like a shot and there was no looking back. As each one left we tried to see where they were going but they were out of sight in a matter of seconds.

By some miracle I managed to get a picture of the last one. I could see he was starting to make it to the top so I just blindly snapped the camera.

We talked about the butterflies going to make a new home and I asked Bug where she thought they were going. She paused, thinking hard, and said, "I think they are going to Home Depot." "Home Depot??" I questioned. "Yeah, they're going to Home Depot."

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If you see any butterflies at Home Depot you know who they belong to. :)

"Laugh With Me" - Part 3

Sorry, I am getting behind on these. Here are some from March and April:

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March 19th

We got out the Easter decorations and Bug was so excited. "Look Mommy!" she kept saying as she pointed to everything I put up. "Easter!" She got her basket and some eggs and went around the house hiding them and finding them all morning. She apparently thought the eggs were called Easters. "Look Mommy, Easters on the the bed!" "I'm hiding Easters!" "Where'd my Easters go?"

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March 20th

Daddy and Bug were in the kitchen. She has been into whispering lately. He whispered, "Come here". Bug went over, "What?" Daddy whispered in her ear, "I love you little one." K pulled his head down so she could whisper into his ear and said, "I love you big one." :)

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March 21st

Noni was teaching Bug a new song and it had the words justice and righteousness in it. After they practiced it for a while Bug said, "Noni, let's sing about Hayden now." Noni was confused. K tried to clear it up for her. "We sang about Justin, now let's sing about Hayden!"

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March 25th

Daddy and Bug were making popcorn for movie night and Daddy started telling her about how he used to make popcorn with his Grandma Dot who lives in heaven now. A few minutes later Bug came into the living room and started talking to me. She said, "I have TWO grandmas. My Grandma Kathy and my polka-dot Grandma."

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March 27th

We had some of our extended family come for a visit and they brought presents for the girls, an adorable outfit for Boo and some stickers and tattoos for Bug. She used almost all the tattoos in one sitting and the next day when Daddy was washing her hands with a washrag she said, "Daddy! Don't wash my too-toos off!"

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April 15th

We were eating dinner and talking about where people live and families. We were trying to explain to her about how Daddy used to live with Grandma and Grandpa but then he married Mommy and we became a family and now we live together. I told her, "When you grow up you might get married and start a family of your own." She looked at me and said, "No! I NEVER do that!" She started giggling, "I will live with Mommy and Daddy forever." T said to me, "Write that one down!" :)

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April 10th

Daddy and Bug were talking about babies. Daddy said, "Should we have another baby?" Bug said, "Yeah!" Daddy said, "Maybe we should have a brother this time!" Bug replied excitedly, "Yeah! Let's get Waylon!" That would be much easier for Mommy but somehow I think Auntie Nae and Uncle Wade would have something to say about it. :)

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April 14th

I ordered the stuff for Bug's party online. It came in the mail and she was SO excited. She played with it all day. I had made her invitations and let her have some of the extra pieces. "I'm making ta-tions Ma-ma. For my party. You can come. It's going to be my best! My whole life!" She is so dramatic sometimes. :)

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April 19th

Lucky Charms remain the favorite breakfast fare at our house. Bug wants them EVERY morning. Lately I have been trying to mix it up instead of having the same thing over and over. I said, "Maybe we could have some eggs for breakfast today." She looked at me and said evenly, "Maybe not."

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Okay, well that caught me up a bit. I'm sure she'll come up with more. She never ceases to make us laugh.

Celebrating

Yesterday we did some celebrating. We celebrated the wonderful moms in our life and we also celebrated Boo!

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What better day than Mother's Day to publicly dedicate our sweet girl to the loving hands of our Heavenly Father?

We want to raise our girls to love and serve God with their whole hearts and "dedicating" them is a way to announce that desire, and to ask our family, and church family, to keep us accountable to that goal, and also, to help us achieve that goal. Our church family is going to play an important part in their lives as their Sunday School teachers, AWANA leaders, and the parents of their friends.

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It is such a comfort to place Boo in God's loving hands. There is no better place to be! As much as we love her it can't compare to God's love for her. I would give my life for hers, but He

already did.

I love this picture because Boo is smiling!

I finally got a good picture of Grandma, Grandpa, and the girls!

I am so thankful for my family! They were so thoughtful yesterday. Daddy and Bug made breakfast, and were just so sweet all day long.

Four generations! We are so blessed!

We got this picture b/c my grandma (and my aunt), Boo, and I all have the same middle name. We'll have to get a picture of the three of us with my aunt this summer!

And Bug's middle name is the same as her Noni, whose is the same as my Grandpa's sister. We like to keep names in the family as you can tell. :)

I had such a wonderful Mother's Day. It was definitely the best yet! After church we went out to lunch with the family and opened some sweet gifts. Then we went back to Noni and Papa's house. We let the girls spend the rest of the day with them while T and I went into town and did some shopping. It ended up being the perfect Mother's Day arrangement. My mom and Grandma got to spend time with the girls while I got a nice break. Perfect!

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I read a sweet devotional this week that was speaking to women with young children. My favorite thing about it was this phrase, "The years are short and the days are long." That is so true for this season of my life. Sometimes the days seem never ending, and yet somehow my sweet "baby" is already three years old. Some days it is a struggle to appreciate these times, and others it's not hard at all. I have to remind myself on those more difficult days that the time is going to go by so quickly.

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In a blink of an eye they'll be grown and gone so I'm going to hang on to these moments as tightly as I can.

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!