Today was the first of two weddings we have been invited to attend this weekend. Monday night is the second. Elizabeth and Joe were married today. Both attended Kids Club and Preteens. I remember Joe a little, but Elizabeth was very involved in our church before she started attending college. She, Joy, and another teen girl, Sarah, were all impressed that we named our daughter "Sarah Elizabeth Joy"!! and doted on her whenever they could! Now they are getting married! Elizabeth was married today and Sarah has a date of August 2nd. Joy is still waiting for that special someone.
It was a simple ceremony and it was fun to hang out with the Darrow's and Curry's at the reception. Elizabeth looked beautiful and was so excited to get married! What was truly wonderful is her commitment to keep herself pure until marriage! Something rare among the girls in this neighborhood. God has truly blessed her decision and provided for her a loving husband who follows God. Please pray for them as they travel down to Florida on Tuesday. Joe is in the military and is stationed there. Elizabeth is transferring colleges, but will take this semester off to adjust to her new life. I forgot my camera, so as soon as I get a photo, I'll post it!
Daniel did really well sleeping in the big bed last night! He slept straight through until 7:30 am! He was so proud of himself! He came running into my room and said "I sleep in bed!!!" He is too funny! Melissa ("his lissa!" as he refers to her!) watched the kids today while we went to the wedding. He was put in the crib for a nap - which he hated! - and did not sleep the entire time he was in there. So putting him to bed was easy tonight. I only had to stay in the room for about 15 minutes. He hates it when I stay in the room. He keeps telling me to "go away!". It's funny because he keeps saying it and then it stops all of a sudden because he has fallen asleep! I think we'll take the crib down next week as this is the end - he wants absolutely NOTHING to do with it! One thing about Daniel is that when his mind is made up, it's made up and there is not deterring the child! Pray for us!!!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Love-Hate
I LOVE the new bed rail I got for Daniel's bed - he HATES the new bed rail I got for his bed!!! Today I went in search of a bed rail that does not have bars or straps that go completely to the other side of the bed. I found the Safety 1st Bed Rail. Why I like it is that it locks onto the mattress. I am not good with descriptions, but the mesh rail part sits on the top of the mattress and the two legs slide under the mattress. You then have to push the rail down and it locks with a click. It is great!!!! No more sliding out when the child sleeps against it. Daniel cried when we put it on! "Take it off!" were his exact words! I guess he feels his new found freedom was being infringed upon!!! I was on him tonight and it only took an hour for him to settle down and go to sleep. I am hoping once the newness of the big bed wears off he will go to sleep faster.
WRONG!
I thought we had success in putting Daniel into a big bed - but I was proved wrong at around 4:00 am! Daniel thought it was time to get up and roam the house with his new found freedom! He turned on his bedroom light and Sarah's bedroom light. He was caught playing on Sarah's bottom bunk with her Loving Family Doll House. Matt and Sarah slept through the entire thing! They have a gift! Andy kept putting him back to bed and finally laid down with him to make him go to sleep! He awoke again at around 8:00 am. I think we should put him in a crib until he is 18!!! Matt and Sarah never did anything like this - this is so new to us! I am going out this morning to find a bed rail that will keep him in his bed. Perhaps a floor to ceiling wrought iron gate?
If anyone has any ideas - we'd love to hear how you keep your child in bed during the night.
If anyone has any ideas - we'd love to hear how you keep your child in bed during the night.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Success!
Last night when I was putting Daniel to bed he asked to sleep in the big bed - not the crib! I thought that this was a good sign and that he would settle down and sleep - not the case! He goofed around something terrible and would not settle down. He just wasn't tired enough. After trying to work with him for about 45 minutes I picked him and told him he wasn't ready to sleep in the big bed, we would have to wait until he was ready. He was so upset and sobbed in his crib. He even got to the point where he said he was sorry and would sleep. We tried it again and again we were unsuccessful - so back in the crib where he cried for about 5 minutes and fell asleep. By this point it was close to ten - we had started at 8:00 pm!
But tonight he is asleep in the big bed!!! And it only took about 20 minutes! Why? Well, we went to the King of Prussia Mall this afternoon and he only fell asleep for about 30 minutes in the stroller. We didn't get home until about 6:oo pm and we didn't let him fall asleep until about 7:30 pm. He was exhausted. I believe I need to adjust his schedule and only allow him to take about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap earlier in the day - maybe 12:00 to 2:00 pm. I have to work on our school schedule and work it out.
We had a fun day of shopping! We went to the King of Prussia Mall because I mistakenly got Andy the wrong thing for his Franklin Covey organizer/ calendar and we needed to exchange it so he could get his life for the next year organized! We walked around a little as we never go to this mall. I finally found an ornament for Daniel for this year - well, two! Hallmark had all their ornaments at 50% off - so I picked out Bob the Builder and Nemo - two of his favorite characters. I looked everywhere for a Backyardigans ornament but could not find one so we had to settle for his next favorite.
We also went to Target and got some things really cheap! Including Daniel and Sarah's birthday presents! Sarah really likes the "City" Lego's and they had the Fire Station. It was opened so I asked if I could get a reduction. They sent me to three different people before the manager said they usually don't but because they ran me around she would give me 10% off! I was happy because Lego's rarely go on sale, especially in June, so even 10% off was a help. We got Daniel the Fisher Price Easy Link Internet Launch Pad - it was 1/2 price! We had looked at it for Christmas, but felt he wouldn't be able to do it just yet. We think by three he will be and so 1/2 price sold us on it! This "toy" links the child to a specific web site to play educational and fun games. There are several different "keys" in the shape of the character whose web site they link to - Clifford, Arthur, Elmo, Thomas, etc. He is always wanting to go on the computer - I think he will love this!
It's been a good week just relaxing. Tomorrow we'll stay home and continue our week long effort of getting our house under control. Andy is doing incredibly well getting rid of stuff! We went through his clothing yesterday and he got rid of FIVE grocery bags of clothing. If you know Andy, you know he is hoarder, so this is a great effort on his part! We are getting there!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas Happenings
Wow! It's over! It's hard to believe you spend so much time getting ready and it's over in a matter of minutes! We had a great time the past two days with our family and friends. I hope you all had a wonderful day as well.
Christmas Eve was WONDERFUL! Andy and I spent the day with the kids getting things ready. We cleaned and cooked and were ready for my family (Mom, Bruce, and my sister Lisa) when they came. We had a Cook's ham and I think I have finally found a ham that I like. I am not a ham eater as I think they are all too salty - but this ham was so delicious! I hardly tasted any salt! We also had homemade macaroni and cheese, broccoli, green bean, salad, and bread. For dessert we enjoyed Mrs. Miriam's (Daniel's Sunday School teacher) incredible cookie tray!
At 6:40 pm we all headed up to church for the Christmas Eve service. It was PACKED! Pastor Bill did a great job with the sermon doing a biographical comparison between Rudolph T. Reindeer and Jesus. Sounds weird, but it was really well done! I especially liked the part where Rudolph saved one Christmas, but Jesus saved the world! It was so imaginative and really got people thinking. Matt loved the sermon and didn't realize sermon's could be so interesting to listen to. The kids sang and recited a poem "What Is Christmas?" by Michelle Adams. Daniel even got up on stage, but only lasted one song before panic started to set in and he wanted DOWN! I was up there helping lead the kids so I just grabbed him before he completely lost it and held him until the song was finished. He tried!
Christmas Day the kids woke up around 7:30 am, but being the mean parents we are we tortured them until 8:00 am! Matt finally brought Daniel into our room and since he had a stinky diaper we got up and got moving! I went down to get lights on and the camera's ready while Andy took care of Daniel! We had a great time together opening gifts. Daniel was a riot with his "ooh!" and "I love it!" at the opening of each gift. Sarah and Matt were excited with their new MP3 players they received. We now all have the same Creative Lab Zen V players, which makes my life a lot easier as I have to load them up and I don't have to remember how to do three different players! I got them both off eBay as they were brand new but much cheaper than the store. I paid half price for both of them! Matt's is a 4GB and can play video. He now wants to purchase some music videos for his favorite songs. I'll have to figure that one out this week. Daniel's favorite gift was the Shake and Crash track! He climbed under the tree to unwrap it! He is so funny!
That afternoon we went to my mom's house and had dinner with my Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Ray, cousin Lenore and her husband Mike and their three kids, Aunt Cheryl, Great-Grandmom Ruth and my sister. The kids played well together. We brought our Wii system and had a blast watching Great-Grandmom Ruth play golf! She is an avid golfer (at age 86!) and does well on the course - but the Wii was something different! She laughed and had a fun time playing with Sarah (8) and Amanda (6).
We got home late and I was exhausted and went to bed! Andy was sweet and let me sleep in today! We have absolutely NOTHING on the agenda for the next three days! I love it! I am going to take things slow, sleep, and get my bedroom under control!
I have more pictures to post but Blogger is having difficulty with their uploading. I'll post more when it's fixed!
Christmas Eve was WONDERFUL! Andy and I spent the day with the kids getting things ready. We cleaned and cooked and were ready for my family (Mom, Bruce, and my sister Lisa) when they came. We had a Cook's ham and I think I have finally found a ham that I like. I am not a ham eater as I think they are all too salty - but this ham was so delicious! I hardly tasted any salt! We also had homemade macaroni and cheese, broccoli, green bean, salad, and bread. For dessert we enjoyed Mrs. Miriam's (Daniel's Sunday School teacher) incredible cookie tray!
At 6:40 pm we all headed up to church for the Christmas Eve service. It was PACKED! Pastor Bill did a great job with the sermon doing a biographical comparison between Rudolph T. Reindeer and Jesus. Sounds weird, but it was really well done! I especially liked the part where Rudolph saved one Christmas, but Jesus saved the world! It was so imaginative and really got people thinking. Matt loved the sermon and didn't realize sermon's could be so interesting to listen to. The kids sang and recited a poem "What Is Christmas?" by Michelle Adams. Daniel even got up on stage, but only lasted one song before panic started to set in and he wanted DOWN! I was up there helping lead the kids so I just grabbed him before he completely lost it and held him until the song was finished. He tried!Christmas Day the kids woke up around 7:30 am, but being the mean parents we are we tortured them until 8:00 am! Matt finally brought Daniel into our room and since he had a stinky diaper we got up and got moving! I went down to get lights on and the camera's ready while Andy took care of Daniel! We had a great time together opening gifts. Daniel was a riot with his "ooh!" and "I love it!" at the opening of each gift. Sarah and Matt were excited with their new MP3 players they received. We now all have the same Creative Lab Zen V players, which makes my life a lot easier as I have to load them up and I don't have to remember how to do three different players! I got them both off eBay as they were brand new but much cheaper than the store. I paid half price for both of them! Matt's is a 4GB and can play video. He now wants to purchase some music videos for his favorite songs. I'll have to figure that one out this week. Daniel's favorite gift was the Shake and Crash track! He climbed under the tree to unwrap it! He is so funny!
That afternoon we went to my mom's house and had dinner with my Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Ray, cousin Lenore and her husband Mike and their three kids, Aunt Cheryl, Great-Grandmom Ruth and my sister. The kids played well together. We brought our Wii system and had a blast watching Great-Grandmom Ruth play golf! She is an avid golfer (at age 86!) and does well on the course - but the Wii was something different! She laughed and had a fun time playing with Sarah (8) and Amanda (6).We got home late and I was exhausted and went to bed! Andy was sweet and let me sleep in today! We have absolutely NOTHING on the agenda for the next three days! I love it! I am going to take things slow, sleep, and get my bedroom under control!
I have more pictures to post but Blogger is having difficulty with their uploading. I'll post more when it's fixed!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Peaceful Sunday
Today was rather peaceful. We attended church and I taught the last chapter of the book we have been using "Every Day Deserves a Chance: Teen Edition". It was the perfect lesson for today as it talked about the gift of God's grace. My class was also well attended as three girls who hadn't been there for a while showed up! It was good.
Church was also well attended. There were several new faces present and I am hoping it is from the outreach that our church recently did. Bill asked for volunteers to hand out Christmas cards and an invitation to today and tomorrow's services. Several people handed out cards to their blocks. Over 2000 cards were handed out! Pray that many would come tomorrow to hear the message and receive the best gift of all - a personal relationship with Christ.
After church Andy and the kids helped set up the gifts for the kids who will participate in the singing part of the program. Each kid gets a ticket and then gets a chance to pick out a gift. Daniel knows the songs this year - he actually sings the words! So he will get a chance to be up on stage! This could be interesting!
When Andy came home I did a CVS run as I had Extra Care Bucks (ECB) that expired today. If you purchased $15 of Energizer batteries you received $5 ECB's. I went and purchased the following:
3 packs of Energizer batteries $15.87
1 Bausch & Lomb ReNu Solution $7.99
1 pack of 5 gum (stocking stuffer for Matt) $1.49
Each pack of batteries had a peel-off coupon for $1 off! I then had a $5 CVS coupon for the batteries, a $4 off a $20 purchase CVS coupon, a $2 off a $10 purchase CVS coupon and a $2.50 coupon for the ReNu. After using $16.50 in coupons I then used $7.99 in ECB's and paid .86 cents! I came away with $7 ECB's - almost even to what I used. I then made a second purchase:
5 30ct CVS cough drops $.99 ea
3 packs of Energizer batteries $15.87
1 pack of 5 gum (stocking stuffer for Sarah) $1.49
I again used the peel-off coupons, a $2 off $10 purchase CVS coupon, and a $5 CVS battery coupon. I also used the rest of my ECB's that were to expire today which totaled $9.78 so I ended up paying $2.53. I could have done without the gum but if I got one for Matt Sarah would have been upset. I walked away with $9.95 in ECB's. So, between Thursday and today I now have $37.45 ECB's! I was pleased because everything I bought I use. I really needed the cough drops as I have developed a terrible cough since yesterday. I feel terrible. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow!
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve already! This year has really flown by! I will be making dinner, but unfortunately, Andy's folks won't be able to join us as Lois has to work. They will be able to make it down for the service to see the kids sing. We will, hopefully, be seeing them next weekend for a few days. If I don't write again before Christmas I hope and pray everyone has a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas.
Church was also well attended. There were several new faces present and I am hoping it is from the outreach that our church recently did. Bill asked for volunteers to hand out Christmas cards and an invitation to today and tomorrow's services. Several people handed out cards to their blocks. Over 2000 cards were handed out! Pray that many would come tomorrow to hear the message and receive the best gift of all - a personal relationship with Christ.
After church Andy and the kids helped set up the gifts for the kids who will participate in the singing part of the program. Each kid gets a ticket and then gets a chance to pick out a gift. Daniel knows the songs this year - he actually sings the words! So he will get a chance to be up on stage! This could be interesting!
When Andy came home I did a CVS run as I had Extra Care Bucks (ECB) that expired today. If you purchased $15 of Energizer batteries you received $5 ECB's. I went and purchased the following:
3 packs of Energizer batteries $15.87
1 Bausch & Lomb ReNu Solution $7.99
1 pack of 5 gum (stocking stuffer for Matt) $1.49
Each pack of batteries had a peel-off coupon for $1 off! I then had a $5 CVS coupon for the batteries, a $4 off a $20 purchase CVS coupon, a $2 off a $10 purchase CVS coupon and a $2.50 coupon for the ReNu. After using $16.50 in coupons I then used $7.99 in ECB's and paid .86 cents! I came away with $7 ECB's - almost even to what I used. I then made a second purchase:
5 30ct CVS cough drops $.99 ea
3 packs of Energizer batteries $15.87
1 pack of 5 gum (stocking stuffer for Sarah) $1.49
I again used the peel-off coupons, a $2 off $10 purchase CVS coupon, and a $5 CVS battery coupon. I also used the rest of my ECB's that were to expire today which totaled $9.78 so I ended up paying $2.53. I could have done without the gum but if I got one for Matt Sarah would have been upset. I walked away with $9.95 in ECB's. So, between Thursday and today I now have $37.45 ECB's! I was pleased because everything I bought I use. I really needed the cough drops as I have developed a terrible cough since yesterday. I feel terrible. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow!
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve already! This year has really flown by! I will be making dinner, but unfortunately, Andy's folks won't be able to join us as Lois has to work. They will be able to make it down for the service to see the kids sing. We will, hopefully, be seeing them next weekend for a few days. If I don't write again before Christmas I hope and pray everyone has a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Busy Days
Wednesday Night Prayer Pals
Sunday Night Prayer PalsIt's been a few days since I have had a chance to blog. Life has been busy! Wednesday evening was the Prayer Pal Christmas Party. It was great to see the kids open the gifts they received from their loving pals. The kids were thrilled beyond belief to see first hand how much their pals think of them and love them. Each pal took special time to pick out the perfect gifts for their kid. Many received much needed clothing, jackets, and blankets as well as fun things like games, body lotions, and books. It was a great evening!
Thursday evening Andy, Matt, Sarah and I went to the Quakertown High School Planetarium. My sister and Sam invited us to attend a special show. We had no idea what the show was about - except that we knew it was going to about stars (obviously!) It was great and Matt LOVED it! It talked about the Star of Bethlehem and the different theories of what "the bright star" could have been. It was fun because Matt was asking that same question just a few days before. What was even greater was how Christian the presentation was - shocking for a public school when you can't even call the days off from school a Christmas Break but a Holiday Break! While we were at the show my Mom watch Daniel and he had a BLAST eating cookies!
Friday was our 90th day of school!!! We are officially half way through the school year! YEAH!!! As a treat we went to the movies to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets. It was great! The kids loved it and there was a lot of history in it - just like the first one. I counted it as our 90th day because I figured many other schools were having Christmas parties and counting that as their last day of the year. That was our Christmas party! Movies can be expensive, but AMC Theater has a deal where Friday and Saturday's before noon all movies are $5 - much cheaper than normal prices! Our AMC also has a deal on Tuesday's where movies are $5 all day and you get a free popcorn! We can only go on Tuesday's when we don't have clubs so I am glad they have the Friday/ Saturday deal.
Friday night we went to my Mom's to exchange our gifts. My Mom started this new tradition last year where we meet the Friday before Christmas to give each other our gifts. It just makes it less crazy on Christmas Day when there are other family members around and we are ALL getting and giving gifts. The kids were thrilled with all that they received - especially Matt and Sarah with their new Nintendo DS hand held. They love the different features that they come with including "pictochat". It is kind of like messaging but you have to be in close proximity to do it. One kid can be in the basement while the other is up in their bedroom and they can write each other and send it. It is kid of fun! This morning we told the kids that they couldn't get our of their rooms before 8:00 am - instead I hear the bells of messages being sent back and forth from room to room! This could be a good thing and get them talking to each other more! Daniel's favorite gift was a Backyardigans "radio" with a microphone attached. He LOVES singing and dancing to it - he is obsessed with the Backyardigans!
Today was a day of rest!! Well, sort of! We have been cleaning and fixing and getting our house ready for our family on Christmas Eve. Our parents come and join us for dinner and then we all go to our Christmas Eve service. It's a tradition that Andy and I started when we bought our house and found out we were expecting Matt. It was 11 Christmas Eve's ago that we announced to the grands that Matt was coming! We announced Daniel's coming 3 Christmas Eve's ago! Sarah we announced during Thanksgiving. There are NO announcements this year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)