Baby itch

So apparently I freaked my dad out a little when I mentioned that it was "time for another one" in my Shape-o post. Ha ha! I love it. While I do have the baby itch again, we will not be scratching it for one pretty huge reason: we do not have maternity insurance. (Hence the reason he was freaking out) WOW. Wouldn't that be nice forking out to pay for ALL of the medical bills involved in having a baby without having insurance. With Ethan it was near $14,000 (of course our insurance paid for 80% of that) thanks to a c-section and ultrasounds once a month because of my blood clotting disorder not to mention my gestational diabetes. So until we get insurance, which we are signing up for in November but is not effective until January, there will be no baby for us. But you never know... Ethan was an unexpected gift. One that I would never trade for anything!!!

Park and Pool

This morning was a packed morning for us. Ethan "slept in" until 8:00 which was nice! We then headed to the park and called our friends Anna and Ty to join us. Ethan LOVES the park. He is finally getting it and enjoying running around and is even going on the playground equipment. He LOVES going up and down the stairs and even dared trying to climb up the slide. He didn't quite get the fact that mommy was saying to go up the stairs and slide down the slide. Especially when the older kids climbed up the slide.
We left the park and decided to go for a swim at our pool. Ethan and Ty had a blast. The water felt SO good! My little dare devil even enjoyed jumping from the pool's edge into the water where I was catching him. He is definitely the opposite of me when I was a child. Apparently I screamed every time I was put in water. Ethan has no fear! He loves it.
But all good things must come to an end and it did end abruptly for my poor baby boy! As I was gathering up our toys and whatnot to leave he was at the top of the concrete stairs that lead down to the kiddie pool and he took a step and fell. He fell face first into the concrete steps below him. PRAISE THE LORD I was there to catch him before he fell further. What an awful thing. First to see my son fall and then to hear the noise his face made when hitting the concrete. AWFUL! I tried to take some pictures to post but the flash whited him out too much and you couldn't fully see it. But his nose and forehead are all scraped up! I know injuries are bound to happen, especially with an active little boy, but it breaks my heart to see. I guess it just adds to the memories and stories to tell.

Ok, so I had to get a picture of him climbing up the slide before I reprimanded him for it.
Big boy climbing up the steps

He loves anything baseball
Ethan & Ty at the pool

Shape-O

I have blogged about Ethan's obsession with Shape-O before. Well today he took it to a whole new level. Usually when we are playing with it I watch to see what shape he grabs and then I turn the container so that the appropriate shape hole is in front of him so that he can just drop it in. Today he was playing with it in front of me and my little smarty pants turned it around and found the right shape and dropped it in. He did all the shapes that way and didn't even need my help at all!!! The only one that tripped him up was the hexagon and the pentagon. I was SO impressed! It made me realize how fast he is growing up! People have been commenting about how his hair is really filling in and how he is thinning out and looking more like a toddler. It's like my marriage, I truly fall in love with him more each day! Time for another one!

July 1st= Doom's Day

So, it's official. Starting July 1st I will be training to run a half marathon in November. Running is the only way I am going to lose some weight and stay in shape. Although I know it will be hard, I am super excited! It is so neat to set goals for myself and then try to meet them...this is definitely a big goal. It's also amazing to think that about a year ago I couldn't run 20 feet without stopping (no joke) and now I can run a couple of miles. I am also officially challenging my brother-in-law and husband to join me on this adventure. I'm already writing down the excuses I know i'll get from them, ha ha. But you never know. Just throwing it out there since they claim to be "athletic". ;)

Toilet Paper Fun!

The "i'm having so much fun!" face
The "Uh-oh, am I in trouble?" face

Great Saturday

Today was a full day! This morning we woke up early to head to the race for the cure. We met our team and everyone walked/ran. I stood at the finish line to take pictures of everyone as they crossed because I couldn't participate. It was fun cheering and encouraging others to finish. My highlight of the morning was watching a father/son run. The son was about 10 years old and ran the whole 3.1 mile race. As he was finishing he got a little....um....sick. He literally got right in front of where I was standing with my camera and emptied the contents of his stomach in front of me! How nice!!! Poor kid. Everyone on our team did great! My running partner finished in great timing. I was so proud of her, I even got a little choked up as she crossed the finish line. Ethan did great in the jogger walking with Matt. When they were crossing the finish line everyone was cheering and I got a GREAT picture of him clapping his hands in excitement. It is on a friend of mine's camera, so I can't share that with you now, but I will later!

The Bridge Team

After the race we came home and Ethan took a nap and as soon as he woke up we went down to our town park because they were having a huge family event like a carnival with rides and games. It was SO hot that we weren't out there long, but Ethan rode a train all by himself (meaning with his 3.5 year old cousin and no mommy and daddy to hold on to him!) He did great! We also rode a carousel which he loves. It was so hot that we didn't stay out there long. I had sweat pouring down my leg from my knee brace.

Riding the train with cousin Jackson
Who needs rides when you can push a stroller all around?


Yay for riding the carousel!

After the carnival Ethan and I dropped Matt off at the apartment to prepare for his sermon for tomorrow morning and we headed off to my parents house. We have my brother's family in town as well as some family from Colorado. We enjoyed a yummy dinner and took the kids outside to swim in the kiddie pool. They had a blast. Ethan is not scared of the water at all. He was sticking his face down in the water and biting at it like a dog drinking its water. Ethan had so much fun! Except my cousin got stung by a yellow jacket on her arm and went inside. Ethan got tired and so we went to follow her. As soon as I got inside I got stung in my armpit! The little booger was in my shirt!!! I quickly handed Ethan over to someone else and ran into the bathroom and ripped off my shirt to make sure there wasn't anymore. Boy did that hurt!!! When I got out I realized that the yellow jacket was still in the house and it took my dad and brother about 15 minutes to chase it down and kill it. Needless to say it was a little worked up like us and was flying all over the house. My armpit is still sore.

Getting wild in the pool!

I got a call from the Dr. this afternoon and they said my x-rays looked good. So thankfully there is nothing wrong with my knee, its just a little worn out. So I will rest it for a few weeks and then get back into running.

It was a full day of being out in the hot sun and running all over. What a fun filled day. I know I will sleep good tonight! Good night!

bum knee

Drats. Ok, you need to read the post that is 2 posts below this one if you haven't already. Then proceed to read this. So before I ran my 3.1 miles on Tuesday my knees were a little sore. I didn't think too much of it because when you're a runner you constantly have minor aches and pains. Well... after my run I was a little sore but not too bad, my knees were bothering me a little more, they were hurting when I stood or sat (basically the bending motion). Well last night in my sleep I was woken up because whenever I rolled over my knee would hurt real bad. This morning I woke up to not being able to bend my knee at all without pain! I iced it this morning and decided to head to the Dr. this afternoon to see what was up. Well, a knee brace, prescription med's, and an X-ray later I am out of the race. I cannot run for a month and when I asked her if I could walk the 5K this weekend she advised not to. SO, I will now be the team photographer. Ha ha. I am praying that it is nothing major, just an over exertion. But needless to say I am bummed. I was proud that I ran the 3.1 miles on Tuesday because it proved to myself that I could do it. However, that is probably what did my knee in. So we'll see. We may not even be having the race because we are having a Red code for the ozone quality because there are wildfires that are blowing smoke heavily into the Raleigh area. Matt's softball tournament game was rescheduled that he was supposed to play tonight. I hope the race is still on, but we'll see.
p.s. This is not my leg, just a picture online I found.

Semi-annual sale!

For those of you who are Bath and Body Works lovers like me, they are having their huge semi-annual sale! I just stumbled upon it when I was out Father's Day shopping. Wallflower starter kits and refills are just $5.00 each when they are normally $12.50 and they are having their soaps which I love 5 for $15.00! My favorite soap scent is Kitchen Lemon! SO....head on out to your local Bath and Body Works and stock up. The next sale won't be until January. (I only buy their stuff when it's on sale- twice a year, January and June!) Happy shopping!

5K

I went from being the biggest non-runner you've ever met to running 3.1 miles today! I am preparing for my race Saturday and decided to go to the treadmill in our apartment gym because it is SO hot out and I did it! I completed a 5K. I am just happy knowing that I am able to do it... so now if the weather is in the 90's and there are massive hills on our route and I HAVE to stop, its still ok, because I know I can do it! YEEEEE HAAAAW! If ANYONE ever thinks they can't be a runner, I am here to prove you wrong. TRUST ME, if I can do it, anyone can!!

Mr. Congeniality

I cannot believe my little boy is almost 16 months old. Where does the time go?! Ethan has just been so much fun lately. Granted he throws tantrums now and he is far from perfect, he is our joy and we love him more and more each day. Ethan has quite the personality. He thinks he is the funniest person he knows. He cracks himself up and loves laughing and being silly. Some of his favorite things are blowing bubbles, throwing balls in the kitchen and on the dining table, reading books, and playing with his shape-o! It's so funny how kids pick their favorites... he has his favorite books he brings to me to read to him: Noah's Ark, Put me in the zoo, Trains, and an ABC book. He has picked his favorite shape that he loves to put in the shape-o last and that is the circle, which he calls "cle". We never will have to worry about him being dehydrated because he LOVES to drink. We had to cut back on the milk and give him juice water which is basically made up of 5% apple juice and water. He seriously will drink at least 4 sippy cups full of that throughout the day aside from his milk consumption. A little early to have a drinking problem (ha ha). Ethan just moved up to the next class at church. He is now hanging with the big boys! He wants so badly to play with older kids but just doesn't know how to interact yet. Although my son is a bucket of lead and a boy at heart, he is still my snuggle bug. He loves to just lay in your arms and will periodically throughout the day just come up to you and hug and lay in on you. We ALWAYS have snuggle time before I put him down to sleep and when he wakes up. I wish people could fully see the way he interacts here at home, because he's still kinda shy out in front of people.
I cannot wait to see the plans unfold that God has for him and I pray earnestly that Ethan will grow up knowing and believing that God loves him and has a plan for his life.
Here's a picture of my sweetie-pie.... he pulled his shirt up over his head and was running around the apartment. What a goober!

Heat Wave

As most of you know who live down in the south we are experiencing a major HEAT WAVE already! It's been in the high 90's and tomorrow its supposed to be 102 degrees! Well, last night about 6:45 our power went out. This has never happened. Not in storms or winter weather. Well we knew it was major when after about 10 minutes it was still out, then after about 20 minutes it was still out. I kept watching our thermometer on our air conditioning system go higher and higher. We decided to pack a bag and head to my parents house who are out of town. When we were leaving it had been 45 minutes since the power went out. We heard neighbors talking about how it would be out for another hour or so. Sadly I missed out on a ladies church event, but getting our baby into a working AC was most important, especially when we were about to put him to bed. So our night was nice and comfortable and we came back to our apartment this morning to working power. Praise the Lord! This weather did not come at a good time, because next week i'm running my first race ever. The Susan G. Komen race for the cure. My running partner and I have been training to run the 3.1 mile race. Who knows how we'll do when you feel like you have to cut the air with a knife in order to breathe! Stay cool in this heat wave!

Peace

Lately I have met more people than ever who have a lot of hurt in their life. It made me feel horribly about whining about not having a house or a nice car. It has been giving me a reality check that we are truly blessed and I need to be more grateful.
There are people losing loved ones, people with addictions, people who have no hope and have committed suicide, divorces, affairs, and more. It breaks my heart to know the hurt that people are going through and are going through it without God. Only He can give us a peace and comfort that isn't found elsewhere. There is so much I want to do for these hurting people, but thats just it. Besides encouraging words and helping when I can, only GOD can love and meet these people's emotional needs. I just earnestly pray that hurting people will turn towards God instead of away and realize that He loves them and offers a peace that transcends all understanding if they will just rest in Him.
Thank you Jesus for dying and offering us that peace.

Sweet story

The other night my mom came over to pick me up to head to our ladies bible study. She was on the floor playing with Ethan and Ethan was "singing". He LOVES when I sing songs to him and I can hear him trying to sing as well. My mom who hates to be heard singing because our family has teased her so much that she couldn't carry a tune even if she had a bucket, started singing Jesus Loves Me. Ethan stopped what he was doing, stood at my feet and watched her. When she was done, he signed please which meant that he wanted her to sing again. How sweet! She sang it another time and he signed please again. We joked that he is the ONLY person who has ever wanted her to keep singing, but that was a very sweet moment for me. To watch my mom sing Jesus Loves Me and to watch my son desire for his Grammy to sing to him was just a real sweet moment in my heart that I will always cherish!

Lake Lure

Yesterday we got back from a vacation with my parents. They used their time share and got a place on Lake Lure near Asheville, NC. The first half of the week my brother's family was there and we went down Wednesday and got back yesterday. We had a great time!! We relaxed, played cards, mini-golfed, taught my parents to play Bocce Ball, swam, and mom and I got a massage! Oh yeah! The Spa people talked my mom into trying a hot stone massage and so we upped our package and I am glad we did! It was awesome. It basically felt like warm baby oil they were massaging you with but they were using stones. Amazing. That was a much needed massage because earlier that day Matt and I went to Chimney Rock park and hiked. We had a blast. Unfortunately we were there a few days after a little boy fell and died. He and his family were hiking on a trail that was not appropriate for children and sadly he fell. I pray that the family finds peace and comfort in the midst of this trying time.
The movie The Last of the Mohicans was filmed at this park. It's just so amazing to look and see what a beautiful earth that God created. Water falls, trees, unique animals, rocks, and mountains. I thrive on being outdoors. I remember taking off on the blue ridge parkway when I was in college and taking hikes and having my quiet times out alone in the beauty that God created. Just awesome.
Anyhow, the trip was really great however the nights weren't so good. Ethan slept in the same room with us and I don't know if it was the fact that he would wake up and see us, but he was up EVERY night for several hours at a time. He wasn't crying or anything, he was just WIDE awake, Then he would fuss when we wouldn't get him, so he ended up sleeping in my bed every night for a few hours. He would laugh and play and kick his feet, he just thought he was having a slumber party I suppose. I just PRAY he doesn't do this the 3 weeks we'll be out of town in July because we'll be sharing a room with him on all those trips too. Yikes. Please say a prayer for us! ha ha. Well here's some pictures from our trip.

View of Chimney Rock from far away
View of Lake Lure from the top of Chimney Rock
Us on top of Chimney Rock
Hickory Nut Falls
We discovered on our trip that Ethan LOVES cheetos!
View of lake & marina from part of the resort
Me kicking Matt's butt in mini golf...I won 2 games and tied 1 against Matt and my dad
Swimming with Papa & Grammy... the resort had a mini-water park with a lazy river and water mushroom things... Ethan LOVES the pool.
Ethan "diving" for Papa's watch... dad would throw it in and Ethan would get a mouth full of water trying to pick it up off the bottom of the kiddie-pool and he did this OVER and OVER.