When the cats away, the mice will play.

Or when Mom is at work the babe will play - and by play I mean Daddy letting her play in the storm water after a BIG summer storm that rolled through. The funny thing is he had called me while I was at work and told me how she played outside in the water and had so much fun because if you didn't know this girl LOVES water. I thought it was great that he and her had some father/daughter time doing something super fun and then I didn't think much else of it...till I picked up the camera yesterday to download pictures and here is a little of what I found:

Gardening

Our garden is quickly over-taking our yard. We haven't harvested too much yet - we planted late - but it is certainly coming along. About a week or so ago Little Lady and I went digging for radishes.

Stay tuned for more. We have squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, and pumpkins coming our way!

Weekly Library Trip

Monday seems to be the day we make it to the library each week. And, I kind of dig that it's Monday because it just seems a good way to set up the rest of the week. Here are our books for this week:

Prayers.

Sometimes I like to blog hop when my Little Lady is napping. I often times find blogs of babies that are sick, or mommas that have lost their babes. I find myself stopping and crying and praying for these babies and children and for the families that love them. I'll find myself thinking about them during the day when I see how wonderfully healthy my child is. I find myself filled with worry about the unknown. But, I also find myself wondering what I can do. And the only answer that I have is - PRAYER. I have been blessed. I had a healthy pregnancy. And by the Grace of God I have a healthy child. So I do what I can, I pray. I pray for the babies, I pray for the mommas (because I can't imagine their strength they have to find on a daily basis) and I pray that my child stays healthy. So this is what I ask today, please take a second to say a prayer - for the children and families that need it and for thanks for the healthy children in your life.

Weekly Library Trip

This week we made it to the library on Monday. Again, I let Little Lady wander the aisles of the easy reader section and pick out her books on her own. Here are her picks for the week:

Read this today, had to post.

I LOVE YOU LITTLE LADY MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!

An Angel Left Her Wings
© Tina M. Marascia
I have this little angel.
For me she left her wings.
She has no idea how much happiness she truly brings.
She brightens up my days with her smiles and her laughs.
She helps me to remember all the blessings that I have.
Her face, it is so perfect, she's sweet and soft and pure.
Sometimes she can be willful and sometimes she is demure.
She tries her very hardest to please and do what's right.
She gives the greatest hugs from morning until night.
Every person that has known her sees this light within her soul
I know that in this whole great world, she has a special role.
She's helpful and considerate to everyone she knows
This light in her shines brighter as my angel grows.
When she sees someone is sad, it opens up her heart.
She wants to do all that she can; she wants to do her part.
She'll squeeze away the sorrow and make me forget about my pain.
She shows me where the sun is when we're hiding from the rain.
I know that God must love me, He showed me with His Grace
I knew just how completely when I saw my angel's face.
And in that very moment when she came into my world,
I knew that she was so much more than just my baby girl.
She would be my sunshine, with a sweetness that won't end.
And when she grows up one day she would be my closest friend.
She would be the reason I would always try my best.
For my little angel baby girl would be my greatest test.
When God entrusts to you an angel, who has left her wings for you.
Encircle her with love with everything you do.
Let her know God made her, and that He trusts you with her care.
Be sure to make time for special moments with her to share.
And when at night she finally says her prayers and goes to sleep
I Thank Him for my angel, and ask for him to always keep
A watchful eye and hand to protect her from this world.
Protect my little angel; protect my baby girl.

A Smell of Accomplishment

What is about smells that can trigger a feeling? Here are a few that I just eat up...
-the smell of bleach in my house, it means my kitchen is clean, and I feel accomplished.
-the smell of a sweaty, sunblocked babe, it means she had a good time, and I feel accomplished.
-the smell of a home cooked meal, it means I'm taking care of my family, and I feel accomplished.
Feel free to share yours and an accomplished feeling kind of day to everyone!

First Library Trip

Today I took Little Lady to the library for the first time. My hope is that we can make it to the library once a week. I let Little Lady check out the aisles of the easy reader section and pick out the books on her own. These are the 3 she picked and she had an awesome time doing so.

The Sweet Taste of Summer!

First Smores of the summer and for Little Lady...need I say more!

The "I really don't want to go there, but I need to lose a bit of weight" post.

I am 4'11". That means if I am carrying around an extra 5 pounds, it's going to show. It means if I have an extra 10 pounds it really going to show. Before I got pregnant I weighed between 110 and 115. I didn't gain a lot of weight while pregnant. I think that the grand total was 40 pounds. I was considered a pretty skinny and healthy pregnant woman. Now it's a year later and the last 10 pounds aren't magically disappearing like the previous 30 did. I left the hospital at 145-150 when I had Little Lady and by the time that my first post partum OB appointment rolled around I was sitting pretty at 125. I thought that this was going to be a piece of cake. I have been at 125 for the last year. And while a lot of people wouldn't complain about 125 I really don't like the way I look. From the waist down I'm skinnier than I was when I was pregnant, I can wear jeans that I couldn't fit into before I was pregnant and if they are low rise jeans I can generally get into a 2 or a 4. That's not the problem. The problem is my stomach. Big A says I need to do cardio. I HATE cardio. Also, I went from being an average B cup to a 36 D - DD depending on how full the pantry is. That alone will make a petite person look super top heavy. Is there anything I can do? Will I always look heavy up top as long as I'm breastfeeding? Can someone give me a magical "I love cardio" pill to take? Suggestions...I'm open to them. Because in the end I could really care less about the number on the scale or the number inside of my jeans, I want to feel confident and right now I feel very self-conscious with everything between my neck and belly button.

And for reference:

One year before being a prego:

At about 32 weeks prego:And last night:

Comparisons

Little Lady and Sissy are both getting so big so fast. I can hardly believe how quickly these kids grow. This weekend was the weekend of Sissy's summer swim championship and her summer swim banquet.

Here is a pic of the girls last year at the banquet:

And this year:

Someone please tell them to slow down!

Deal of the Week

This weeks deal of the week is short and sweet. I didn't get the deal but Big A did and it's a toy just for him. He loves to fish and was looking for a new fish finder. Even though I work at the outdoor store and get a pretty decent discount I still was not a fan of paying $150+ for a new fish finder. Thanks to Craigs List, Big A picked up a New In Box one for $15. Thanks Craig and your wonderful list for that one!

Bedtime Stories

Todays post on The Purple Hound got me wanting to share our favorite bed time stories. I don't read Little Lady a bedtime story every night but when we do we tend to gravitate towards the same books.

We love
because who doesn't love Goodnight Moon.

My favorite is
and Little Lady's would have to be
Feel free to share your favorite books. After reading The Purple Hound today, I'm definately adding one more book to our list to get because how can you not love a lady bug.

Little Lady's Lessons

I have been following the blog 1+1+1=1. It is a great blog to follow for ideas on lessons for tots. She has a daughter about a month older than Little Lady. So, as Little Lady has started progressing further in her language and abilities, I have caught myself going to the sight more and more for ideas on creative ways to engage Little Lady to ensure that her play time is also quality learning time. This week and for the rest of July we will be using these toys to engage in quality learning.

Typically, we have been doing our "lesson" time in the afternoon because that is when I see that she is at a high level of alertness, being that she has had lunch and a good nap. I sit on the floor with her and get her started on each item - showing what it is and how it works. Once she starts playing independently, I will read two books to her. It is really working well so far. Like I said, I plan to stick with this game plan for the month of July and I plan on adding something more in August.

A little of this and a little of that!

We have had a pretty busy couple of weeks and are just starting to settle back in to our normal schedule. Reason #1 being that Tonu was here for a visit. Tonu is from Norway and she came into our family when I was a sophomore in high school as our exchange student. And, no I didn't go live in Norway for a year. She just lived with our family. People always get that part confused. Anyways, she came into our life and immediately became a part of or family. She has been back to visit multiple times and we went to Prague to visit her while she was attending med school there. So, she was in town and she brought her fiance to meet us. They are traveling all of Route 66 for the next month but took a detour to come visit us! Little Lady and I stayed most of that time in my home town instead of driving back and forth and also so we could get the most out of their time here.Reason #2 we are busy is because I worked at the outdoor store Saturday and Sunday so we had to squeeze our 4th of July celebration into the evening hours of the 4th.



So now our busy time is over. I can get Little Lady back in her routine and I can get my house clean.


Next item on my list...I have baby fever, BAD. I mean I never even thought after my wonderful Little Lady and trying birth experience that I would want another baby, but alas, i do. I brought it up to Big A the other day and he didn't even shoot me down. So, all of my preggo friends out there...thanks a lot. You got me looking at things like this

or this
and of course we can't forget about something new for Little Lady

Deal of the Week!

This weeks deal of the week is for the 4th of July. American Eagle had their patriotic tee's on sale for $5. So, I picked up a new shirt for the 4th. They have a couple different designs but the one with the Statue of Liberty was my fav.

Letters to my Norwegians!

Dear Tonu-
You are the sister I have never had. I so enjoyed spending time with you over the last week. I can't believe the time is up already. I miss you already and you have only been gone a day.
I can't wait till next year. It is going to be amazing! And Valentina and Little Lady are going to be such cute flower girls. It truly will be an international affair.
This is everything that you deserve and I am so happy for you! I love Eivind but more importantly I love that he loves you the way he does!
I hope that you enjoy the rest of the time on your US journey this summer. I love that you are seeing all of the little things us Americans forget about. Just make sure to look down when you are at the Grand Canyon so you don't miss it and make sure you thoroughly enjoy your 2 ounce steak:)
I love you and I'll see you in a year!
-Shorty

Dear Eivind-
I know I just met you but it seems like we've known each other for years. You fit perfectly into our family. Thank you for loving my Tonu. If you couldn't tell she means the world to our family. I'm so glad that she has found you for her partner in life. Love her, take care of her, and let her know daily how special she is. I can't wait to share in your special day next year. it will be amazing.
Have fun on the rest of your amazing journey!
Thank you for loving my Norwegian sister.
-Shorty