Expecting!

I know that you all are going to be shocked by this because of a comment I made when we all got together but yes we are expecting again. We were a little shocked ourselves. We found out the Sunday after we came to visit, timing! We finally got to the doctor and we are 7 and a half weeks along and actually got to see our little one. The baby looks just like a little seahorse! So I call the little one my little seahorse. The heart was going really fast and man it was fun to see it. With Belle only had one ultrasound so we hadn't seen a baby this early. I am due June 23rd. We are excited and a bit nervous, two oh my! Belle is going to be a great big sis, she is so excited to get a baby. She is convinced this is her baby. She asks about the baby often. We struggled to know whether or not to tell her this early but we thought she would catch on and that isn't fair she is part of the family. So we hope we made the right decision. Oh I am not feeling amazing but it could be worse. Haven't been really sick just tired and sick feeling, kinda wish I would lose it but you all know. I will keep you all posted every month.

Arabella has a best friend, Elijah. He is just a couple of months older that she is. We were having a church event in the pumpkin patch and they got to hang out the whole time! This picture is of the two of them looking at the oestrich. There is a bit of fear and sass, can you tell?

Here they are posing together, can you tell they a bff's?

Belle-ism's Part 2

Ok the family all went to Chuckie Cheese this past weekend and we got to meet the Chuckie Cheese! Belle loves this mouse, not as much as Mickey but close! I think she likes him because of his name. Now to you and I he is Chuckie Cheese but to little Belle his name is Chunkie Jesus. Oh man do I think that is funny and cute that she just knows the name of Jesus and wants to associate his anme with the fun of games, shows, and pizza! She is so silly!

Belleisms Part 1...

Belle is getting funnier and funnier! She is saying the darndest things! Like this one we were coming home from Rita's, her daycare. We usually have a snack and this day she must have really needed one!

Belle: "Mommy my belly is scerving!"
Mommy: "What?"
Belle: "My belly is scerving! I am hungry!"
Mommy: "Oh well we should get you a snack!"

Here we were laying in bed and watching the darn Olympics and she sat up, looked me in the face and as serious as she could be and said this....

Belle: "Mommy?"
Mommy: "Yes?"
Belle: "I totally need a drink!"
Mommy: Laughing "Well we totally need to get you one!"

I feel like I should be video taping her all of the time. I feel like I don't ever want to forget these moments!

Giving Blood...

So today I felt the call to give blood for the first time in my life and I answered it! I was at work and we were having a blood drive by the Red Cross. I decided that I would suck it up and do it due to the blood shortage we are in. I thought if I am not supposed to I will be prevented some way, see I am seriously afraid of needles and all of that! So I was sent right through nothing wrong! I began and finished just fine until I got really hot and sick as a dog! What happened? I was so embarrased and was sent home from work! I will not be doing that for awhile and definetly not while I am working. Because we sork in a hospital there are purks to the job like, giving blood and getting payed for it! I love my job! Well I will wait awhile to do it again, it really didn't hurt. The worst part was I was totally getting hit on the whole time by a worker! He knew I was married, ah ring! A coworker even noticed! I had to have Matthew come and get me at work because I wasn't ok to drive. I told him and he laughed! Silly Matthew! Well anyway thought I would share this little story...

"Sick" Day with Daddy?!

One day Belle woke up with a fever. I couldn't stay home with her so Matthew had to. The fever was short lived and she was fine! We think that she got over heated while sleeping. She is a little furnace.

This is the park they visited on her Sick Day!!! It is a cute little flower park on the corner down town.

Arabella is obsessed with her stroller, loves to push it and ride in it!

Up above she is pushing the stroller, her baby was in it. She is a little mommy, she tells me all of the time, "when I grow up and be a mommy...". I think she is going to be great at it, she is very caring already.

This is a great pic Matthew took of her with flowers, can you tell he adores her?

Meet our new addition!

Guthrie...
This is our new puppy. Not really new we got him in May, I couldn't get a pic up. However, here he is and he is cute but a lot of work and sometimes it is like having two kids the same age.
He has chewed up everything and had a slow start with potty training and bites Belle all of the time. We all really love him dispite his problems. I am really excited because he is getting really great at playing ball and has few accidents inside now. He is pretty great, now!

Water, Friends, and Fun!!!

Ok I think this pic is funny, Izzy is sitting on the water and Belle is catching it in her suit. They are silly girls!






On Saturday we went to Mattoon to visit Janet and her two girls; Izzy and Chloe. Belle loves them so much! We played in the fountain with the girls and these pics are from that day, beware some are funny!

Arabella is jumping down the fountain stairs.

On this pic Belle is pulling her suit up and catching the water, she loved doing this and teaching Izzy how to do this!

Chloe is 9 months and this is her new face, she was doing this alot and it was really funny. I would do this to her and she would do it right back!

Belle and Izzy being silly, they really had a great day!

This is Belle and the fountain, she loves water. We have a pool and could literally live there. She loves to swim and is learning how to, slowly!

Belle and Izzy playing in the fountain. Yes that is Matthew in the background, he was playing too, we all did!

Vacation time, Vacation time...

Well we just arrived home from our multi-family vacation. We had a really great time all except for the very end when Mathew jumped off a rock into the water and threw out his back, ouch! He couldn't walk without help. So we were off to an ER and they told us what we thought, miscle spasm, no brake, thank God! He had to lay on the floor of the van the whole way home, 6 hours! I felt really bad for him. So when we got home I told him I am calling a Chiropractor and she could help. We had to basically carry him out of the house and into the office. She took ex-rays and next thing we new he was walking out of the office, unassisted! She told us he had a pinched nerve and she helped it and he needed ice and he will be better. He is doing a ton better and has just a little pain as opposed to a ton!
On the other hand we did have a great time. Our vacation was a multi-family trip, I know I said this before. We had another family with us that are our friends, I loved it! We never go with them and it was just fun to have people who you barely travel with. They are friends from church. We went to Eminence MO to canoe the Current. I remembered how much i really liked canoeing and being around water. I took a half trip and my brother in law switched with me to ride the other half. I had such a fun time. After I left and went back to our cabin they continued down the river. They tipped the canoe two times, note I tipped zero times! Yeah I am proud!!!
Belle loved vacation because she was with her cousin Mattea and Charlie. She loves them and spent the whole time with them. The girls get along so well, anly a few 2 year old moments. any way I will have pics soon, I promise!

New Job!

Well I have been dying yo tell you all that I am getting a new job but my boss made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone but family. I have done that and now I can tell you!
My current job is a Patient account representative! That means I do a little of everything. I do the daily deposit, answer the switch board, am the cashier, help patients with there accounts, register them for services, then secretarial things. I really like that I am busy but some parts are annoying, the phone! I like answering the phone but all day long! That gets a bit annoying! anyway when I was hired Teresa, my boss, liked that I had a collections background. She has had me learn the ins and outs of this department so I could one day take it over. Well next month I will take it over part time, that is all the possition is and then in the fall I will be full time, no more phone!!!! I am really excited to do this, it has a few problems and we keep talking about how we can better this department for the patients. I will get my share of angry people but I think that eventually they will only be a few. Any way I am excited, a new job and a promotion!!!
Also, the church has an opening as a childrens church director. I applied for it, its part time and I really think it sounds pretty perfect. I will be making a little extra money but with the possition I think we can change things for the better. I will be co-director with a lady from the church and I just love her, she is really great. I think that God is really neat the way he gets things going and they end up pretty great! I am nervous, I know Satan is going to try to beat us up! I just know that God is more powerful and we can do anything he wants us too.
Arabella is doing great. We traveled this week to northern Indiana for a funeral, Matthew's uncle Stan passed away, but it was a good trip. All was great until we were reminded that Belle gets car sick. I think is is really odd that that starts so young. She started on Janets daughters 1st b-day party and was repeated the 2nd b-day party, I know that is odd! We were fine all the way to Angola, then on our way home she got sick all over! I really could do without this part of traveling but after she is fine and we clean her up and all is forgotten, except for the smell! How do you get that out of the car? I have tryed it all, I am still trying but our car smells all of the time. Please help?

Man on the Moon

I used to watch a show that was called The Torkleson's on Disney. It was about a family that was poor and the main character was a jr high girl who was going through "girl" things. She always sat in a window seat and talked to the man on the moon. I always thought I wish that I could do that, it looked so comfy, window seat and a big window. The perfect place to pour out all your dreams, hopes, fears, and secrets. Reciently Belle has begun to talk to the man on the moon. She always has to find the moon, no matter the time of day or night. She has a talent too. In the day you really don't think about the moon but here she is showing me where the moon is. This weekend I began to notice that she talks, sings, and even prays with the moon. I thought this was great! Not only was she telling him her secrets she was praying with him. I treat the moon like he is her special imaginary friend. One thing I think is great is that she has many friends but they all are from church. The one she doesn't is the moon. So she felt compelled to teach him her prayer and say it with him when she goes in the house. Yes we stand in our driveway while she prayes with the moon. I think she is going to be a heck of an influence on her peers! I pray that she will always be so open with her faith. She is amazing!!!

Mother's Day!

I have a confession! If there is a holiday that is about me I usually make it a whole weekend of fun. I have had an amazing weekend and it hasn't even been Mother's Day.

Yesterday I picked up Belle and decided that I had to drop something off for a friend, Joni. She watched Belle when I first went to work, she is a really great friend. Joni has two boys a little older than Belle, Holden and Harmon. Belle just LOVES these boys and being at there home. So we went and picked up Matthew and a "gift" for the boys, a turtle Matthew found. We tried to give it to Belle but she was so scared of it that we had to give it away. We went out there and found there small farm has grown into a huge one. Last year they had cows, now they have baby ducks, baby bunnies, baby kittens, frogs , and a new turtle. The boys are animal lovers. Belle was excited new things to look at (no touching) and seeing her favorite boys. Then there was a carnival for a grand opening of a farm store, yes I know...what!? So we took Belle there to ride a few rides and see all there animals, baby geese and beby chicks. What a night!

Today we went to Effingham, town! We went shopping and had a great time together! Then we came home and went to our other friends house, Penny, for a BBQ. She has three kids to play with and a new jungle gym! We played cards while the kids watched a movie after it got dark. I had such fun and even a little grown-up time.

Tomorrow is the day and we have already had such a good day. We are going to get our new puppy, a wienie doggy! He is Matthew's B-day gift. I have a great life and family that love to have weekends like this. As I am writing this I realize that most of this weekend has been about Belle and her having fun. I have the best time when she is having fun, I love watching her see new things. She is just so much fun. We got her some sandles and she looked at them when we got home and she looked at them and said, "my sandles are adorable". She really loves everything.

Ministry

For the last two years I have been a youth leader and really enjoying every minute! I really love teenagers, they are so much fun. I thought I was going to do this forever. Lately God has been changing my heart and my ministry. I have been needed less and less and been feeling like a failure all the while. What would I do now? I love being in ministry and around the kids in the community. They have become friends and babysitters for Belle. I have watched the youth group become huge, productive and gain a ton of help from the church. When I first arrived there were the core kids(like 10 maybe) and two leaders. Now we have 50+ and tons of people helping. However, there is another need in our church, the kids department. Most of the time it is babysitting and kids who are bored. I think we could do so much more and so God has been changing my heart and I am going to switch my focus and be with kids. Don't get me wrong I like kids but a ton of them in a room going wild is torture and that is what it is like. I really don't know what has happened to the kids program. We haven't had any pageants or choirs with the kids and they are barely learning anything. Belle is getting older and I am teaching her. I just want her to get the best out of church and really enjoy being there. So why am I writing this? Well I need support, prayer, and idea's. I have always helped with youth and never younger kids. I know that you all are creative people and all go to other churches, maybe bigger, so a few ideas would be great. Also, the church hates change and they have done this for so long, very small town people. I know they all mean well but we could lose our kids and they are so super important. So this is where the prayer comes in. Thanks a ton!

Read from the bottom to the top, a catch up

Me and Belle at Mattea's b-day party. I forgot my glasses but I thought this was a cute pic of just us. --->

This is a very confusing blog sorry I am trying to fit everything in that I can.

^Belle and I have been playing outside and I wanted to share this pic how cute is this? She is looking more and more like me, and by that I mean exactly. I never new how beautiful I was, strange how they can make you feel so warm and fuzzy! She loves the "flowers", to bad I have to get rid of them!

We are taking Gymnastics and she is doing so well, as you all can tell. She just loves it and the really cute outfits, very proud! She will show anyone that she can do a summersault! I love being able to share this with her and watching her learn all the new things. She is mastering a Bridge and the balance beam. ---->

Belle's first play. The highschool put on Cinderella, she is dressed appropriately! Her friend is Madison a little girl that I work with her mom.

Okay here are the glasses. I thought I took a different pic with them on and I looked and I didn't have them on! So this is what I look like now, kinda. I couldn't wear them very much because they made me motion sick. I like them thought and I think I look more grown up with them. I can see so much better then I ever could, how long did I need them?

Our computer is in the shop so I won't be visiting very often until it gets fixed, darn virus's!

Also we got family pics and had fun with them! Belle was really good for them and they were fast, I like speed anymore. She smiled, a good one not her cheeser smile. I think all kids go through that and hers is really funny. This pis isn't cropped I took it from the C.D. they gave us.

We are all ready for summer and warmth, we love being outside and Belle has already been asking about the pool. Yes we have one. She is ready to be the pool now!

glasses, ugh!

So a few weeks ago I was sitting in church and taking notes when I realized that the screen looked really blurry. So I leaned over and asked Matthew, "Is that screen blurry to you?". He laughed and said "No, is it to you?". Well it was and I had been having these headaches, I thought it was time to go to the eye doctor. I went and to my horor, I need glasses. I was pretty upset. I am now trying to find the "perfect" pair and am just hating the idea of having to wear them all of the time. When I get the pair picked and back from the doctor I will put up a pick.

Toilet Water up the wall

Yes that is what I got the pleasure of finding tonight! Let me start at the beginning.

We have a small group from church that meets every Thursday. We take turns having it at my house and Penny's (my friend and fellow F.I.S.H. member). Fish stands for Fellowship in someones home. So, as I was saying, we hire a babysitter to watch the kids while we ahve a lesson then at 8 she is done and we all visit. The kids (there are 6 of them) were crazy tonight and really wild. So they were all playing in Belle's bedroom, or so we thought. Until one of the older kids came to tell us that Belle and Elijah (Belle's bff and also 2) were wet. Wet? From what? Well we went to see them in the bathroom and the whole room was wet, halfway up the walls. All four of them. I was amazed! In a short time the got completely drenched and socked the whole room. The toilet was full of various items and I thought it had over flowed, nope. They had a sponge and were flinging it all over and having the time of there lives. We thought about it later and really should have taken pics to sorry I can't share but it was hilarious! I was laughing so much and yes they did get in to trouble. Poor Matthew had to clean it up and was not a happy camper. So moral of the story, if they are quiet and you think all is good, hold on because they might be playing in the toilet! True story!

Lady bugs and pacifiers

Ok so this Easter we decided to take away the paci's forever! Wow were we bold, but we did this in confidence. Nanny 911 said it would be easy all we needed was a cute story and a bit of confidence. Well I now think she is not as wise as I thought she was, I am crushed! We told Belle that the Easter Bunny was coming to get her paci's and take them to cousin Charlie. She was excited so we made a package and put it in the mail box. She was ready to go to bed but decided she wanted her paci's back. I really mean it took three hours of screaming and singing until she finally went to sleep. We had already commited but don't think for a second that I was not ready to call the NANNY LADY! Oh I was hopping made! Well finally she fell asleep and we felt like we did it. All was quiet and we retired to bed. At 3 in the morning we were woke up by Belle screaming. We suspected this would happen and I walked into her room and she was frantic, but not because of her missing paci. She was convinced there were lady bugs in her bed and in her hair. I was shocked, yes we have some in our house, it's that time of year. Don't worry I checked all over to find the lady bugs that were "getting her". There were none. I don't know where she got this thought. We have found some in the home but I fight to act like they are the neatest little guys, I hate bugs! I really don't have a clue what we are going to do with an imagination like this. She is really funny in the middle of the night, she has started to walk in her sleep, creepy! Oh just to say I am really crazy in the middle of the night. I walk , talk, and am kinda crazy! So anyway we are in for a fun ride between her and I, poor Matthew he has said that sometimes he wants to sleep somewhere else.

Pic's

Arabella is about 18 months here, isn't she cute! She was is a pageant and this pic won her Most Photographic in her division. We have only done one and don't think we will do any more big ones, to many stage mom's. In this pic Belle is the one in pig tails, then Mattea (Adrien's oldest), and the baby is Charlie (Adrien's youngest). The cousins had there pics together and it was fun!

This is our V-day pic with all of the kids. Left to right; Aiden (jeff and emily lemey's), Isabella (chad and janet's oldest), Arabella, Charlie, Mattea, and in front Chloe (chad and janet's youngest). This was a hard pic as you can all tell!

Again but a bit better.

This is Belle and she is eating a sucker, her fav! She loves candy and this was the reward for being such a good little girl during the picture taking.

Belle and Izzy hanging out, others were loosing it so they were calmly waiting for everything to be done, so funny! Chloe is in the bottom and was only about two weeks.

I have been asked to include a few pics of Belle that are recient, so here we go. I love that we can all stay in touch some how.

Say a prayer for our family, we took the pacifier away and it is really hard for Belle. She only took it at night and well she isn't sleeping.

Being a mommy...

So this weekend I went to Hearts at Home, a conference that is for mommies. I had the most wonderful time. It was a group of us from our church in Flora and we all had one thing in common, we were mommies. We had just a few other things in common but we were more different than anything, ages, hobbies, interests, all kinds of things. These women and I all became friends, some of us had been before but we all deepened our relationship. I loved staying in the hotel, talking all hours of the night, silly girls! Then the conference was so amazing! I went to 4 workships; cultivationg the childs spirit, heart of contentment, simple hospitality, and keeping your ducks in a relative row. Oh my they were so right on with what is going on in my life, God knows me so well. At the sign up we chose 10 workshops and then "randomly" they are chosen for you. I was so amazed at how easy it can be to talk with your children about God. I feel so inspired and like I belong to a wonderful community. Also there was a great commedian, Ken Davis, I think. He was so funny! You all should check him out! Well now I have to clean up from the weekend of leaving Matthew home with Belle. He is a great hubby to let me do this and being happy to stay home with Bella!

cold and flu season

So you all know I work at a hospital in the billing dept. I have been there for almost one year and in that year I have been sick for more than I have ever been. Belle has been sick too. I really hate beiong sick and some of the things I have had I don't think I have ever had before, thank you registration, a part of my job! I really hate this part, people are going to the lab and most of the time have "something" with them for the test. They want to hand it to me, I am not a lab tech nor do I want to be! I also love what they bring them in, paper bags, plastic Walmart bags, and all kinds of other things. So now I am border line germ-a-phibic and slowly getting over what I have run across. My plea to you all, wash your hands and use a little hand sanitizer.

I Have Arrived!

Well this is all new to me and I must say I am impressed! I am excited to be a blogger, this is sounding weird! Belle is in bed by 7:30 and I have been finding a bit more time on my hands. I am really impressed by that kid, do they all sleep this much or is it just her? I promise this is not going to be a blog all about my kid, I like those but I don't want to be that women, you all know what I am talking about. So until next time...