silly lily...

This is Lily Charlotte after she plugged up the toilet with toilet paper and kept flushing until she flooded the ENTIRE bathroom floor!!! She also sprayed shaving cream all.over.the bathroom. and taped my feminie products to the wall!!! She did this in just a few seconds while I was rocking Drew to sleep. I thought she was taking a nap but she had sneaked out of her room and was off to do all the damage she could!!!

Oh, how I LOVE this baby girl!!! She is definitely proving to be a challenge to raise but you got to love her strong will and innovativeness! One thing's for sure, it's definitely NEVER boring around here! :)

pictures..

homemade french bread-oh, so yummy.... will have some tonight with chicken soup that is simmering in the crockpot right now.

The pumpkins that Daddy, Claire & Lily painted. Can you guess who they are?

Pumpkin muffins with nuts. We made & ate these every week for 3 weeks, they are GOOD!! I will be back to post the recipe soon. =)

My Daddy. Eating dinner after church services. I am not ashamed to admit that I am definitely a daddy's girl. =) (hard to tell, but he was just starting to crack a smile when I snapped this pic)

Lily showing ALL of her teeth!! This was just last week and she already has 2 more in !! Silly Lily is growing SO Fast!! =)

Charlie & Lily getting ready to eat after church services. Lily is always ready to eat!!

Claire is "bootiful". She made this scarf herself out of some extra material I had lying around. Isn't is gorgeous? Family, doesn't she look like Aunt Sissy? lol. =) She is such a little Miss Priss.

Claire feeding Drew. She LOVES to do this and Drew loves it, too! He is definitely a fan of his sisters. =)

Claire making sugar cookies. This was great fun for all of us. They were not my favorite sugar cookies, that would be these, but they were good and you can't ice my sugar cookies, so..... we had to use these. The girls loved doing this! =)

*I wanted to get these pictures posted and quit putting it off! So, here they are. I have more to post and I will try to get to that this week. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

life this week...

scarecrow cupcakes (super easy)

candy corn cupcakes

BOO cupcakes

Drew's pumpkin costume

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Cupcake toppers

Wilton BOO bags

Wilton baking cups

Wilton cookie cutters (grip)

Claire's Tinkerbell Costume

We have been SUPER busy around here this week! First of all, I have to share that I found Claire's tinkerbell costume at Goodwill for $1.99!!!! The VERY SAME one that is $29 through Disney!!! So, I am VERY excited about that!!! (more on the Goodwill trip at a later date!) I also found Drew's pumpkin costume at Goodwill for $1.99!!! =)

We are making BOO bags to take to family and friends this weekend and some cupcakes to take to Papaw & MeMe Fogg's Fall Festival at their home(a church activity) Saturday night!! They are having a cake walk and Claire is so excited!! =) That girl LOVES cake!! =)

So, to go in the BOO bags are Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (these are GREAT cold!!), Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins, Cupcakes & Frosted Sugar Cookies (Martha Stewart's recipe)!! We are having SO much FUN!!

Pictured above are some of the creations and some of the products we are using that I love!! =)

* I will come back later tonight and post links to the recipes and the Wilton cupcake items. I need to feed the baby and enjoy my family for awhile!

*Hopefully, I will be able to post more pictures soon!! Pictures to come of Drew and how fast he is growing (he weighed 12 lbs at his 6 week check-up!!) and he is sleeping at least 6 -7 hrs. every night!! YAY!!

Love,

Julie

Recent pics...

Mama & Boo-Bear

Sallysan(not her real name) & Lily

Very unflattering pic of me & mom at Drew's shower!

MeMe Fogg & her look alike grandaughter, Lily Charlotte!

Lily riding her & Claire's John Deere tractor!

Lily playing outside with sissy(her favorite thing to do!)

Daddy & Drew-bear taking a nap!

Daddy & Boo-Bear (who is just about 2 minutes old)

Claire & her cousin Jack, whom she absolutely adores!

Claire riding Molly Mule (Uncle Kermit's mule)

Claire (aka "Care-Bear")

Drew (aka"Boo-Bear & Drew-Bear& Brudder)

Above are just some of the pictures that I have been meaning to get posted but have been having unbelievable trouble doing so!! (FYI- One of my Christmas presents this year is wireless internet; hopefully, if nothing bad financially happens! Well, either that or more home improvement (desperately needed!) =0)

Where o' where is Baby Andrew?!

Just an update: I am dialated to the big number of 1 maybe 1 & 1/2!!!! That's it! 38 weeks and I am a 1 & 1/2 at the most! AGH! And, I was not really happy with my visit yesterday and I actually bawled after I got out of the dr.'s office. =(

Anyway, all of that to say, that I know God is teaching me in this moment. He is using this waiting time to bring some things to my attention and I know that I must abide in HIM as I wait. It is difficult to not demand and whine and cry that baby Drew come out today as right now that does not seem to be in our Heavenly Father's plans for this little one! I MUST trust that HIS plans are perfect and that He has the perfect birth day for our little baby boy. Just please pray for me that I can have the strength and peace to do that!! =)

In waiting out this time, maybe I can get a few more things accomplished before he arrives! Or, maybe I can just spend more time just being with my amazing husband and little girls! =) If he is not here by Saturday, Charlie & I have a big day planned with homemade doughnuts for the girls, outside playtime with them, and lunch and shopping(for the baby) in town just me & Charlie! So, that will be fun!!!! Time by ourselves!!!! Yay!!!! (Can you tell that I am excited?)

Well, I have to get off of this computer and make breakfast and play with the girls for awhile. They are SO exhausted from the trip and missed naps yesterday! It will be nice just to hang out here at home and let them play and help Mama "clean". They love to "help" me "clean"!! I hope it continues as they get older but I am not holding my breath!! =)

Oh, and we will be listening to a "SELAH" CD that I bought yesterday while we work and play! I have been wanting a CD of theirs for awhile and I am blown away!! My Mama even likes it and we very rarely ever like the same Christian music!!! So, I would say, that if it bridges generations like that, it must be awesome!!! We listened to it all afternoon yesterday!! Mama even loved the African stuff!! REALLY cool!!! =)

So, enough rambling for today. I hope you enjoyed my little ecclectic post about anything and everything! I am finding that as I get closer to the birth, I am rambling a lot!

Blessings and Prayers on you and your families,

Julie

Rattling around in my head...

*Updated with pictures at the bottom of the post!!!!!

Um, yeah. The best title I could come up with for all that I have been dwelling on lately. Must be the horomones! =)

* Is baby a boy for sure? How do I know? (See, how useless is it to worry about this? And, so what if it is a girl?! Either one is fine with me & Charlie!)

* I get up at 4am with Charlie almost every day and don't get to sleep until around 10:30 or 11 pm. After I get up with him, it takes me about an hour to go back to sleep and then Claire is up at 6 am. So, I am just a little tired all of the time!

* I am really ready for Fall!!! It's raining a lot here and cooling down some already which is extremely strange for August where we live! It's usually so dry and HOT all month and into September! I am loving this weather even if our finances aren't (Charlie can't work much when it rains).

* Still not completely ready for Andrew. I just can't seem to get it all together with this 3rd baby. I desperately want to but I am just so tired and occupied with taking care of Charlie & the girls. So, I am feeling some Mommy guilt already.

* Read Romans this morning. I don't really remember which chapter! LOL. =) I could not go back to sleep so I read and then I fell asleep reading. I think it was the 8th chapter! I do remember reading about our sin nature and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. =)

* Thinking about posting about a serious issue. Trying to figure out exactly what to say. I usually don't like to deal with the aftermath I get when I post about things like that but I feel this is important. We'll see.

* Making a ham in the crockpot and cooking pinto beans, steamed cabbage and mashed potatoes with it. Of course, sweet tea. And little Miss Clairee made her Daddy a cake this morning. =)

* My dr.'s appt. got rescheduled today. Going early next week and I am actually hoping to have the baby before then. I am shooting for Paul (the 24th?) or Kylie's (the 27th?) birthdays!!!! =)

*Did "school" with Claire today! We made circles and stars and cut and pasted them on construction paper. We also worked on her counting and the letter "R". She is doing so great and I am SO proud of my babies!! Lily is scribbling away on her construction paper while Sissy works!!! I will post the pictures I took of their artwork sometime today. My computer still does not cooperate with that very well so I have to use my Mom's to load my pictures until we can afford a new one!

* Charlie's home for the 3rd day this week. Check will be small but the Lord will provide. HE always does. =)

*Lily has a head cold and Claire is getting one. They are stuffed up pretty bad right now. =(

* Going to go and play catch with Claire and go for a walk. Hope I can get baby to come on down!!! Pray for us please as we near the birth of our precious little one!

Lily can do school, too!

Claire's circles & stars(the stars were traced with a cookie cutter, I know they are funny looking but I think they are the cutest stars, ever! She also cut and pasted these with VERY little of Mama's help, I am so proud!!!

Love and Prayers to all,
Julie

stuff going on at our house...

Well, I have been having some definite strong contractions but still they are really sporadic although they are starting to be a little more regular! lol.. I know that really doesn't make any sense! =) Anyway, maybe the baby will be here soon. Pray that he is and that he is safe and healthy!!!!

This weekend we have organized and cleaned and with the two kids just basically cleaned in circles! We clean and get organized, they drag it out and make a mess! Ah well, that's life with a preschooler and a toddler and a baby on the way very soon!!! =)

Charlie is not at work yet today because he is having some pretty bad pain with his hernia and he is kinda hanging around in case the contractions come any closer. So, it's nice to have him here right now.

This morning I read a post here and I have to say that this woman's writing constantly gives me something to ponder and examine in myself and my own life. She really amazes me with her faith and what amazes me even more today is the awesome very real battle that we all face with Satan every day and how sometimes what we are fighting for is not clear until much later. I don't know if that is making any sense to anyone but it is what I brought away from reading this morning! Definitely was something I needed to read right now! Please pray for their family as they go through more struggles this week.

Here on the homefront, Claire is fighting allergies and just feels yucky. Lily is cutting more teeth and now has a 3 & 1/2 tooth smile! So cute! They are getting excited and Claire asks constantly "Can we go get baby Drew?" Lily rubs my belly and says, "Awww" which is her way of giving you "loves". So precious are my little girls! =)

Well, I have to go. I am getting uncomfortable and need to get some more things done if I can.

Love and Prayers,
Julie

Menu Plan Wednesday?

First of all, I know this is Wednesday and I apologize!!! I have been slacking off on the menu planning lately and it is driving me insane so, today I made a menu plan and a grocery list and headed out! (Thanks a billion to my wonderful mother-in-law who watched Claire & Lily for me today and for all of that good watermelon!)

So, here's the plan!

Days are not in any particular order, I will just fix whatever sounds good that day! =)

*5 cheese ravioli with spaghetti sauce, Italian bread & salad

* Pigs in a blanket, corn on the cob, green beans

*Cheesy Crockpot Chicken(recipe below), Rice, Lima Beans, Corn on the cob

* Pepperoni Pizza Wraps, Salad

*Broccoli Rice Quiche, Salad

*Loaded Baked Potatoes, Salad

*Frozen Pizza(dr's appt.), Salad

Desserts: Strawberries, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Grapes (a lot of fruit!) Banana Pudding & Blackberry Cheese Pie!!!

*Cheesy Creamy Crockpot Chicken

4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 block cream cheese, cut into chunks

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope Good Seasons Dry Italian seasoning mix

1 small can of sliced mushrooms,drained

Place chicken in crockpot. Combine cream cheese, soup and 1 can of milk. Stir in Italian seasoning. Pour over chicken. Add mushrooms. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. (may be done before, just watch it)

Happy Eating!!! =)

Dr. update!

Well, I had my appointment with my new Dr. today. She is great! SO nice and very thorough and well informed. Claire loved her, too! I had to have some more blood work done and I have another ultrasound scheduled for August 5th! And we can schedule a 4-D one if we want at that time! =) WOW! We were not expecting to get another peek at this little one before the birth or such a great picture of him so this is pretty awesome! We are very excited! =)

Other than a little nausea today (I think it's the heat and the long car ride) I am feeling pretty good and it was a good dr.'s visit. I am going back in 2 weeks and then it is every week after that. I can not believe that I am this close! Whew, this pregnancy has just really flown by and I am panicking a little bit about everything I have to do! (See, if you know me, you already knew that, haha). But, I do know, of course, that it will all be done in God's perfect time and I am trying to relax and enjoy the baby's kicks. Probably the last ones that I will feel in my womb. =( But, we are definitely not thinking of going for a 4th one! We have already signed the papers and I think I am most definitely through with the pregnant thing (as much as I LOVE my babies).

Anyway, tonight for supper we had amazing Italian sandwiches with this SO GOOD olive salad I bought at the Italian town we were in today (family knows what I am referring to) Oh, they were delicious with the pepperoncini peppers on the side! YUM-YUM!!!! =) I had one of those, a HUGE glass of ICE water and some angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Supper was amazing and I am stuffed. For some reason, I guess I thought I should tell you about my delicious supper! Must be the pregnancy thing. =)

Well, it's only 8 pm but the girls are in bed and we are going there too! I am so tired and sleepy and I just want to rest.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

Love,
Julie