EmilyRoseJewel's Personally Blessed Life

Great Monogram Christmas Gifts for Less...

2011-11-20T18:49:00.002-05:00

This time of year, it seems that there is always a need for gifts. EmilyRoseJewellery has a great selection of unique monogrammed jewelry and monogram gifts for $40 or less making them not only special and fun but easy on your wallet.

Here are a few items that we would strongly recommend:

Personally unique Monogrammed small sterling silver pendant on a silver chain or colorful cord perfect for any girl or lady

Elegantly Carved Monogram soap in a single or 3-bar pack ($26-14)

Embroidered Monogram scarf or cheerful embroidered umbrella in colors (hot pink, lime green, aqua, etc.)

Simple sterling earrings with engraved initials at www.emilyrosejewellery.com/stsiea.html

One of our cute monogram polka dot totes

Monograms

2011-11-10T17:44:00.000-05:00

Monograms...Monogram jewelry,

monogram rings, monogram bracelets, and monogram necklaces, monogram wraps, hats, and totes, and towels…Ladies of all ages wear them and use them and it seems you can find a monogram on anything from engraved soap, cutting boards, to a personalized car sticker…Monograms can be bold or subtle, priceless and personal. Many celebrities adorn themselves with them from Taylor Swifts monogram initial pendant to Carrie’s name necklace in “Sex in the City.” The ways in which a monogram is worn ranges from elegant—to casual wear. However, no matter how it is worn, monogram is the perfect expression of personality through accessory style. A monogram is also a symbolic gift. When given for the right reasons, it carries more emotion and sincere meaning than any other gift besides maybe an engagement ring. So have fun with them, mix and match with monogram jewelry to monogram totes. You might even put a monogram on your back pant pocket, well, maybe…

Personalized Copper Pendants with Monogram Initials

2011-11-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

Do you have a piece of copper jewelry? If not, you really do need it for fall. Metals continue to be a hit stylish item, especially our gorgeous chocolate copper!

Colored metals, and mixtures of metals, are splashed across the pages of fashion magazines this season. At our prices ($34 - $50 retail and under), they are priced perfectly for a personal treat and for gift giving!

These copper pendants with personalized monogram initials make great Christmas gifts too, and at $34 retail, personalized...you can't go wrong!

The perfect gift a Personalized Scarf

2010-10-19T14:01:00.000-04:00

A Scarf is a Perfect Accessory

EmilyRoseJewellery has a new shipment of beautiful plush knit scarves and super soft cashmere feel scarves for the cool season that is blowing in. In addition to a scarf keeping your neckline warm, a scarf can add a splash of color to an otherwise plain outfit while creating a touch of softness and femininity.

A Personalized Scarf is not only a versatile accessory it is also a great gift and you know that everyone wears needs one so there is no guessing. At only $24 each they are an inexpensive gift to give to your girlfriend, girlfriends, nieces, aunts, sisters, or your mom. A monogram scarf becomes a unique thoughtful gift because it will be personalized with the gift recipients initials. Add a couple of scarves for yourself and put them in your suitcase when traveling and be prepared to create additional looks from your existing selection of clothes. Their compact nature also means that you can add new looks without needing additional luggage to accommodate them.

EmilyRoseJewellery has scarves in a variety of colors, patterns and fabrics so if you are looking for that personalized accessory or gift EmilyRoseJewellery has it.

Make Plans for Mother's Day Gifts 2010

2010-04-28T21:28:00.000-04:00

Mother’s Day is a day for gifts that are special and unique, that touch the heart, meaningful gifts that are a keepsake in their own right. It’s a day to celebrate Mothers and Grandmothers.

Celebrate by presenting gifts that are personal—With a popular engraved oval sterling silver mother’s bracelet, engraved with the name of each child or a monogrammed bangle bracelet with a special "I love you" message engraved on the back. Make the gift even more personal with a personalized photo frame with a favorite photo of their loved ones.

Graduation gifts are as unique as the giver. Depending on the relationship between the giver and the recipient, you may be looking for a keepsake that lasts forever like a heavy sterling silver heirloom bracelet with a monogrammed charm and a special message engraved on the back. Another great gift idea is an embroidered gift set such as a stylish monogrammed hat, coordinating tote, and personalized umbrella for the future college student. If the graduate is receiving a new car, you might compliment this with a personalized key chain engraved with a special message, a personalized car tag, and a vinyl car monogram decal that is applied to the rear window of a vehicle. Whatever the case, personalized gifts are always big at graduation.

Monogrammed Jewelry with a personal message

2009-12-13T14:58:00.001-05:00

Getting into trouble when it comes to finding presents for women... At least, you shouldn't forget women's favorite jewelry and accessories. Women are well known for using plenty of accessories to complete their daily outfit. You may consider a monogrammed jewelry set…But remember, jewelry alone is not what makes a gift special. The message behind the jewelry is what counts. The best way you could make your jewelry gift a personalized gift is to have a message is engraved on the back. Personalized pendants and personal message and meaning that makes monogrammed jewelry the most precious.

Are you crazy about animal print accessories!

2009-12-11T15:11:00.004-05:00

Designers are wild about leopard prints this season and so is emilyrosejewellery.com

monogrammed leapord print umbrella

monogrammed leapord stripe coconut wood pendant necklace

monogrammed zebra striped shell pendant necklace

monogrammed zebra print umbrella

monogrammed zebra print pashmina scarf

Stay Warm with Personal Style and Monogrammed Scarves

2009-12-10T23:29:00.004-05:00

Visit emilyrosejewellery.com for monogrammed jewelry and personalized gifts!

One of the easiest ways to stay warm and look fashionable is to wrap your
neck in a monogrammed scarf. There are just so many styles and colors to choose from,
there is simply no excuse to head out in the cold with a bare neck.

2009-01-27T20:25:00.002-05:00

Well, this might be the longest I have gone between posts. November and December were crazy busy. November started out on a sad note with me losing my pregnancy at nearly 7 weeks. But, the Lord was faithful through it all! His grace was present and His mercies abounded! I have two beautiful boys who are covered in the finger prints of God! Every smile and hug they give are so life giving for me.
From Thanksgiving to Christmas I was very busy with EmilyRoseJewellery and was so thankful that the Lord blessed us with business in this slow economy. We worked hard and the Lord gave us favor.
We spent Thanksgiving with some new friends from our new Church. We have absolutely been touched and are so grateful for our church. Our boys enjoyed playing with our friends little girls who are close in age to ours. We went to several Christmas fellowships including a much needed Date Night with a Christmas Purpose. Our lifegroup had a party and the Ladies had a Christmas Tea. These fellowships pointed to Jesus being the reason we are celebrating this time of year. God reminded me that one of His gifts to us is the relationships that are put in our path to spur us onto good works and to give us counsel, love, and encouragement.
Christmas was wonderful with our boys getting more and more into the holiday. They received a play kitchen from Santa and had many little toys that they are still playing with. I was pretty happy with the choices we made for their presents.
Justice is still enjoying his Preschool. He gets so excited when we say "You want to go see Mrs. Donna." He loves his teacher! Lately he hasn't wanted to go home! He still loves to organize his toys and lay them all out on our coffee table. His imagination is growing and plays pretend more and more. The playfood he got for Christmas he pretends to eat. He flies his rocket ship around and makes up stories about taking off to the moon. He knows most of his planets now from some flashcards he has. I am continually amazed at his visual memory.
Titus is our precious little guy. He is our pumpkin. He has the sweetest voice. His favorite words are "Yeah" and "Oh Wow." He is attempting more words, but that is going slow for the most part. If he tries a word it is the first sound. We are still working with someone to help him talk. He is climbing now so we really have to watch him. He loves yogo bites and these veggie puffs, but is still not a great eater and is on baby food for the most part. I am waiting for him to get better at that.
That is all for now, hopefully I will post more often now that I am done with my busy season!

DIY Personalized Gift Basket for girlfriend,sister,mother

2008-11-16T18:37:00.002-05:00

DIY gift basket for a personalized Christmas Gift to a Girlfriend, Sister, or Mother
Sometimes purchasing just one Christmas gift for a special girlfriend, sister, or mother is not as personalized as you would like, or does not quite seem to accurately express your love for her. For these times, the only thing to do is a "Do It Yourself" personalized gift basket. Then you will have the gift exactly fitting to the person that you want.
Before you get started on your DIY personalized gift basket, think about that special lady in your life whether a mother, sister or friend. What are her interests, hobbies, or current events happening in here life? Is she going on a Christmas vacation to an exotic island, on a cruise, on a snow-filled Christmas ski trip? Has she recently moved into a new house or will soon be relocating to a new city or town.
The written word may be the thing for your special lady is drawn to. Preparing a basket to help her enjoy that escape may be just the right gift. Giving her a gift card to a bookstore is just the start for this present. Think about the essentials to make an evening curling up to a good book an event and not just something to do. Combine the gift card with some fragrant tea, an embroidered fleece throw, a personalized hazelnut candle, decadent chocolate, and a monogrammed book mark. Add anything that would enhance her enjoyment of her favorite pastime.
May be your friend is all about traveling and experiencing the world. You can make her travels a reminder of your friendship by giving her accessories to wear along the way and travel goodies to use. If going to the beach is wear she frequents you can’t go wrong with a monogrammed shell pendant and earrings to go with her surroundings, and embroidered baseball cap to keep the sun out of her face, and an extra large embroidered beach towel. Don’t forget after sun care cream and an embroidered bath wrap to end the day with. Think about where she visits most and make your gift selections to match.
Your mother or mother-in-law may be a great hostess and throwing the perfect party is her thing. Maybe she is a socialite and loves attending charity events. Help her be the perfect hostess with a gift basket full of entertaining pieces such as an engraved cutting board, engraved acrylic pitcher and serving tray, napkin ring holders, and scented monogrammed soap to adorn her guest bathroom. For outings to dinner parties, the opera, or fancy restaurant great classic jewelry pieces such as a monogrammed sterling silver ornate pendant, sterling silver round ring, and a monogrammed sterling silver thin wide cuff bracelet are a great way to help her complete her elegant nighttime look. She will feel special and stand out at her events with your special touch.
You can’t go wrong with giving your sister or mother family remembrance items. Great items to go with this every person basket are charming photo books, engraved picture frames, or personalized pewter lockets to display their family photos with. Put together a video with special family memories, handmade Christmas ornaments or framed children’s artwork to give your loved one to help her remember family even when they are away. Making a special effort to remind her of her families love will touch her heart and yours… A DIY personalized gift basket will definitely touch the heart of your special friend, mother, or sister, and rest assured that they will remember your gift this Christmas.

Monogrammed Hammered Jewelry

2008-11-01T23:22:00.002-04:00

Monogrammed Hammered Sterling Silver Pendants-Earrings Collection

EmilyRoseJewellery.com an online monogrammed jewelry boutique is excited to introduce our newest monogrammed sterling silver jewelry line! It is a beautiful monogrammed collection of contemporary hammered earrings and geometric modern shaped pendants on suede leather cords, freshwater pearls and beaded necklaces that honestly, everyone can wear! The prices range between $24-40 retail and are a great accessory for any Christmas party or New Years Eve bash. The prices are reasonable which makes the collection a very giftable purchase for someone special.

Visit www.emilyrosejewellery.com or "Google" emilyrosejewellery!
Be Blessed!

Activities and Changes

2008-11-01T09:41:00.006-04:00

Quick Update. Life is busy with two toddlers. I rarely get a chance to collect my thoughts, let alone post them. Our boys are growing up doing lots of things. This fall we have been busy with activities and changes. Justice started preschool after Labor Day and has thoroughly enjoyed it. I am so glad I decided to send him. He has gotten so much out of it. His speech has improved and has greatly diminished his "Justice talk." He loves his little classmates and teacher Miss Donna. He talks about going all the time. He has learned songs and has solidified his colors. Days when he goes gives me an opportunity to spend time with Titus and run errands with him. We have gotten our tags renewed, taken Titus' portraits, gone to the grocery store, Target runs, etc. It is good for Titus to have some time to enhance his speech. He is not very verbal yet and we are focusing on getting that going. Titus is however very smart and mechanical. He loves to figure out how things work, take things apart, stack them, and put them together. He is loads of fun to watch. We have also taken a Mommy & Me Music Class on Mondays where both boys have really gotten a lot out of. Titus particulary loves the hand movements like Itsy Bitsy spider and Five Fat Peas. Justice loves the action songs like the Trott Trott song, humpy dumpty, and jump Johnny Giraffe where we march around the room. We will end class this Monday, but start up again in January. The boys have enjoyed it so much. We also started Justice in a Start Smart Soccer program, which ended up being more work than I anticipated. He really wasn't quite ready for structured sports. The program consisted of running drills with mom/dad's direction. He participated about 50% of the time, mostly he wanted to point out the planes flying over, playing with the sister of one of the children, and running around. But, it was a good time to get him out and get some exercise, but I think he needs another year before I get him involved in anything like that again. He did get a certificate and trophy to keep. Both boys had their first Dentist appointments which both went surprisingly well. Titus didn't want to let the hygenist look at his teeth, but the dentist had me sit Titus in my lap and put Titus' head in his lap and he cleaned his teeth with authority. They are really good with working with little ones. Justice did awesome, he let them brush his teeth with the special toothbrush and floss as well as do a little scraping too. Titus had his second urinary surgery this past week and hopefully his last surgery EVER! I hated having him go through that and the pain afterwards was worse than the first time. Changes to come soon include a new church, new addition to our home with a sunroom and extra bedroom, and a new addition to our family. Yes, I am expecting our 3rd little one in June/July. I am excited and feeling good so far at 5 weeks. It is a surprise, but a good one.

Monogrammed Copper Jewelry

2008-10-31T00:17:00.003-04:00

Copper – yes, EmilyRoseJewellery.com has a gorgeous new collection of monogrammed copper jewelry that is perfect for accessorizing today’s styles! This new monogrammed jewelry collection lends a sense of sophistication and natural style to your wardrobe. The monogrammed copper pendants are definitely a jewelry accessory that you will want! With retail prices ranging from $26 - $32, there is no better gift value than these jewelry pieces.

Be Blessed!
…and Thanks for your time

Our Summer

2008-09-05T16:03:00.003-04:00

Lots going on! The summer was a mix of busy and slow. Hot days kept us in the house a lot, but weekends and vacations made the summer go by pretty fast. The 4th of July was a blast with a trip to the lake and fireworks. We were blessed to have had one last visit with Ron's father in Wyoming. We took both boys and the trip went better than we could have imagined. Titus was really drawn to Ron's dad and would walk by him and smile. Ron's father later passed away on August 4th and is now with the Lord in Heaven. He fought his fight with cancer bravely. Ron's sister came and paid us a visit with her 2 year old son Owen. It was a blast hanging out. We went to the water park, out to eat at Mikata, and took the kids to the park to swing. Owen is a bundle of energy. The beginning of August Ron and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary! It feels like it went by fast, yet it feels like we have been together forever. The boys and I took off for Florida the next day for a week of fun, swimming and family time with my mom, sister and her children. Justice has turned into a really good swimmer with his floaties on. He has such a good time. Titus also loved the sand. He was however really sick, which was a little bit of a bummer. It was a wonderful time! Ron got back from his father's funeral a few days after we got back from the beach. We had some more lake outings and lots of fun together as a family.

The boys are getting older and so much fun. They have tons of energy and are super cute. Justice continues to get more aware of himself and things around him. He picks up things we say or hears on his shows. He tells everyone that leaves to make sure they were their seatbelts (got it from Dora/Little Bill). He loves his little collections of things such as the trucking equipment from Bob the Builder, Blues Clues and WowWow Wubsy figures. He will line them all up and tell us what each one is. He likes the word "No" and uses it more and more now even when he wants something he says no. Justice started preschool this week. He cries when I drop him off, but I think he has fun. The teachers say he does really good and is a good sharer.

Titus is a good walker now, and is getting faster. He loves to run to me and wrap his arms around my neck and I pick him up. He is very affectionate. He is still such a little thing and I just want to eat him up. He is also very sneaky. When he wants something Justice he waits for him to put whatever it is down and Titus swoops in and runs off with it no matter if Justice was done or not. He is a smart little fella, he loves to stack things and put things together likes puzzles. He isn't talking very much yet, but says "Yeah" and "Da" and "Ah" a lot. He is a TV head just like his brother. He is so precious and sweet. Both of my boys are so beautiful and special!

A Lot Going On

2008-06-16T16:35:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Lots going on. Boys are busily growing up. Titus is now WALKING! It is so adorable too! Justice is advancing his educational skills, counts to 20, knows all letters upper and lower case and all their sounds and knows them in order. His favorite activity is still anything related to letters, lining the magnets up, brining them to us and telling us what each letter is and how they sound, looking at alphabet books. We were even at the playground and instead of going up and down the slides, he was loving the alphabet wall. His sentences are growing. He loves to ask Ron and I, "You okay momma?" "Whatcha Doin' Momma?" "Whats matter momma?" Too cute. He also loves to give out kisses. He says "Hug" and grabs my face and kisses my cheeck, oh how it melts my heart! Titus' loves to aggravate Justice by changing to TV channels. Justice will come to find us saying "Titus" which means that channel has been changed. I think Titus knows he is not supposed to be doing so. Titus loves cars, he is really into moving them about and makes the sound of a car in his version.

We have been doing a lot of doctor stuff. Titus had two double ear infections in May and that was just frustrating for all of us. We also have been taking him to Birmingham for testing of his pituatary functioning because of his short stature. We should know if anything needs to be done sometime this week. Justice will have his tonsils and adenoids removed on Wednesday because of his snoring. It has been quite something with all these fun things going on.

We have been to the lake and pool a few times. Justice enjoys doing his own thing. I don't think he will be real easy to learn to swim since he wants to be independent. I think Titus will be a little easier since he likes direction already.

All for now, Take care and blessings!

How the Time has Flown!

2008-05-21T10:23:00.007-04:00

(written in April, **written 5/21)

Boy it has been awhile since I have updated this blog. I really want to do better than this. Has it really been 3 whole mos. since I have been here? No way, it has! Well, lots of changes in our lives. Titus had his surgery back on January 29th and it went pretty well. We survived at least. It was a tough go. He did really well the first couple of days with really minor discomfort. He slept most of the time at first and seemed pretty content. After that though he was pretty tough with his sleep and was fussier for that first week. The second week was better as he had his catheter removed and was much happier.

The day after his surgery we closed on our new home! I was so excited to have this come to fruition, my dream home. About a week after closing we moved in on February 9th. My stress level decreased dramatically with the boys having their own room. It was a pretty easy transition. Justice seemed to go with the flow pretty well. Titus didn’t do very well at night, but that may have been from the surgery and he got a cold the end of February. Finally about the time of his first birthday, he got in a great rhythm of sleeping through the night. Finally!

Titus had his first birthday on March 5th. We had a small get together with my mother and ate BBQ, had cake and opened gifts. It was a St. Patty’s day theme as it was March. It was a blessing to celebrate my little guy’s first year. It was a tough year with RSV, surgery, sleeping in the living room, but glad to have his addition to our lives. He has enriched us so much with his sweet, yet serious side. At a year old, Titus cruises very well. He crawls very fast and will often crawl on his hands and feet with his booty up in the air so his knees aren’t on the carpet. He will especially do this when he is in shorts. He says “momma” “dada” and babbles with “ba”, “da”, and “may-may.” We hope he starts to talk more, adding new words, soon. He loves to be read to. His favorite book is about Trucks and gets excited and bounces as I read it to him. He loves to be outside. I put him out in the yard and he takes off crawling all over. When we go to the park he loves to swing and play in the sand. He is very content to play independently, but is also very affectionate and will crawl at full speed to come see me and cuddle.

**He is now starting to walk at 14 mos., he isn't walking full time, but more and more, and he is so cute doing it. It is like he is holding on for dear life. He has also cut 4 more teeth since April and now has 8 all together, 4 on top, and 4 on the bottom. He is adorable showing his little teeth as he smiles!

Justice is a little boy growing up. He is talking more and more and can just about repeat anything you say. You have to be careful with what you say. He uses more sentences now, but still uses his own little language, which is totally Greek to us. Justices is still into balls, trucks, books, and whatever Titus has. Everything belongs to him; at least that is what he thinks. He loves to swing and slide at the park and we go very often. We go on walks with them and he runs along as I stroll Titus. Justice is still a very picky eater, but his favorite food is chicken and whenever we pass a Sonic or Chick-fil-a his exclaims “CHICKEN.” He is just adorable. My favorite thing he does is when he runs up to me saying “Momma, momma, momma” and puts his head into me and I give him a big hug and kiss as he smiles. What a doll he is!

**Justice's speech is progressing a lot more now. He is repeating some good sentences from us and I am very happy to hear that from him.

On other news, we put our old house on the market for 30 days and we have a contract on it to sell. It is due to close on May 19th. God has really taken care of us! We are blessed!

**I wrote this a little while ago, we did close on the house on Monday. It is so exciting to have that behind us! I hope to get back to blogging now. It is so important to keep track of what is going on in my life and the life of my children to be able to look back on.

Here We Are Again!

2008-01-17T17:54:00.000-05:00

December was quite a month for us! January is shaping up to be as well. We were busier than ever with the kiddos, our business, and Christmas. After Thanksgiving it was a rush till Christmas. I really took on the role of a working mom, but the work was at home. It was a whirlwind of orders, customer questions, phone calls, some returns, and keeping track of it all.

On top of that, Titus had his biggest month as far as developmental milestones went in his 9th month. About a week after his 9 mos. birthday, he started to crawl, followed closely by pulling up. It was so adorable to see him do all of that because he is so tiny. He looks like a 6 mos. old. He also cut 4 teeth during that 9th month. It was terrible! He woke up at least twice a night and there were several nights that he was up 2 hours straight and wouldn’t go back to sleep. I almost lost my mind during it all, but thankfully Ron bailed me out a couple of times. Titus got a lot more interactive and busy. He is all about exploring and getting a hold of whatever he can, including the remote, Joy’s dog bowl, etc. He is too fun! His personality is really starting to come out. He isn’t one to want to rock unless he is super tired, he likes to be free and be able to move. He is a sweetheart, but serious at the same time. When he gets interested in something he will spend a lot of time just turning the object looking at it to see how it works and what it does. He wants to pull up on whatever he can. He will walk sooner than Justice did because I think he wants it more. He isn’t satisfied with crawling alone. Right now his biggest thing is Patty Cake and for us to put him on Justice’s riding toy and move him back and forth on it. He will cry if you stop. His schedule is crazy with him mostly waking up between 9-10, taking one nap at about 2:30-5 and to sleep about 10. Mostly his late sleep is because he sleeps in the living room right now because the boys can’t share a room. Justice wakes Titus up.

Justice is a two year old, wanting independence, still a baby in some ways, but a little boy in others. He has gotten a little whiny. I think that is because he is reacting to Titus and trying to get attention however he can. Sometimes when we aren’t paying attention to him he will yell out and look distressed. He will just have to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around him. What I enjoy about him right now is his laughter. He loves to just laugh and laugh with us. We make funny faces at each other or hide behind a pillow and pop up and look at each other and laugh. It is like a game. Justice is still very attached to his “Blakie” and carries it wherever he goes. We make him leave it if we go outside the home, but he takes it if we go to a family member’s house. He calls church “play” and says “bye play” when we leave it. He is a little nervous at first and cries when he is dropped off, but warms up pretty quickly and plays along. He likes hiding stuff in places, kinda like a pack rat. There is this little hole that opens up to the bottom of the sink and he will stick whatever will fit into it, such as magnets, foam letters, or sticks he finds. He is into trucks, planes, balls, and letters still. He was and still is a rocking boy. He loves to be rocked and will rock by himself still. He is a sweetheart!

Our big news is that we are moving into a bigger home. The Lord totally opened up doors for us to be able to move into a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home only 3 doors down from us. It is ideal with a big fenced in backyard and two stories. I am very excited about it and can’t wait to move. Our closing date is January 30th. I look forward to our boys having their own rooms. It will be awesome. The only drawback is the day before we move Titus will have surgery on his urinary tract. It is an outpatient procedure, so it shouldn’t be a huge deal, but it is still surgery. So, we will continue to have a lot going on. I look forward to March hopefully being settled in our new home and having some downtime.

Enjoying Every Moment

2007-11-19T17:16:00.000-05:00

The boys on Halloween 10/31/07

I find myself often so caught up in enjoying the boys I don't often take time to take pictures, journal, or video what is going on in my life and theirs. When the boys are grown up I will definitely be able to say I have taken them in and thoroughly enjoyed them. They are my pride and joy. So, today I am getting back to writing about them. It is amazing how kids grow up. You are just going about your day with routines, eating, napping, diapers, etc. and one moment you realize they have just grown up in the blink of an eye.

Titus is becoming so much more a little person each day. He is interacting so much more. For instance, Ron and I play this game where we take a marker or small object and blow it across the room with our mouths and Titus will try to stick the marker in our mouths to get us to do it again. Or we will act like we are eating whatever he has in his hand and he will try to get us to eat it some more. He is also so close to crawling. He is so much more motivated to move than Justice was. Now, he will get up on all fours and rock. He moves backwards very easily by doing the worm or scooting. Crawling is definitely around the corner. So far so good on sleeping through the night. We went a couple of weeks where I had to get up with him 2-3 times a night. Then, I switched his nighttime routine where he eats cereal at 7:45, bathe, play, nurse, rock then bedtime about 9:30. So, I am thrilled with the good sleep. I just function so much better and get so much more done. Titus is now 17 lbs. 11 oz., we took him to the doctor two weeks ago to look at some bug bites that had puffed up on his skin to whelps. He just reacts very badly to any bug bites. He has stayed very healthy otherwise managing to miss getting a bad virus Justice had for 10 days of coughing, hives, etc. I am very thankful for that. Titus is still very fidgety and sweet. His smile just lights up a room. He is very serious with his toys and really examines them. He loves to flip things over and over and figures out if I do this, then this will happen. He has great curiosity.

Justice is as active as ever. Right now he is really into trucks, rolling them in the kitchen or on the coffee table. He loves to spin the "wuh-ills." As you can see in the picture we have a little cabinet he fits into and he loves to climb in it and I will say "Where is Justice" and he says "A is." We still play ball all the time or read books. He gets so excited to point out the letters with such pride. His language is coming along better and better. He is becoming clearer in what he says. He will say "I see a truck" and it sounds more like "Iseea truck." He really runs the first few words together, but it is starting to get more clear. I love his enthusiasm for life and reminds me to appreciate the small things. He is so excited to run up to me and I scoop him up in my arms as he giggles and I kiss his puffy cheeks. After he got over his virus I took him to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor and we are going to have his tonsils and adenoids removed in June because he snores and has some apnea spells when he sleeps on his back. So, we will have outpatient surgery for Titus' urinary issue in January and Justice will have inpatient surgery in June. Lots of fun to look forward to. Justice is also growing, he is 27.5 lbs. and nearly 34 inches tall. We are glad to see his growth progress to about the 8th percentile for height.

This is our first family Jack-O'Lantern--It has a heart, Jesus, and the cross. We liked the finished product. It is a little late to post, but we were pretty proud of it.

Fall and the Boys

2007-10-30T16:59:00.000-04:00

Fall Weather has me and the boys outside most of the time these days. The weather has been amazing. Although we sure could use the rain and pray for it to come. We are doing well. The boys are fun and can wear me out at the same time. Titus I am pleased to report has slept 10 hours for two nights in a row, but as soon as I write this he will probably change. I hope not, I love the sleep. He is growing a lot. Chubby as ever. I haven't gotten a chance to get him weighed lately, but I am guessing around 18 lbs. He is one squirmy baby, he really wants to move. While we are outside though, he is just content to sit in that stroller and chew on the straps while I chase Justice around. Justice just runs around. He likes stomping on the water grates or picking up balls and throwing them at me to catch. Today I just sat Titus in the grass on a blanket with toys around and he played so well. Daddy carved our very first pumpkin for our family today. I will post a picture when I get a chance. We picked the pumpkin out on our trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Friday.

My mother, the boys, myself, and my niece and nephew took off for the pumpkin patch on Friday. It was a glorious fall day. My friend Jean and her son joined us as well. We played out front of the country store for the first hour. Justice rode a mini tractor and threw balls around while my niece and nephew enjoyed the inflatable park. We rode a hey ride up to a real pumpkin patch and picked out a beauty to carve and a little pumkin for Justice. Justice enjoyed seeing all the "punkins" and got to shuck corn and pick cotton. It was a blast. He also rode a train, sat on a bright red tractor, and saw some chocolate brown horses. What a day! He was exhausted and took a nap on the car ride home. It was all and all a great experience for him and he got lots of good outdoor time. I am all about getting him outside to enjoy God's beauty and keep him active and not sitting in the house all day.

Gift Giving Dilemma

2007-10-21T22:12:00.000-04:00

The gift giving season is vastly approaching. With all the options and choices, it can be overwhelming to get started. The task is daunting. Where should I start? How much should I spend? How can I do this without stressing myself out? It is important to get yourself organized and ready for the shopping season ahead, so that you can relax and enjoy the meaningfulness of this time of year with family.It may sound simple, but the first task is to create a list of everyone you have to buy for. This way there is no chance you will show up at dear husband’s family get together and have forgotten his Aunt Pearl. It will also be helpful as you shop to know who you are looking for and check off the people you have bought for as you go. You won’t have to stop and think, “Did I get cousin Suzy anything yet?” Keep the list with you to have it ready to update at any time.Don’t be afraid to go with a signature gift. Many people are afraid to give the same thing to everyone on their list, but if it is something that is unique and will remind people of you, it is special. It is even better if you can have the gifts personalized as well. Classic signature gifts may include picture frames with a family photo, monogrammed soap or candles, engraved pendants on a timeless silver chain, or embroidered hand towels. The options go on and on and can be just as thoughtful.Pick out one thing or characteristic about each of the people on your list to single out for your gift giving. If your sister-in-law loves to cook, it would be great to go with an engraved Cherry Wood cutting board for her to use. If your Uncle is all about basketball, then splurge on tickets to his team’s big game. The niece that lives for fashion on your list might like a personalized shell pendant to add to her accessory collection. Narrowing your list to one thing about each person can keep you from looking at everything out there on wondering if each person likes each item you see.It is a good idea to keep in mind two questions “Will this person use this?” and “Will this person enjoy this?” Your husband might need a new pack of socks, but will he find it as enjoyable as the new release DVD he wants to add to his collection. Your mother may go on about how she needs a new set of knives, but an engraved mothers bracelet with a special message on the back may warm her heart and be more meaningful to her in the long run. Getting that full face grin and hearing the words “Oh, I love it!” is the aim and goal.You don’t want to be stuck in the middle of December and haven’t started on your shopping. Start early and be smart. Narrow your choices and have a plan. Shopping should be fun and not a cause for concern. With a few steps of strategy the gift buying can be joyful and a reflection of the warmth in your heart for your loved ones.Happy Shopping!Love EmilyRoseJewellery

Personalized Gift Giving Made for Fun!

2007-10-16T23:28:00.001-04:00

Gift giving. That phrase makes some people panic, while presenting an exciting challenge to others to find “the perfect gift.” The challenge of gift giving is in selecting a gift that says “I know you’re going to love this” while keeping within a reasonable spending limit, and oh by the way, not having to invest weeks in the search. These are gifts that let the recipient know that you didn’t just stop at the local WalMart and grab something on the way to the event. No! You actually thought about it, and found a gift just for them!

One of the biggest trends in the gift industry today – personalization - reflects this desire to give thoughtful gifts. Gifts that have been monogrammed, embroidered, or in some way personalized for the recipient are “proof” that you really did think about the gift!

Personalized items have traditionally been available at local jewelers and home embroiders for an additional charge of generally $5 to $20, but companies like EmilyRoseJewellery.com is changing that. Now you can find the same type of personalization service and large selection right from your home. Through EmilyRoseJewellery you have access to monogrammed jewelry, personalized gifts for babies moms, unique wedding favors , beach towels, handbags, and more, all personalized with names or monograms. Even better, the personalization is absolutely free and orders can be shipped to you or directly to a gift recipient with a special message enclosed from you.

This type of personalization makes gift giving easy. Girls of all ages love jewelry. Brides love to use their new monogram. People in general love to see their name in writing. It simply makes them feel special.

While giving personalized gifts takes a little pre-planning as they are custom made, it can be a matter of simply stopping by EmilyRoseJewellery’s online boutique a week before you need to receive the order. In a matter of minutes, literally, you can have every gift for every gift recipient that you need.
EmilyRoseJewellery.com makes gift giving less stressful. Selecting personalized gifts makes gift giving fun!

It's My Birthday!

2007-10-10T23:17:00.000-04:00

Another year to celebrate how blessed I am in life. It is amazing to look over the past year of my life. I found out a week or so after my birthday that we were expecting a boy and that he had his brain issue. We had to wait 19 weeks until we received our miracle that he had been healed and no longer had any fluid in his brain. It was an amazing experience and I grew so much personally through it and am so much stronger because of that trial. Of course in my 25th year of life I was blessed with having my second baby Titus. Twice blessed with two wonderful bouncing boys. I couldn't be happier. My life is all about the boys. I was talking to my dear husband the other day about how excited I was that Titus had eaten sweet potatoes for the first time and thought how dull my life must seem to an outsider that I get so excited about these small things, but I don't care. My life is wonderful. I don't need fancy cars or a planner full of events to attend, I have my boys.

Speaking of the boys. They are growing up so much. Titus I would guess is around 17 1/2 lbs. I haven't had him weighed since a month ago, but I think that is about right. He is 7 mos. now and as adorable as ever. I love holding him. He is so lovable with all that chub to squeeze. His little face is so squnchy, if that is a word. He is scooting backwards now if he stays on his tummy. He rolls back and forth now and has been doing that for a couple of weeks now. He has also been sitting up independently for a month. He is thankfully back to sleeping through the night. He is still saying the same sounds "Buh" "Guh" etc. He is eating good, nursing still pretty often 2-3 hours, sometimes 3 1/2. He eats squash, pears, sweet potatoes and oatmeal cereal that I mix with breastmilk. He gets really excited at mealtimes. I fed him solids after "lunch" and near bedtime. His routine is crazy sometimes, we do the same things everyday, but it doesn't happen at the same time. He goes to bed usually around 10 still, but otherwise naps and eating happen at different times. We still give him his breathing treatments at night and that goes pretty well, usually calming him down. He loves to be held still, talked to. He is very much about exploring and playing with things. He likes activity. He wants to grab whatever is in sight, including some things his brother is playing with. He is now getting mad when something he is playing with is taken away. I just love this age he is at now.

Justice is becoming more and more a little boy. I love him to pieces with his independence and loving nature. He is so funny, he can be so independent, but he wants that love and attention. He runs up to me with arms wide open begging to be picked up and loved on, which I do emphatically. I love to shower him with love. He is still all about rocking to his "moo-kick" or music. His favorite songs are "Who Built the Arc" and "I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N." He colors with his Color Wonder paper and markers. He is still an outdoors boy. When I put his clothes on in the morning he says "Go Side!" I can't put his shoes and socks on until right before we go because he knows that means we are going. He is also a tough little fella, he falls or bumps his head and pretty much everytime he says "Is kay" or "Its Okay." He is having a lot of trouble going to sleep right now and we have to put Titus in the pack-n-play in the living room at night because Justice isn't going to sleep without crying or making noise. It is pretty tough, we are stuck in our room once Titus goes to sleep. He is so much fun though, lots of energy and ready to discover the world around him.

I am blessed!

*the picture was taken when Titus was dedicated at our church on 8/26/07

2007-09-27T16:17:00.000-04:00

Titus and Justice with Mimi and "Kitty"

Titus On the Move!

2007-08-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

It has been awhile since I have blogged. I have needed to catch up. These pictures of Titus are actually from July. Aren't they cute! He is just so precious I could eat him up. He is such a sweetie pie. I call him my "punkin." We haven't had the easiest of times with him as I am sure he is teething. He is back to waking up in the middle of the night and won't go back to sleep unless he is nursed. It is also hard to get him to sleep at night. Thank goodness for baby Tylenol. I have to practically give him it each night otherwise he won't sleep and is so uncomfortable. Poor little thing! And, as the title of the post says, he is on the move. On Aug. 15th, he rolled from stomach to back for the first time. He was so proud to show us his new trick as we would clap and praise him emphatically. He is also scooting backwards, not fast by any means, but he will arch his back push his hands and go backwards. Justice was at least 9 mos. before he was doing this. You could put Justice in one place and come back and he wouldn't have moved. Titus though is really trying to go places. We had Justice and Titus' portraits taken at the end of July. They were adorable. We took them in overalls with white shirts. So precious! We had our first car trip with Titus too since my last post. Titus is not a good car rider, horrible really. He cried 90% of the way to Birmingham. What a mess! We had a good trip though visiting my brother. While there we had an appmnt. with a doctor to get ready for Titus' sugery he needs to correct a urinary issue. He has to have surgery in January. It will not be fun at all! It makes me nervous and I am dreading it. Well, I hope to post later, right now I am really tired. I am posting after putting Titus to bed and I am ready for some rest after a busy day with my two sweet boys.

Justice Turns 2!

2007-08-07T16:49:00.000-04:00

Justice is 2 years old! I can hardly believe it! I have a two year old! We had such a blast throwing Justice his first official birthday party. Last year it was just family and very low key. This year we invited his play friends and their families and had a great, great time. The kiddos played and were very well behaved I must say. We had BBQ, watermelon, cake and ice cream. Everything just went so well. I couldn't have been more pleased. As I prepared for this party I thought about the many years ahead of birthdays and how I want each year for my kids to feel special and loved on their important day. I treasure them so much and want them to know they are a blessing to us. We don't go overboard by any means. I am not going to spend hundreds of dollars as some parents do. I think you can let your kids know what they mean to you in much simpler ways, but the depth is still there. One funny story from the party was when we started singing "Happy Birthday" to Justice, he just beamed with pride that everyone was singing to him and he held his fists in the air and shouted with glee "Bur-DAY!" and kept shouting it over and over as we all laughed. He was so cute. He was also all over the place. You could hardly get a good picture of him, but he enjoyed himself thoroughly. He didn't even stop to get cake and ice cream. We are truly blessed to have him here!
His favorite gift that day had to have been the baloons as you could see below. We also got him a play lawn mower, a play tent (he loved!), T'Ball set, punching blow up toy, and a coloring book with wonder markers. From Maw-maw he got a play cement truck, from neighbors Ayden, Josh, and Anna he got a bat and ball, a truck from Little Richard, Wendy and Richard, and from Jean and Lee Douglass he got Leap Frog Letter Magnet Set. Everyone was so nice to think of him!

Personalize Your Shopping Day!

2007-08-07T16:41:00.000-04:00

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Oh MY!

2007-07-24T22:51:00.000-04:00

We have had quite the July so far. Lots of activity and lots of stories. Justice in particular has kept us on the go and on our toes.

A couple of Saturdays ago, 7/14, Justice got up from his nap and I got a lovely surprise as I went to get my little boy up. He was covered in poop! Lately he has been sticking his hand down in his diaper, which I am told is a part of toddlerhood. The poop was in his hair, on his face and around his mouth (I don't want to think about why it was near his mouth). Well anyway, we have been trying to remodel, well paint and change a few fixtures in our bathroom, so pretty much every Saturday we have been working on it. We couldn't use it on these Saturdays including the tub and he desparately needed the tub. So, I had to haul him to our Shower and put him in the baby bath and scrub him down. Lovely afternoon! It didn't faze Justice at all, just lots of fun for mommy!

Titus has been laughing at mommy for awhile now, but hadn't laughed at Daddy until 7/15. We make sure and brainwash our kiddos from birth (or even while in mommy) to be Auburn fans, but really I think it is in their blood. Ron was talking to Titus and telling him "Auburn Tigers" and making the sound of a Tiger and with this Daddy got his first giggle out of him. It was the cutest thing!

I am calling Titus my hoss. I don't think of him as chunky as I walk around with him during the day, but then I look over at me carrying him in the mirror and I just look in amazement at my little hoss baby. On 7/19 he weighed 15 lbs. 7.6 oz. He is only in the 75th percentile for weight, but because he is so low in percentile in height it magnifies his chub. We are working on his rolling over, he can get to his side some now. But boy, he is good with his hands. He is a very grabby baby. Earrings, necklaces, anything nearbly he is after and tries with gusto to get it into his mouth. I am quite impressed with his ability to use his hands at his age like he does.

A not so good story from this past week, Sunday actually 7/22, Justice had a little accident. Daddy was cutting the grass and turned the mower off to dump the grass and turned to do it and Justice put his hand on the top of the mower and burned his left hand pretty good leaving some good size blisters that we have had to treat. You can't turn your eyes from kids for one second! Poor thing, we have kept his hand wrapped so he won't mess with the blisters and get his hand dirty to prevent infections. This is by far his worst injury.

We are busily planning for Justice's 2nd birthday. It is going to be a simple gathering in our yard to just enjoy Justice and celebrate our little boy.

Well, that is all for now. I am sleepy from a long, but good day with the boys and am going to call it a day. I will post new pics of Titus hopefully tomorrow. Blessings!

Sweet Babies

2007-07-12T16:04:00.000-04:00

We are just moving along and growing around here. Justice is a month away from turning 2 and Titus is 4 mos. old now. We had Titus' doctor appmnt. and he is doing beautifully. He is 15 lbs. 5 oz. in the 75th percentile for his weight, only 3rd percentile for his length at 22 3/4 inches. The doctor wanted to measure him again after the nurse did to make sure it was accurate as he is so short, but Ron and I both are so the kiddos are just going to be little. Everthing else was great. He just gets cuter and cuter. Ron is getting more fond of him as he gets more interactive. It is hard for daddies since they don't get the bonding of breastfeeding, babies are usually more attached to mommy, and men are just more activity oriented and babies just aren't the first few months of life. But, Titus is starting to get to be more drawn to Ron. Titus spits and makes bubbles with Ron more than with anyone else. It is adorable! I love watching them together. Praise the Lord, Titus is now on a routine. I shouldn't have gotten stressed about it because I am sure Justice was the same way. Titus now goes down about 10 o'clock at night and sleeps till 8, what a blessing! I feel so rested! He naps well too, 1 1/2 hours in the morning and 2-3 hours in the afternoon and a short early evening nap as well. We are doing so good!

Justice is about the same. Not too much new other than every day he picks up more words and forms more sentences, he is such a sponge! I work with him on numbers, letters, and colors here and there. He goes through phases with what he is interested in; balls, Dora, Elmo, etc. We got him a Dora and Diego toothbrush that he loves and says, "I-go and Dora." I-go is what he calls Diego (Dora's cousin for those who don't know).

Events in our life--4th of July and visit with Ron's grandfather and Aunt Joy.

The 4th was on a Wednesday so we stuck around here. We pulled the blow up pool out and let Justice play. I got in the pool with him and we tossed around balls and Daddy would put the sprinkler up and shower Justice and he would yell "Is Rainin'" We BBQued on the front porch and made brownies and Ron and I put Justice to bed before the fireworks, he is a little scared of them right now. But, Ron and I watched them together.

The next day we went to the Lake and had dinner with Ron's grandpa and Aunt Joy who live out of town. It is so neat to have the boys around their great-grandfather. We had such a nice visit and grilled out steaks, yum! Titus took his evening nap and it gave us time to catch up with everyone. It is so good to see family.

That is about it for now. I am enjoying the afternoon doing lots of things I haven't gotten to do as my mother has Justice for night. Ron and I are going to watch a movie tonight since it is so hard to do that anymore as Titus sleep in the livingroom. So, be blessed!

Me and my Guys on 7/4/07

Day By Day

2007-06-23T15:58:00.000-04:00

I love these two pictures of my boys. It is so hard to get Justice to cooperate with pictures sometimes. I am just amazed always that I have two sweet little boys that provide me with such joy! They are each so special. Titus looks at me like I am the most important person in the world. Justice brings me books, sits in my lap and waits for me to tell him a story. He also runs up to me and I give him the biggest bear hug as he giggles. These moments are the best things in my life and give such purpose and meaning to me as a mommy. This is my job, my first ministry, and my priority. I don't take it lightly. These are two precious lives that I have been entrusted and anyone who thinks the mom job is not work is fooling themselves. I am raising the next generation. It is a huge undertaking.

Being a mom of two little ones really requires you to take each day as it comes and not to get ruffled if things don't go as planned. I have to keep this in mind, otherwise the days that get a little chaotic would stress me out. I do have the days where I get stressed, but really pray through it. No matter what happens, at the end of the day I have two beautiful boys and a wonderful husband.

Titus is developing more and more skills. He is really grabbing at toys and pulling them to his mouth as you can see in the picture in his bouncy seat. He loves bright colors and will get all worked up talking when something grabs his interest. He is so funny, he will get his fingers in his mouth and just talk and talk to whatever it may be. He loves the lights and fan. His talking consists of sounds like "uh," "ah," "ah-goo," "boo." I love to hear his voice! Sleeping is still about the same as I posted. Last night it was down for bed at 10:30, up at 3:30, up at 7:30 and up for good at 9:00 a.m. So, we are not real routine yet. I just wonder where the nights of sleeping 7-8 hours are? They disappeared. Oh well, we will get there. I had him weighed on Thursday at the Nursing Support group and he was 14 lbs. 7 oz. He is a little short chub at 3 1/2 mos. Justice is growing more fond of him and excitedly says "Titus" when we bring him around the baby.

Just a Quick Check In...

2007-06-18T16:19:00.001-04:00

I want to nap so badly right now, but I also want to do a little blogging. So, I will do a quick update on our goings on. Titus is all over the place with his nighttime routine. I was getting so exhausted last week when he wouldn't go to sleep until 11:30 or later sometimes. But, last night I got him down at 9:00 yippie! But, then he got up at 12:45 and 4:45 and finally up at 8:30. At least when he went to bed so late he slept 7-8 hours. I think he did that because he had worn himself out. I am sure we will get it down one day, so I try not to stress myself out. The boys continue to get a good nap together thankfully. Titus just gets cuter and cuter. He is a chubbo more than ever. He has the sweetest voice! Justice is a mess, so adorable and very destructive when he isn't watched like a hawk. He can just about say anything and proudly says it over and over, so it really makes you think about what you say. We had a good Father's Day. Daddy got a martial arts DVD "Hero," a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper, spicy peanuts, and 3 cards I picked out to be from each one of us. He liked it all. We went to church for the 2nd week in a row. I am glad to be getting back into that routine. I love going and get so much out of our SS lessons. Titus does great in nursery, Justice has a little hard time at the end when kids are getting picked up, I think he is worrying about where mommy and daddy are. So, I am probably going to have to get him early from now on. So, that is it in a nutshell. I hope to write more later, Emily

Anything and Everything

2007-05-22T23:26:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since my last post. I am just busy up to my elbows with babies, my website, and family. Everyone is healthy. Since my last post, Titus got really bad sick after that post for about a week. We were at the doctor on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Monday that week. He is now on breathing treatments 2 times a day. He is doing so much better now that we are doing those. He is breathing in Pulmicort, which is an asthma preventative.

Titus is growing up so much. He is 3 mos. old today! He is chunking up now to about 13.5 lbs. I weighed him on the 31st of May and he was 12 lbs. 15 oz., so he might even be bigger than that. I go back for his 3 mos. checkup on Friday so we shall see. He is in 3-6 mos. clothes now. He spent a lot of time in preemies and newborn clothes and very little time in 0-3 mos. clothing. It is really hard to snap clothes at the bottom because his thighs are so plump. He makes you just want to eat him up his is so plump and cute! He is responding so much to people. He laughs and coos. He gets so excited and kicks his legs and moves his arms when you talk to him. Sleeping is about the same as always. He wakes at least every 3 hours. Occasionally he will go 5 hours, but that is a rarity. I have tried letting him cry some, but he is persistent. We have a crib now that he sleeps in, usually just the first stretch of the night until I put him in bed with me since it is easier to nurse him and get some sleep at the same time. The crib is actually in the living room and he sleeps in there at night. We have a pack-n-play (portacrib) in Justice's room for him to nap during the day in. We don't want to put Titus in Justice's room for the first stretch of night because Justice usually has a hard time going to sleep and Titus sometimes doesn't go to sleep right away either.

Justice is doing well. He is talking so much more. He loves to tell us when he likes something he says, "I like it!" in the sweetest little voice. He also says "I so funny." He is just putting sentences together so well. He has also picked up the possesive tense by saying "My ball" or "my blakie" for his blanket. He is also getting more sure on his feet and runs pretty good. I have to get a little run going to catch up to him. With his development he is also developing obstinance as he is testing boundaries and trying to get independent. We have to really be firm with him about his fit pitching to get what he wants, especially coming inside after playtime. He is still into Dora, not so much Elmo right now. He will also watch Blues Clues and sometimes Diego in which he calls "I-go." We went to the lake for Memorial Day and this past weekend. He loves the water and it doesn't matter that it is cold. I think he gets a thrill out of the coldness of it. Boy, is it ever tough to keep him out of danger at the lake though. He isn't afraid of anything. Ron had to rescue him as he just dove right in one time. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but if Ron hadn't been right there it would have. We stayed with him the whole time up there. It was fun though. He loves to go "swinning" as he calls it. We took a boat ride the past weekend for Ron's birthday and Justice and Titus both slept as the boat motor lulled them to sleep.

Other events in our lives include Ron's truck dying. We went nearly 3 weeks with one car. It was tough not having a vehicle since Ron had to take my car to go to work. I was stuck at home. We have another car now for Ron and are working on getting a minivan since traveling is really hard in the corolla. We plan on going to NC this fall to see Ron's sister and it is going to be a real need if we make that trip.

Housekeeping is getting easier since we are getting more and more of a routine going. The boys sleep 2-3 hours in the afternoon and I am taking advantage. I would love to nap some, but I feel better with a cleaner house than napping. I get to sleep a little later in the morning, so that is helping. I am posting today because Titus actually woke up early from his nap and I got him back to sleep and couldn't put him back in the room with Justice as I didn't want to wake him up, so he is sleeping in the living room preventing me from cleaning it or the kitchen. But, I really wanted to get back to some blogging. I hope not to go as long again.

Mamaw and Titus at the lake

Justice at the lake (ignore the Bama chair, not ours)

Mommy & Titus Daddy & Titus

Chubbo Baby Titus Busy Justice

Back to the Doctor

2007-05-08T15:35:00.000-04:00

I took Titus to his 2 mos. checkup this morning and it was a good thing we had this appointment as he was getting more congested and starting to wheeze the night before. But, Praise the Lord, no hospital this time, we were sent home with instructions to do breathing treatments 3x a day and come back on Friday to see how he was doing. At this appointment he was 11 lbs. 2 oz. with a dry diaper on and I don't think his height was accurate at 20 3/4 inches long. I think he is more like 21 1/4 like we had measured the week before.

Though he is sick he is still smily. We were sitting with the nurse and he was just a grinning at me and trying to talk. He loves to look at bright objects and he smiles and goos at them. What a sweet, sweet baby! I finally ordered prints of Titus and his birth announcement. A little late, but pretty good considering I am juggling two little ones. What a challenge it is. I think I get better at it though. We are getting into a pretty solid routine. And part of that routine involves both boys going for naps at the same time, for which I am so grateful. I can get a little nap and do some things around the house or hop on the computer like I am now. So, things are coming together for us.

Feelings and Stories to Tell

2007-05-06T16:13:00.000-04:00

Here is my precious little Titus smiling for the camera for the first time on 4/27/07. He is a very smily little baby. He is really getting to be a talker too. It is so cute! He acts like he really wants to talk and what comes out is just plain adorable "Ah Goo." I love the first smiles and goos and coos. It is just amazing to watch these little human beings develop into little people and discover life and all it has to offer. Raising children allows you to go back and take a fresh look at the simple things in life like airplanes and bright colors that we don't notice anymore. Justice learning new words and repeating them over and over is like he has just figured out something akin to the discovery of a complicated mathematical equation. I love it!

I am amazed at Justice's growing up so much lately. He has now figured out how to open any lotion, makeup, bottle, etc. He can twist the caps off them now, open up the top to just about anything. For instance, today, I found him in the middle of the living room covered in my facial cream that has a top that twists. I didn't realize he could do that, but he sure can now! I have to tell you, right after this I was feeding Titus and he had the biggest poo-poo and it went out of his diaper. So, I had him on the changing table and he proceeded to pee and I covered him up with wipes and was picking him up (no diaper) and simi wrapped in a towel to get him in the baby tub to clean him off. As I walked to the kitchen he pee-peed again all over me and the living room floor since the towel I had put on him apparently did not cover him completely where it needed to. I just had to laugh, get in the bathtub with Titus since I needed a bath as well. I didn't mention Justice was in his high chair refusing to eat the pears I put on his table and still hadn't dressed him from the face cream incident so I had to get him down and put in Elmo to keep his attention while I tended to Titus and I. What an afternoon!

We are a growing bunch as well. Titus is now around 11 lbs. and 21 1/4 inches long at 2 mos. old. Justice is 24 lbs. and 31.5 inches long at 21 mos. I could tell recently Justice was growing a lot as he was eating like a pig and drinking tons of milk or "mulk" as he says it. Justice would wake up and whine for his "mulk" and drink sometimes 14 oz. at a time a couple of weeks ago. We got his hair cut yesterday (Ron had to literally hold him down to do so) and now he just looks like such a little boy and not even remotely like a baby. He is still my baby boy though. Titus also has caught another little cold. He is just having a rough little 2 mos. of his life with the RSV and now a cold. It isn't too bad, but I am having to torture him with suctioning out his poor little nose. He hates when I do it, but it has to be done to make him feel better.

Getting out with two has proved to be such a stress to me. This week I got out 4 out of 5 days and by the end of the week I was exhausted. I am going to try to stick to home more this week. I am glad I can get out with two. It is possible, but I am definitely going to be more selective about when I do it from now on. If it is necessary I will go, but if it can wait until I have someone to look after the kiddos or let Ron go instead. Especially as the weather gets hotter it is just very taxing to load two in and out of the car and carry them in wherever we go.

Well, overall we are good. I love my boys and am facinated with them each day and so grateful for their presence in my life. It is very sobering to me that they have been placed by God in my care. What a huge responsibility and high calling that parents have with children.

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger!

2007-04-25T14:20:00.000-04:00

In my last post I thought things were going to get calmer and boy was I ever wrong. Since my last post, things got even crazier. I woke up with Mastitus on Saturday, April 14. Mastitus is a breat infection causing the breast to be painful to tough, hot, and hard as well as giving you a fever and flulike symptoms. Since it was Saturday I had to get in touch with the on call doctor, which actually was my doctor and get an antibiotic. Thankfully, by Saturday night I was much, much better. I had also called Titus' pediatrician on Saturday because he was throwing up a few of his meals, congested, and starting to cough and wheeze some. Well, he just got worse and by Wednesday when we took him for his well baby checkup, he was put in the hospital for RSV, a respitory viral infection. He was on oxygen and breathing treatments. We were there until Saturday morning. Justice stayed with my mom. I was up at the hospital mostly by myself except for Ron visiting me for a couple of hours each night and I would go home for 30 min. or so. Since I am Titus' food source I couldn't be gone for long, although when your baby is in the hospital you really don't want to be away anyway. So, things are finally starting to get back to normal now. Justice is completely well since Thursday of last week and Titus is well on his way. The doctor on Monday couldn't hear anything in his chest and his oxygen level was great. I prayed that God would send us a season of health and joy. It was a very trying 2 1/2 weeks there, but God got us through and proved He loves His children and will provide the grace and peace to get through any circumstances. I am just so thankful to have two healthy boys right now and do not take any good day for granted.

On other notes, Titus is smiling so much lately. I love that look he gives me of just sheer wonder. He is really starting to look at toys now that are above him in his swing, baby carrier and playmat. He will smile at them and "talk." He is sleeping a little better now that he is feeling better. But, it takes him forever to fall asleep when he was up at his 9-10 o'clock feeding. He has to nurse for like an hour as he won't take a pacifier, I am the pacifier actually. Justice still doesn't pay much attention to his little brother. I am getting out more with both boys and it isn't too bad. Justice does pretty well anyway and as long as Titus is fed and changed we are okay. I still have not done grocery shopping and probably won't for awhile with both. Talk more later!

Back In The Sun

2007-04-13T17:11:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in a getting another post out. We have been dealing with the cruddies lately. Justice and Ron got bad sick since last weekend. Poor little Justice has really had it bad. Monday he woke up with a fever and it took three days to break. His nose has been a fountain of snot and continually coughing. I think he is is over most of it today and on the road to recovery. We took him to the doctor on Tuesday and he has been on an antibiotic, his 4th round since turning one. He is a trooper though. Not too much gets him down. He puts a smile on his face and plays through it all. So, we are heading back to normal hopefully. Titus is growing like a weed. As of a week ago he was 8 lbs. 13 ozs. He had gained 3 lbs. since birth. I am anxious to take him to get weighed next week. He was in preemies two weeks ago and is now almost out of his newborn clothes and we moved into size 1 diapers this past weekend. I can't believe it! His little arms are getting rolls and his tummy is just as round as it can be. Poor thing though, he has had so much gassiness and I am a little concerned about reflux. I will ask the doctor about that next week. He isn't spitting up so much, but he sounds like he is having some with some congestion, not cold like, gurgling noises, and painful crying around meals. On positive notes he began his social smiling on Sunday, 4/8/07, that was a blessing on Easter Sunday since it was so cold and we weren't able to go to church because Justice and Ron were sick. He is making more gooing noises. I just love it when he looks up at me gazingly, like I am the most important and amazing thing to him. There is nothing like it.

Updates on Everyone... I love being a mom of 2!

2007-04-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

I just love this pic of Justice and Titus. He looks like a proud big brother. Justice will often do this thing where he names off the family members--Momma, Dadda,etc.--and now he says "Baby" too like he has accepted him into our family. It is so sweet. Tonight Titus started crying in his swing and Justice ran over to him and storoked his hair and said to him "Is Okay," how adorable is that! I love having two boys and am excited for the years ahead as they notice and get to know each other. Justice is like no kid I have ever been around, I know I am prejudiced, but I just think he is the best. He can now count to twelve and almost thirteen. His favorite numbers are seven and eleven. Often he will skip to eleven randomly. My mother keeps Justice a lot and when she talks on the phone with me she will say my name. Now he see her phone thinks that it is named "Emily" and says it over and over again when he sees it. Apparentely he likes my name. Really any names with 'L' he loves like my mom's dog is Lilly, his Mimi's dog is Lulu and his cousin in Luke and in particular he loves those as well as his favorite numbers. He loves to dance now and picks up his feet and spins around getting dizzy. He plays peek-a-boo in a cabinet in the kitchen, first pulling out the cereal boxes that are in there and climbs in. He is fascinated by planes and when he sees one he raises both hands in the air and yells "a pom." I just love him!

To the world of Titus now, he is just as special and I love him to pieces. I will often pick him up and just smell him. Oh, I can't get enough of that newborn smell and it goes away so fast. I just treasure these early days. Titus doesn't like to have on dirty diapers and gets real mad when he has one. Justice didn't care one bit. He has these two hour stretches occasionally when the only thing that soothes him is to nurse, a little hard for mommy and daddy really. Like today I was trying to bake something to take to a baby shower and he pulled one of these times. Not the best of timing, but in the newborn world it can come at any time. We have successfully taken him to Sunday School. Today he had his first bottle of pumped breastmilk during our Sunday School. I plan on giving him a bottle during church some. I don't want him to be a bottle baby. It was nice with Justice not having to wean him from the bottle. He went straight from nursing to a sippy cup. Titus is also taking the paci some, which is nice. In the car especially it is good to calm him down. I had a big first this week. On Thursday I took both boys to Wal-Mart by myself. It was very therapeutic and a big boost for me that I can get out with two in tow. Titus slept which made it a whole lot easier. I can do it!

We had our first big trip to the Lake this weekend to Mimi and Buddy's. Buddy is Uncle Ken. Justice was calling him Birdie for awhile, but we got him to switch since Uncle Ken wasn't too fond of the feminine name. Justice gave him this name because one day he was showing him the "birdies." We had a good time. Justice enjoys the outdoors so much. Daddy got to fish and momma got to socialize. Below is a pic of Titus and his Mimi and another picture of my Titus.

More later....

A little Update

2007-03-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

Boy, it has been tough to get to the computer to do an update. It is definitely getting a bit more challenging lately for me. Titus is awake more and becoming more needy. He wants to be held most of the time, doesn't like the swing, and is more fussy. At first I thought he was going to be a breeze, but I think he is more like his brother than I thought wanting more attention. I love him dearly though and understand this is so temporary and to try and go with the flow. It is tough and I definitely have my moments of stress and meltdowns with baby blues. We will get through. Bright moments have been he is doing well at night, not having awake periods like he did. I am getting back in a routine with him and Justice. Justice is doing well, clingy a little, but well. Titus is a joy in so many ways that I can't describe, he is still unreal to me that he is here and healthy. We will all adjust soon. The first picture up today are of Titus and his Mamaw while we were at the farm on Saturday. Titus is an outdoor baby for sure. He is

usually at his best and calmest when he is taken

outside in the breeze. We had a great time. Next is a picture of Justice outside on the farm. It is hard to get pics of him as he is so busy. I love him to death. He is so adventurous and independent. He is still on the watch to see where mommy and daddy are at all times. This is comforting to me because at times he seems to be so indepedent that he doesn't care about mommy anymore, but he really does I know. The last pic is Titus sleeping in his carrier at Mamaws this Saturday. He is so adorable sleeping as all babies are. We are getting out more. Sunday we went to church. Titus went to class with us and Justice to nursery, where he was not a happy camper. I think he is having some separation anxiety. Well, this post is a little choppy, but it is a little update on where we are at in our chaotic, but getting adjusted life right now.

Me and My Little Guy

2007-03-18T14:33:00.000-04:00

Well, we are rolling along. Titus will be 2 weeks tomorrow and it is amazing how time has gone by so fast these last two weeks. I can't believe only two weeks ago I was freaking out trying to get ready for him to come and now I have had him here for awhile. He is really adorable in every way, still as sweet as he can be, even at 4:00 in the morning gruntingly telling me he isn't going back to sleep and I will just have to deal with it. Nights are tough, but that is to be expected. The sleepless nights are worth it to get to love on him.

We took him back to the doctor on Wednesday and are glad to report he is back up to birth weight at 5lbs. 13 oz. and has grown half and inch at 18.5 inches long. His weight gain was really good considering most breastfed babies are still losing weight the first week. Justice lost 8 oz. his first week. Titus had a little jaundice, but not bad at all and have tried to give him some sunlight and his color is returning to normal. A nurse comes by the house on Monday to check him again. I am glad someone is coming here, taking him to the doctor's office wasn't fun with all the coughing children in the waiting room. I was paranoid the whole time there. But he is fine.

That is all for now as I am off to get him up. Be blessed as always! God is so good, I look at Titus often and just thank Him for bringing him here healthy.

At Home With Titus

2007-03-10T22:20:00.000-05:00

This is the first post I am making since Titus has been home with us and wanted to share how he got here first off. Everything went really well on Monday with being induced. The day was long, but labor was actually short. We got to the hospital at 7 and they didn't do anything until about 8:20 and it was a slow go for about 4 hours, not much on the contractions at all. I was getting so frustrated that things weren't rolling along and thought it might be forever till he arrived, but that was about to change. Doc came in at 12:45 and broke my water and I was at 2 cm, 80% effaced. After that I flew and was begging for my epidural at 2:00 p.m. and finally got it a little before 3 since they had to give me fluids. Then, they had to give me more epidural medication because I could still feel quite a bit. After the extra dose I felt absolutely nothing, you could have cut my legs off and I wouldn't have known. I was ready to push by 5, but waited awhile for the doctor and nursery staff and 8 contractions later I had Titus at 5:53. I might have pushed 10 min. total. Very good all in all with the labor and delivery. After I delivered though I felt horrible soon after. I had miserable nausea, threw up 5 times and the shakes four an hour or so. The feeling returning to my legs wasn't real pleasant either. But, after that I felt great! The recovery process has been much easier this second go around. I only had 1 stitch and have been able to move around much better. We got home from the hospital about 7:30 on Wednesday night. It was a very quiet couple of days with Justice being at his Mimi's house for us to rest with Titus being home.

Titus has been absolutely wonderful. He has been such a sweetheart baby. He has taken to nursing so well and I am so relieved after Justice was so hard to get to nurse the first week. Titus has had no problems there. He sleeps, eats, poops, has some awake time, and that is about it. Not a fussy baby. I hope he continues to do so well. We are blessed! I just love him so, so much and after everything we have gone through with him I am that much more in love with him and so thankful to God for bringing him to us.

Justice got home on Friday night and hasn't had much to adjust to really. He has noticed Titus and tries to touch him, but he isn't very gentle so we really have to watch him. He has done well though and has shown no issues yet. He is really very independent so I don't expect too much in the way of jealousy. We are trying to keep his routine in tact which helps I think. I am just so nervous about handling the boys on my own soon. Ron took off while I was in the hospital and went back to work after we got home. I had no trouble keeping Titus home alone, but am concerned about doing it all myself soon. I think I will call on my mom to help out a few days next week till I get the hang of a routine going. Well, that is all for now. I will end by saying life is just so sweet these early days of babyhood and I am trying to soak up each moment because it goes by so fast and as I look at my 19 mos. old it is really amazing to think of him that little. Blessings!

Titus is Here! Yeahhhh......

2007-03-06T17:30:00.000-05:00

Being Induced On Monday! Justice will Have a Brother!

2007-02-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

I wanted give a little update on Titus. We are officially going to bring him in the world on Monday, March 5th. At the doctor's office today we decided to go ahead with the induction just to get him here and make sure that he is healthy. The doctor felt it best since he is on the small side and there is concern that the longer we go he may not be getting everything he needs. So, we are going with Monday. We also had a non-stress test today and it went very well. Titus maintained a good heartrate and it went up with my Braxton Hicks contractions as it should have. I have been having those braxton hicks contractions a good bit. Which has progressed me to 1.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced, a good sign for a good induction. The neatest thing is that both of my boys will have the 5th as their birthday, Justice is August 5th and Titus will be March 5th. I really like that commonality they will have. 19 mos. difference between them exactly. I am so thrilled and elated. I needed a week to get everything together, get my hair cut, etc., but will have him here soon at the same time. I am ready. It has been such a long pregnancy to me with everything we have gone through with Titus and to have him here, healthy, will just be unspeakably wonderful. The only thing I cannot think about it having to be away from Justice. It breaks my heart, but hopefully we will be caught up in everything going on with Titus that we won't be so sad. We shall see...

The Miracle!

2007-02-23T15:46:00.000-05:00

It has been such a journey over these last 18 weeks with Titus. To update for those who haven't read here about his condition, at my 19 week ultrasound he was diagnosed with mild hydrocephallus. Since then we have had 6-7 ultrasounds to monitor his fluid levels. At each ultrasound we got the same news, mild fluid on his brain, which may result in having a shunt put in when he is born. The good news was always it hadn't worsened and he was healthy otherwise.

On January 29th I was watching the 700 club and Terri Muesen had a word of knowledge, "There is a woman who is pregnant and worried about her baby, but God wants you to know that your baby will be born completely healthy." I wept and claimed this for my unborn baby Titus. All along I had people tell me they felt in their hearts he would be fine as well. So, I have really claimed this for him and leaned on God with sometimes only a mustard seed amount of faith.

I went in yesterday for another ultrasound at 37 weeks, fully prepared to hear the fluid level was the same. Recently I had been drawn to the story of Job and the men in the Daniel faced with being put in the furnance, that no matter what I will praise God. Last night I just went to the Lord saying that to him that I will be fine and still believe if tomorrow it is the same and stand on His promise and wait until he is born, but I told the Lord that the desire of my heart is to hear that he has a normal brain scan. And, God gave me the desire of my heart today in hearing that the fluid in his brain had disappeared. I could hardly believe it and yet at the same time was not surprised because I truly believe our God is in the business of miracles, He is the healer, that He keeps His promises, speaks to us, and if we delight in Him He will give us the desires of our Heart (Psalm 34:7). I hope you are encouraged today and for whatever trial and circumstance you are faced with that your heart be strengthened that He will carry you through.

God bless you and thank you for your prayers! I will never doubt the power our prayers have!

Sweet Baby Titus

2007-02-13T17:57:00.000-05:00

I have been so blessed to be expecting another son and what a precious baby Titus already is. I got a sneek peak at the 4D ultrasound during my last ultrasound on January 22nd. He looks a little like Justice, but definitely has his own look. I cannot wait to hold him in my arms and cuddle this wonderful creation of God. I only have 4 weeks to go and the time could not pass quickly enough. I am so ready!

This past Saturday was an extra special day for Titus and I. We were blessed by family and friends with prayer and celebration at our "Baby Prayer Lunch." Since this is my second son and so close to Justice no one had offered to do a shower and I wanted to celebrate this new life and blessing to our family in some way. So, I had this idea come to me to have a lunch and have everyone bring a notecard with a prayer and verse to share with Titus thus the reason for calling it a "Baby Prayer Lunch." My mom and two friends were so sweet to help make this day so precious for me. We had chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, veggies, fruit, cheese straws, cinnamon sugar cheesecake squares, and a delicious and sweetly decorated cake done by a family friend. It was all so yummy. The colors were baby blue and white for having a little boy and March's birthstone is ice blue. The group of friends and family were my closest and dearest supporters. It was neat to see the different circles of friends I have come together from my Sunday School, Bible Study, Playgroup, and Family. Though they came from different areas, they were all tied together by their sweet hearts and love for Christ. I was not prepared for the emotional time it would be as we sat down together and each person read their prayer and verse. I had tears of joy well up in my eyes as each expressed their hopes and prayers for my baby.

One reason this day was especially meaningful was a trial we have been through with Titus already. I have not shared on my blog the struggle we have had this pregnancy with Titus. At our 20 week ultrasound back in October it revealed Titus had some mild fluid on his brain and since then we have had 6-7 additional ultrasounds to monitor the fluid levels. We have been encouraged that the fluid levels have not increased and they are only a little above normal, but still this has been a source of some worry and stress. We will not know if anything needs to be done to correct this issue until he is born. We have deeply felt the Lord to promise us that he will be born completely healthy and through words from others have claimed this for Titus. Our hearts are assured and our faith is strong and we truly believe for the best. The good news is that whatever happens is that Titus will ultimately lead a normal life, reach for anything he wants and have the love of his family and God to carry him.

Life is Good!

2007-01-18T22:18:00.000-05:00

Here is a close up of my little star. He has been such a cutie pie lately. A mess and a cutie pie. He now cannot stand for daddy to go to the bathroom. He stands outside the door and wails. One of his favorite activities is the run around the livingroom with his arms outstretched and pretends to be a plane or "paum" as he calls it. He is all about balls at the moment, throwing them in particular. When people come to our home he goes and gets his ball to throw with them. His favorite shows now are Elmo, Dora, and Deal/No Deal continues to be a hit. If you don't want him to whine about watching the shows you cannot say Elmo or Dora because he will expect to watch it. For the last few weeks he has really learned that shaking your head means no and does this with eating his vegetables or getting his teeth brushed. It was cute at first, now I am not so sure I am glad he learned this gesture. We say more words than I can keep up with on a regular basis. One word he is getting the hang of more lately is now we have advanced from saying "burn" for Auburn to saying "aumurn." After you say Auburn Tigers, he will roar for you. We have him trained right. As I indicated he is now running. It is so cute to watch his little, short legs move as fast as they can. Thank goodness our house is not too big, so it isn't hard to chase him down, there isn't much space to go. He has recently become more and more upset when we bathe him, he actually likes his bath, but hates being bathed, especially the washing the hair part. I don't know how to make it any better for him. We are also advancing in our table food eating. He will now eat most things except for pasta (not a mac'ncheese fan), veggies, and meat. So, we still eat veggies in the baby food form as that is what he will eat. I am sure there are more things he is doing and I am just not thinking about them all right now.

Pregnancy is progressing, only 7 weeks, 7 days to go! Can't wait! My legs/hips are really starting to bother me. They are achy and hurt, especially after getting up in the morning or from a nap. I can't nap on the sofa anymore because of this. My clothes are getting more and more limited as I grow. Although I am still a good bit smaller than I was last time. I am having a "Baby Prayer Lunch" on February 10th. I wanted to do something this time around to celebrate the baby and no one had offered to do a shower, so I had an idea to have a lunch with my friends and ask them to bring a decorative notecard with their favorite verse and a short prayer for baby Titus. I just love the idea of this. I want Titus to know in the future that his coming was much anticipated and that he was loved and covered in prayer before he was brought to us. My friend Jean offered to have it at her new, lovely home and my mom is the hostess. I am so excited!

Until next time, be blessed!

Just Thoughts

2007-01-09T22:43:00.000-05:00

I am glad to be back in the swing of things with normal routines and normal outings. With Justice going on a week plus of no runny nose/cough, I have been venturing out more with him. We haven't been doing anything major, but I have gone back to the grocery store and playgroup now. It is though getting harder to get out at this stage of my pregnancy with him. I feel very weighed down while holding him needless to say. But, it has been nice not feeling so isolated and cooped up as I had been during the holiday season. Today, going back to playgroup was amazing to see that in only a month babies can change so much! My friends' little ones are growing up and looking more toddlerlike and less babylike. They are also all so much taller than Justice, and I will add that they are all 3-4 mos. younger. It is cute though. He is my little munchkin.

I was so excited to order some baby stuff today, well, sort of baby stuff. I ordered the cutest nursing cover up that is called a "hooter hider." It is like an apron for nursing moms, bigger and made with softer fabric. I think it will be great for me to not have worry about exposing myself trying to be discreet in public or go into another room when male relatives are present. I will get to be much more comfortable breastfeeding around people. Also, on that same note I got a good nursing bra. The ones I had with Justice were all pretty bad and not too comfortable. I am hoping this one will be better. It is popular with the stars, Britney Spears and Jennifer Garner, both were customers of this product. Not that I want to emulate Britney, but it goes to say that it must be good. It wasn't that expensive either, $30.00 on sale, which for a good bra isn't that much. Okay, enough about bras and nursing.

Nine Weeks to go! I am so ready! Still have much to do, but ready in my heart for this little guy.

Christmas, New Years, and More

2006-12-31T18:19:00.000-05:00

1/3/2007
Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope your Christmas and New Years was blessed! Ours was for sure. It was good to be around our family. It was hectic, but good. We had 11 children 11 and under at our Christmas gathering. Nine of those children were boys as well. Next year there will be 10 with our addition of Titus. We are just becoming the boy family. Justice this year loved his toys, but didn't get into the unwrapping. Next year I am sure we will have him more trained in the traditions of Christmas. After Christmas we hosted our two eldest nephews for a day and night for which most of it was taken up playing Playstation. They don't get to play very often so we figured the aunt and uncle could treat them to an all you can play night.
Justice returned to being sick the day after Christmas unfortunately for which we ended up taking him back to the doctor. It turned out that the medications he had been on had not fully taken care of the infection and his white blood cell count was elevated once again. So, we took another round of antibiotics. Thankfully yesterday and today he has not had a runny nose or much of a cough. It is the first time in months his nose hasn't run. It is a huge deal to me.
Our New Year was pretty uneventful. We watched a movie and as I got into bed I wispered to Ron Happy New Year. The day after we celebrated Auburn's win over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. I love the holidays, but I am happy to be getting back to a normal routine and starting this new year. I am planning on getting the preparations going for Titus, getting the bassinet, stroller, and clothes ready for him in the next couple of weeks so I won't have to do those things with a big belly, although it already feels big to me. I am excited and ready for what this year has in store for our family. Blessings to yours!

WHAT A WEEK!!

2006-12-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Well, we did have quite a week this past week. It all started on Wednesday, when I woke Justice up at 9:15 a.m. and found him to be really, really sick. He was very lethargic, not wanting to get up or move. I let him lay on my chest for awhile then decided to take his tempurature and it was 101 degrees. His congestion had been really bad the day before and was continuing. And, he was spitting/throwing up liquids I was giving him. So, all in all I had a very sick boy on my hands. I called the Pediatrician's office and in desparation asked if there were any appointments. The nurse fought on my behalf to create an appointment for me as she could here the distress in my voice. Upon arriving he just slept, not a good sign since he doesn't usually sleep other than in the dark in bed. The doctor discovered that he had a bad infection of some sort with a high white blood cell count and decided to hospitalize him. I almost started crying when she said this as I had my precious son in my hands and we were taking him to the hospital, seemingly very serious. The next three days were a blur of IVs, vital sign checking, hospital food, lack of sleep, and having a restless baby cooped up. It was so tough. The toughest part was having my son injected with an IV in his wrist and having his blood taken. He just looked at me, his daddy, and mamaw as they did all this. He went back and forth with tears streaming down his face yelling for "momma" and "dadda," and not understanding why were not doing anything to get rid of and take away his pain. It was torture! And to top it off, the IV came out that night and they had to reinsurt it at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. Thankfully, Wednesday night his fever broke and he began looking better and by Thursday afternoon his color was restoring and his eyes began brightening up. The fluids and antibiotics they were giving him were working. Friday morning the doctor came by and said that they would see how he did during the day and make a judgment over whether he should stay another night. Ron and I were completely drained and at our sanity's end on Friday having had two terrible nights of sleep with Justice having a lot of trouble getting comfortable and dealing with congestion. The Lord was the only thing keeping us from losing it. We made it to Friday night and the good doctor let us take our baby home. I knew things would be better having him home to get some good rest since you cannot rest in the hospital. It is impossible with vital signs being take every few hours, people coming in take the trash, bring the meals, bring ice and the newspaper, etc. Friday night was a victorious night! Saturday, we saw the doctor at the office and he was so, so pleased with his progress. He said that if he did not know he had been in the hospital he would not have suspected it and would have thought he was healthy other than a cough and runny nose. So, our battle was over after a long week. We are keeping him home until Christmas to get him fully better. We are still deciding what to do about making our home more sanitized and what to do about taking him to nursery. We understand that we can't isolate him forever and it is impossible to keep him from getting sick all the time, but we never want to have him in the hospital again and if that takes keeping him home more, than so be it. We shall see and we are praying for God's wisdom in how to best care for our little boy.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2006-12-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

We have been so busy lately that posting has been on the backburner for awhile now, but I have missed it and have been meaning to get back. So, first off we are all pretty good. Justice continues to struggle with congestion and a runny nose, which has been going on for a month and a half now. We have been to the doctor twice and nothing is really helping. So that is no fun, but we are and have been completely walking for a few weeks. This is a picture of him walking outside at my mom's farm on Thanksgiving. Shortly after 15 mos. he began taking steps and about a week before Thanksgiving he became committed to walking full time, which has been exciting and challenging. I am glad he finally got it down even with the challenges it brings. He wants to walk all the time now, even in stores, which makes trips longer and more stressful. With the walking comes more things to get into and keep him from so my days are more tiring, but it is worth it to see my son reach that goal. He is a cutie walking, I love it. He is so short and petite that it is just amazing to see such a little guy upright and walking.

Thanksgiving was fun. It was a huge gathering with a good bit of my family including my Uncle from Panama City, his wife and two little ones, my great Uncle from Birmingham, and my stepdads brother, wife and two little boys. We had 5 children under the age of 4 on Thanksgiving. There was lots of joyous chaos. Justice wanted to be right in the middle of it all. He is quite the social bug. And he had a little event including a busted lip and a bruise on his face after an incident with one of the other kids, not anyone's fault, but it was an event. Boys I think just will have spills, bumps, and bruises along the way and I am handling it in stride. I can't protect him from everything. All in all it was a wonderful day. I spent a good deal of time in the kitchen more than ever. I even had a great deal of involvement in the Turkey, which turned out beautifully. We tried a new recipe I had gotten off the 700 Club show and it was divine. I also did creamy potato bake and a dessert as well as assist my mother in the meal preparations. I felt like such an adult and not a kid anymore. It was fun!

Since then I have been managing my jewellery website with the Christmas shopping season boosting sales. God has truly blessed us and I give Him all the glory for the provision He has given us. It has been exciting to watch Him work. I am truly thankful.

Titus is doing well in my tummy. He moves a lot, which is very reassuring. I go back next week for a checkup and an ultrasound to monitor his development. I am 26 weeks along, so only 14 weeks to go, which I know will fly by as it did with Justice. I am just giving it to the Lord to help us manage it all, a newborn and a toddler in a two bedroom home, trusting God to provide for a family of four and keep us all sane, I am resting in His peace.

Hopefully it won't be this long between posts again, but I wish for a blessed Christmas season until I return.

I Am So Behind!

2006-11-14T21:58:00.000-05:00

I cannot seem to post more than once a week here lately. I just seem to stay busy with one thing or another. Being pregnant I tend to nap when Justice takes his afternoon nap, which used to be the time for blogging. So, here I am again finally. Since last week I have gone to Carrolton, GA to visit my mom's side of the family. It was a nice visit. Justice got to meet his great, great aunt, the sister of my grandfather who died in WWII before my mom was born even. I learned quite a bit about my family's background. It is so important to get that information while you can. I would encourage you to talk to your families about memories, traditions, habits, physical appearances, and family relationships from the old times. I enjoyed looking at pictures and seeing where some of my features came from passed down from my mother.

Titus moves more and more inside of me. It is one of the greatest things about being pregnant is feeling your baby move. It is like they are communicating with you. I feel like when Titus moves he is saying, "Hey Momma!" I love it. I can just feel his personality I think. Justice didn't move a whole lot and I could just sense a calm nature in him. He turned out to be very laid back and calm for the most part. I think I am in for it with Titus. I bet you he will be a fiesty little thing who is a bundle of energy and loves to be active. He will be a fun kid I am sure. I cannot wait to see Justice and Titus together growing up as close brothers. What a blessing! As for the pregnacy, it is getting hard. For the past couple of weeks I have had such bad indigestions/heartburn every night. I have tried eating more bland foods and taking tums, but still get it. So, doc suggested Pepsid AC, so I will try that and see how it goes. I am hoping well! Titus' heartbeat was good at a steady 144. I go back on Dec. 12th and do the fun sugar test.

Justice is doing so great with walking. I am so impressed with him. He still has an affinity for crawling, but is walking with more and more ease. I am very pleased! He had a doc. appmnt. today for which we found out he has an ear infection in both ears and had no idea. He picks at his ears, but he has always done that. Poor buddy! He also had two shots, that was no fun, but he is a trooper. I also figured out what to do about his patchy skin in places. I tried hydrocortisone cream, switched detergents and baby wash, but to no avail, it just got worse. So the pedi said that we out to bath him every other day, used Dove or Cetaphil Sensitive Skin, and use a healing sensitive skin lotion on his arms often. So, I did the cream twice today and such a difference did it make!

Well, that is all I have for now. Blessings!

Halloween Pics, A Week Later

2006-11-07T16:24:00.000-05:00

We had such a fun time dressing Justice up for the first time this Halloween. Since he was only 3 mos. old last year we did not bother doing this. So, we dressed him up as Tigger as you can see. He was sooooo adorable! We stayed home and passed out candy to the cute trick or treaters. Since it was a very mild night we let him crawl around on our porch and greet the visitors. He enjoyed seeing all the little children come up with their costumes on. We actually had him say, "roar," as he crawled around and I even got it on video. It was just the best time.

Outdoors, Walking, & Cleaning

2006-11-03T16:23:00.000-05:00

This little boy just loves to be outside! It is still just so amazing to me. When he is inside he busily moves from one thing to another, but when he is outside a calmness falls over him. He will just sit in the grass and look around, mezmorized by the sounds, smells, feelings, and sights he gets. I enjoy watching him in those moments discover God's creation. He is all about it and want to go outside at every opportunity. We can't hardly open our front door without a fit to go outside. It has been hard with the weather turning colder to go out much, but we try at every good chance we get.

As I wrote in my last post, I am getting more and more pleased at his walking. He is doing it more and more. We went to visit with some friends today who are the same age and walking and he took more steps than he has before. I think they truly give him motivation to get up and going. It is fun to watch him try to immitate their walking. He is doing a good job.

Mommy is also doing a good job with her cleaning. I have been really trying to look at my house as my job. When I was working I was a worker bee. I always gave 110% and sought the approval of my boss. Since being home I guess I haven't really seen my cleaning through that same motivation. So, I am trying to get into gear and seek to please the Lord with the position He has given me. My earthly leader in my husband has also been pleased with my accomplishments. So, while Justice is napping and I am writing I will end this post to go and see what else I can scrub, pick up, or fold. Have a blessed day!

We Have Some Walking!

2006-10-30T11:41:00.000-05:00

Finally, we have some walking going on! Hurray! The past couple of weeks we have steadily been walking at times. He has taken as many as 10 steps in a row and will consistently take 2-3 steps when prompted. He is still lacking in motivation. He is quite content with crawling and getting him around. But, we are trying to get him on two legs as much as possible. On Sunday I put him in the Toddler class at church to hopefully get him around walkers to motivate him to do the same. I think that babies and children learn a lot from being around their peers who are doign things. I know he will get there. I just hope it is soon so I can cross walking off my list and by the time Titus comes he will be a good walker.

Justice also just got over a major cold last week. I had thought he had had a bad cold earlier this fall, but oh no, this one was much worse. He had so much congestion this time that he would cough so much and throw up. He also had a fever for a day and a half. But, after about a week, we were recooperating. His nose still runs and some coughing remains, but we are on the mend.

His schedule still is up in the air from day to day. I don't know whether he will take one or two naps any given day. Today he went down for his morning nap at 10, which was perfect and hopefully he will go down for an afternoon snooze too. We shall see. It seems to work better for his lunchtime if he can get a morning nap, but then it is hard to get him down in the afternoon and I know he needs one to be pleasant at night, so I have to pick which battle I want to fight. I guess I lean towards getting a morning nap if at all possible.

Well, I have to go get my shower before little guy wakes up and I am going to go visit my mom. I hope to write more later this week. Blessings!

The Big News!

2006-10-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Well, we had our ultrasound yesterday and we are pleased and excited to announce that we will be having another baby boy! Yup, Justice will soon have a baby brother to look out for. It was a little bit of a shock, but I was quickly happy. Ron took a little while to warm up to the idea of not having a girl. But, he is getting better. I am really glad and feel that this truly is a great addition to our family. His name will be Titus Osar Lee (two middle names, Ron's idea, he wants him to stand out). Titus is a really strong name for this strong son we will bring into the world in March. Please be praying that he will be in perfect health the rest of the way.

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Sweet Days

2006-10-18T21:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Justice stood from a sitting position for the first time. He also did it several times in a row. I was such a proud momma. We are really rooting for him to walk since it is about time, he is 14 1/2 mos. old. I would like to cross it off my list of milestones for him regardless of people telling me that I should be glad because once he walks I will be chasing him more. I was very happy when he learned to crawl and know I will be elated with his walking, but I am being patient and keep telling myself that anywhere between 9 and 18 mos. is normal for walking. Otherwise, his vocabulary grows and I loose track of all the words he is saying. His latest favorites are sun and moon and he points to them in a book we have. His little voice is just too precious for words and he is so proud when he gets a word right. He is able to repeat us very well. Babies are just little sponges soaking up knowledge with their new discoveries. It is so exciting to be apart of that journey they are on. It makes me think about the journey I will be on with him teaching him about Jesus, the Bible, and how to live a life of integrity in this world. In my Bible study we are focusing this week on raising godly children and the awesome task it is. I look forward to delving into the material and learning how to be a good mommy for my children. I was putting Justice down this afternoon and had a little moment with God. I have been playing a Christian lullaby CD for him as I put him down. This was the same CD I played when I brought him home from the hospital and pulled it out again. I had just laid him in the bed and began to cry thinking about bringing him home from the hospital and listening to this same song. I sat and prayed over my little boy and the little baby in me, blessing them and covering them with the Lord's love. I asked for God's help to make me the mommy He wants me to be and what my children need me to be. It can be quite overwhelming at times, but I know He will be with me every step of the way. What a comfort that is!
Tomorrow I go for my ultrasound to find out if I am having a boy or girl, Titus or Mikayla. I am so excited and cannot wait to really call this child by name and prepare our hearts and home for this precious life. God bless and here again tomorrow.

http://www.emilyrosejewellery.com

Since My Last Post...

2006-10-13T12:13:00.000-04:00

Time just gets busier and busier it seems right now. A lot has been going on, people visiting, my birthday, playgroups, doc. appmnts., etc. God remains faithful and good to us. Over the weekend last Ron's dad and stepmom came down from Wyoming to see Justice for the first time. The visit went well and we were able to stay the weekend at my mother's place on the farm. My stepdad actually took Justice for a little ride on the fourwheeler as you can see in the picture. I was a little nervous, but Justice loved it! The farm was a great time! They have horses, cows, tractors, and hay. Justice was facinated with it all. Ron's folks were glad to have stayed there since it is more like their home out in the countryside of Wyoming.
The tummy is growing and it well should be, I am 18 weeks so far. It is still not obvious to the world, but those who know me well can see a difference. I have pulled out my maternity wear finally. Monday I went Maternity clothes shopping with my mother. It is really difficult finding small sizes in maternity clothes. But, I did find several good things that I think will transition as I grow. I continue to feel lots of movement by this baby, more than with Justice. I think he/she is more active than he was. October 19th is only now 5 days away for the big ultrasound. It will be a big day
Tuesday was my 25th birthday. It was a very special day. My loved ones did a wonderful job of making me feel loved and appreciated. Ron sent me flowers during the day. My mom made me a beautiful cake and kept Justice for Ron and I to see a movie. The movie we saw was actually Facing the Giants, an independent film about God and high school football made by a church in Albany, GA. If it is playing near you I highly recommend it. I was touched an challenged in my Christian walk after seeing this film. It is low budget and the real beauty of the film is the message about giving your trials to God and honoring Him through it all. I was very blessed by it.
Wednesday I continue to go to Bible Study for mothers. It has been so wonderful! God has taught me a lot and the fellowship with the other moms has been so needed! I am growing as a person as well.
This weekend I hope to be relaxing and peaceful. We would like some time just to be a family. Be blessed!

If you haven't yet visited my website, check it out, we have new products including soap, shell, and pewter jewelry....http://www.emilyrosejewellery.com

Life and Pregnancy Update

2006-10-03T11:39:00.000-04:00

I was thinking that I had not done an update on my pregnancy lately. So, I thought I would fill you in on my progress. I will be 17 weeks tomorrow. Things are moving quickly! Time has definitely been flying by with this pregnancy, mostly because I have Justice now and do not have time really to sit and think about things. For a couple of weeks now I have been feeling the baby move. The last few days he/she has been moving more and more. I think this baby is already more active than Justice was. I have two weeks from Thursday to go until my big ultrasound where we can find out the sex of this little one. I can't wait for that day! Although the pregnancy has gone by fast, it seems to take forever to get to that appointment. I have been feeling good for the most part, still some nausea at random times. So, everything is postive!
Justice is doing well. He has taken his first steps in the last week and a half, just a few though. We will get there one day for sure. His speech is just amazing to me! One word of note he has said this week is watch, not a particularly easy word. He is also all about going outside. If I even mention outside or let Joy out, he just has to go. He is so funy, he will just sit out there and look around. He crawls in the grass and picks up sticks. I love it! We really do have so much fun together. Well, that is pretty much it for now. Hope to update you more in the near future. Life is just so busy lately!

Thankful For Joy

2006-09-26T15:49:00.000-04:00

I'm not talking just about my dog Joy, although she is truly a joy. Today I am reflecting on little joys that God has blessed me with lately and some things were from unexpected situations. I took this picture the other day while I had Justice out in our front yard. I just love watching him discover things. He just crawled around in the grass, picked up sticks, and pulled weeds (good for us especially). As the weather has cooled down I expect to do a lot more of this.
Yesterday, I was feeling the most rotten I have felt in a long time. After I put Justice down to bed all I could do was lay on the couch. My dear husband brought me a blanket, water, and at one point picked me up and took me to the bathroom to get ready for bed. He was so sweet doing these things for me! So, in a very yucky situation I received a blessing.
Today has been wonderful as well. Finally after over a month my friends and I had a playgroup together. It was so great to see their children, they are really growing up and becoming so active. I could not believe it. We also had some great adult conversations I miss having all day. It is such a blessing to have these friends who help me out and we all help each other out with our different parenting and relationship issues we have in our lives. It is a lot of fun just hanging out and fellowshipping together.
I am stressed out a lot over our finances as I have shared in past posts. I get so frustrated at rising bills and grocery budgets. I am anxious and worried how we get from month to month from time to time. The other night as I was sitting praying and reading my Bible I was journaling my prayer over our finances and I really felt the Lord in my prayer and the words came to me to know what to pray. Often times in situations where we are down or frustrated it can be hard to put into words what we need to pray for. This night the words came to me and I knew what I needed to pray. It was so comforting lifting up the Lord what I was really feeling and knowing the right words that would express the desire of my heart for our family's finances. It was truly a great God moment touching my life.

My Great Find of the Day

2006-09-22T17:11:00.000-04:00

This is the double stroller of my dreams! I am so jazzed about finding it. My mother placed an order for it today off Amazon.com. Although the birth is still quite a few months away, I hadn't seen anything that fit what I wanted in a double stroller. I almost bought one at our consignment sale last night, but lost out when I stepped away for a moment, but after finding this one I realize that it was a sign that the perfect one was still out there. This is the Jeep Wagoneer Tandem stroller by Kolcraft, stadium seating, cup holders for mommy and babies, rear seat accomodates my car seat, a huge bottom compartment for baby bag, purse, etc., and a steering wheel with horn for the front seat. If you can't tell, I am very excited. God is just bringing to me all the things I have felt would be great for baby #2. He is truly blessing me. Last night I got an amazing deal on a top of the line swing--Fisher Price Nature's Touch swing, regularly $190.00 at Babies R' Us for $75.00! Yay! It is the best swing playing music, multiple speeds, cushy chair that reclines so you can use it from birth, I am in Heaven. A couple of weeks ago when I went to Birmingham I bought a Sling Carrier by Infantino that is so comfortable and I even tried it out with my two month old nephew. It is great! So, I am only 15 weeks pg, but am pretty much done with shopping for baby #2, other than clothes if I am having a girl.

This Just In--Good News to Follow

2006-09-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

Justice just had his doc. appmnt. and his rash was the result of the same virus that had given him diarrhea on our trip. What a relief! Doc. said that it would clear up in a few days and that he was no longer contagious, but that this was the tail end of the virus. Also, I don't think I have a cold. I think allergies were the culprit of my sneezy, throat itchiness yesterday. I am much better today. Things are looking up! I am excited in an hour and a half a big consignment sale is happening in our town. Since I contributed I get to go to the preview sale tonight. I have big plans to shop tonight. Hopefully I can find what I am looking for. I am all about the bargains! With health back in our home and shopping to look forward to I am smiling today! God is good. On another note, I am really enjoying watching Rachel Ray's talk show. She has the best ideas! I learn a lot about homemaking and cooking ideas. Good stuff! My house is also staying clean this week. I have a new system in place. I have set up a routine for myself where I block out time to do one room at a time to focus on. So far so good. I just have to stick to my routine now. I really do function so much better when I know what I need to do at certain times of the day. We have four more weeks until the big ultrasound! I can't wait! Well, I guess that is all for now. Blessings and health to all!

Somebody Give Me a Break!!!!

2006-09-20T21:34:00.000-04:00

Okay, I am going to go a little venty on this post. I have been greatly challenged the past few weeks. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the issues Justice has been having with a cold and the chicken pox. Well, the saga continues. Ron and I took a trip to Myrtle Beach area with Justice last week to see Ron's sister and brother. I knew it was going to be a challenge as it was on paper a 7 hour plus car ride. We left on Wednesday of last week and it took us 9 1/2 hours of traveling to get there with stops. The day before Justice's stools had been runny and a little diaper rash had developed. Well, it kicked into gear on our trip. He had full on diarrhea by Thursday and a nasty diaper rash. By Friday afternoon it was clear Justice was struggling with these issues. I was having to change him every hour to two hours and his bottom just got worse and worse. Praise the Lord though, Sunday his diarrhea ended, the diaper rash still there, but now it would have time to heal. Praise the Lord also I had prescription cream for the diaper rash since it had turned into a yeast infection. So, we made the car ride back with little incident and some of it was actually pleasant. Tuesday rolled around and Justice's nose started to run and had congestion. He woke up okay today, but by the afternoon it was clear he had a cold and so did I. Also, on Tuesday night a mysterious rash appeared on his stomach and chest, similar, but different from the chicken pox one. It had not spread this morning, but by afternoon it had pretty much covered his stomach, spread to his neck and back and was a little on his face. I will be taking him to the doctor tomorrow. Boy, I am exhausted! I asked my Bible Study group to pray that Justice wouldn't have anymore sickness. We are due for a break from the issues we have been having. It makes me wonder about taking him the nursery as I fear this is where he has gotten some of his things. But, I cannot keep him sheltered the rest of his life and we cannot stop living our lives. It is a frustrating situation, but there just can't be much done for it.

Never Forget 2,996; A 9/11 Tribute

2006-09-10T22:46:00.000-04:00

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11. I am joining in with thousands of bloggers paying tribute to each one of the victims of this tragic day in our nation's history. This day will live in infamy as Roosevelt said of Pearl Harbor. My post today will not dwell on the tragedy or pass political statements. In this post I will honor and celebrate the life of a strong and passionate woman who died this fateful day.
My honoree is Judith Camilla “Judy” Frankel Larocque. Judy was from Framingham, Mass. She was the founder and chief executive officer of Market Perspectives Inc., a Framington-based market research company catering to the technology industry. This day five years ago, she was traveling to California for business when American Airlines flight 11 was hijacked and crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. She, along with 92 others on board, were killed instantly.
Framingham was home to Judy. Although born in Boston, she grew up in Framingham where she graduated from Framingham High School. She received her sociology degree from Boston University in 1973 and went on to attend graduate school at Clark University in Worchester, Mass.
Judy was a pioneer in business. She worked for many technology firms building up experience. She was the principal of Emergent Marketing, an executive marketing consulting firm before going on to start her own venture in business. She founded and maintained the CEO position of Market Perspectives, a research firm that offers online and on-site surveys.
Judy loved to walk her beloved dog, often referred to as her third child, Naboo. She lived near Lake Cochituate and was often taking time to canoe and swim. She was also keeping healthy and young by doing yoga and gardening in her front yard. In May prior to her death she walked 60 miles for breast cancer awareness.
She is survived by two daughters, Danielle Lemack of Chicago and Carie Lemack, 26, of Cambridge, Mass.; and a sister, Diane Marshall. Her daughter Carie has kept her mother’s voice alive by becoming the co-founder and vice president of the Families of September 11th Organization. She has appeared on various news outlets and has spoken before the 9/11 commission. She was also a part of the victims’ families who spoke out during the Zacarias Moussaoui trial.
Friends and family members have given these words to describe this special lady: warm, confident, caring, intelligent and vibrant.
Rest in peace dear soul. Let us never forget the day that claimed your life and so many others. Let us carry your memory as citizens of the great country and cherish the freedoms we hold. God Bless America.

My Crazy Week

2006-09-05T16:58:00.000-04:00

Last week was crazy! Actually I think with a baby these types of weeks come with the territory. Last Saturday Justice ended up getting really sick with a cold that ended up being the worst cold he has ever had as I had posted last week. On Monday, I came down with the cold. Thankfully by Wednesday I was feeling much better. Then, I was taking with my friend Ashley on Wednesday and she was telling me about a friend of hers has a son with chicken pox and had had the vaccine and everything. On Wednesday night I was undressing Justice for his bath and discovered a rash on his chest I would later find out was chicken pox. Most likely he actually got it from the vaccine. I was very grateful that he never itched, had a fever, or felt bad from the chicken pox. It was just a pain because I had to cancel outings with friends because I just didn't want to chance there children getting it although the nurse said he wasn't contagious. The tail end of our week last week Ron got the cold as well. My stepdad also came down with the cold. It just got passed around our family unfortunately. But, on a postive note our weekend was a blast. My mom kept Justice so that Ron and I could go to the Auburn vs. WA State game Sat. night. We had such a good time seeing Auburn romp the competition. There were fireworks on and off the field, literally--at the halftime show and at the end of the game there were actual fireworks. The rest of the weekend we again spent at the lake swimming and having fun. Tomorrow I am traveling to Birmingham to finally get to see my nephew who was born on June 30th. I will report on that trip when I return, until then, blessings!

2006-08-30T23:15:00.000-04:00

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Reasons I am Looking Forward to Fall:

Cooler Weather--I am normally a big fan of summer, but I am ready for a break from the heat. Enough is enough.
Finding out whether I will have another son or bring a daughter to this world. I am hoping for a girl, but a healthy baby either way more than anything.
AUBURN FOOTBALL!!!!! The first game is this Saturday and I will be there! I am pumped if you couldn't tell. I love football season.
My TV shows return! So tired of summer TV and reruns. I can't wait for Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven, Deal/No Deal, etc. Although I am glad to have SuperNanny on Mondays.
My 25th birthday--Oct. 10th-- I always love birthdays. It at least guarantees me one date night.
Fall Festivals--Hayrides and Hodowns
Holiday Season starting with Thanksgiving--my favorite time of the year, getting together with family, good food, relaxing with loved ones
Parades
Fall Clothing--I love the colors and warmth
Fall Foliage--I would love to go to the mountains and see the deep reds, oranges, and yellows that appear
Get Togethers--We seem to have more opportunities to get together with friends over football, holidays, etc.
The air is crisp
I am starting a Bible Study with Mothers, I am really looking forward to getting to participate in this one especially, growing closer to God, sharing with other mothers, and learning together

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All About My Babies

2006-08-29T23:32:00.000-04:00

Here are the first shots of our new sweetheart on the way. These are the pics from my ultrasound posted about last week. The one I am most impressed with is the shot of the legs below, amazing! I cannot believe this child is inside of me when there is so far no indication if you look at me that this could be going on. I am 12 weeks so far. Still, somewhat nauseated in the early evening, but not too bad. I have been hit with a lovely summer cold, courtesy of Justice who caught it probably from church nursery. So, that hasn't been fun, but I am making it. But, poor Justice, it has been rough! This is his worst illness yet. He has been so congested and his nose is continuously running. Tonight I had to torture him with the nasal aspirator, that might as well be a curse word in our home. He screams bloody murder with each go. I had to do it though, he couldn't breathe out of his nose at all. On more positive notes, he continues to amaze me with his vocabulary abilities. Along with ball, bye, bye, bird, soft he says "saaft," boat, momma, dadda, hey, he is now able to
say versions of the following toe, for rain he says "raahn," and for tiger his says"tie-ah." He can also do the sounds for a cat and tiger. We recently had a funny story with his saying soft. We rub on things that are soft and say soft such as our pet Joy and soft blankets. Well, recently he has gotten facinated with daddy's chest hair. One day daddy had his shirt off and Justice was examining it and all of a sudden he says, "Saaft" He is too cute! He is also progressing on the walking front. He can push his push toy now on his own. When he does it he just beams with pride. It is a major accomplishment for him. He has developed a liking for two PBS shows that are the silliest things ever, but he loves them--"Boobah" and "Teletubbies." He just smiles and giggles with these shows. These are the only shows he likes, no cartoons, just these with silly creatures bouncing around.

Peek at the Baby

2006-08-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

With my last pregnancy I did not get to have an ultrasound this early, 11 weeks, but with this one my doc wanted one since I was breastfeeding at the time of conception and wanted to nail down a due date. So, I went in for the u/s today. It was so amazing! The baby was already so developed for being so early in my pregnancy. Two arms, two legs. I could make out fingers. The baby moved. It was just incredible to see my baby inside of me when I don't look like anything is going on, it is just this precious little secret I am carrying. Incredible!
* This image is the birth stone for March as I am due 3/14/06

I don't know what all I have reported on this site, but it has been a week and a half since I last nursed Justice. I weaned him before my trip to Atlanta. It went very well and I don't have any sadness, I guess partly because I will be breastfeeding another little one very soon. Since I took a month and a week to wean him it was so slow and gradual that we both had time to adjust and there was even a bit of joy when I last fed him. It felt good to know I had gone to a year and was proud of the accomplishment and not sad to be ending our nursing career. Justice today also only took one nap, he had been taking two. I had been having some trouble with his naps, getting him down and his afternoon nap kept getting so late. So, today I tried just keeping him up and had a couple of fussy moments, but he stuck through it. After he had his lunch, he perked up and played for awhile and went to sleep at a little before 2 and right now it is a little before 4 and he is still sleeping. I won't wake him!

All About the Cake

2006-08-20T23:29:00.000-04:00

The best part of Justice's birthday party had to have been the cake. I got a 5" round cake just for Justice to enjoy and destroy. As our birthday party was themed Auburn, the cake was decked out in orange and blue and adorned with a 1 year candle. It was too cute! So, at the end of the night we sat Justice down on a washable blanket with just a diaper on and put the cake down in front of him. At first he was so dainty, just using his pincer fingers to taste the icing, but at time progressed and the photos show, he had his feet in the cake and all over his mouth and body. He had so much fun! He was surrounded by his family who acted coo-coo as he tried his cake out. He surely thought we were all nuts--but we were just nuts about him. So, here are a couple of pictures from this fun night for you to enjoy!

"I can't believe I am being allowed to do this"

"You put your right foot in and do the hokey pokey"

2006-08-16T22:13:00.000-04:00

Banner done by YellowRose

Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Tidbits From My Week

I am feeling much better! My nausea is becoming more spread out and is more rare now. I am still very tired and very thankful Justice still takes two naps a day.
You must read the post about the birthday party for Justice's one year below. I don't have cake pictures up yet, but I will soon.
Ron and I spent our first night away from Justice to celebrate our 4th anniversary on Sunday through Monday, for our anniversary which is on 8/3
We went to Atlanta and stayed at the Double Tree hotel in Buckhead.
We swam in the pool for awhile, hung out and relaxed.
For dinner we ate at Dantes Down the Hatch. It was an amazing dinner! Dantes is fondu and for those who haven't had it, it is totally awesome. You actually cook your food in a light oil that they have on a burner in front of you. Fun, fun! Also, they had a live jazz band performing romantic music that night. A must try if you go to Atlanta!
Just for fun we watched Christmas with the Kranks on Sunday night and Ron and I busted a gut laughing, good ole fashioned slap stick comedy, I recommned it for the comedy lovers.
We stopped by Peachtree City the next day and did a little window shopping and ate at a pizzeria before heading home anxiously wanting to see our Justice.
We were so glad to see Justice we couldn't tell you! We missed him so much after one night! He really well other than waking up in the middle of the night and staying up for 2 hours. My mom really didn't want to let him cry so she just kept rocking him.
We got back in the groove of things Tuesday. Justice continued to be a little off schedule Monday through Tuesday, but returned more to normal. He didn't seem to be having any issues from us leaving him.
Justice was sent some great presents by family members, some really neat toys and much needed clothing sent by his aunt Jeni and family. I think I will have to start hemming his pants. He is in the 3rd percentile for his height, but his weight is in the 25th percentile. So, the pants fit in the waste, but not in the legs. The joy of his short genes from my side of the family. I am only 5" tall.
This pregnancy I have had more cravings than last time. So far I have wanted hamburgers, pizza, corn dogs, and grapico, all bad things! Not good! But, I still am not eating very much. I had Ron go out and buy me a plain cheeseburger the other night and only ate half.
Justice continues to add to his words. This week his is trying to say rain, button, and tries to meow like a cat. He loves to say ball and soft. He will pick up his teddy bear or pet Joy and say soft over and over again. I love hearing him speak! The best thing!

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Finally, about the One Year Bash!!!

2006-08-16T21:36:00.000-04:00

Here is Justice "opening" one of many presents on his one year birthday party on 8/5/06. It was such a fun day! The day started off hectic, at least for me, trying to gather everything to take to the Lake where we would have the party. For such a small gathering we were having, a lot had to be taken--food, the cake, decorations, baby things, presents, etc. I ended up forgetting some decorations and the candle, but thankfully we stopped by a grocery store and got the traditional one year candle. The party started with a boat ride on Lake Martin. It was a beautiful day! A little rain came our way towards the end of the ride, but it helped cool things off. We had a BBQ together with my mom, Ron's Aunt & Uncle and their family. Justice loved all of his presents. We actually got him the cell phone in the picture. It is pretty cool--it is a Parents Magazine toy and has an option where you can record a gretting that plays back. After the dinner and presents, Justice did the traditional cake destroying. We put him on a washable blanket with the cake in front of him wearing only a diaper, which I highly recommend. He was so dainty at first just picking off the icing. I know he thought we were all crazy hooping and nudging him to dive in. By the end he started the smooshing and getting his feet in the cake. We proceeded to give him a thorough washing as the cake was all over him at this point. I wish I had the pictures to put up, but they are being developed. I will post them when I get a chance. All in all it was a perfect day! It was fun to celebrate such an amazing addition to our lives that we could not live without--my Justice. I enjoyed every moment!

2006-08-09T22:40:00.000-04:00

Banner done by YellowRose

Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Things Good/Bad About Being Pregnant

The Bad:

The "All Day" Sickness, at least for me that is the way it is, not just morning for me
Edema-swelling, with pregnancy #1, I didn't have ankles the last two months of my pregnancy and my feet grew two sizes. All I could wear was flip flops, I am hoping since I am due in March this won't be such an issue.
Mood swings, I feel like this is a 9 mos. PMS session sometimes. I feel so bad for being snappy and moody with Ron, but sometimes I just feel out of control.
First Trimester Energy Zap-I have hardly any energy to get things done. My house is a wreck, I haven't really cooked in awhile, I am just zapped of energy.
Doc. Visits-especially exams, I think this goes without saying
Along with #5, having my blood drawn for tests, gosh I hate needles
Labor and Delivery-No one enjoys this part! ------------The Good:
First Kicks and Movements. I loved feeling my baby move inside of me, it makes it so real and enjoyable
The Ultrasounds-Seeing your baby move around on screen while in your tummy is just so amazing. I can't wait!
The excitement-The minute you tell friends and family they are just so excited and happy. The anticipation of the new life is unreal. I love the build up to the big day of meeting that little one the first time.
Related to #7, Epidurals-Loving the person who came up with this. I could not have made it to delivery without this. A Woman's Best Friend!
The Belly, I really did enjoy having the belly, it is just amazing to carry your child around all the time with you-great bonding!
What it is all about, why all the bad is worth it, the new life coming into the world. I will have a beautiful new baby to hold and cherish. Justice will have a sibling to play with. I am joyful!
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Reflections

2006-08-08T23:53:00.000-04:00

In honor of my son's birthday this past weekend I thought I would post his newborn picture and reflect on this past year for a bit. This post is a little late, but still having my sickness I haven't felt like doing much of anything, so this is better late than never.

Wow, what a year, couldn't have in any way imagined what it would be like. From the first cry, to the first coo, the first smile, laugh, roll over, baby food, to most recently crusing, it has been a whirlwind of milestones and memories. Staying at home with him has been the best thing. I have treasured each day with him. No matter how stressful I can get or exhausted a day makes me, I go to bed joyful each night at the day I have spent with my most precious baby. Baby, he almost isn't a baby anymore, soon it will be so much a memory as he will become a little boy, but he will always be my baby at heart.

Things started off really rough at first with Justice. It was chaos the first three months. I never got to bed before 12 and I had to get up every 2-3 hours for a long time. Nursing issues plagued the first week home with him, but thanks to my lactation nurse, we made it through. Then, once we got the hang of nursing, he wanted to nurse practically every hour. He wouldn't take a bottle for the longest time. He had to sleep on me to sleep at all. Car rides were unthinkable, he wailed the entire time. But, It was heaven to have him. At 3 mos. he fllipped a switch and became the most layed back, easy baby.

I could not have asked for all the wonders he has. He had so much personality and loved to be social from very early on. He had his first real social smile at a little under 4 weeks. He cooed and gooed like crazy soon after. He loved for daddy to rock him by holding him out like he was flying through the air at 4 mos. Five months he was blossoming with making all kinds of noises and faces and continues to this day. Content, he is so content. It has been great just sitting in the floor and playing with things. At 7 mos. he developed a love to be read to. Goodnight Moon quickly became his favorite and still he gravitates to that book. He has also loved other babies and kids for a long time now. He is a chatterbox and a ham. He has always made us laugh.

There is a section in his baby book to write down wishes for my baby. I haven't written in it yet, but over the past year I have developed an answer. I wish for my son to be set apart, to rise above the norm and the peer pressure out there. I want him to be fearless of what others think, but desire to do what God calls him to do. I want him ultimately to rest his life in Jesus Christ and let all else fall into place.

Tomorrow I will post pictures and talk about the birthday bash...It was so much fun!

2006-08-02T22:12:00.000-04:00

Banner done by YellowRose

Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Tidbits From This Week:

For those of you who aren't aware from the previous post--I am pregnant!!! I am approx. 8 weeks along and due on March 15, 2007. I had my first doc. appmnt. today and confirmed it. We are very excited to be giving Justice a sibling. He needs one as he is quickly becoming spoiled.
The all day sickness continues. I don't think it is quite as bad as last week, but it is still nagging. I got a prescription for Raglan, a nausea medicine, from my doc. and will try it tomorrow and hope for good results.
The next appmnt. I will have an ultrasound to pinpoint how far along I am exactly. Since I was nursing while I got pregnant my doc. wants to make sure it we are correct on the due date. This is exciting since otherwise we would only have one ultrasound at 18 weeks. So, I get to see my baby a little earlier.
We did have such a good visit with Ron's sister and new nephew this past weekend. We hung out, shopped, and ate amazing food. Owen is adorable and such a good baby. Momma is doing a great job and I am so proud of how she is handling everything.
I went to lunch with my mother and one of her old childhood friends today. It was a very cool thing that they have kept up with each other over all the years. I don't think I would know how to contact anyone from my elementary school years now, but my mom is 60 and she does.
Saturday is Justice's 1 year birthday party. I am pumped. I had struggled over what to do for this day and it just all came to me--really I think the Lord helped me to plan it. I don't want to go overboard, but make it special. So, the theme is Auburn Football. Since we are a major football family and are already teaching Justice the fight song I felt it very appropriate. We are also a month away from the season starting. So, that is the theme. We are having it at the Lake and doing a BBQ with family and a few close friends. I can't think of anything better!
Our anniversary is today! Aug. 3, 2002 Ron and I said our vows of commitment and began our life together. And what a blessed life it is! We are waiting to celebrate it next week and changed our plans to be going to WhiteWater to beat the heat.
I am having a Southern Living Party next week and have been planning things for that. It is my first home party of this sort. I really signed up to be hostess because the person who did got a little gift basket including cook books, a frozen mug, and the basket of course.
I took my doggie to the Vet today and she got two shots and a prick to test for heart worms. She did great there, but came home with a fever and a little rash on her tummy. I feel so bad for her. I think she may have had a reaction to the shots. I am keeping an eye on her and might have to take her back to the vet in case she doesn't get any better.
The Vet bill was expensive too. I am glad I only have to take her once a year for all of this.
I am starting a Women's Bible Study on Tues. nights and had the first meeting this week. It is going to be so good for me. I will get one night a week to focus on me and my relationship with God. It will be wonderful!
Gosh I am tired. With all I am planning and events going on it is hard, being pregnant doesn't help either. I look forward to mid-August when life will slow down briefly before fall kicks in.
Have I said how personally blessed I am lately. I truly am! My son gets cuter and cuter each day. He is such a good baby. Being so sick as I am he couldn't be doing better. I am able to lay on the couch and he just crawls around playing and giggling. He is now adding a couple of words a weeks and the list is just growing--this week he has added "see" and is working on "soft." My husband has also been wonderful and helping out around the house. I know it is hard coming home from a long day's work to doing chores, but he is a trooper. Also, I haven't cooked in awhile and he has been great about it. The Lord is good!
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Long Time No Write

2006-08-01T22:27:00.000-04:00

I have missed my blogging and posting lately. I apologize for the delay and lack of new posts on my end. I have however had a great deal of events in my life thus far. One such great event was the discovery that I will be having another baby. Yup, that is right, not a misprint, I am pregnant. I am due on March 15, 2007. Justice and this baby will be 20 mos. apart. I feel this is a great age difference for them. I am thrilled and utterly excited. I am also utterly sick! For the last couple of weeks I have been battling all day sickness with some breaks of feeling well. I haven't thrown up yet--Praise You Jesus! But, I have felt like I would lose it several times a day. My salvation has been starlight mints. I probably suck on 10 a day. They have really helped. So, that is the main reason for the abscence.

Today Ron's sister departed from her visit to our home. She came down from NC with her new bundle of joy, Owen. He is 4 weeks old tomorrow. Such a sweet, sweet baby. I held him a lot. As I was holding him and giving attention to Justice at times together it really hit me that I will be in this situation soon. It will be quite a challenge. Justice absolutely loved Owen and wanted to play with him a lot. When he left, Justice was very upset and crawled all over saying "Baby" over and over again. Our visit was wonderful all around. We shopped around the little stores in downtown Auburn. Both babies did well. We ate out a bunch which was a treat for us never getting to do so. His sister mostly paid. I was very impressed with the great job my SIL was doing with her sweet boy. She is very much getting things down. I actually got some good tips from her to make things easier this time around.

I am also busily planning my little guy's birthday party on Saturday. It will be an Auburn Football themed party. It will be so much fun. We are going to do a lake day and grille out as a part of the festivities.

Well, that is all for now. I am so tired too with this early pregancy stage. Hopefully I will write more later this week and reinstate my Thursday Thirteen. Blessings to all!

Demolition Man

2006-07-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

Is this not a great portrait picture, who needs a professional studio. What a precious, precious boy I have. I don't mean to be bragging, but I cannot help it! He is precious to me more than life! We have such fun together. His latest fun thing to do is for Ron or I to build up some blocks and for him to demolish them. His new nickname is "Demolition Man." He may be destined for engineering. I have written previously about his love for books. His favorite book is Goodnight Moon. All I have to do to get him to come to me is to start reciting the words and he comes a crawlin' This is helpful when he is about to get into something I don't want him to.

He is now nursing two times a day and drinking Organic Whole Milk the rest of the day. It is actually a relief more than sadness I feel as I wean him down. I do plan on nursing him in the morning and night for awhile longer. I enjoy these times. He is really growing up.

As far as Ron and I go for our 4th anniversary, we are going to let my mom keep him and us go spend a day at the lake together. We are going to buy some steaks, grill out, swim, and just relax! I think it will be great! Also, we recently received a financial answer to prayer. God is taking care of us.

Toddlerhood Cometh

2006-07-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

This picture is from our outing a couple of weeks ago on July 3rd at the Park. He absolutely loves the swing! It was a fun time. He is becoming a toddler everyday more and more. He is pulling up regularly now and becoming much more sturdy with it. I am thankful that getting from a standing back to a sitting position is going well for him. A lot of times babies will pull up and not be able to get back down, but so far so good for us. He is saying more and more words. Recently he has added "baby" and "nose." He loves to point at our noses, mouths, and eyes. He can tell you where mommy's nose is as well. Exploring reaches new heights each day. I discover new places of danger to baby proof and remove from reach. We have the cabinets and drawers off limits now using bungie cords to prevent entry from small little hands. On Saturday Justice got his second hair cut making him look like such a little boy. It is darling! I will post a recent picture soon. We took him to a walk-in salon and they did a great job. There advertisements indicated that they were an all family place and the lady was indeed very experienced with working with infants. It was a trick trying to get him to allow her to trim and move his head around.

Other items of note this week...I have switched to shopping at Kroger for my groceries instead of Wal-Mart. I have discovered that by purchasing the on sale items there that it is not only comparable to Wal-Mart, but in many cases better. It also saves on gas and my sanity. I have always hated to shop at Wal-Mart and it stresses me out each time. My Kroger trips are actually fulfilling as I feel accomplished upon leaving.

Ron and I's 4th anniversary is coming up on August 3rd. Last year's anniversary I spent in labor on our sofa timing contractions. I would like this year to be a little more special. We were going to Six Flags, but changed our plans because childcare fell through and we felt like doing something else anyway. Any ideas for a fun anniversary outing? We have to be local in Auburn for child care purposes and cheap.

2006-07-12T22:10:00.000-04:00

Banner done by YellowRose at http://www.yellowrosesgarden.com/

Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Interesting Baby Food Flavors and If Justice Likes Them:

Cinnamon Raison Pears with Apples-Likes
Macaroni & Cheese-The Kind in the Jar-yuck! the real stuff he's into
Strawberry Banana-I actually like this one and so does Justice
Carrot, Mango, and Apple-this is a Latina brand of Gerber/Beech Nutt and Justice loves it
Sweet Peas with Rice-he'll eat it amazingly, but not a lot at a time
Zucchini-Another Latina Brand, Justice can't stand!
Pink Guava-Just had today and it is pretty good, Justice likes!
Sweet Potatoes and Apples-this is Justice's favorite, it is very sweet!
Peaches-Can't give, he gets a bad diaper rash everytime
Prunes-likes and keeps him regular! along with the Plums/Apple mix
Apples or Sweet Potatoes with Chicken or Turkey-Justice won't eat the meat unless mixed with one or the other
Chicken with Vegetable Stew-Yucky, yucky, no sweet mixed in, not a good thing, Justice will grunt, tense up and push the spoon away
Mixed Fruit or Banana Yogurt-"Good stuffums!" as we say in our household.
I like to try new things with Justice, 11 mos. old, to expose him to lots of different tastes. Ron will often ask why sometimes I torture this poor boy with some of the flavors, but he will surprise you at what he does/doesn't like. He ate a whole jar of green beans tonight, I was very impressed! So, what do you think of the menu of items? No salt, no additional flavoring, straight up veggies, meats, and fruit! Good stuffums!

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A Late Tackle It Tuesday

2006-07-12T16:40:00.000-04:00

Well, a day late, but here after all. This is a different sort of task for me. I absolutely cannot stand washing and folding my king size sheets for our bed. It is a great pain! The dirty sheets sat in a pile for a few weeks staring at me and finally they were washed and ended up sitting in my clothes basket in my room for a week after.
So here they were:

And here is the empty basket after they were folded and put away! Hurray! Justice wanted to get in the picture too!

Stop here to play!

New Opportunities

2006-07-10T11:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday to all! The beginning of a brand new opportunity for accomplishing goals and making things happen. We had another lake weekend and are now getting back in our regular groove. I have lots of goals for myself this week. I am trying to stay disciplined with my housework and making ends in organization. I am also trying to maximize my grocery shopping budget by multiple store shopping. Last week I found my cereal on sale at one place for $2.00 a box and I am trying to find more such deals at different places this week. I also want to try more healthy foods, getting more vegetables and whole wheat into our diets. I have been working on this for awhile now and plan to continue my quest this week. So far I know I am going to get more whole grain pasta and brown rice in our meals.

As far as Justice is concerned with him nearing being one year old I am going to try to introduce more table food for him. He is getting better at chewing and really good at picking up finger foods, so I want to work on his skills. I really need to also get the latches up on our cabinet doors and drawers since he figured out how to open them last week--smart boy! Next week I also plan on subsituting one nursing session with milk as he will be 11 1/2 mos. and by 12 mos. getting down to two nursing sessions a day. I am taking these things in stride and not pressing them, but they are on my list.

2006-07-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

Banner done by YellowRose at http://www.yellowrosesgarden.com/

Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Moments From the 4th of July Weekend:

On a sad note, Ron cought a summer cold/flu on Friday resulting in a not so good time for him. It just got worse and worse as the weekend progressed. He was a sad little puppy :(
Friday started off the weekend with a get together with some friends of ours from Ron's work. This couple has a two year old boy who is quite the mess and I was on the lookout for flying objects and dodging his feet from stepping on Justice. The food was excellent and I made another dessert creation consisting of strawberry yogurt and jello mix mixed with cool whip, fresh raspberries and blackberries, oreo pieces and crunch bits, layered in a parfat style, yummy.
Saturday we took Justice to the park and got video of him in the toddler swing, he loved it! He just laughs and swings his arms in delight. Have I said how much fun he is?!
Sunday, Ron woke up feeling the absolute pits and I was starting to have a little funny feeling in my throat. We were supposed to leave for the Lake this day. I loaded up with Vitamin C pills, popping one after the other. By later in the afternoon I was feeling decent and loaded up the car myself and left a sad, but relieved husband. He couldn't really rest with Justice and I around. He didn't leave the house the entire weekend.
Sunday later, arrived at the Lake. It was beautiful! The water was sparkling! I took Justice on a boat ride with my mom and stepdad. Joy came along too. Justice loves the boat! His eyes get all squinty eyed and he just relaxes and feels the breeze and zones with the roar of the motor.
After putting Justice to bed, I took a night swim. It was so relaxing and envigorating. The water was warm after a day in the hot sun and temperatures flirting with 100 degrees.
Monday started early--about 6:45. My mother's dog was barking to get back in the house and resulting in Justice waking up, not my idea of a nice start. But, we did take a peaceful mile walk and made a homecooked breakfast to begin the day.
The rest of Monday was all about the water. It takes me so long to get myself and Justice ready for the water. I have to get sunscreen on him which is a chore in itself--he is squirmy when he has to be held down to get something done. Don't get me started on his behavior with the nasal aspirator. But, it is worth it to get in the lake.
Justice enjoyed the water for about an hour or so. He was facinated by passing waverunners and pontune boats. He observed the children that another family staying at the lake were doing with great curiousity. I can just imagine him thinking, "I have got to figure out how to do those things.
I got some self time once Justice went down, floating around, soaking up rays and clearing my head.
The day ended with a boat ride and BBQ. Good family time is what holidays are all about. Appreciating the freedoms and blessings that we are given as a nation. Just before bedtime we were graced with the best fireworks I would see over the weekend from the dock.
On the morning of the 4th I spent calling Ron to see if he had gotten any better and could not reach him. So, I loaded back up and found that Ron had just not wanted to get up to get the phone and was still on the sick side. He was so glad that I had come back, for one thing he hadn't had a decent meal in a couple of days since I had not planned on having any food at the house since we were to be at the lake. As a family we had a nice 4th of July meal and said a prayer for the soldiers and thanked God for America. The day was finished off with fireworks. Justice didn't like the banging noises following the spectacle, but we got through it.
Singing --"Born on the 4th of July" --Ron's sister, Jeni had her little baby boy the day after the 4th. So, Justice has another new baby cousin, Owen. He weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. Mommy had a C-Section at 12:00 EST. Both are doing very well. We can't wait to see them. We aren't sure when that will happen. That is the perfect finale to the holiday--a new life

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Announcement From Justice

2006-06-30T15:37:00.000-04:00

Justice wants to tell everybody, "Hurray, I have a new cousin!" Yep, that is right I have me a brand new nephew today. Everything went really, really well from my SIL. She went in to be induced at 7 a.m. and had the baby at 11 a.m. Really quick! Bad thing is her epidural only worked on one side. Momma and baby are doing well. The baby was born weighing in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. and is named Isaac. If you read my post yesterday I talked about handing over this name as it was the name we had picked out for a second boy if we have another boy. Well, just for fun Ron and I were looking at names last night and were looking at Biblical names. Ron is all about having a strong, very meaningful name. I am too, but Ron is very particular. I threw out the names "John David," "Christian," "Chase," "Troy," Ezra," and didn't find any of them worked. And then I threw out the name Titus, and he loved it! It means "hero" or "defender" and of course is a New Testament book with Titus being a missionary friend of Paul. So, there you have it, our next son should we have one will be Titus and probably will be a "Ty" one day. The middle name is not settled on. We do want a girl next and her name would be "Mikayla Deborah." Deborah is the name of Ron's mother who passed away when he was 16 and this would be very special for him to have a girl. But, the Lord knows what is best. It may be a little ways off before we even have to worry about all this, but I like to plan.

Other news, I spent most of the day with my friend Ashley who had the biopsy yesterday. She called last night and said everything went well, but she was very sore and stiff and was having trouble tending to her little girl. So she asked if I would come over and help out today. I am not writing this to glorify myself and don't want comments of how this was so good of me today. I write this to say that I was so happy she asked me to come and help her. I always offer to help people in anyway I can, but no one ever takes me up on the offer and I know they need help. I would just encourage everyone to ask for help in times of need. You are blessing the person with an opportunity to love and care for you. I learned a lesson myself as I have not been someone to ask for or accept help from others when needed. God doesn't just bring people in our lives for no reason. God gives us friends and family to support and assist us. Often we feel God may be abandoning us in times of need where He has put people in our lives that are right there for us and we are too prideful and stubborn to call on. Lesson learned.

We also had a wonderful time with the kiddos. She has an 8 mos. old baby girl. The last two times we got them together they hurt each other. One time her girl scratched Justice below the eye and Justice pulled her hair the next time. She actually got a shot of this and it is up on her blog http://labellavista06.blogspot.com. This time they did much better, part of that was due to us being right on top of them keeping hands out of hair and fingers out of eyes. They were really cute together. Justice loved having new toys to discover. He gets bored of the ones he has.

Also, Ron and I are going to eat dinner at a friend's house in a city about 30 mins. away. We are actually considering buying a new house in this area because housing is so much more reasonable and we could get a bigger house for the same amount we are paying now. I am hoping and praying about this potential move. It would be a great opportunity if that is the Lord's will for us. When we do add another baby we would need a bigger place pretty soon after he/she is born.

Blessings!

2006-06-28T22:37:00.000-04:00

Banner done by YellowRose at http://www.yellowrosesgarden.com/

Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Random Thoughts From Me:

Ahhh...finally a new look for my Thursday Thirteen. I have wanted to do a new look for so long and finally here it is. I love my new banner! Yay! What do you think?
My SIL is being induced on Friday with her 5th child. Awhile back I posted about her indecision over the name, between Seth and Benjamin. Well, she went with Isaac, a name I had actually had for our second boy. But, since that may be a ways down the road I blessed her with using my name since she actually knew I wanted this name, but her mom told her that should be his name and she had a dream the night before that about the baby's name being Isaac. Now, I need another boy's name. We have Luke on the table right now. The problem would be that Luke sounds more like a middle name.
Ron's sister is due with her first baby, a boy next week. Baby boy's all over the place. Another friend of mine had her second boy on June 16th less than a year after her first son--that was quick.
Ashley at http://labellavista06.blogspot.com/ is having a biopsy to check out a swollen lymph node tomorrow. Please say a prayer for her. She is very nervous. Pray God resolves the issue with ease.
Only a little over a month until Justice's 1st birthday and I have no idea what to do. I need suggestions for a tight budget. Also, do we have a party with his little playmates or just family? Or both?
The 4th of July is coming up. Guess what we have going on--the Lake again. Don't get me wrong, I love the lake, but since having Justice it makes it a little more challenging. For one thing, the place is no where near childproofed and is a very rustic lakehouse, so Justice will probably have to spend a good deal of time in the playyard. But it will be fun to get him out in the water as always.
My doggie Joy got a hair cut today, she looks more like the picture I posted on Sunday. She is again a miss priss. She has red and blue bows for the 4th in her hair. So cute!
I bought 4 newish books for Justice today at the Mission Thrift Store for $1.00. I love reading to him so much and he eats it up.
I am again in cleaning mode. I have been doing so much better. I am trying to make better use of my time and get my house in order so it doesn't take that long to pick it up.
Summer TV stinks and it is making me wish for new seasons of my favorite shows. I can't wait for the new seasons of Gilmore Girls, Deal/No Deal, Life with Brian (new show with Matt from 7th Heaven), and I will have to wait until January (sad) for American Idol. Man!
I have decided not to dignify the book or views of Linda Hirshman and her attack on the stay at home moms on my blog by even commenting on it other than to say it is nonsense and a bunch of hooey!
I am trying to cut back on my daily sugar intake. My drinks each day are all pretty sugary--juice, coke, and sweet tea. So what I have done is mixed 1 quart sweet tea sweetened with 1/2 cup sugar with 1 quart of a half of a crystal lite rasperry tea pack. It makes a yummy, summery drink.
Justice is teething again. I feel so sorry for my little spud. He cried out twice in the middle of the night last night and has been generally ornery the last few days. He is cutting his eye teeth and these are apparently harder ones to cut as they are the pokey ones. No fun. I hate to see him uncomfortable.

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Football, Sleep, and Fabric Softeners

2006-06-28T10:20:00.000-04:00

WAR EAGLE, HEY! For those of you who aren't aware that is the battle cry for my Beloved Auburn Tigers. I can't wait for football season to start. In a little less than two months my team will take the field. As you can see in this picture we are training up our son right. He loves when we sing the fight song to him.

On other notes...

I am one of those moms, you know the ones who have to tell others their baby is sleeping and be quiet. Before having Justice I was determined that he would get used to noise and be able to sleep through anything. Well, then he came, actually for a long time in the beginning he slept fine through noises...dog barking, TV, loud conversations. At about 4 mos. that all changed and our lightish sleeper would wake up with various disruptions. Mostly Joy barking and loud conversations disrupt his sleep. Also, running the washer, dryer, and dishwasher are no, nos when he is sleeping, unless the dryer is already on it is okay. He does better at night with these things, but we still have to be careful.

I miss nice laundry detergents and fabric softeners. Since being on a tight budget I am pretty content with going without certain luxuries and treats, but I do miss things on occasion. One thing that you might not think about is the nice detergents like Tide with Febreeze or Gain Joyful Expressions and fabric softeners, Downy, ahhh. I miss the smells and softness of the clothes. I now buy the el cheapo brand of Sun, costing just shy of $2 for the concentrated liquid detergent. If you are on a tight budget, what things do you miss?

2006-06-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

Gosh I am starting to feel bad about having a post every week for Tackle It Tuesday because it is showing everybody that I have plenty of messes to clean up. I promise my house is clean and sanitary, but we are a little cluttery and I am trying to rectify this each week. This week I worked on my computer desk. This is website, bill paying, and blog central so this desk collects all kinds of paperwork from receipts, orders, catalogs, bills, etc. I have to work on it about every two weeks. It will get cluttered again, but for today it is cleaned. I also dusted it, which it was pretty dusty. There are all kinds of places to dust with a computer. Each equipment piece seems to gather the dust. Next week Ron tells me that my project is our bedroom closet, it is a HUGE project! We will see. So here it is, the before and after of our desk:
Before:

After:

To participate in this fun assignment go to:
http://www.5minutesformom.com/
Thanks Janice for the motivation!

A Girl's Best Friend

2006-06-25T23:32:00.000-04:00

This is perhaps the first post with a picture that is not of Justice. I have mentioned before that I have a doggie named Joy, but have yet to display her cuteness on my site or talk about her more than briefly. We took this photo for our pet jewelry in our special/other section on our website http://www.emilyrosejewellery.com. I got to thinking about this post after reading the post on my friend Ashley's site (http://labellavista06.blogspot.com/), about her cats. So, I felt is was just about time to talk about my princess.

Joy is a little white miniature that Ron and I were blessed with by my mother. My mom and I got her the day after Christmas in 2001. A colleague of my mother's asked my mom if she wanted a her since she had gotten Joy for her daugter and required that her daughter take care of her, but her daughter was no longer fulfilling her duties. My mom brought her home and I thought she was crazy since we already had two cats. But, I grew to love this little fluff ball. When my mother got remarried and moved to a farm we decided that Joy would do better with Ron and I since she is more of a city dog. So, we took her in and spoiled the crud out of this dog. Before we got her she was content to lay beside us in her own bed. Now, thanks mainly to my husband, she is pampered to no end. She never lays down except for on a blanket, preferably with a pillow. She is well groomed, usually (well since Justice came she has not been as coutured).

She has a lot of personality. She is a priss. As you can see in this photo, she knows how to pose for the camera. She is really afraid of flies! A couple of months ago a fly buzzed her on our bed at night and now she won't stay on the bed unless Ron is on it. She is also a daddy's girl, following him around and becoming very distressed when he goes outside to cut the grass. She is a very sweet dog and has done great with Justice. She is a sweetheart. She is also very smart. We did not have to tell her not to play with Justice's toys, she just knows which are hers and which are his. For a little while she was jealous of the attention Justice was getting and moaned and jumped at us for affection. But, she has calmed down a lot and is very at ease with life today. She still tries to get in between Justice and us and I don't think that will change anytime soon. Well, that is our dog, she is a fun, fun pet and we en"Joy" her daily!

Oops, We made a Boo Boo!

2006-06-23T21:46:00.000-04:00

If you have visited my blog lately you might have noticed that it has been a little out of sorts. I want to apologize for my crazy blog. Ron and I were trying to work out a few issues and work on its look on Wednesday and messed things up big time. I actually deleted my blog because we had the template all messed up. I copied all of my back posts to a Word document and now I am starting over anew. I was so distraught for a few days thinking my blog would never be up again, then I realized I could just delete the damaged blog and use the same name for my new blog. So, here we are. Up and running. Hurray! This is also my 50th post here on this new site. That is somewhat of a milestone and I am proud of it. Although I no one would no it since I am not quite sure what to do with my back posts and I actually didn't save every single one of them. So many I should just start over with my count. Either way though I have done 50 posts-visible or not. But, I digress.

Since the mess I have missed posting. I missed my beloved Thursday Thirteen that I have participated in for about three months. Also, the ever changing world of Justice has not been recorded for all to hear about. Well, as far as he goes, he is learning to throw a ball. It is so cute watching him try to figure out how to release it once he has it. He usually ends up hitting it with his other hand to get it out. He can also say "ball," but not on command. We went to the Lake on Wednesday and probably spent on hour in the water. We were in a shady spot, so Justice didn't have to get too hot. It was hot as blazes on Wednesday! 98 degrees hot! It was great to be in the water though!

On another note, I thought I would post and ask about your opinions and what you do to ensure good nutrition for your little ones. I saw a piece on the 700 club and the Reader's Digest version is that growth hormones are being injected into cows and our meat and milk have these in them as well. They detailed that it may be linked to girls entering puberty earlier and earlier puberty is linked to breast cancer. For more details go to the 700 club's webpage. The studies are young, but this still concerns me. Justice, although he is a boy, it makes me question and think about looking more and more into organic foods. I do some organic foods now, but it is tough on a budget. Organic foods are so expensive. A friend of mine gives her son the organic milk, which costs about the same price of a gallon of milk for a half gallon of organic. I am highly considering this even with the expense because Justice will be soon getting a lot of his milk from cow's milk. I am planning on continuing to nurse Justice in the morning and at night after his year birthday and give him cow's milk or juice the rest of the day. So, how do you keep your kids healthy as far as nutrition goes?

Well, it is great to be back and I hope you all are doing well. I look forward to continuing my conversation with everyone and vow never again to change my template without saving it as is first.