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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Reasons I am Looking Forward to Fall:

1. Cooler Weather--I am normally a big fan of summer, but I am ready for a break from the heat. Enough is enough.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. My 25th birthday--Oct. 10th-- I always love birthdays. It at least guarantees me one date night.
6. Fall Festivals--Hayrides and Hodowns
7. Holiday Season starting with Thanksgiving--my favorite time of the year, getting together with family, good food, relaxing with loved ones
8. Parades
9. Fall Clothing--I love the colors and warmth
10. Fall Foliage--I would love to go to the mountains and see the deep reds, oranges, and yellows that appear
11. Get Togethers--We seem to have more opportunities to get together with friends over football, holidays, etc.
12. The air is crisp
13. 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

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

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

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"

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Tidbits From My Week

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
4. We went to Atlanta and stayed at the Double Tree hotel in Buckhead.
5. We swam in the pool for awhile, hung out and relaxed.
6. 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!
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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!!!

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!

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Things Good/Bad About Being Pregnant

The Bad:

1. The "All Day" Sickness, at least for me that is the way it is, not just morning for me
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Doc. Visits-especially exams, I think this goes without saying
6. Along with #5, having my blood drawn for tests, gosh I hate needles
7. Labor and Delivery-No one enjoys this part! ------------The Good:
8. First Kicks and Movements. I loved feeling my baby move inside of me, it makes it so real and enjoyable
9. The Ultrasounds-Seeing your baby move around on screen while in your tummy is just so amazing. I can't wait!
10. 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.
11. 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!
12. 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!
13. 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

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!

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Tidbits From This Week:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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!
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. The Vet bill was expensive too. I am glad I only have to take her once a year for all of this.
11. 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!
12. 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.
13. 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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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Long Time No Write

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

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

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.

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Interesting Baby Food Flavors and If Justice Likes Them:

1. Cinnamon Raison Pears with Apples-Likes
2. Macaroni & Cheese-The Kind in the Jar-yuck! the real stuff he's into
3. Strawberry Banana-I actually like this one and so does Justice
4. Carrot, Mango, and Apple-this is a Latina brand of Gerber/Beech Nutt and Justice loves it
5. Sweet Peas with Rice-he'll eat it amazingly, but not a lot at a time
6. Zucchini-Another Latina Brand, Justice can't stand!
7. Pink Guava-Just had today and it is pretty good, Justice likes!
8. Sweet Potatoes and Apples-this is Justice's favorite, it is very sweet!
9. Peaches-Can't give, he gets a bad diaper rash everytime
10. Prunes-likes and keeps him regular! along with the Plums/Apple mix
11. Apples or Sweet Potatoes with Chicken or Turkey-Justice won't eat the meat unless mixed with one or the other
12. Chicken with Vegetable Stew-Yucky, yucky, no sweet mixed in, not a good thing, Justice will grunt, tense up and push the spoon away
13. 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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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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A Late Tackle It Tuesday

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

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.

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Moments From the 4th of July Weekend:

1. 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 :(
2. 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.
3. 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?!
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. I got some self time once Justice went down, floating around, soaking up rays and clearing my head.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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

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!

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Random Thoughts From Me:

1. 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?
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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?
6. 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.
7. 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!
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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!
11. 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!
12. 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.
13. 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.
    
    Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Football, Sleep, and Fabric Softeners

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?

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!