The "Up, Down" Song

So last Sunday after church, we were sitting at the dinner table eating, and Hunter started saying "up, down, up, down" and was raising his hands up and down as he said it. There are some times when we don't know what he is talking about so we just say, "Oh yeah?" and move on with the conversation. This was one of those times.

Then on Tuesday, I happened to look at the sheet from church that goes home with the parents every week telling us what they learned about during the service. (Silly me for not reading this before!) There was a song with motions on there about David and Goliath. I started to sing the song, and asked Hunter if that's what he was saying, and his eyes got really big and said, "YEAH!!" so then we sang it together and did the motions. He LOVES this song. It's so sweet to watch his little 2 year old body try to coordinate the moves. We got it on video so you could see too. :)

I'm so excited that he is retaining information at church. It's like a whole new stage. He gets to tell us about what he did during service, even if that means we have to read the sheet to figure out what he's talking about :)

5 Weeks

Ok, here's 5 weeks! I'm already LOVING my stretch pants, lol!

Oops!!!

So...


I was GOING to keep this news on the DL, but didn't discuss this with my husband, because I didn't think I needed to. Then, I got a "congratulations" text from a friend who said they saw the news on facebook. I log onto facebook and look at my husband's status which reads, "So....the Mrs is Prego." Then I look and see my SISTER'S status is "Liz is assuming I can make the announcement, since my bro-in-law just did...my little sis is having another baby sometime next January!!! SO EXCITED!!!"





OOPS! I guess I should have let Greg know I was planning on keeping it low key for a little while. I'm not mad in the least bit - it's my own fault for not discussing it with him. I guess I was just surprised, but definitely a GOOD surprised. I'm so glad that he was excited enough to let everyone know. :) The last pregnancy was...weird. He was indifferent about it (which in hind sight, I think was God) so to see how excited he is about this one just makes me that much MORE excited.





I'd been having symptoms all last week but was too scared to test. It's so much easier to just wait and see if your period comes than to see a negative pregnancy test.





Anyway, by Friday morning I couldn't wait any longer since my period was due on Tuesday (sorry if TMI.) I took the test, and almost immediately saw a line appearing. All I could say was, "OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH." And I'm not exaggerating - I walked around my house repeating that over and over just looking at the test for about 5 minutes straight. Hunter probably thought his mom had gone crazy. Thankfully, Greg had forgotten his wallet at home that day so we had to go up to his work and give it to him. Good thing, because I would have went there anyway! I pulled him outside of the building to get some privacy. He told me later that his first thought for me wanting privacy was that I needed to tell him I hit something with the car, lol! Anyway, he was very excited, and he told everyone in his shop that day. :) I love how excited he is. It makes me feel soo good.





I was so worried that when I became pregnant again, that all I would do is worry about a miscarriage. (Worrying about worrying, how's that for trust?) But that is NOT the case at all. God has given me such peace, which I am constantly thanking Him for. I still wonder why I miscarried last year. Maybe it's because me being due in 2 months from now would mean I couldn't work, and I don't believe we'll be financially stable on one salary by then. Or maybe it's so I would appreciate this pregnancy (and future ones too) that much more. And of course, us just NOT conceiving until now would have been another possibility, but that would have hurt in a whole different way. I'm not sure the reason, but I know the middle reason is at least true. I'm even more excited about this pregnancy than the last one. The miscarriage made me realize how special this is. Not that I wasn't excited with the last one, but we got pregnant so fast with Hunter, and I had a perfect pregnancy with him, so I didn't expect anything different with the next ones. God has opened my eyes even more to how special and how much of a blessing being pregnant is. I'm so thankful for that, and SO thankful for this child.





So, although I was going to keep it a secret for a little while, plans changed, and that's ok. :)


Any prayers for a healthy pregnancy are welcomed. Mommy, daddy, and baby really appreciate them! :)

...stay tuned for weekly pregnancy updates!...

New Purse

Yes, I know, only a WOMAN would blog about a fashion accessory!!

But it's not totally about just the purchase of the purse...

While Greg and I were visiting the Friedlein's, we made a trip to the PX and spend WAY too much on Marine Corps gear...we would have never thought there would be a time where we'd want as much as we could get! Anyway, I bought this purse...

I know I'm not really "green" anymore, but I still loved it. So anyway, I go to switch everything from my old purse into this one and discover that it's just one big pocket. Just a big "DUMP" purse. I did not like this so I decided to do something about it.

I sewed a double pocket on the inside. Now, I know this is nothing like some of you do, but I'm still very proud of myself. :) I wanted to put green cami print in it, but I had a scrap piece of desert cami fabric leftover from an apron I made, so I used that, because then I didn't have to buy anything.

Here's the finished product...

It doesn't look straight, but I promise - it is.

I based the size of the pocket off of my phone, since that what I mainly wanted it for. It turned out great, and I love having a safe place for my phone now! :)

I know, I know...

I'm terrible at this.

But please, don't be upset at what I've NOT blogged about in the past month or so and try to enjoy this one. :)

This past weekend, we went to visit the Friedlein's. They live about 3 hours north of us, so we went there Friday through Sunday evening.

We had such a wonderful visit. They have a 3 year old named David, and Hunter and he played very well together...well, maybe David is just a really good sharer and Hunter loved all of his toys. But Hunter did enjoy watching David play with airplanes, and picked up a few cool tricks.

On Saturday, we went to an air show in Maryland. This was my first time ever being in Maryland AND my first Air Show! It had (I believe) all the branches of the military there, (if not all, then most) so there were lots of different performers. I got to see a Harrier fly which I was happy about. The harrier is what Greg worked on when he was in the Marine Corps, and I finally got to see it in action. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures worth posting, because the airplane is too small in them. :( The air show finished with the Blue Angels, which was really cool to see. It's amazing what they do with the aircraft, and parts are nerve racking to watch!

On Sunday, we went to the Friedlein's church, and had a WONDERFUL service. The pastor preached on prayer being the first step in anything. It was a VERY good sermon. If you'd like to hear a podcast on it, you can go here. It's the sermon entitled "Get Your Motor Running."

After church, we went to the Marine Corps Museum. Greg has been wanting to go here since they opened it a few years back, so I was very glad that we got the opportunity for him to go. I know he really enjoyed it. I also know it really made him miss the USMC even more. I do miss it too. I miss the pride that comes along with my husband being a Marine. However, when I actually sit down and think about it, I don't know that deployments (especially now that we're parents) are worth that. I don't want Greg to be gone during a pregnancy again. I'd like him to be here to experience that with me. And I can't imagine him being away from Hunter for 6 months. They have such a wonderful relationship and I wouldn't want anything to happen to that. Hunter was the reason he decided to just get out at the end of his contract, and I don't think I'm sorry for that, even as much as I miss the pride that comes along with being a Marine wife.

But anyway, the museum was nice. :) They even have a harrier hanging from the ceiling when you first walk in.

Also, much to my surprise, they have the actual flag that was flown on Iwo Jima. It's amazing to me that they still have it. I would have included a picture, but to help preserve it, no flash photography was allowed, and there are no lights shining on it. So, I guess you'll just have to go see for yourself. :)

So that was our weekend. Very military, and very enjoyable. I miss the Friedleins SO much and am so glad they're within driving distance!

Thanks guys for a wonderful weekend. We all really enjoyed seeing you again and want to do it again very soon.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I got the original recipe from Keri, but modified it a little bit when I made my own.

Here's what you need:

A 5 gallon bucket

1/2 bar Ivory soap, grated

1/2 bar Fels Naptha, grated

3 pints water

1 cup baking soda

1 cup Borax

2 gallons hot water

2 gallons cold water

dish soap

rubbing alcohol

Containters for storing (milk jugs, plastic juice containers, old detergent bottles, etc.)

Now let me put a disclaimer out there about Fels Naptha before I continue. There's debate about whether or not it is toxic. It's an old, old cleaner that's been around for forever but some people claim it has toxic ingredients. I did my research so I could make an educated decision before using it, as I would recommend anyone to do. When it was first formulated, it contained Naphthalene, which IS toxic, however it was reformulated in the 90's and the Naphthalene was removed. It even says right on the bar "Contains no naphthalene." And as far as the other ingredients, I'm sure they're no more toxic than regular detergent you buy at the store. You can go to http://www.felsnaptha.com/ to see the list of them. Here's a picture of it so you know what you're looking for if you decide to use it. It did take me 8 grocery stores to find it, also. I finally found it as Harris Teeter, if you have one around you. If not, just check local grocery stores. You can buy it online at Ace Hardware and have it shipped (free) to your local store, but that means buying a 24 pack for $30. You can also buy it per bar on amazon. If you DON'T want to use it (to each his own) you can just substitute the other half of the Ivory soap. Just use a full bar of Ivory instead. I decided to use the Fels Naptha because it will help cut through grease, and any dirt my 2 year old loves to get on his clothes. Ok, moving on...

Once your soaps are grated, melt the soap over the stovetop in the 3 pints (or 6 cups) of water over low-medium heat. If you have the heat close to medium, watch it closely because mine almost boiled over! Simmer until all the soap is melted. Remove from heat and add Borax and baking soda. Mix thoroughly then transfer to your bucket.

Add the 2 gallons of hot water to your soap mixture first and mix well. If you add the cold, the soap will start to solidify again. Once the hot gallons are added and everything is mixed well, then add the cold water, and a squirt of dish soap (to help with degreasing) and a little rubbing alcohol for killing germs. Mix the soap realllyyyy well, then let sit for 24 hours.

After the 24 hours, mix the soap once again. It will have formed a thick skin on the top, so just try to mix that in as best you can. Mine never fully mixed in. It almost looks like egg drop soup. After mixing, just bottle it in whatever containers you've decided on. Leave a little room at the top because you want to give the soap a good shake before each use.

Use 1 cup per load (maybe closer to 1.5 cups if you have a high capacity washer.)

And voila! $1.75 for almost 5 gallons of detergent! Take that, Tide!

I'm Employed!

I got a job! I am so excited yet so exhausted (already!) at the same time!

I posted an ad on craigslist early last week about my ability to watch anyone's children who needed it. I was willing to do something constant, or even just a one time deal. I figured an extra $40 on one Friday night was more than I was currently bringing in at the moment. I stated that I would have to bring Hunter with me if it was during the day, and I figured it was up to the readers to decide if they wanted to email me, knowing from the beginning I have a 2 year old.

Anyway, that evening I got an email from a single mother of 3 kids. A 12 year old girl, 9 year old boy, and 6 year old girl. She needed someone during the week to take them and pick them up from school and then be with them until she got home from work at about 6 pm. She also needed someone to be there during the summer to keep them occupied and get them out of the house. I obviously emailed her back and we met Thursday night to discuss everything and so she could meet me. I brought Greg along since you can never be too careful with craigslist. She had said in her original email that she needed someone as of May 1, but after us meeting and being there for 2 hours, we were both so excited about the situation that I started the next day! I was with them Friday and Saturday all day, since they were still on spring break. Then, this morning, Hunter and I were out the door at 7 to get them and take them to school.

So far I really like it. They are good kids. They, of course, are typical kids, but they're fun. The boy is the antagonizer, the older sister tries to be the boss, and the little sister is a drama queen. It keeps it interesting though, even if sometimes I want to scream. ;)

I am really excited though, and it is definitely an answer to prayer (thank you all that joined with me in praying!) The salary is going to be a HUGE help for Greg and I, and we can breathe now about expenses. I am praising God for this position, and am so thankful that I get to have a job where Hunter is with me. I'm planning lots of fun for the summer. Also on my agenda: getting them to turn the bathroom light off when they leave the room, even if it kills me! (And it might.)