What a Birthday!

Well, yesterday was my birthday and it was a tough day due to a horrible tooth ache. I found out this week that my root canal from six years ago has failed and they have to do it again. Somehow bacteria got into the tooth and caused an infection so I started an antibiotic on Friday. I had the worst pain last night. I was okay during the day because I was busy with the girls and that kept my mind off of things. Which by the way, I need to report that Hannah didn't have any accidents yesterday. Yeah Hannah! She went in the potty 4 times and even asked to go to the bathroom one of those times. Anyway, once Dan got home from work the pain kicked in. We took the girls to Perkins for dinner and they both threw fits. So we came home and put them both to bed by 7:30. Then I lay in bed for the evening trying to watch television instead of focusing on the pain. At one point I started crying because the pain was too much. But when I woke up today I was pain free. Yipee! I am so glad that I feel better because Dan is taking me to the Japanese Steakhouse in Strongsville today. Then we are going to the mall so I can pick out a birthday present from him. He has learned that is the best way to give presents to me=) We are taking the baby with us because she refuses a bottle, but hopefully she will travel well with us. Mya will be staying with my mom today. It should be a nice weekend. On Monday I get to spend some time with my friends Jen and Jaimi for breakfast. Jen recently moved away but came home for Labor Day weekend so we are very excited to see her. God is so good!

Makeovers

If you are interested in doing something for yourself and having your spirits lifted with trying on make up and learning about colors that work well with your skin tone, give my sister a call. She is starting up her own business selling Mary Kay products and has quite the gift with finding the right colors for you. Feel free to call her at 419-289-9281 for your personal consultation with her. She is a sweet, laid back individual who loves the Lord and I know that you would enjoy working with her!

And then there were three......

This is my first week babysitting for beautiful Hannah. Now I have three children during the day and I am loving it. Hannah and Mya play really well together so I am a little more free to focus on baby Sara. When Hannah is not around, Mya is a little needy and would welcome the opportunity to be held ALL day in the rocking chair if I allowed it. However, Hannah is a great palymate for Mya and somehow Mya forgets quickly that she needs me so much. When Hannah came yesterday it was so encouraging to see the girls interact again. They started pretend playing immediately and played all morning. The giggling is the best! Now, is it as perfect as I make it sound during the day? Of course not. We have milk spills, crying, toy tug of war, stinky diapers, short naps (just Mya), and little falls here and there that require a Barbie band-aid. But am I having fun each day.....you bet ya! The best part of today was when Hannah went potty. It took all morning with her sitting on the potty every 20 minutes or so. She went in her underwear a couple times and didn't like that feeling. And finally after lunch she was sitting on the little potty coloring and laughing with Mya when all of the sudden she said, "Julie, I did it!" Then she proceeded to talk about how the pee was yellow. She was so impressed. She also called her mommy to tell her that it was yellow too. Pretty cute!

Summer Fun

We took a family trip to Wal-Mart tonight (what else is there to do on a Saturday night in Ashland?) and got a new sprinkler for Mya. She was hesitant, but had fun running past the water. I am trying to gather some outdoor water activities for our small yard because I start babysitting Hannah again on Monday. The girls will need some fun outdoor things to do during the day. I think I am going to get some fun squirt guns too.

Of course our summer is full of baby smiles too. Sara is finally smiling when we talk to her or even when she just looks at us. It is adorable!

Vote for Sara

Sara's picture has been entered in a blog contest. We need your votes! All you need to do is e-mail stephanie@mcfrederickphotography.com and tell her that you are voting for picture #1. You can vote once a day until August 27th.

Traveling With Liitle Kids......Ughhh

We began our mini vacation on Monday by driving to Columbus to spend the afternoon at Easton. Everything started off just fine with Mya and Sara taking a nap in the car and great conversation between me and Dan. Once we got to Easton we had an early dinner and that is when the chaos began. Mya acted up during the meal and Sara cried. Dan and I ate our meal quickly and grieved the fact that dinners together just aren't the same anymore with little kids. We decided that we definately need to have a date (without children) sometime soon. Mya continued to act up as we tried to shop and the hot weather didn't help with anyone's mood. So we decided to return to the hotel after shopping at only one store. Once we were in our hotel room, it took us two hours to put Mya to sleep (she discovered that jumping on hotel beds is really really fun). After throwing a huge tantrum she finally gave up and went to sleep around 10:00. Dan had to stand up and bounce Sara to sleep, which took another hour. Finally the kids were asleep and as soon as Dan and I laid down on our bed we fell asleep. The good news is that the kids slept through the night just fine. We woke up Tuesday morning and had a great continental breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to the zoo. It was hot and sticky and Mya lasted about an hour and then started having power struggles with us. Sara cried a lot because I had trouble nursing her under the blanket because it was so warm outside. We left after eating lunch and had a peaceful ride home in the car. We were all very glad to be back in our house. Mya was excited to see her toys again and Sara was glad to spend some time in her favorite swing. Thank you God that we have a wonderful home!

Photo Shoot

Yesterday (Saturday) we did a photo shoot with our brother-in-law. He was practicing his photography skills on all the cousins and we were blessed to have some family pictures done too. Ben did a great job and we are grateful for the results so we can share them with family and friends. I have included some of the highlights of the photo shoot. It was tiring with all the kids, but a great bonding time with our family.

Princess Sara and her King

Sara and Emma

Sara has a friend that is 3 weeks younger then her. They have exciting play dates together (tee hee).

Amish Country And A Few More Things

Thank you for all of your prayers for the class that Dan taught on Sunday morning. He did it! He taught the class on Obadiah and made it through just fine. He didn't seem nervous and presented the material with organization. The class members were very gracious to him and made him feel accepted and loved after he finished teaching. I am very proud of him for conquering this fear. In addition to that experience he spent the whole weekend on our neighbor's roof helping him put a new roof on. It was quite a weekend for him! But next week he is taking the whole week off for vacation. On Monday we are taking the girls to Columbus to stay for the night as well as go to the zoo and water park. I'm sure I will have a fun entry about that when we get back from that adventure.

Here are some updated pictures of Sara. She is growing so fast!

Today we went to Amish Country with my mom, sister and her two boys. We had so much fun taking a buggy ride and train ride as well as shopping for a few things. You'll notice that in one picture I am holding a cute Maltese dog. You'll be glad to know that I didn't bring it home even though I wanted to. I think two little ones are enough right now. However, this is the kind of dog we want to get some day. Instead I came home with new christmas ornaments for my tree, a pink cowboy hat for Mya, and a flower basket. Those are quite different things, aren't they? I always come home with fun things for my house when I go to Amish Country. Last time I came home with a new lazy boy chair/rocker for our living room and I have been in that chair ever since. It is the best chair for rocking babies and nursing.

Virtual Makeover

So I have been messing around with this virual makeover website (www.marykay.com/sseder) and it has been so fun! You can change the hairstyle and hair color as well as put makeup on your face. Try it out sometime, it is so cool and it is free.

New Things

I recently purchased an Ergo backpack and absolutely love it! My friend, Tara, from Maine told me about them and I am so glad she did. I am able to take Mya for a walk and push the baby in the stroller or vice versa. The backpack is for infants and toddlers up to 45 pounds. Today I went walking with my friend Jaimi and I backpacked Mya so I would get an extra workout. Since Mya is heavier it works my legs harder while I am walking and we purposely walked up a big hill. What a great walk!

I also got glasses this week. Six years ago I had the Lasik surgery on my eyes, but my vision has regressed just a tiny bit. I will only wear the glasses to watch television, drive, work on the computer, and read. It feels pretty strange to have them on my face again. But its fun to have a different look every once in a while.

Happy Anniversary To Us!

Today is our anniversary. We have been married for four years and I keep telling people that it seems like it has been much longer than that (I mean that in a GOOD way). We have accomplished a lot in four years including two children, paying off debt, job changes, car changes, and many other things. It just seems like four years is too short of a time for what we have been through. I also feel like I couldn't imagine my life without Dan. We have learned a lot about marriage in four years. Our first year was tough as we learned how to live together and put each other's needs first. We found out quickly that we were pretty selfish people and we had some work to do if we wanted to make our marriage great. We definately had some growing pains, but I am so amazed at how close we are now and how uniquely knit our relationship is. We have so much to be thankful for when it comes to our marriage. Dan has taught me so much about patience and perseverence. We both say all the time that we are in love with each other more now then the day we were married.

Prayer Requests

A couple prayer requests for our family...

Dan and I are thinking that we would like to have one more child in the hopefully "distant" future. However, we both know that God will be determining when that child will arrive. We just pray for a healthy pregnancy some day. We also continue to pray that we earnestly seek God's guidance with how many children we should have in our family. With my medical difficulties during a pregnancy it is hard to know whether or not we should have one more child. This last pregnancy was tough on my body, but we are hoping that the vein surgery might help the next pregnancy go a little smoother. We just put all of this in God's hands. If we aren't supposed to have another child then we will embrace our two little girls and thank God for what he has given us already.

I will be having vein surgery on my left leg on September 23rd. The doctor is concerned about a valve in my groin possibly not functioning correctly. If it is not working right then he will have to fix it. If I have to be "put under" for a surgery I pray that it goes smoothly because I have not experienced this before.

This Sunday Dan will be teaching our Sunday school class. The lesson will be on the prophet Obediah. This is his first time teaching a biblical lesson in front of a group so I pray for peace for him. He will be very nervous because he does not like to talk in front of people. However, I believe that he will do a great job because he knows the Bible well. I am excited for this opportunity for him. I pray that he gains the confidence that he needs to teach our class.

Skydiving Adventure

Dan absolutely loved skydiving! I sent him skydiving, which was his birthday present, with his dad, brother, and brother in law. The boys had a great time together. I think there was definately fear before they jumped but afterwards they said they had a fantastic time. Better them than me. I don't think you could pay me enough money to jump out of an airplane. I am so glad they had fun. Here are some pictures to document the great event.

Sara's first smile

Sara smiled for the camera today! We are so excited to see her grow and develop. I have included a picture of me and Mya too. Mya always has a pretty smile for us.