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.