Everything Under the Son

It seems impossible, but today my baby girl is five! Being Natalie's mommy is one of life's greatest blessings. Watching her learn and grow has been amazing, and the things she continues to teach to me are too many to count.

Pure joy, that's what she is! Laughing, smiling, playing, and TALKING are some of her favorites. She absolutely loves to ask questions, and keeps me on my toes. Though she may be frustrated by him, she adores her little brother Levi and misses Carson and Hope like crazy!

Natalie, I love you so much more than words could adequately express. I love you so much it hurts...and just like you said to me last night before you tucked in, "I love you...always". You are growing up way too fast, but I am so excited to see what God has planned for your life. I know He has planned something big and special, and it brings me such joy to watch you as you develop your own relationship with Him!

Lord, thank you for Natalie and the joy she brings to us. You knew the desires of my heart. You listened to every prayer I sent up asking for children, and you sent her to me! I know she is really yours, and I feel blessed that you have given her to us to care for and to teach about You! Loving her gives me a glimpse of the love I know you have for me! Thank you!

So today, join me as we celebrate Natalie! Here are some cute pictures of my girl....and stay tuned, there will be more posting in the days to come about the whirlwind weekend of partying we did!

As promised, here are some pictures of our backyard garden. We have had so much fun preparing the soil, planting the seeds and starters, and watering. I know there is still MUCH work ahead as we continue to water and weed, waiting for our bounty! Natalie and Levi are LOVING it! They even have their own garden tools and gloves!

I just wanted to take a minute to brag on my talented husband. All of the backgrounds I have had throughout the seasons on my blog are actually photographs he has taken. Unbelievable! The rainbow picture that I had first was taken from our front yard last summer after a rain shower. The snow berries photo was taken after a snow last year...the berries were growing in the fenceline close to our mailbox, and he snapped that beautiful shot while out taking a walk. The sunflower that he has just changed the template over to is a close-up he took on my parents' land! I LOVE it!

Anyway...I just wanted to brag a little! He is such a talented photographer, and it is really something he enjoys! He even does most of the photography of the kids, which helps out the budget so much! He always takes our Christmas card photos, and is good to get lots of fun pics when we are out and about as a family!

Check back soon so you can see photos of our garden as well as some egg-hunting pictures!

Happy Easter y'all!

And most importantly...CELEBRATE!! He is Risen...oh yes He is!

Spring has sprung and it is the time of year to work in the garden! Today, we spent the afternoon working outside, sweating in the sun, working the earth as we have formed a garden. We are so excited to be able to plant seeds and watch them grow...I know the kids are going to love it!

We have included lots of veggies in our garden, and are hopeful for some free healthy eating this summer! Luckily, our whole family loves some good zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes. We are hopeful the plants will thrive and provide an abundance so we can share with friends and neighbors.

So now that some of the work is done, we can watch God work. We can witness Him take those tiny seeds and plants, and turn them into large plants full of vegetation! Only God can orchestrate such beautiful artwork from a few tiny seeds and a pile of dirt!

So we watch, we water, we weed, and we wait for God to reveal Himself again in the beauty of a garden!

Well, I had written a long post filled with emotion and anger, but decided to let it sit for a bit. Suffice it to say, I am having a bit of an emotional week. I am just feeling lots of anger because my Carson is not here with me. I am mad at the situation, because I wanted it to be different. I am mad at the world, for it seems to have moved on so easily, and forgotten my precious child. I am mad at myself because I should have handled things differently when Carson died. I am angry with God, because I know things could have been different.

I know all of this anger will pass. It seems to come in waves. Waves of sadness, waves of pain, and waves of anger. It's just the life I live...life missing my beautiful baby boy Carson.

The bright side is that I also believe with all of my heart that I will see that little cutie pie again someday. That is the hope I have because of Jesus! Hope that I will see my Carson in Heaven...he will be waiting for me, and folks, it will truly be a day of rejoicing! You will probably be able to hear the party from Heaven!

Natalie has a birthday coming up in a few weeks. She is turning five, but we won't talk about it right now. I'm feeling many emotions...excited for her, sad for me, weepy that it's all gone by so quickly.

Anyway, she decided that she wanted to invite two of her Pre-K friends and we would have a Mommy-Daughter pottery painting party. I think it is going to be great fun for everyone!

I have been trying to figure out what I can give the girls as a 'goodie' the day of the party since they won't actually be getting what they paint for a couple of weeks. I didn't want them to leave empty handed, but I also didn't want to give the typical 'goodie bag' stuff that always seems to end up in the floorboard of the car afterwards.

After some thinking and pondering, I decided I would give something that could be useful at the party, as well as useful afterwards - and something that was cutesy since I am into cutesy! And so, this is what I ended up making:

Check back by in a bit!

I have been working on a little craft and will be posting pics as soon as they are dry!

I know, the suspense is exciting!

Back by popular demand, I am posting my menu plan for the week. Obviously things could change at any time, but this is the plan I am trying to adhere to...for my sanity and for budget reasons! :)

Monday: Lemon Pepper Chicken with Steamed Veggies (We didn't get to this one last week.)

Tuesday: Homemade Pizza Rolls - this is an easy freezer recipe I found that I want to try out!

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken with Organic Mac and Cheese and Carrots

Thursday: Chicken Pesto Tortellini with bread (a favorite from my OAM cooking friend!)

Yes, I know, we eat lots of chicken around here. Nathaniel is not a fan of red meat, so we stick with the chicken and pork most of the time. It doesn't make sense that he would not be interested in steaks and such, but he isn't. Chicken works for me...and my kids love it too!


Breakfasts this week will consist of Oatmeal, Yogurt, Waffles, or Eggs. Lunches will be leftovers, sandwiches (peanut butter and banana is a favorite for the kids!), or Fruit-Yogurt-Cheese. My kids love the fruit-yogurt-cheese combo! Today for lunch, they had the combo, and I enjoyed leftovers of a yummy Chicken and Orzo casserole...MMMM good!

So here is what I need from you. I am looking for some recipes with quinoa. Do any of you use it? What are some of your favorite quinoa recipes? I have been really wanting to prepare some for my family, but I am just not quite sure where to start! Can you help a girl out?

That's your mission for today...quinoa recipes! Hurry, and report back here ASAP! :)

A new week has officially started. The children's consignment sale is officially over, and I am officially tired. My kids are officially under-the weather...again. I officially have no less than 15 things on my to-do list for tomorrow. I am officially stressed about the schedule for the week, and the budget for the month.

It's official...I need a Diet Coke!!

********but*********

I am officially in love with my kids and my husband, and most importantly, my God! I saw this on a sign today:

Jesus
Others
You

Interestingly enough, the acronym spells JOY! When Jesus is first, others are second, and I am last, I know my life will be full of joy!

How about you? Do you have JOY?

Today is just not my day. Do you ever have those days?

It is not even lunch and I could already be dubbed "Worst Mother of the Year"...don't ask. And to top it off, I am serving my kids Ramen Noodles for lunch. Interesting, I know.

I'm banking on a better afternoon...

This week is the twice-yearly children's consignment sale, Dittos for Kiddos. If I am not around much, you will understand why!

I hope you are all having a great beginning to the first week of March! I have MUCH to do...meal planning, OAM cooking prep, housework, playing with the kids, laundry, and of course, working Dittos for Kiddos!

What's on your calendar this week?