The Weekend

This past weekend Joshua played in the sprinkler for the first time. And also, enjoyed splashing in puddles later after it rained. I also am including a cute sleeping picture..cause I couldn't resist. Doesn't he look like SUCH a big boy!!

It's a BOY!!

We were thrilled today to get to have another ultrasound that showed the baby being really healthy. Everything looked just great and it's officially a boy!! I'm so thrilled that Joshua will have a little brother and can't wait to meet the little guy. The baby is about 4 days ahead of schedule in growth and weighs 11 oz. All is well! Praise God!!

The picture is a 3d scan. Hopefully everyone can clearly see what everything is. Isn't technology amazing!!

Giveaway Winner

The winner for my giveaway is: Julie with Mom Two Ways.

I picked by using Random.org.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:6
Timestamp: 2008-04-28 15:38:44 UTC

Thanks to everyone who entered!!

Tomorrow..

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the worst 8 days of my life. This day last year my mom unexpectedly went to the hospital and died 7 days later. It's strange how I can't remember anything I did that day before I received the phone call that she was in the hospital but from the moment I received the call and for the 7 days that follow I remember almost every single detail. I remember where I sat, what I ate, what times I went where, everything. I have relived those 8 days of my life over and over again in my head. I often wonder if one instance would have changed any of the outcome.

I know this isn't a fun topic but I want to share this story. So here it is:

My mom worked a full day at her normal job then went on to her 2nd job which was teaching water aerobics - she taught 2 classes that night. During class her students thought that something was wrong with her as she was really short of breathe. My mom said she just wanted to go home, but her students insisted on bringing her to the hospital. I wonder if my mom would have driven home if she would have made it. Even though her death was extremely sudden and unexpected I am thankful for the 3 days I had with her in the hospital before she went into a coma. I'm thankful to those women for insisting that my mother needed help.

I remember the phone ringing that night but Joshua was throwing up so I didn't answer it but I could hear the answering machine in the distance. The call was from one of my mom's students telling me my mom was at the hospital. I ran to pick up the phone. They said they thought she had pneumonia. I rushed over there to find that my mom had congestive heart failure. My mom never smoked a cigarette in her life, she taught water aerobics 5 days a week and was only 57 years old. I was in total disbelief. I kept leaving my mom's room to go into the hall to cry and to call my husband & brother. I couldn't believe this was happening to my mom and I wanted to be so strong for her.

The next day was a Friday and my mom had a heart catheter that determined that she was going to need open heart surgery. My mom was a diabetic and her diabetes was a bit out of control. So they wanted to wait till Monday to do the surgery. In other words, it wasn't extremely urgent. They said her situation was serious but the surgery was very routine. The risk factor was like 1%. Those next few days my mom looked great. I would order her meals, hang out, make phone calls, and of course, secretly worry. My brother came into town late Friday night.

Monday morning, my husband, brother, and I got up bright and early to see her off to surgery. My mom was a nervous wreck. Really, she was horrible. She was having a panic attack and we were doing everything we could to keep her calm as we went down. She kept telling me that she wanted to be cremated - which of course, I brushed off as her fear. Because at this point, the doctors said she would get to come home with me the following Monday. During the long, long surgery I was worried but I was also planning for my mom to come live with me while she recovered. I was thinking about getting a t.v for my guest bedroom and borrowing a recliner from someone. I remember how thrilled I was when they called me over the intercom to come to the phone for an update. They told me my mom made it through surgery and everything went great. She was still sedated but they were going to get her settled and slowly get her to wake up that we could see her in a few hours.

A few hours later we went to see her in the ICU. I expected her to look bad, but she looked horrible. When we got there the doctor informed me that she wasn't doing well. That they didn't know why but she wasn't waking up. That she wasn't responding the way a person normally does after surgery. I went from feeling elated that the worst was over to finding out that things weren't good. They said to go home and rest and see what the next 24 hours brought.

The next day was a Tuesday and we went in to find that she was now considered to be in a coma. That things were even worse. I was her health care power of attorney so they needed me for all the decisions regarding her health. They wanted to open her back up to see if something went wrong and to place a pump in her heart to help it recover more on its own. They did that and still found nothing wrong. They could not explain her condition. Wednesday her kidneys shut down and they started her on dialysis. Thursday her liver shut down and they told me they thought she no longer had any brain function. It just continued to go from bad to worse. And by Friday she was gone.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss my mom. Losing her is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to me. She was my best friend. I'm sad that she will never meet the baby I'm carrying. That she never got to hear Joshua call her Grandma - which he does say when he sees her pictures. That I can't just call her for any little thing that I think of like I use to. I just miss her so much.

Thanks for letting me share this story.

Bloom Swap

Carrie & Monica held a Bloom Swap which I participated in. It was lots of fun and really got me into the Spring feel! Here is what I sent my partner.

Here is what my partner, Amy sent me! I can't wait to plant the gladiolas that she sent and read the book on container gardening. Thanks Amy!

Vegetable Garden Tips

We are planning on tilling our garden this weekend to get ready to plant in a few weeks. So I thought I would share some new gardening tips that I recently learned.

• Plant pepper plants so that the leaves touch each other - they will yield more.
• Add 1 tsp of Epsom salt around the base of each tomato plant at planting for better production.
• Use old newspaper as a weed block.
• Group corn in rows as they pollinate by the wind.
• Group squash, corn, and beans together for better growing.
• Always water in the morning to prevent fungus growth and insects.
• Marigolds or Chrysanthemums planted at the edge of the garden keeps Japanese beetles away.
• Always water at the base of plants using a soaker hose if possible. Avoid getting tomatoes wet on the vine - it causes spots.
• You can use mulch in gardens - it holds in moisture and helps block weeds.

Please feel free to share any gardening tips you might have!

Giveaway - 2 Books - Simple Abundance & Something More

I decided to participate in my first Bloggy Giveaway. So for the giveaway - I am giving 2 hardcover books to one winner. The books are Simple Abundance & Something More both by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

To participate leave a comment with a way to get in contact with you - either by blog or email. I will pick a winner at 5pm EST Sunday April 27th . Any comments after that time/date will not be eligible. I'm sorry but I will not ship internationally.

This post is part of the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. Stop on by over there for more bloggy giveaways.

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day. I am so impressed with how much the country has really seemed to make an effort lately towards more Green living. I don't do a lot but hope to continue to increase what I can do for our Earth.

Here are some sites with some Earth Day tips & crafts:
Earth Day Tips

Kaboose - Tips, Recipes, Crafts

Enchanted Learning - Crafts

Nick Jr Earth Day Crafts

Crayola Crafts

Updated: Here are a few ways my family is planning or already trying to go Green!

• Replace bulbs in house with energy-saving light bulbs. We currently have about 5 of these bulbs but need to work on replacing all of the bulbs in our house. Here is a link to find out more about how you can do this.
• NOT using plastic/paper bags from the grocery store and instead using recycled bags. I started doing this a little over a week ago and encouraged a friend to start doing it too. So I'm really pleased with this progress.
• Growing a garden.
• Driving less. I'm working to plan my trips more efficiently to save on gas mileage and to lessen my overall driving.
• Turning off lights & unplugging appliances. This is something I've been doing for awhile. I need to make sure that I continue to do this. I was amazed to learn how much energy is being drained just by having things plugged in.
• Recycle!! I'm making more of an effort to recycle more of the items that I use. Sometimes, I get lazy and don't take the time to recycle some items like - the cardboard from toilet paper rolls. It's amazing how many things should go in the recycle bin but end up in the garbage. A goal I have is to get a bigger recycle bin so I'm more encouraged to use it since our recycling pick up is only every other week.
• Use LESS disposable items. I'm pretty good at using sponges and wash clothes for dishes etc but I could certainly use LESS paper towels and use more cloth towels. I am still unwilling to give up my disposable diapers but hope to potty train very soon so that we have only 1 kid in diapers.

These are just a few items that are really rather simple. I hope to continue to expand and grow this list. What are you doing to live green?

Joshua's Room Makeover - Part 2

So we FINALLY finished the bed and got it all set up. The crib is out and the big boy bed is totally in. Joshua thinks he is the mack daddy lately! He is so proud of all his 'big boy' stuff. In my spare time, I've been taping his room so I can finish painting the top half then we will be done. Slow but sure.
Then....my next goal is to get him potty trained over the summer so that I only have 1 kid in diapers. ***sigh***

My Friend Jill

Here is the picture I mentioned last week of my friend Jill and I that her 3 year old daughter took. Pretty impressive I think for a 3 year old.

Summer Activities

I've been starting to research my local area for things to do over the summer with Joshua. Here are some of the things we will be doing this summer.

1. Free movies. Our local theatre offers free movies for kids. Also, Mom Advice had a great blog about discount Summer movies for kids in areas all over the country.
2. The pool. There is a neighborhood a few miles away that has a pool membership for $200 that I just can't pass up. The pool is clean and with a lifeguard and great fun for our family.
3. Storytime at the Library. Always a fun activity for us and free, free, free!
4. Playdates at the park. I try to set up a playdate once a week for us - usually on Thursdays. During the summer we spend LOTS of time at our local park.
5. Gardening. I gave up my vegetable garden the last two summers but this summer I'm putting it back and think Joshua will have a BLAST watching the vegetables grow. On one end I'll be putting in my Sunflowers for the Sunflower Project.
6. Vacation Bible School. I usually volunteer for VBS and haven't definitely decided on this or not since Joshua is still kind of young to benefit. We'll see on this one.
7. Sprinkler parties. I've decided to have several events in my yard this summer which I'm basically calling sprinkler parties. Which basically means - inviting my friends and their kids over to run in the sprinklers.

How are you keeping your kids busy over the summer?

Summer Sunflower Project

I saw this at Cheaper by the 1/2 Dozen and thought it looked like a great family project for the summer. It's all about growing sunflowers to help the bee population. They provide a free kit with all the supplies. Check it out!

Imagine...
Doing science right in your own backyard

Take part in “The Great Sunflower Project”

Great family activity
Prior knowledge of bees not necessary
It’s easy
It won’t take any more than 30 minutes
Do it in pots, or a private or public garden
All you need is a sunflower
Free materials (including information and seeds)
Participate alone or with others
Share observations online or by mail
••••••••

For more information: http://www.greatsunflower.org/

Snopes.com

I wish everyone used Snopes. I appreciate people thinking about me to pass on helpful tips or clever emails...but so many of them are obviously questionable and end up being untrue and yet they go around the world via email for years. I pretty much check out EVERYTHING that is the smallest bit questionable at Snopes.com. They have a wealth of information and help stop all the unnecessary and untrue emails that go round and round for years to come. So my helpful tip for the day, is check out those emails at Snopes.com before you send them to people.

When the cats away...

I had a training seminar today so John stayed home with Joshua. When John ignored Joshua's repeated request for a 'peepop' (lollipop) this is what happened. Joshua found a bag of candy which came from the pinata at his birthday party - dumped it all out and found a peepop. Somehow, he also took his pants off on the way as well!

Good Friends

My dear friend Jill moved about 6 hours away last year. I was so very sad to see her go but am so lucky that she gets to visit from time to time as she has family close by. I'm thankful that over the last week we have had the chance to spend a good amount of time together. Here are some pictures of Joshua and her daughter Holden from today. Holden also took a picture of Jill and I - which was hilarious by the way - but it's on Jill's camera so as soon as I get it I'll post it.

Santa Fe Wraps

This is a Paula Deen recipe from the Food Network that my friend made the other day - I LOVED it! This is the full recipe - but I recommend as does she - using only 1/2 the recipe.

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese softened
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 1/2-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 (4 1/4-ounce) can chopped olives
1 cup (4-ounce) shredded pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoons salsa, plus salsa for dipping, optional
1/2 cup green onion tops, sliced
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 packages flour tortillas

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy. Then add sour cream, green chiles, olives, pepper jack cheese, salsa, and onion tops. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer. Stir in spinach. Spread mixture evenly over the surface of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas tightly and cut each tortilla crosswise into 6 slices. Skewer each wrap with a wooden toothpick. Serve immediately or chill. Serve with salsa for dipping, if desired.

Stepping Stone

This is a stepping stone craft I led in our MOPS group today. We needed enough for 20 ladies so we used a 60 lb bag of concrete and mixed it in a bucket but adding water till we got the right consistency. We had 20 plant trays and poured the concrete in each then everyone decorated their own with shells, stones, etc. This craft cost about $40 for all 20 stones but could be much more affordable by using tools from home. We had bought little stamps to letter the stones too but you could easily do it with a knife or stick or something else. This was a fun craft to do and I look forward to doing it at home again to make stepping stones for around my yard or as gifts. In this picture, my stone is still drying.

The Birthday Party

Joshua had a great birthday party over the weekend. We feel so blessed to be surrounded with so many people who love Joshua. I love that Joshua has so many friends who could come and share in his special day! I was hoping that after days and days of rain that the sun would come out and we could play outside but while it did stop raining it was WAY too soggy to go outside. So we had 30 people - 10 of which were kids running around having a blast in our small home. It was cozy and just perfect!! Joshua also blew out the candle on his cupcake all by himself! Although, of course, my health nut didn't eat a single bite of his cupcake he did enjoy stealing fruit off of all of his guests plates.

Don't you just want to squeeze him!!

Happy Birthday Joshua!!!

Today Joshua is 2 years old. This is an emotional day for me as I watch him grow into such a big boy and as I remember getting the phone call we got this day 2 years ago telling us that he was born. We jumped on a plane within 3 hours. After we held Joshua at the hospital and took several pictures we had to go to a hotel room for a couple of hours without him before we could officially bring him home with us from the hospital the next day. I will never forget laying in bed with John with the hotel room completely dark going through the pictures on the digital camera of our precious new son. This picture is one of those pictures. Happy Birthday Joshua!!

Ok, I have to add a few more pictures cause I really liked the one of us being wheeled out of the hospital with Joshua the next day and then a few days later in the other picture you can see how tiny he was.