Pancake & Pajama Party

In one of Hannah's favorite episodes of "Max & Ruby," Ruby has a pajama party in the middle of the day (not a sleep over). When we asked Karis to come over for a play date this week, and Miss Jeanna said she could come Thursday morning, Hannah's first thought was . . . pajama party!!! So, Karis joined us bright and early yesterday morning for pancakes and pajama fun. The girls stayed in their PJ's until noon . . . and yes, because I know you're wondering-- Mommy did too! But, in my defense I was doing house work and catching up on computer correspondence!


Mmmm . . . pancakes!!!



Hannah being silly.


Friends!

Madeline's "Dress Up" Debut

When you have a big sister, it goes without saying that you will watch and copy her. I was folding clothes in Hannah's room (Tuesday), when she decided she was going to play "dress up." As Madeline watched Hannah sift through the pile of old costumes, princess dresses, and ballet gear, you could almost see the proverbial light bulb come on above her head. She carefully bent over, picked up a pink sequin and feather flapper costume and waddled over to me. I asked Madeline if she wanted to wear the outfit, and she shook her head yes. Once I had dressed her, she walked over to the hats, picked the hat of her choice and began to admire herself in the mirror. It was so funny to watch a 13 month old play "dress up." "Dressing Up" began for Hannah somewhere around the age of 2 1/2 . . . but, monkey see, monkey do!



Dressing up with big sister.


Our little drama queen putting on a performance in the mirror.


Madeline butterfly looking in mirror.


Dancing.

30 Something, Meeting Isaac, & Easter Sunday

It's official, I'm a "30 Something." On March 21st, another decade of my life came to a close, as did 9 years of reminders from my younger husband (all of four months) that I would be turning 30 years old before him. Though he has incessantly teased and made fun of me, he more than made up for it with a much undeserved birthday gift (seen in picture)-- a new digital SLR Canon Rebel XT. I was so unprepared and overwhelmed to receive such a gift that it took me a while to warm up to the fact that I was holding my very own digital SLR camera, which my loving husband delighted in giving me. However, once the battery was charged and the CF card installed the picture taking began without a moment's hesitation-- I think I took over 300 pictures over the course of the weekend. I can't wait to begin learning how to properly use the manual settings.

My 30th birthday was very enjoyable. Katie, Jimmy, and Isaac arrived very late Thursday night, so they were able to celebrate my birthday with our family on Friday. We were all so excited to finally meet sweet Isaac-- who is quite adorable and has a very healthy head of hair. It was a lot of fun to see my sister in the role of "mommy." We treated ourselves to lunch and dinner out on Friday (no cooking for this birthday girl!), dining at two of my favorite local restaurants (Dick's Famous Hot Dogs & Monticellos). After dinner, Hannah and Jonathan made Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownies for dessert-- my favorite!!!

Saturday was spent leisurely hanging out around the house, going to the park, and grilling out hamburgers. It was very special to have the Whitlocks here on Easter Sunday, as we all reflected on what Christ accomplished on the cross and rejoiced in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. After church, the Childers joined us for Easter Dinner (lunch).

We were sad to see Katie, Jimmy, and baby Isaac go on Monday morning, but we are very happy for the time we had with them. We made many special memories, and of course-- we have thousands of pictures! Here are just a few of those pictures:




For different pictures and Isaac's account of the visit, link to Katie's blog here: http://thewhitlocks.blogspot.com.

Mommy Thoughts Header

No, the new image in the "Mommy Thoughts" header is not a portrait of me and my girls, it is a painting by Mary Stevenson Cassatt, entitled "Mother and Two Children." I did, however, choose the painting because I thought it resembled the three of us. I love art, especially mother-child portraits, things from the Impressionist period, and images that evoke nostalgia; but, mostly I am just having fun messing around with the look of my blog.

For The Grandmas (Great Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, & Cousins Too!)

Madeline puts on this little "shy" act when she is around other people-- going about her business all quiet and demure, or just sitting there. On top of that, during the majority of our recent visits with relatives, she was quite sick. So, I don't really feel like everyone got to see her silly personality. Of course, once the camera came out the super silliness stopped, but here is a little glimpse into Miss Madeline's true personality:

As We Look To The Cross; Part 2

I just finished reading our friend Tim's blog and wanted to share a link to his most recent blog post, as it is a beautiful reflection of God's sovereignty in pre-ordaining and bringing to pass the events leading up to Christ's crucifixion, and a joyful reminder that Christ willingly laid down His life, in order that we (deserving wrath and condemnation) might be justified by His blood, and saved from God's wrath through Him (Romans 5:9). As Tim states, Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

As We Look To The Cross

As Easter approaches, and we spend time meditating on the cross and what Christ accomplished, I thought I would share one of our family's favorite songs-- The Gospel Song. We found this Sovereign Grace song when Hannah was just beginning to learn the gospel, and began to teach her the words and sing the song during family worship. Now that my keyboard stays out, I recently downloaded the piano score for $1 from Sovereign Grace's website, and I am learning to play along with Jonathan (on the guitar). This song is such a beautiful way to teach your children the gospel.

The Gospel Song

Holy God, in love, became
perfect Man to bear my blame.
On the cross he took my sin.
By his death I live again.

-Words: Drew Jones/ Music: Bob Kauflin

More Visitors

This weekend we enjoyed a visit from my Uncle Gary and Aunt Barb, as they passed through Wilson on their way home from a vacation in Hilton Head. We had not seen Barb and Gary since Hannah was two months old (Katie and Jimmy's wedding). Needless to say, we were delighted to have them as guests in our home. Hannah and Gary made fast friends-- building with LEGOS and playing "Go Fish."

Barb and Gary, it was a lot of fun to "catch up" and see you playing with our girls. Thank you for treating us to dinner. We hope to see you again soon!




Playing with a toy phone.


Hannah and Madeline with Barb and Gary.

A Wonderfully Thrifty Week

The girls and I enjoyed a delightfully thrifty week. If you know me, you know that I enjoy a good bargain. I would usually (not always) rather find something used and in good condition than purchase it new. I love activities that are free, and I will spend hours clipping coupons, comparison shopping, and traveling to different grocery stores in order to save money. Well, this week made my frugal heart happy! On Wednesday morning, we enjoyed our usual story time at the library (free!), then we headed to the Good Will to drop of a huge bag from my recent closet purging session. After about 40 minutes of combing the racks, I emerged with three button downs for Jonathan, three shirts for mommy, two new skirts for mommy, and a Christmas dress for Hannah (next year). Then we headed to ALDI for some money saving grocery shopping. If you have a local ALDI and are not benefitting from the savings, you are missing out. I get a large majority of my dry goods, some frozen things, and depending on the day, some meat and produce from ALDI-- it amounts to big savings. Friday morning was spent sifting through racks of second hand kids clothes (with Jeanna, Karis, and Noah) at a huge kids consignment sale in Rocky Mount. I found many spring/summer dresses for Hannah, some pajamas for the girls, and a few things for my new nephew Isaac. Jeanna did very well -- coming home with an exersaucer for little Noah. Saturday morning was spent at a new local playground (free!!!) with Daddy. The girls thoroughly enjoyed a mild afternoon running around outside, and most importantly, playing with Daddy. All in all it was a penny-pinching week that made me quite giddy!

Spring Picture Potpourri

Here is a glimpse of a few things we have been enjoying as spring approaches . . . our backyard and deck (which as you'll see from photos is one of the next projects!), the sunny office/bonus room, and the huge bay window.




.

This 'N That

I am happy to report that we are healthy!!! Woo hoo!!! God is good! Thank you for your encouragement and prayers as we dealt with our most recent illnesses. I am also happy to report that our last few lingering projects from Phase 1 are complete! Another obvious variable under the "why are we sick so often" microscope is stress. If you have kept up with us, you know that we have been through many of those "major changes/life stresses" in one year that they recommend you don't do all at once (e.g. potty training, move, 2 new jobs, new baby, another new job, move again, home renovations). I don't pretend to think we are the only people in the world who have had such a year, I can think of several friends with far more "stress variables" factoring into their current life scenerios-- I am just hoping that the completion of these last few tasks (cleaning out and organizing the bonus room/office, which has served as project central, and borrowing the world's tallest ladder to remove the old track lighting and fan and replace the fan) will allow us to slow down a little and not keep such horrible hours (many projects were done into the wee hours of the morning). And, most importantly I want to give God the glory for carrying us through this year. I cannot imagine facing a year full of so many uncertainties, decisions, and stresses without the hope found in Christ.

Switching gears . . . I have to share two of my favorite most recent "Hannah-isms":

1. We sometimes sit Hannah down and ask her a series of random questions (Kids Say The Darndest Things style) for our own personal entertainment. In a recent series of questions, Jonathan asked, "What do you think we should do about border control?" Hannah responded, "just scrub it away." I still wonder what kind of border she thinks we were referring to, but her timing, words, and expression were priceless!!! Though I do not agree with her stance on border issues--haha!
   
2. Jonathan was grilling out and asked Hannah to carry the lighter back inside to Mommy. He told her to be very careful and give it right to Mommy-- to which she responded, "Why? Does it have danger in it?" Too cute!

In other news, Madeline pretty much walks around the house now, continues to add to her verbal and sign language vocabulary, has some crazy new dance moves, and has begun throwing temper tantrums (the rolling on the floor kicking kind-- hello sin nature!). And, like her Mommy before her, Madeline is a blankie girl! She must have it to sleep with and sometimes carries it around the house. The only problem is that I only bought one of the cute little lovies when I found it at Wal-mart a few months ago-- not realizing this blankie would become THE lovie of choice. Of course, our Wal-mart no longer keeps them in stock, and you can't find the company on the Internet (Blankets & Beyond out of Canada). I came across a few of the blankies on Ebay, but they all have bears attached. Oh, and in case you are wondering-- I still have my blankie (don't worry it's in a drawer I haven't slept with it since the night before my wedding--stop laughing!!!)

Lastly, some link sharing . . . Justin and Jonathan are currently preaching through the gospel of John. You can listen to their sermons on the CBC website. Here is a link to Jonathan's sermon from John 1:14-18 on the incarnation of Christ. I so enjoyed meditating on and being overwhelmed by the divine Word becoming flesh, dwelling among us, revealing the glory of the eternal Word--full of grace and truth. Justin and Jonathan were also interviewed recently (along with Pastor Dwayne Millioni--who helped to plant our church) for an Insight podcast with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina on the topic of church planting. I am biased, but I always enjoy gleaning from and listening to the godly wisdom and insight of these three men. If you are interested in listening to the podcast click here.

New Look For CBC Website

Our new CBC website is officially up on the web. Jonathan has been working on this re-vamp for quite some time. Some new features include much better organization of sermons and a church-wide calendar.

A Smoothie

A Smoothie-- could this be the answer to our picky eating problems???? I mentioned in the last post that I am evaluating some of the variables that may be leading to our family's frequent illnesses over the past year. One variable that is currently under the microscope is the way we eat. I personally LOVE all veggies, fruits, water, etc. -- however, over the years, I began to cater to my three picky eaters. I will say that Jonathan's taste buds have evolved since we have been married-- sometimes they have been forced to expand-- nevertheless, he will now eat tomatoes, peppers, spinach and other leafy greens, zucchini, squash, asparagus, and green beans (all unheard of prior to taking our wedding vows). Over the past couple of years, I have done some light reading/studying on holistic diets, raw foods, etc. but I have never really tried to implement any of these principals into our current diets. Well, thanks to my friend Kristi's recent post about the Live Lightly Tour, I spent some time reading up on Sara's blogs and decided to try a few things from the Happy Foody site. My children drank banana-berry-zucchini (didn't have any leafy greens) smoothies (with no sugar added) yesterday! Maybe this is the answer to getting in those raw veggies?!?!!? I must add that my husband has been an incredible sport, as he has cleaned his vegetarian plate two nights in a row. Wednesday I served Tuscan Vegetable Ragout, and last night we experimented with Lentil Dahl on flat bread. While I do not plan on eradicating meat entirely from our diet (we are grilling out steak tonight), or going entirely raw, I definitely want to learn what I can and implement many of these principals into our diets and change our eating habits and hopefully our physical well being. I have struggled with the desire to change my eating habits for reasons of vanity for years; but, God has finally brought me under conviction for how I care for the body He has given me for reasons of stewardship -- it is His temple (1 Cor. 6:19). I think this means eating more of the foods that He created for us to enjoy and less of the foods that a factory processed for us to enjoy. Unfortunately, a healthier menu comes with a loftier price tag-- so if you have any tips for a budget minded shopper please send them my way. I am also looking for some new (tried and true) recipes.

Feeling Better & A Very Special Visit

Well, Madeline and I are still not "out of the woods" with our various sicknesses. After nine days of feeling miserable, coughing, and not being able to talk I finally broke down and went to the Urgent Care (I learned a new trick-- go right before close, they have to see you and they're in a hurry!). In typical fashion, I opened my mouth only to hear a gasp from the doctor . . . Wow, you have really big tonsils-- and you have strep throat-- I don't even have take a swab to tell you that! Apparently I had a severe cold or sinus infection, and then also developed Strep Throat. With a prescription for an antibiotic in hand (and a strong recommendation to visit an ENT for a tonsillectomy consult), I was off and wishing I had visited the Urgent Care much sooner. I took Madeline to the doctor the following afternoon and found that she did not have Strep, but did have a mild ear infection due to the prolonged cold/sinus infection. We're a motley crew, but we are definitely beginning to feel better. I'm not exactly sure why our family has been sick so many times since relocating from Florida one year ago, but I'm evaluating several variables. Anyway, feeling better never felt so good!!! God was so good to sustain me through the last two weeks-- though I was sick, I give Him the glory for enabling me to continue to care for my family.

Despite our sickness, we really enjoyed a special visit over the weekend with my Poppy and Shirley (the girls Great Grand Poppy and G G), as well as my mom. We do not get to visit with Poppy and Shirley very often-- in fact the last time we saw them, I was pregnant with Madeline. So, this was an introductory visit for Madeline. We showed Poppy and Shirley around town, introduced them to Dick's Famous Hot Dogs, made our obligatory visit to the Imagination Station, and even got in some outdoors time on a mild Saturday afternoon. Of course, we also took lots of pictures. Grammy stayed until Tuesday morning, when the girls and I drove her to the airport. Ever since then, the girls and I have been laying low-- recovering from our two rounds of company and illness. Hopefully we can all get healthy and stay that way for the next couple of weeks, as my sister, brother in-law, and new nephew plan to visit over Easter weekend.

Here are some pictures from our visit: