My first phone post!

Took this video this morning of sweet Micah talking to me. Too bad he woke me up extra early this morning for it too! Enjoy!! :)

- Posted by Joanna using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pictures

Went and got pictures done today

Here they are! I think they turned out great! :)

Products I love

Product NUMBER ONE that has made my life so much easier is the SWIFFER SWEEPER VAC. Let me just tell you how much I hate to sweep my floors with a broom and dust pan. Kiddos get into everything, bending down, trying to get all the dirt and dust into the pan… yuck. BUT the vacuum part picks up dirt, dust, and food up to the size of Cheerios, while the standard swiffer cloth picks up all the dust bunnies, hair, etc. It is the perfect duo. The box claims it will work better than your dust pan and broom or your money back. (I'm not sure how the money back works because I'll never have to use it!) Retails for $39.99 (but some other stores, like Meijer sell it for $28 and have 20% off sales a few times a year)

My next item is my Shark Steam Mop!! I got it for Mother's Day and LOVE IT. I don't have to worry about buying chemicals to put on my floor, and it cleans and sanitizes so fast. I Swiffer Sweep, then mop, and my whole house is like done in less than 30 minutes! Retails for $119 (Bed Bath and Beyond or Kohls sell it and you can use your 20% off coupons too!)

Lastly, one for the kiddies: Take N Toss Cups with lids and straws (we don't toss them for several months!). These work super great if you hate sippy cups with all the little pieces. (like me!) The first few weeks you use it the cup will be spill proof because the seal around the lid and straw is really tight. This does weaken over time. The picture below is from Amazon.com where you can buy theme cups with Cars, Mickey, Tinkerbell, Thomas the Train, etc. The basic color ones can be bought at Target and other stores. Retail: $3.99 for a 3 pack.

Monday Thoughts

Here is it Monday again! The weeks seem to be getting faster this year. Micah turned 3 months old last week and is growing and changing so much every day. Last night he slept upstairs in his big boy bed, in his big boy room, shared with his big brother Andrew! Last night was harder for me than I ever thought. Micah did great and woke up 13 hours later happy and ready to start the day. :)

Andrew has started the terrible two's a few weeks early. sigh. He has started screaming/screeching when he doesn't get his way, to get dressed, to go to bed/nap, and taking a bath. This seems like 95% of the time! We are trying to approach this with godly discipline and seek the Lord for guidance. (spare the rod, spoil the child!) Whew. BUT, when he is sweet my Andrew is SUPER SWEET, and when he is in a FUNNY MOOD, we all laugh.

Hannah is my potty trained princess! :) She is adjusting to our new church/new class well. She has also been doing great going potty and no accidents, even at night! I am so proud of her. There is no sign of the key she swallowed, but I am sure it has passed already and I missed it. Hannah recently got a Tinkerbell princess dress from Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate her potty training success. When she puts on the dress she asks me to make her fly. :)

Me and Josh - we have adjusted to a family of 5 and are enjoying this hot summer. The two weeks we were apart while the kids and I went down to Alabama were hard, but we are back together at last. :) We all have started attending First Baptist Church of Fisherville (KY) and are really enjoying it. Josh and I began the new members class and in a few weeks will be official members. In August I will begin teaching a children's Sunday School class, and Josh will be helping with music as well as starting his internship. We are excited about this new church, new opportunities to serve, and new people to get to know.

Home at Last

We are finally home from our two week vacation (me and kiddos only)! We had lots of fun visiting Josh's mom who was on a business trip in Nashville and then spending the rest of our time in Alabama visiting my Aunt Sharon, Uncle Bob, and cousins!

My Aunt Sharon's best friend Gail, has a nice indoor pool and we went swimming two days while there. It was a lot of fun. Micah even got in on it! Here are some pictures from the pool.

Hannah and Andrew

My swimmin' boy

Micah's first swim ever!

We had tons and tons of fun visiting family and me not having to do any household chores or cook!! :) Josh missed us TONS and we are glad to be back home and are adjusting back to the Eastern Time Zone.

In other news… food battles have gotten pretty bad with Hannah. Somehow early on we let it go and Hannah go super picky only eating chicken unless it was in breaded nugget form, etc. While in AL I was given the encouragement to stay strong in my food battle and it is really starting to pay off! Tonight, I made this super yummy Jenny-O turkey breast and mashed potatoes. Two things that Hannah would never normally even touch, but tonight she took a bite of each and even ate ALL her turkey! I am so proud of Hannah and had to take this picture to send to Tay-tay! :)

The empty plate!!!!!

So you don't think I am leaving Andrew out he is growing and talking like crazy! He repeats everything and is now starting to make sentences. He can put his own shoes on and even tries to get this self dressed. Andrew is such a ham and I know he is going to be the life of the party and will enjoy giving everyone a good laugh. My sweet boy is growing up and I can't believe he will be two next month!

Sweet Micah is changing EVERY DAY. Oh my. Today he started kicking his own legs to bounce himself in the bouncy seat! He loves to "talk" and smile (and flirt!). Micah has also giggled for the first time this week, found his hands and started grabbing his blanket, pulling it up to his mouth, and chewing on it! Oh I love my sweet sweet baby and can't believe he will be 3 months next week!!!

Sound asleep on daddy… look at those sweet hands… :)

Summer Fun

Poppy (my Dad) with his three grand kiddos!

Emily sharing her drink with Andrew at the ice skating rink.

(sideways) Princess Tinkerbell Hannah!! :)


Swimming!

Me and my sweet baby Micah! Who is still waking me up in the middle of the night to eat. But, I know I will miss him when he starts sleeping through the night.

I know he is wearing a "Baby's First 4th of July" shirt, but it was still patriotic and worked for Memorial Day!

In other news, HANNAH NOW GOES POTTY!!! With six days in we have had great sucess and only two accidents! Mommy is the most excited. :)