The Rundown

I don't like it when I go almost 2 weeks without blogging.  You can bet that when that happens, it is not for lack of blog fodder.  We have been ridiculously busy around here.  So here we go:

1. Emily's 18th birthday.  We celebrated Emily's birthday twice this year.  On Saturday night we went to her favorite restaurant, J. Peter's, with Grayson, Allen, and Kelli.  It was really yummy and worth the wait (Note: Don't try going to J.Peter's on a Friday or Saturday night unless you have had a snack and are prepared to wait.). 

On Sunday night after church, Emily's brother, Andrew, and some friends planned a surprise party for her at her house.  Emily cried upon realizing what was happening (such a tender-hearted young'un), but was soon wearing a big smile as we ate pizza, looked at gifts, and of course, showed everyone how she and I dominate on the The Michael Jackson Experience Wii game.

2. Valentine's Day. We normally don't do anything really special on Valentine's Day.  In fact we could not remember the last time we actually went out on V-day.  Well this year, my best friend from way back, Carolyn, invited us to hang with her and her husband, Paul, this year.  We at dinner at Outback and then got some TCBY.  It was simple, but so fun.  We never have a problem finding a topic of conversation with these two. You know the friends, the ones you can immediately fall back into conversation with even though you haven't seen each other in months.  The best part of the night was trying to take pictures in the parking lot by ourselves. 

 We finally got this shot on our 3rd try with the timer.

 And that's the real us...what a crew.

3. Baby registries.  I started a baby registry online when we were snowed in for an entire week.  I have since then been to 3 different stores trying to figure out what to keep, what to add, and what to delete.  The best part about going to the stores, however, is the goody bag that you get.  The first actual store I went to (so I could actually put hands on all the stuff I had chosen online) was Babies R Us.  You get a little ditty bag, a small pack of wipes, a diaper, and some coupons.  Not bad.

At Buy Buy Baby, however, you get a full-size bottle of lotion (not the largest bottle, but not the travel size), a bib, 2 magazines, a Mam pacifier, lots of coupons, some cream, and a free sample of a wipe that gets rid of germs.  Um, Buy Buy Baby, you just kicked Babies R Us' rear!  And I must say I really like the amount of choices they have and the abundance of help that is never hard to find.

Then there's Target.  You get a ton of free stuff all inside a cute reusable shopping bag.  They probably had the best coupons, although they all expired at the end of February so I had to go ahead and use them.  They did have the best gift of all: a $20 Shutterfly gift card that doesn't expire until June.  So let's all pray that we have a baby before June so I can make a cute little book about him/her with my gift card. 

 Note: I know that 3 registries is absolutely crazy, but I will address that in another post and hopefully get some feedback from you guys.

4. A New Job.  Don't get too excited.  It's not a complete change.  Jeff and I have been talking about how next year would look for us.  Being a public school teacher, I cannot give a 2-week notice when we get the phone call that Little One is here and then bolt.  It has been decided that I will not be teaching full-time next year, whether Little One is here or not.  We have prayed, crunched the numbers, looked at many options, and reached our decision.  In the meantime, I am trying to work as much as possible so I have picked up a part-time job after school 3 days a week.  I am teaching in an afterschool program at our school that is funded through Clemson.  It has made for a super long week this week because of all of the extra evening events we had planned.  However, when that money comes in, it is going straight to the ole savings account so hopefully Jeff and I will be able to buy something decent to eat next year and not have to live on water and Ramen noodles. 

5. Alexis' 18th birthday.  Yes, we had another birthday to celebrate this week.  I, of course, didn't bring my camera because by Tuesday evening I had already work 20+ hours outside of my house (see #4).  Anyhoo, we went to eat at Sumo's and had a great time the big ole fam.  Jeff got some of their sushi, and I even tried a piece.  We decided that we need to double date with Alexis and her boyfriend, Blake, because they both like sushi and Alexis and I could take it or leave it. 

6. Gifts.  Back to Valentine's Day...Let's face it, the only thing Jeff and I really want right now is a baby.  Our gift-giving has become much more toned-down and more practical.  I told Jeff that for Valentine's Day, I really wanted to figure out how to hook our laptop up to our TV (because we watch most programs online) and I wanted to get a wireless keyboard and mouse so we wouldn't have to pull the laptop out all of the time.  Well, if you read the last post, you know we are not on the cutting edge of technology.  We still have an old TV, not a flat screen, so we were not able to do that.  Instead, we each picked out a Wii game and bought another controller.  Anyone who wants to come over and challenge me to a dancing duel, you're on!  

 My game.  Jeff picked out a James Bond game for himself. 

Our electric blue controller

Weekend Recap

The past two weekends have been full of family and fun (which reminds me, I really need to teach my children about alliteration).

Last weekend, my family came over to check out what we have been up to in our house.  They only live a half hour away, but when we gather, it is usually at mom and dad's house.  They had not seen the floors or the nursery or more importantly, the wii. 

[Sidebar: My family (both immediate and extended) are always way behind when it comes to technology, so while the rest of you are eagerly awaiting some new and cooler play thing, we are getting excited about the awesome deal we got on our newfangled play-pretty.] 

While I got dinner together, everyone took turns bowling.  Then mom and dad boxed, while Bekah and I laughed until we couldn't breathe.  I kept having to tell my mom to back up from the television.  Jeff kept telling her to move up (he really wants a flat screen, but again we are not on the cutting edge when it comes to technology).  

 Jeff checking his score

 Dad gettin' his bowl on

 Mom-she is very serious about any game

 Bekah-check out the stance and the wrist with a twist

 Dad boxing-He was really good at it

 Mom during one of her way-to-close-to-the-tv moves

Now on to this weekend...

Jeff had to take a class in Charleston and he called his sister, Carrie, to see if he could stay with her.  I, of course, had to join him.  Carrie was able to get time off from work too and we played together.  I have no pictures of us because we spent the majority of our time discovering and immersing ourselves in the world of children's consignment.  We tried shopping at the outlets, but after seeing those prices at the consignment store, we couldn't even bear to pay sale prices. 

I know what you are saying..."SE, you need to stop buying stuff...SE, everything you bought looks like it is for a boy." Well, I couldn't help it with these prices and you can but a big ole bow on her head and everyone will know she's a girl.  Besides, Uncle Christian (Carrie's husband) can't wait to take Little One out on the land to get all muddy. Whether a little girl or a little boy, Little One needs some outdoor gear.  Which leads us to the pics below...overalls and boots for every age.

 3-6 month overalls and soft boots

 6-9 month overalls and soft boots

 did I mention they were Justin boots??

18-24 month overalls and boots with hard bottoms

The boots were all right around $2.50-$3.50 a pair and the overalls were $0.50 each!  I told Carrie that when we know the gender of Little One, I was putting in a call to her and she was to go forth to the consignment store and shop.  

What a deal

So on Thursday afternoon I was reading blogs, and I saw that Laura had gotten some great deals at Old Navy.  I was already itching to get out of the house for a bit so I scooted on over to Old Navy to see what I could find.  I found this.

zip-up jacket for Jeff, springy shirt for me, lavender ruffle cami for me, flowery flats for me, and red and white striped pants for little one.

It all cost right at $14.00.  I left it displayed like this on the couch for Jeff, but I have to admit that a quick glance on Friday morning put a smile on my face as I walked out the door to work.

Guess who?

Click on this.

if

If Little One is a girl, this is what she will wear home from the hospital.

 this was mine when I was a little one

If Little One is a boy, this is what he will wear home from the hospital.

 a gift from Mimi, my mom

And Little One, whether a he or a she, will be wrapped up in this blanket.

 this was also mine when I was a little one, and yes, I know it has pink on it

This is my favorite right now.  I just pull them out of the drawer and hold them.  So tiny.

Now back to this gender thing.  I have always wanted a boy.  I know you are supposed to say "I want the baby to be healthy" and I do, but I really want a boy.  I think it is because Jeff loves his mother and he would do anything for her, but he does not neglect me as his wife in the process.  And because we have a super cool boy named picked out.  However, my mother bestowed upon me recently the gift of baby girl clothes.  Not just any baby girl clothes, but baby girl clothes that my sisters and I used to wear.  The kind of thing you just can't fine anywhere else.

these are just 6 of the several baby girl outfits I have.  we must have worn a brand new dress every time we entered the church house doors!

So now I really want twins, a girl and a boy.

our children

Our children are not our property.  They belong to God.  We are given the job of raising and training them while they are on the earth.

This is helpful for us to remember at all stages in the adoption process.  God determines whether you will raise children.  If you do raise children, they will inevitably grow up and leave you.  If you remember tat they are always subjects to God's influence, this will make their coming or going, their health or misfortune, easier for you to bear.  If you entrust them into God's care at an early age, you and your children can share in this confidence.

Children are a reward from the Lord (Ps. 127:3).  We are their caretakers on earth.  but their heavenly Father watches over them constantly and eternally.  He is a "father of the fatherless" (Ps. 68:5) and has a plan for each of us. 

" "For I know the plans I have for you.' declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' " (Jer. 29:11).  It is our charge, in the short time our children are with us, to encourage them in their love and knowledge of the Lord so that their lives will be a tribute to a gracious God.

~Should You Adopt? by C.M. Field

the baby fairies

It started out just like any other Wednesday.  Get ready for work.  Make sure there is a plan for dinner.  Mold sweet young fourth grade minds.  Faculty meeting at 3:15. 

I came home and went straight to the kitchen to get dinner started so we could eat before church.  I peeked over the couch and saw my sweet hubs napping away after a long night at work.  While standing at the end of the couch, something caught my eye. 

I turned around to see all of this...

 stroller and infant car seat

 swing and bouncy seat combo with a plug-in feature

 pack 'n play (still packed, not yet played with)

car seat base

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law had expressed an interest in buying us one of our larger, more expensive, much needed items.  I sent Carrie (SIL) a link to what we wanted and told her to shop around.  I seriously thought they would pick one of the items.  Oh no, they bought all of them in the pattern we really wanted!  They were super sneaky about it too!  They called Jeff on Sunday and told him that he had some packages to go pick up at Buy Buy Baby today.  He picked them up and put them all together. :)  It made me a little teary-eyed to see everything, knowing that a baby is in the not-too-distant future and that this baby will be welcomed into a very loving extended family on both sides.