tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74429532012-01-25T11:23:54.219-05:00My travels, my trials, my triumphs, and what I've learned and am learning through them.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.comBlogger5211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-64628340333034770922011-10-19T15:09:00.002-05:002011-10-21T19:59:16.635-05:00

Ever since I was pregnant with AJ, I've been horrified quite frequently as I perused the offerings in many children's clothing stores.  Bibs that said "Brat," shirts that said "Diva," items that proclaimed loud and proud how the CHILD was the one in charge!  This glorification of poor and disrespectful behavior in children is something that has long troubled (and at times sickened) me.  For the

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-12852285429136475632011-08-18T15:32:00.000-05:002011-08-18T15:32:21.302-05:00

So I recently emailed a question to "SimpleMom" Tsh Oxenreider which has generated a lot of awesome discussion on her site.  You're welcome to chime in with your thoughts here, but it'd be more useful to more people over there.  The gist of the question is "do I give a food pantry items that I wouldn't feed to my own family?" In reading through the comments though, it amused me the assumptions

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-42145760724762878002011-07-18T13:52:00.000-05:002011-07-18T13:52:33.257-05:00

So I often have "mommy guilt" over the fact that it seems like all I ever do is correct my children.  When I'm not correcting, I'm mostly moralizing (as in, someone (on TV, in a book, in real life, etc.) does something and so we discuss how that action was foolish or unkind or whatever...or the flip side - what they did was very kind, generous, wise, etc.).  Sometimes it's little things ("AJ, get

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-43491426437607079122011-07-13T15:59:00.000-05:002011-07-13T15:59:45.086-05:00

So my mom was visiting the other day when the kids and I found this HUGE dead beetle in the driveway (insert inappropriate John Lennon joke here). Annnnyway.....it only seemed natural to me to run over to my mom and ask what kind of beetle it was (not "do you know..." but simply "what kind...").  Her deadpan response was, "There are more species of beetle on the Earth than all other creatures

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-47536532763239335792011-07-12T15:31:00.000-05:002011-07-12T15:31:13.700-05:00

So my last post was in November of 2010.  It's now July of 2011.  Been awhile.  Might be awhile again before another post comes up.  There's just too much of life to live. But I did want to point out one thing.  From the inception of this blog until now (really my most recent birthday which was three weeks ago, I just didn't get around to fixing things here until today because did I mention that

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-76807890149735676392010-11-18T15:12:00.001-05:002010-11-18T15:15:03.046-05:00

So it's National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child.  Our church's official "turn in your box" day was Sunday, so I gave it a few days to let the last of the stragglers come in, then I picked them up today (all 109 of them!) after our MOPS steering team meeting.  I dropped Joanna off at home with the babysitter before taking AJ with me to the collection site.  Prior to leaving the

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-8775703692820655062010-11-11T14:51:00.000-05:002010-11-11T14:51:00.608-05:00

So the other day, AJ announced, "Look, Mommy!  I drew my name!" So I looked on the paper and, sure enough, there were the letters "A" and "J," clear as a bell. And knowing that I have done no such instruction, I asked (several times) if his babysitter had been practicing with him.  "Nope" (each time I asked). And to make sure it wasn't a fluke (or that maybe the babysitter had written it

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-35943251568367674092010-11-04T08:09:00.000-05:002010-11-04T08:09:14.304-05:00

So I thought about posting several times yesterday.  But then I forgot.  So I made it two whole days this year. Oh well.  I'll keep going, but I'm not gonna be too upset if I miss more days since I've already blown it (NaBlowPoMo?).  Haha.  Sorry...still sleepy....

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-30434962335985958682010-11-02T14:17:00.000-05:002010-11-02T14:17:07.295-05:00

I voted.  I feel like that's an obligatory statement today.  But I did. I also just had the best Greek salad I've ever had for lunch.  It was a pre-packaged one I bought at the cafeteria.  I've bought them before and have no idea what was so spectacular about this one, but it was G-O-O-D, GOOD! Now you know (and knowing is half the battle). (The other half probably includes actually _doing_

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-52613932490375302022010-11-01T09:37:00.000-05:002010-11-01T09:37:58.548-05:00

That's right....it's my kids' grandparents' favorite time of year - National Blog Posting Month, where I'm supposed to post every day for a month..  I made it last year.  I'm not feeling terribly inspired, but we'll give it a go again this year. For our first post, the cutest pirates in the world:

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-27920819737233666752010-10-01T10:24:00.000-05:002010-10-01T10:24:39.809-05:00

So I haven't posted much in a while.  It wasn't intentional, life's just happened.  A lot.  And I haven't felt like talking about it necessarily.  Nothing bad, just too busy to ponder deep ponderings or come up with witty things to say. But something prompted me to look at my blog stats today, which made me notice that there are actually real people looking at my blog occasionally and not just

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-53803590555850203752010-08-19T13:54:00.000-05:002010-08-19T13:54:05.921-05:00

So I think I've talked about our love for Phil Vischer's new venture JellyTelly.com and its spin-off "What's in the Bible? With Buck Denver." We love them.  A lot.  We haven't _quite_ camped out at the local bookstore to make sure we get ours on its release date, but we're really not far from it. Well, a few weeks ago, they were asking for people to guest post on their blog.  I offered.  Then I

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-19106174101906437652010-06-19T14:39:00.000-05:002010-06-19T14:39:20.763-05:00

So VNB's been working long, crazy hours for what seems like forever.  It doesn't help that in between weeks of long, crazy hours, he's had opportunities to go backpacking with friends, either leaving me and the kids at home, or leaving us back at the campground with other friends and kids.  But his location changed computer systems a few weeks ago and he needed to prep for that, then deal with

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-51834501547399868682010-06-18T11:07:00.000-05:002010-06-18T11:07:08.729-05:00

So really, this hasn't become an "all review all the time" kind of blog, I've just had a couple of reviews that were due at certain times (like this one) and haven't posted much in between.  I'm getting back to where I think I'll start posting again soon, really. But back to the book.  This is this year's MOPS devotional book (which is included as part of the mentor mom membership!) - Out of the

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-48492102242372704412010-06-14T12:45:00.000-05:002010-06-14T12:45:03.435-05:00

So, a crazy thing has been happening lately.  People have been reading my blog.  I don't get it.  I've hardly posted in like two months and yet random people that I don't know keep following my blog.  It's not even halfway through the year and I've already surpassed my page-load stats from last year.  Granted, I think I forgot to add in the counter code back in for a little while last year after

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-41813077168979218532010-06-11T11:09:00.000-05:002010-06-11T11:09:00.347-05:00

So this year MOPS sent me their "theme" book again to review (for free!!  LOVE IT!).  And like last year, it was well worth the read.  This year's theme is "Momology: The Art and Science of Mothering," so it makes very good sense for the theme book to be called "Momology: A Mom's Guide to Shaping Great Kids."  It was written by Shelly Radic, the Chief of Staff for MOPS, International with a

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-84330608338802995802010-04-26T10:23:00.000-05:002010-04-26T10:23:06.818-05:00

So there for a while, I was posting almost _regularly_!  Bet you though I was gonna keep it up, didn't you? Fooled you! Just kidding....it's been super busy these past few weeks.  Really, I'll get back to posting here shortly.  I've got at least one book review that's overdue, another one due soon, one more "deep pondering" that's been percolating for a while (having to do, ironically, with

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-77877859117789989052010-04-06T08:07:00.001-05:002010-04-06T14:10:28.252-05:00

Today we're part of something big here at "Common Sense."  Jon Acuff of StuffChristiansLike.net is doing one of his (in)famous "scorecard" posts, but is letting lots of us, his readers, participate by posting individual scorecard items on our sites.  Click through to SCL to see the whole scorecard.  The key will be posted tomorrow on his site. So, without further ado... The “Is that contestant

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-33005764557274905462010-03-31T21:51:00.000-05:002010-03-31T21:51:04.108-05:00

On Saturday, April 24th, I'll be getting up earlier than normal.  Leaving the kids and their daddy in their beds, putting on some running shoes, and making a valiant attempt at running an entire 5k.  Theoretically, I'll be training for it too, but if it goes anything like last year, that won't actually happen.  But it's only 5k.  I can "run" most of that.  And walk the rest. But it's all for a

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-909730899135052952010-03-26T14:28:00.002-05:002010-03-26T15:21:56.025-05:00

Because of may factors all coming together recently, I've come to a realization: most "church friends" are really a lot more like co-workers than they actually are friends.Now, before I get to far into this, I want whatever non-church-going friends I have (that actually read this) to understand that I'm not so much downing the church as I am just pointing out the nature of the beast (if you will)

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-37761905362444068412010-03-19T10:30:00.000-05:002010-03-20T10:02:22.068-05:00

So recently I signed up with "BookSneeze" which is Thomas Nelson Publishers' way of using social media to get the word out about their new books. You get to pick a book, they send it to you (for free!), you read it, then you review it on your blog and on a consumer blog (like Amazon).I just finished reading it, so here's my review of Winston Churchill: Christian Encounter Series by John Perry:

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-29618826321256430852010-03-11T14:41:00.003-05:002010-03-11T14:51:55.744-05:00

So today, our MOPS group packed our buckets. Each discussion group filled their own as I read aloud a prayer I'd written, calling out each food item as it was to be packed. In one of the sections of the prayer, I asked that the food in the buckets would be multiplied (thinking that, like the widow, it would last the Haitian family until they could provide for themselves).I'd brought a fifth

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-80207428893330939352010-03-09T21:22:00.002-05:002010-03-09T22:23:10.580-05:00

A few days ago, I mentioned that I'd been busy with something called "Buckets of Hope," but I've failed to mention what it is exactly and since time is quickly running out, I wanted to give you the scoop.Basically, the "Buckets of Hope" campaign is a way for people to give food to Haitian families through the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. They've got more info here,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-57921851081685559702010-03-08T16:14:00.002-05:002010-03-08T16:21:31.733-05:00

Right now, several bloggers are in Kenya checking out Compassion, International's work there. I think I already posted about it. Yep. Hopefully you've been reading along on their posts.If you haven't, here are two recent ones telling the story of meeting Eliud.Brad Ruggles: A Father to the FatherlessShaun Groves: Sight for the BlindAre you rich?I know that I am.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-23349071437536573052010-03-05T10:48:00.003-05:002010-03-05T11:51:19.924-05:00

(Hey Company Girls! Our virtual coffee time these last few weeks has been taken over by info about the Help Haiti Live concert. I hope that didn't offend you, but I couldn't think of a better way to get the info out to a lot of people than to bring you, my Company Girls along! Now that the concert's over, I'll remind you of the auctions that are still on-going here and mention the group of

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-66612460184320658972010-03-04T16:48:00.003-05:002010-03-04T17:08:33.140-05:00

So Compassion, International has brought a group of bloggers over to Kenya for a few days to look into their work there. None of these are folks that I follow normally (except for Shaun Groves), but I am for the duration of the trip (as I have for past trips they've taken) because what they express is so raw and powerful. It keeps my attitude in check.Anyway, they'll be over there until March

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-44513754665761977502010-03-01T14:27:00.004-05:002010-03-01T14:44:35.930-05:00

So really, this blog isn't going to stop talking about my kids and life...it's just been crazy these past few weeks given the Haiti earthquake with stuff going on. The kids are good. Joanna's got 12 teeth (all 8 in the front and the first molars, skipping the canines). AJ's attempting to forgo his naps (his mama will not be foiled, however - there _WILL_ be quiet time, whether he sleeps or not

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-12090534398153745312010-02-25T17:28:00.003-05:002010-02-25T17:44:12.556-05:00

So, I'm not saying that I haven't been distracted by other things (like this and this (more to come on this later) and a meeting and chatting with my office mate and others), but part of me is wildly proud that I've made progress at work today and part of me is devastated by how small the progress was.I'm doing a project with some people that do things (that's about the extent of my knowledge of

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-17084384273459833232010-02-25T14:43:00.003-05:002010-02-25T14:59:24.373-05:00

So this weekend is the Help Haiti Live concert! Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, the LA show was canceled, but the Nashville show is on (and possibly sold out!) and you can still watch it live (for free!) at HelpHaitiLive.com on Saturday, February 27th at 7:30 PM (Central - that's 8:30 PM in MD). You can see the line-up here, or you can look at my last blog post about it here.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-48503148466614806112010-02-18T15:19:00.004-05:002010-02-18T15:48:54.544-05:00

So I'm beginning to think that our kids watch too much TV (and by "TV" I really mean mostly DVDs as we gave up on the ever-changing PBS line-up many moons ago). Do I think this because the first thing my son says when he gets out of bed in the morning and after his nap is "I wanna watch a moooooo-vie on the TV?" No...that's not it. Is it because the TV is pretty much on the entire time that

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-64020429880642424502010-02-15T11:01:00.005-05:002010-02-22T11:38:05.743-05:00

Here's a new way for you to help out Compassion, International's work in Haiti - most of you from the comfort of your home, fairly inexpensively, and while enjoying some awesome artists!HelpHaitiLive is a concert to benefit Compassion (sponsored by lots of folks, but especially Gaylord Entertainment). It will take place in Nashville at the Ryman and LA at the Wiltern Theater on Saturday,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-62077605745624577042010-02-11T21:43:00.002-05:002010-02-11T22:05:57.626-05:00

So five years ago tomorrow, I had my first real conversation with a certain "Very Nice Boy." About five months after that conversation, the "Very Nice Boy" became my "Very Nice Betrothed." And four years ago today, my "Very Nice Betrothed" became my "Very Nice Beloved." (That would be "VNB" otherwise known as "my husband" for those of you who are new here. I think I'm "done" with "quotes" now

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-19103076331187350372010-02-10T12:21:00.003-05:002010-02-10T12:33:02.799-05:00

So in the midst of "Snowpocalypse 3.0" (i.e., the third blizzard in the DC area this winter - we've surpassed the old record for snow totals and we're still in the middle of this storm with another one looming early next week!), I wanted to share a couple of quotes I noticed for the first time a few days ago as I re-read a favorite book from my childhood - E.L. Konigsburg's "From the Mixed-up

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-31402628747115556392010-02-02T16:14:00.003-05:002010-02-02T16:33:00.892-05:00

Another ongoing project that our MOPS group has is a partnership with the Laurel Pregnancy Center. You can find more about them and their ministry by checking out their website here, but suffice it to say that they offer all of their services for free and those services include pregnancy tests, options education, viability ultrasounds, parenting classes, post-abortion counseling, and many more.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-46557301249566976302010-02-01T17:08:00.003-05:002010-02-01T17:13:40.615-05:00

If you've been listening to Christian radio at all today, then you already know that today is the day that everyone is banding together to "Help Haiti with Compassion" (as in, Compassion, International). Some folks have done crazy things to raise money in order to donate it all today. Some people "just" gave their hard-earned cash.Whatever your case may be, if you're still looking for ways to

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-17645859848128280352010-02-01T12:41:00.003-05:002010-02-01T12:57:17.796-05:00

So until just recently, my dad has been a minister of music (and sometimes youth). Sometimes he was full-time (most of my childhood, but not since my senior year in high school), sometimes bi-vocational, but always on a church staff. Still, he's not so much the type to talk about his kids from the pulpit, using something we said or did as an object lesson for the congregation.So it was a new

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-13600231382745945222010-01-30T09:51:00.003-05:002010-01-30T10:08:00.186-05:00

I've put off writing about this project because other than that we want to, we don't have any definite plans right now. But you can still be praying for our efforts, so here's my current hope.1) We want to do what will be most effective. If that's collecting money, then we'll collect money. If that's collecting stuff, then we'll collect stuff. But while they may be able to purchase more stuff

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-65977462886566607712010-01-29T23:22:00.009-05:002010-01-29T23:58:56.606-05:00

So, as you all know, my son LOVES Thomas the Tank Engine (and all of his friends). Apparently the love of model trains is hereditary. VNB got it from his grandfather, and AJ got it from...well, both VNB and my mom (looks like it skips a generation here and there). One of VNB's first bonding moments with AJ was the week after AJ was born, sitting watching the trains run on the layout that

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-51695080396062593622010-01-22T14:51:00.007-05:002010-01-26T11:38:59.436-05:00

So Wednesday afternoon, I was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine with Joanna perched on my lap. She had grabbed a coupon that I'd torn out of the magazine and was in the process of scrunching and munching it, so I took it away, tore off a page that I'd finished reading, and handed it to her. She delightedly played with that paper instead, swinging it up and down while I read.And then, she

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-18012271311568210222010-01-20T11:18:00.002-05:002010-01-20T11:29:04.405-05:00

Our church has a Saturday night service that I play piano and sing for. It's called "Amplified" because that makes it sound cool and because "Saturday night service" is a mouthful. Our motto is "Life Loud" with the assumption that we'd be living so for a purpose (i.e., Jesus), not just running around yelling all the time.Well, before Christmas (at our only December service due to snow and other

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-1822364605663592162010-01-18T11:04:00.003-05:002010-01-18T11:15:06.495-05:00

So here's one of the on-going projects that I'm currently involved with. Our MOPS group collects items, puts them in gift bags, and delivers them to our local hospital to be given to ladies who give birth there. The things we put in the bags are the following:HomeLife or MomSense magazinehandmade knitted baby hat or "no-sew" fleece blanket/snugglyCoupon for a free meal at our local

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-91396819025127380702010-01-15T13:27:00.004-05:002010-01-15T14:10:06.629-05:00

So I've recently become a fan of a "little" site called "Stuff Christians Like." It's one of those places that's wildly hilarious to those on the inside and probably not at all interesting to someone who hasn't been a part of a Western institutional church for a while.Today's post got me thinking about something that's been percolating in the back of my brain for a little while now.This past

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-37075687443983664582010-01-14T14:21:00.003-05:002010-01-14T15:12:10.476-05:00

So by now everyone's heard about the ~7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti a few days ago just outside of the capitol Port-au-Prince. As someone who is very much impressed by the work of Compassion, International, I wanted to give you, my three readers, a synopsis of how you can help with their work in Haiti as they try to rebuild.First off, the status of their various centers there is

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-32592256414243522062010-01-08T16:57:00.003-05:002010-01-11T09:19:54.818-05:00

So 75 years ago today, Elvis was born.But that's not important right now.What's important is that _three_ years ago, AJ was born! At the same moment, a new mommy and daddy were born as well!It's been an amazing, tiring, fun, wonderful ride watching this little person _become_. Today he has his own interests and habits. He can dress himself except for socks (and some shoes). Take care of his

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-87785130415013199212010-01-04T11:01:00.003-05:002010-01-04T11:18:07.858-05:00

I just went through and updated the kids lists off to the right. Thanks to everyone for being both generous and respectful of our wishes. We were very happy to come home from Christmas and AJ's birthday party both with less stuff than we went with (for our house anyway - the pregnancy center will be thrilled with your generosity!)! The kids still love their new toys, VERY much appreciate their

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-20194664901620415922009-12-25T14:56:00.015-05:002009-12-25T16:02:51.761-05:00

For those of our loved ones who weren't with us this morning, here are a few pictures/videos of the kids this morning with their Christmas goodies.AJ's "haul" - don't worry - he's sitting down!AJ opening a gift"Nooooooooo! Don't make me show off my new duds!"Learning to unwrapLearning to unwrap some more!Not quite sure what it is"Where's the baby?"Cutest picture of all time AJ opening a gift

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-40014597383304655072009-12-25T00:00:00.005-05:002009-12-25T00:00:06.441-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,This year for Christmas, we decided that instead of more "stuff" for each of you who, like us, are insanely blessed, we'd use that money to bless someone who would otherwise not have anything by giving them an animal through Heifer, International.Here's AJ to tell you which one we picked:And here's Heifer's description of what a water buffalo will do for the family that is

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-89144048792274000712009-12-22T01:24:00.000-05:002009-12-22T01:24:39.419-05:00

So ever since I saw the MythBusters where they tested various objects to see how germy they were compared to a toilet seat, I've had a _REALLY_ hard time touching my dish sponge.  When I clean my fork at work now, I wash it and my hands off with their antibacterial soap after "washing" the fork with dish soap and the sponge.  And I'm not a fan of the anti-bacterial (you know - super germs and

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-77911651690382945752009-12-19T20:45:00.000-05:002009-12-19T20:45:00.685-05:00

I'm not usually one for pimping other people's blogs, but this post by Shaun Groves is awesome.  Great perspective.  Great hope.  Possibly even "good news of great joy!"

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-88305783273546204622009-12-16T16:21:00.000-05:002009-12-16T16:21:16.296-05:00

So last night, our little ones gave me two blessings: 1) Joanna slept until 5:30!!!!!!  I got like SIX hours of uninterrupted sleep!!! B) While his timing was impeccable (he woke up at 6:30 to tell me this, so I'd been back asleep for less than an hour), AJ _woke_up_ to tell me that he needed to go potty.  Then he got up, sat on the potty, peed (in a timely fashion), got re-dressed, got back in

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-7993459677254178252009-12-04T12:57:00.000-05:002009-12-04T12:57:24.942-05:00

Apologies for any spelling mistakes.  Blogger used to have a spell-checker....it doesn't seem to anymore, for some reason. Anyway.... Joanna's still not really "walking" yet (although she took her first steps a week or so ago), but she _is_ getting far more confident in letting go of things and standing without support.  She'll pull up on the coffee table, let go, twist her body around, and

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-9812521133138612622009-11-30T15:16:00.002-05:002009-11-30T15:20:38.965-05:00

Woohoo!!! 30 posts in 30 days! I didn't forget even once! I think the birthdays and Christmas/birthday lists helped a LOT, but even so, I did it!Third time's the charm, I guess! :)The question now is.....do I continue? We'll see. I'm certainly not going to get out of bed just to post if I miss a day. Bed gravity is WAY too high for that!

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-35398638543823612902009-11-29T15:35:00.002-05:002009-11-29T15:51:38.737-05:00

So our small group is reading the book "The Divine Commodity" by Skye Jethani. I wouldn't say that it's necessarily blowing my mind, but I _would_ say that it's bringing together some scattered thoughts that I've been thinking for years and putting some words to them.For instance, Mr. Jethani talks about how we, as American consumers, have lost the ability to imagine God actually _doing_

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-14754235365712895162009-11-28T12:38:00.002-05:002009-11-28T12:47:51.832-05:00

So we made a whirlwind trip to NC for Thanksgiving/VNB's birthday - down Wednesday night, back up Thursday after lunch - ~12 hrs of driving in just over 24 hours. Why'd we bother coming back so quickly, you ask? Well, that's because VNB had to work not just yesterday, but this morning as well._I_ wanted to sit at home and not go anywhere or do anything - just be _us_, together, for a day

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-2351352150209196832009-11-27T09:17:00.003-05:002009-11-27T09:24:28.152-05:00

So I'd have to check to be sure, but I _think_ this is the longest I've made it for NaBloPoMo! Just a couple more days and I can say that I've succeeded!! Woohoo!! (Wait....is that counting chickens?)Anyway....So I've been meaning to tell this little gem for a week or so now, but there were always more pressing things to post about.So here you go:A few weeks back, VNB took the kids for a

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-2340935975622247212009-11-26T21:00:00.005-05:002009-11-26T21:08:35.035-05:00

Happy birthday to my sweet husband! I am so thankful for you and all the joy you've brought into my life and look forward to many more years together!Oh....and don't worry about being SOOOOOO OLD! (He's 30 - I'm older, so I can tease him.) (Sorry it's sideways - I always forget not to turn the camera for videos and Blogger had issues uploading the rotated Windows Movie Player version).

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-35905083384317225862009-11-25T08:35:00.003-05:002009-11-25T09:21:23.166-05:00

So my SIL (disguised as my BIL) commented on my "what to get my family for Christmas this year" post. Since she raised a question that I think applies to more than her (and since I wasn't sure that she'd get my response if I only replied in the comments), I thought I'd dedicate an entire post to the question.Basically, she stated that it sounded from my post like I'd rather the kids get clothes

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-37942720757189295522009-11-24T21:04:00.002-05:002009-11-24T21:06:56.587-05:00

Yeah...I got nothin' today....Uuuuuuuuuummmmmmmm.....Some enchanted eeee-v'ning.....You will meet a stranger.....You will hear him call you....Across a crow-ded room....That's what's going through my head right now.And now I need to go wipe someone else's butt and then get that butt into bed.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-33555935447608744302009-11-23T02:34:00.005-05:002009-11-27T09:51:36.771-05:00

Ok, so this post is primarily for our families, so both of you who read this who are not related to me or VNB can ignore this.We're still REALLY cramped for space, so PLEASE do not give us a lot of stuff. The kids really do have (more than) enough toys.I've listed their current and upcoming clothing, etc. needs here (AJ and Joanna), and will do my best to keep those updated. I'll put a link over

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-30385127377561949852009-11-22T18:54:00.002-05:002009-11-22T19:09:21.267-05:00

Ok, really, she steps....with a LOT of encouragement, approximately the same time as her brother (I was just looking back over the blog and all I can find is that AJ took his first steps "a few days" before he was 11 months - she'll be 11 months tomorrow).We've been trying every so often for the past week or two and she's been getting better with her balance, but it wasn't until tonight that she

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-88302060106489877742009-11-21T23:01:00.002-05:002009-11-21T23:11:18.735-05:00

So VNB turns 30 on Thanksgiving. To celebrate, we did what no one thought we could pull off - a surprise party for him! Except for my excessively poor lying skills (which, really, not a huge problem, if you ask me...), he wouldn't even have suspected anything. Until, of course, he walked into the church and someone in the office asked, "so who's the party for?" He still acted mostly surprised

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-28650257293782241202009-11-20T10:01:00.004-05:002010-01-04T10:33:28.508-05:00

AJ's pretty well set for the winter now (thanks everyone!).If you do see anything you want to buy him, he's currently in 3T clothes, although any PJs that are bought now should probably be 4Ts. I don't know his current foot size (bigger than 7s, that's for sure!). Next time we're at a store with a foot measuring thingy, I'll try to remember to measure his feet.Looking ahead:- He's got lots of

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-13006764136995323472009-11-19T13:58:00.002-05:002009-11-19T15:07:42.877-05:00

So today we collected the filled shoeboxes from the church to take to the collection site. Including ours, there were 78! A little down from last year, but I know that there are several folks out there just planning to bring the boxes to the collection site themselves, so we didn't do so badly.AJ and I filled our box last Sunday night (Joanna and I had bought all of the stuff, but she wasn't so

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-83518350949643186712009-11-18T22:41:00.004-05:002009-11-18T22:55:34.304-05:00

So I'm sitting here, watching a Discovery Channel offering about the various ways that the world could end in 2012....and I can't help but laugh. They're just so......dramatic......every time they describe some horrible way for millions of people to die due to some natural disaster, they say something to the effect of: "but _that_ may just be the tip of the iceberg" and then they go to

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-76414993473799420952009-11-17T10:33:00.007-05:002010-01-04T10:39:28.772-05:00

Joanna's pretty well set for winter (thanks!). But just in case you find something adorable, she's currently in 9-mo stuff, although 12-mo stuff doesn't quite fall off of her anymore. Since she's really learning to walk right now, I'd rather her be barefoot, so no shoes, please!Looking Ahead:- A forward-facing car seat (theoretically she could have this by the end of the year, but there's no

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-71538778000317411452009-11-16T17:36:00.008-05:002010-04-07T20:55:27.664-05:00

AJ is a HUGE fan of Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his friends. We therefore have ended up with quite the collection of Thomas train cars. We ONLY collect the wooden railway series, so don't buy it if it says any of the following: TrackMaster; Die Cast Metal; or Take Along! These are the engines that we have: - Thomas (plain - two - one with a band-aid holding on his face) - Mud Covered

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-24234380584206047152009-11-15T22:33:00.001-05:002009-11-15T22:33:56.074-05:00

I think the title says it all....

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-55603627575795860362009-11-14T14:34:00.008-05:002010-04-08T10:42:04.247-05:00

There's actually a method to my madness here, I'm not just posting something completely random. VeggieTales: - The Ballad of Little Joe- An Easter Carol- Esther - Gideon: Tuba Warrior - Heroes of the Bible (Daniel, Dave & the Giant Pickle, Esther) - LarryBoy & the Fib From Outer Space- LarryBoy & the Rumor Weed- Lessons From the Sock Drawer- Lyle the Kindly Viking - Madame Blueberry- Minnesota

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-34847992503176538292009-11-13T23:21:00.003-05:002009-11-13T23:35:07.772-05:00

So VNB called this afternoon saying that a co-worker had season tickets to the MD men's basketball game tonight that he wasn't going to be able to use, so he was giving them to us! We tried to find another couple to go with, but couldn't think of anyone that could come (no names came to mind until we were driving there, then I thought of like a dozen folks - sorry!). So instead of finding and

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-6489934588811313982009-11-12T16:57:00.004-05:002009-11-12T17:07:28.795-05:00

So about a week ago, I was coming in from the car (it had to be a weekend, because I didn't have the kids with me) and I noticed this large, black and white cat hanging around. S/he scattered when I came near.A few days later, Monkey (our cat, yes I know it's confusing - keep up) started attacking the sliding glass door to our porch. Sure enough, our "friend" (let's call him/her "Tom" for the

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-4699754401275161022009-11-11T19:33:00.002-05:002009-11-11T19:36:35.377-05:00

As her big brother would say, "So toot, Baby, so toot!" (toot = cute)

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-72386878376997347262009-11-10T12:11:00.001-05:002009-11-10T12:13:13.124-05:00

Happy birthday to AJ's favorite "Unc Toady" or "Unc Toy!"Just think, next year on your birthday you'll be an old, married man!

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-88476164643149115632009-11-09T23:22:00.002-05:002009-11-09T23:27:09.180-05:00

So Joanna's got "the fever" now too. Good thing, too, because otherwise she wouldn't have woken up at 11:15 which eventually reminded me that I hadn't posted yet today.She woke up from her afternoon nap a little out-of-sorts and pretty much stayed that way all afternoon. She was VERY clingy and seemed tired. Then, about the time VNB got home, her fever got up to about 101, so we gave her some

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-7282994371918128772009-11-08T17:11:00.002-05:002009-11-08T17:19:48.429-05:00

So here's the silver lining of the cloud of sickness we've been in this past week or so:With Joanna nursing as much as she has, I've lost between five and ten pounds, putting me back at my pre-Joanna weight! There are still ten pounds to go to get to my pre-AJ weight ( and a _LOT_ of exercise/toning to get to my pre-pregnancy _shape_), but AJ was well over a year old before I was at this

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-65246063047613010502009-11-07T23:38:00.004-05:002009-11-07T23:48:01.142-05:00

Really, one of these days I'm going to remember prior to 11:38 PM and post something witty or at least interesting.In the meantime, today AJ seemed to be at least maintaining. When his fever spiked, he was miserable. The rest of the time, he was ok-ish. We've made it through Day 1 of trying to keep him in his room. We'll see how long it lasts.Joanna seems to be perfectly fine again, although

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-37032108346691687162009-11-06T22:51:00.004-05:002009-11-06T23:16:59.582-05:00

So at approximately 2AM this morning, AJ started crying and saying that he had to go potty. While helping him to the potty, I noticed exactly how warm he was. When he was practically in hysterics because he wanted to go to his friend's house, VNB woke up too and we took his temperature - 101.4. Some children's Motrin later, he was sacked out on the couch, watching a movie. We waited an hour

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-1301559325044202242009-11-05T22:51:00.003-05:002009-11-05T22:59:55.156-05:00

So there's still work to be done, but I finished my analysis for work today! Yay!!!!! And the amazing thing was that the very first time I worked through all of the numbers, I got it right! There's one little thing that I need to go back and fix (that won't make a bit of a difference in the long run), and then we have to do our pseudo-documentation (just a memo saying very briefly what we did)

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-54474052274210089112009-11-04T23:07:00.003-05:002009-11-04T23:16:37.714-05:00

I really have nothing of interest to say tonight. My mind is pretty mushy. I've been working around the clock to try to get a project done for work for about a week now. I could be done if I'd stop messing around and just get it done, but instead I find myself doing Griddlers.Soooooo addictive.Ok, really....I do have interesting things to say....lots of stuff percolating in my brain right now.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-26018745655648904602009-11-03T23:35:00.002-05:002009-11-03T23:39:02.734-05:00

Dude...it's only November 3rd and I already would have totally forgotten if I hadn't gotten out of bed to burn some CDs for VNB really quickly and checked my email. Someone commented on yesterday's post. I've only got 24 minutes left, but it still is November 3rd!So far, so good.That's how I feel about ABC's remake of "V" too. I'm anxiously awaiting the next few weeks to see if they decide to

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-52520529875165335852009-11-02T19:43:00.007-05:002009-11-02T20:26:55.671-05:00

Remember when I did this to my smallest child? Well, you can tell me now how right I was...(Nevermind the grumpy-looking Pirate behind her - he'd had a long night of making sure another little pirate (see below) didn't find his way into traffic.) And here is her equally-cute older brother:Now if only I could take Joanna from the next picture to put into that last one, and it'd be perfect!

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-48230248302574203352009-11-01T23:03:00.002-05:002009-11-01T23:05:41.987-05:00

OK, so I totally planned on posting the world's cutest pictures tonight, but instead I'm still working, trying to get something done for a deadline at work. I promise, pictures tomorrow (unless I'm still working on this then). But this counts as today's post.Really, I won't phone it in every day...

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-29195734597173548932009-10-30T23:56:00.004-05:002009-10-31T00:03:13.613-05:00

...for the grandparents of my children. You see, November is "National Blog Posting Month" or NaBloPoMo. For some crazy reason, I've participated the past two years, and I guess I am again this year. The "rules" are that you have to post something to your blog at least once daily every day in November. If you do, you can win a prize. And really make the grandparents happy because, for at

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-68931006837456178602009-10-12T13:57:00.001-05:002009-10-12T13:58:28.631-05:00

Here's the "other" side of the story...

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-44864652434951347132009-10-12T09:28:00.003-05:002009-10-12T10:27:02.520-05:00

So last weekend was a big one for me and my small group. When our small group started, we were doing a study called "40 Days of Community." As part of that study, we were supposed to do an "inreach" project (something to help our local church body) and an "outreach" project (something to help out community). Rick Warren suggested that we do something so big that _we_ couldn't do it alone,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-8695069123029380302009-10-03T11:24:00.004-05:002009-10-03T11:50:06.572-05:00

So MOPS sent me another book to read - "Intimate Conversations: Devotions to Nurture a Woman's Soul" by Alicia Britt Chole. This time it's this year's theme devotional book. I'm not really sure how it goes with the theme exactly (Together on Planet Mom), but it was a great devotional book - I just wish I'd had more time to read it so that I could do just one a day instead of having to power

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-82872708743979675942009-10-02T13:37:00.005-05:002009-10-02T14:15:57.410-05:00

Ok...so I'm not really, but that song is running through my head as I scamper about keeping balls in the air.Let's see....the in-laws (of both sides) will be glad to know that VNB found our camera last night, so pictures will abound as much as ever again. Woohoo! (Really, I promise - at the very least we can actually _take_ them again, even if I don't manage to post them ever.)But even other

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-68312629496801988172009-09-28T13:30:00.005-05:002009-09-28T13:55:17.632-05:00

So the end of last week was an exciting time for me. I was at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) convention with most of the rest of our steering team (and 4000 other women). Operation Christmas Child sponsors MOPS and VeggieTales' new Christmas DVD is about the joy of giving, so they're partnering with OCC too. Plus, Matthew West was scheduled to give a concert at one of the general sessions and

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-24966262327950700702009-09-22T12:48:00.004-05:002009-09-22T13:33:39.924-05:00

It's been one of those mornings where I _know_ I got stuff done, and I _know_ it was important, but somehow I still _feel_ like nothing got accomplished. My kids ate a relatively-healthy breakfast, I got all of the laundry folded and put away (every last bit - nothing's sitting waiting for a hanger or socks to be matched), I put away some of the dishes (some still needed some more drying time),

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-14658281502903400862009-09-11T10:11:00.005-05:002009-09-11T10:18:26.420-05:00

Thanks to UncleR, here are some recent pics of the littles, taken at a family reunion a few weeks ago. If we could find our camera, there would have been another shot of Joanna sleeping this morning. She didn't quite go down for her nap as easily as she usually does, but I let her cry for a little while hoping that eventually she'd settle herself down. About the time I was going to go in and

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-52955492635354796392009-09-10T14:29:00.004-05:002009-09-10T14:47:25.823-05:00

So this morning I did something I only rarely do - I set the alarm. You see, my kids' internal clocks are magical. They wake up between 7:15 and 7:30 on days that we have no where to go and mama is super tired (wait...is there a day when I'm _not_ super tired? I don't remember one...), but on days that I need them to wake up exactly at 8 so that we can get to were we need to be, they sleep

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-91335807144725904142009-09-03T21:37:00.002-05:002009-09-03T22:01:40.305-05:00

Our small group has gone home, the kids are in bed, VNB's gone to bed, the TV is off and all is quiet.I've got piles of dishes in (and around) the sink, puffed rice cereal all over the floor, books and toys scattered about, a dining room table that's practically in my lap right now (it's so big with all the leaves in for the small group that came tonight and our house is so small)...but it's

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-35977794643998471482009-09-01T09:42:00.002-05:002009-09-01T10:02:33.971-05:00

So AJ's new potty rewards system is that before he can watch a DVD, he has to sit on the potty for 5 minutes. I sit there with him and we read a book, but it has to be done before any new DVD can go in the DVD player.First up this morning was "A Snoodle's Tale" from VeggieTales. I was feeding Joanna her breakfast as it was playing and she got her first bite right around the time the opening

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-1573637391528756102009-08-17T16:31:00.003-05:002009-08-17T17:20:07.402-05:00

So for lunch today, AJ had a peanut butter and raspberry sandwich. We picked the raspberries ourselves last Friday and I didn't want them to go bad, but also didn't really want to go to the hassle of making jam from them, so I just stuck them on the sandwich like you'd do with bananas. It's remarkably good (I had one too). That's not the poor parenting moment.We walked to a friend's house

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-80556908517603424832009-08-06T11:50:00.002-05:002009-08-06T12:03:03.080-05:00

So it's been a crazy couple of weeks, as I said before. But I forgot a couple of other good (and exciting) things. A) Joanna cut her second tooth yesterday! She's also been sleeping now for almost two hours. Kinda spooky and annoying when she does that. Especially when it means that she probably won't take her afternoon nap when AJ takes his. Bother. Oh....awake now. Still not gonna be

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-10756420301309046232009-08-03T14:25:00.003-05:002009-08-03T15:22:53.810-05:00

So, our vacation was supposed to be the last week in July. We were going to stop by VNB's folks for the night on our way to the swamp where my dad was Rangering this summer, followed by a few days at Myrtle Beach with my fam (including my younger siblings), followed by a few more days with VNB's fam.But then VNB's grandfather went into the hospital just after 4th of July. He was still in full

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-37318954616088802462009-07-14T07:27:00.005-05:002009-07-14T08:32:06.480-05:00

So we went camping and whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle State Park last weekend (western PA). Well, all four of us went camping, but only VNB and I went whitewater rafting. Joanna's good at kicking, but she's not quite a swimmer yet. At least not enough to be in a boat on rapids.It was the first time that VNB and I had gotten to do anything like that as a married couple. Something about getting

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-57773662935777667452009-06-29T14:36:00.003-05:002009-06-29T15:01:28.461-05:00

So yesterday was my 33rd birthday (thanks Mommy! I appreciate you popping me out SOOO much more now that I've done it myself a couple of times!). Some people call your 33rd year on Earth your "Jesus" year since that's when his Earthly ministry ended. Not all of the important stuff happened that year, but a whole lot of it did. We'll have to see what it brings me. (Oh, and happy 5th birthday,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-61280371772838331872009-06-08T12:45:00.002-05:002009-06-08T13:10:18.002-05:00

So I was sent the book "Life on Planet Mom: a down-to-earth guide to your changing relationships" by the MOPS people to review and tell everyone about. It's written by Lisa T. Bergren and is the theme book for the 2009-2010 MOPS year. The main point of the theme ("Together on planet Mom") for the year is that when you have your first baby (either through birth or through adoption), all of your

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-56743355908195626082009-06-04T13:51:00.003-05:002009-06-04T14:04:58.506-05:00

So VNB's been doing this weight loss challenge through work and after depriving himself for most of a month and reaching his target weight (but still losing the challenge since someone else lost a greater percentage of weight), he was really craving a Frosty. Wanting to maintain his renewed slimness, he wasn't going to indulge until I mentioned that it wouldn't be so bad as long as we walked

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442953.post-9831518612284688552009-06-01T09:39:00.002-05:002009-06-01T09:41:30.372-05:00

I'm not really sure what disturbs me more. This video by itself or the fact that AJ wandered by while I was watching it, saw a close-up of the lady on the left with the glasses, and said, "MAMA!!" like he thought she was me.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489283205673390348noreply@blogger.com1