Patience is a virtue

I am not a patient person and I have always said that. It is something I have to work on everyday. Today I was trying to sweep the floor, I have company coming over so I am a little stressed about getting things done quickly, but Claire wanted to help. Bless her heart she is such a good helper but today I didn't have the patience. She just wanted to be under foot all day. I finally thought Lord help me and then I let her have the broom. She was elated that I was going to let her help me. She swept (the dirt pile I had made is now scattered back all over the floor) with the big broom while I took the hand held dust pan and brush and followed behind her on my knees. It was quite the sight to see but it made Claire's day! Once we were finished with that I started dusting. Guess what Claire wanted to do...help dust. So I gave her a dust rag all her own and she followed behind me this time and cleaned right were I was at last. I was so thankful that God gave me just enough patience to allow Claire to help me today. It may have taken twice as long and my knees will be bruised but it was nice to have a little helper and she was pretty proud of herself. What a big girl she is becoming.

Love of a Sister

This evening we spent time outside. I painted Quinn's changing table (Raspberry Fizz) in the garage while Jared played with Claire in the front yard. Quinn was in her bouncy seat in the driveway loving the nice breeze. As I was painting I was watching Claire with Quinn and I realized how much she loves her little sister. If Quinn got upset or if she lost her pacifier out of her mouth Claire would say "Uh Oh" and stop whatever she was doing, even if she was all the way across the yard, and would run over to see what was wrong. She would then proceed to get Quinn's paci and give it to Jared or I and then run back to Quinn as if to say "She needs it and you need to help....NOW!" This happened numerous times throughout the evening and not one time did Claire miss a cry or a whimper from Quinn without checking it out and making sure she was ok. Once we were inside and Claire had just finished her bath Quinn got very fussy in another room. She heard Quinn but Jared was dressing Claire so she was not able to rush to her side. This upset her so much that she started crying also. It was very loud in the house with both girls crying uncontrollably but it touched my heart to see Claire so concerned. She already has a helpful and kind spirit. She loves her baby sister and I am so excited to see the bond they will have as they grow up. Plus I will be ready to tell them this story when Claire is annoyed that Quinn won't leave her alone and when Quinn wishes that Claire wasn't so bossy.

Side note: Claire has done this since Quinn was born. (see picture above. Quinn was only 4 days old) I think at first it was out of curiosity but tonight it was so evident to me that she loves her little sister. It was a wonderful moment to actually see her love Quinn.

Ant Farm

We have lived in this house for a little over a year. Last summer we were over run by ants until it heated up enough they didn't come out anymore. Well, they are back but this year with WINGS! I was so afraid they were termites but after close inspection and comparing to what we looked up online they really are flying ants. (much better than termites!!!) They are congregating in the master bath and last night they were almost swarming, they like the light. Anyway, I told Jared he needed to spray them with bug spray. So he gets the big jug of heavy duty stuff, which I proceed to tell him has to dry for hours before we can get near it. He tells me it will be fine and wouldn't do anything to harm us, it would be dry before we went to bed. It wasn't completely dry but it was ok. I got ready for bed and thought I could smell a slight odor. I got into bed and then started thinking what if the fumes come from under the bathroom door and get to Quinn. She is still sleeping in our room and right by the bathroom. I ask Jared to move her so she is now across the room. I feel much better...then I start getting a headache and I feel like asthma is coming on. (slight hypochondriac)I ask Jared again if everything is ok, I don't want us all to end up with cancer or worse...dead from inhaling this stuff. He says "Do you want to move to another room?" Not if everything is fine, he says it is fine. I continue to whine and complain for a little longer until I realize he has ignored me and is now asleep. This morning as he is leaving he says "Aren't you glad we are all still alive?" I replied "It's a good thing or you would be in big trouble". Then I realized I was the one that told him to spray the stuff in the first place! Oh my!How he puts up with me I will never know. :)

Sack of Potatoes

My Little Miss Quinn had her 2 month doctor appt. (even though she was really 9 weeks) She weighs more than a sack of potatoes and the doctors say she is coming along perfectly. She weighs 12.5 lbs and is in the 84th percentile and she is 23 1/4 inches long coming in at 81%. She does seem to have a little head which is only in the 36th percentile. I guess better than a huge noggin. :) Quinn is doing great developmentally which is always nice to hear as a mother. I sometimes feel like I am always tending to Claire and so I don't get to work with Quinn as much. (i.e. tummy time) The only not so good news is we will be doing a renal ultrasound on her on May 24th. When they were checking Quinn's kidneys right after she was born they did discover a cyst on her spleen. The ultrasound is to see if it has gotten any bigger and if there is anything we need to do. I don't know what to worry about yet but I have already begun the worry process. I know God will take care of her I just let my mind take over what my heart knows...that God is in control. Please pray for Little Miss and me as we see what happens with the ultrasound. On a much better note, Quinn has started to coo. It is so sweet and so much fun to watch her be surprised at the sound of her own voice. She smiles quite often, mainly after her tummy is full and her diaper is dry. I would smile about that too. I am thankful she is growing and is healthy. What more can a mommy ask for?

Mother's Day

As I think about Mother's day what goes through my mind is what a wonderful woman my own mother is. I am truly grateful for everything she has taught me and for her love for our family and the Lord. I think about how I have taken for granted the fact that I have a beautiful christian mom. God has blessed me with a mother that has taught me many things that I know about the Lord today and without her and my father bringing us up in a christian home it makes me wonder about how different my life would be. As I continue to think about Mother's day I think about myself as a mom and how happy I am that God has given me the opportunity to be a mommy to two beautiful girls. I thank God everyday for those sweet little angels and I pray that I can be the best mother to them. I want to be the kind of mother that when my girls see how I act and how I treat others and treat them that they see Jesus. I want to live a life that they know that Jesus is the Lord of my Life so they will want to follow Him also. I know they are watching and they are taking it all in so I hope to be a good example. I want to be like my mother to my children.

Yesterday was my second Mother's Day with Claire and my first with Quinn. I received my very first homemade card from the girls and I have to admit my heart was overflowing with joy! I cried as Claire pointed to different things just jabbering away. She was telling me what she had drawn and though I have no idea what she said I know she was proud of it and she was happy to give it to me. It was the best thing that has ever been given to me and I will always treasure that moment.




Proverbs 22:6
Proverbs 31:30

Miss. Sassafrass

I feel that most of my blogs for awhile will be about Claire. Poor little Quinn still just sleeps, eats, and poos. I doubt we need a full blog about those things but maybe I can find a way to make it sound interesting! Eventually she will have her time in the spotlight but for now Claire is the star of the show!

Today at lunch Claire was very proud of herself because she was able to stab her chicken with her own fork and successfully get it to her mouth! She has done this a few other times but today she was rockin and rollin. So much so that she kept shoveling it in. I finally looked her in the eye and tried to reason with my 17 month old that she should not put anymore chicken in her mouth until she had swallowed what was already in there.I told her it was dangerous and she could choke. (the scare tactic) With the next bite actually touching her lips she looked at me with this look of mischief and I think she actually thought about putting it in her mouth. She did swallow and then opened her mouth and said awwwwwwww before proceeding to put another 4 or 5 bites in her mouth. There was a little bit of sass with that awwwwwww. It made me laugh, oh the joys of having an independent girl that wants to do things the way she wants to. I am just glad she ate all her chicken and without one choking incident.

Quinn Ashlyn

Quinn Ashlyn...Little Miss Princess. Quinn is the light of my life. She was born March 9th, 2010 and is 8 weeks old. Little miss had me worried while I was pregnant with her. She had problems with her kidneys draining, and though the doctor told me she would probably be fine once she was born, I was still a wreck and worried about everything. Myself, church members, friends, and family prayed that her kidneys would work just the way they were supposed to. The Lord was faithful in answering our prayers and the doctors found nothing wrong with her...she is perfect! I also wondered how I could love another child.I couldn't fathom sharing my love. I didn't think it was possible but somehow God gives us the ability to do so. I love Quinn just as much as Claire and I fall more and more in love with her everyday as I watch her grow. When she looks up at me with those beautiful eyes my heart feels full. Quinn has taught me that sometimes the best things in life come in small packages. I am the luckiest mommy in the world.

Claire Alden

Claire Alden...Miss Independent! She is the joy of my day. She was born November 24th, 2008 and is 17 1/2 months old right now. She got so big so quickly and it is bitter sweet to watch her grow up right before my eyes. Claire is so smart and she loves to do everything by herself. She has taught me so much about love and patience and how to enjoy life day by day. I never knew I could love the way I love her. When I think about how much I love her it makes me wonder if I am even experiencing a fraction of the love that God has for us. What an amazing thought! I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for her life and I am so thankful that He has allowed me to be her mommy.