Emilee's Birthday Invite - Not an Actual Post - Sorry

Good-Bye Summer!!!!!!!!!!!

So, the summer is basically over and I could not be happier. I mean, this summer actually was pretty enjoyable compared to recent years but I'm really not a hot weather kind of person. I LOVE vactioning somewhere tropical and enjoy the beach when I can just hang out and not have to worry about any little people. lol But, it's been oh about 7 years since I had that kind of summer vacation.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the fall season. It's my favorite. I love wearing sweaters and jeans and boots and all that fun stuff.

Emilee starts Pre-k next week. I can't believe it. She's going to a Christian/Lutheran church and they call it Jr.Kindergarten. Isn't that adorable? I don't know who's more excited, her or me! ha ha I'm excited for several reasons. One being I think it will be good for her to have some classroom structure other than Sunday School. She is soooooooo smart but LOVES to talk and do her own thing - very independent - so I think this will be great for her. The second reason is I will get a bit of a break. I know, I know, what a bad mommy I am. Not bad, honest. lol It is hard work being a stay at home mom of 2 rambunxious little girls (yes, Gracie is a busy little girl too). We don't have any family up here and no real baby sitter close by so it's just me and them, all the time. I'm very thankful for being able to stay home and raise my girls - I would not have it any other way - but it's hard work and I'm also thankful for the break. Now, before I go on, I just have to say this. Tim is GREAT! He really helps out sooooo much. After a hard day at work, he'll come home and help out with dinner and dishes or just hanging with the girls. He's always willing to give me a break when I need one and has on many, many occasions taken over to give me some time to myself. I really could not ask for better. :)

My third reason for being excited about Jr. Kindergarten is being able to spend some time with Gracie. I've never had any time alone with her really since she was born and I'm looking forward to it. I missed this age with Emi b/c I was working full time so I'm really happy about being able to be with Gracie during this time.

My last reason for being excited about JK is that I'm hoping to get to the gym a few mornings a week to use the gym membership I've been paying for. lol They have daycare and there will be just enough time for me to do a quick workout, go home, shower and then pick Emilee up.

Did I mention that I've lost 60 lbs so far? Well technically 58.6 but I weigh in tomorrow at Weight Watchers and I KNOW I'll pass the 60 pound mark this week. Yay! I've been doing Weight Watchers since the end of March and I could not be happier with the results. It's been a real lifestyle change for me and I'm in it for the long haul. I'm not brave enough to post any progress pictures yet but soon. ;)

I think that sums it up for now. I've been a big time blog slacker this summer. All my blogs have been suffering. Well, not ALL of them. I started a new blog called Sass n Scrap Designs because i have FINALLY figured out how to design digital scrapbook kits. So I've been creating about a kit a week to giveaway as a Freebie until I can team up with an online store and sell my designs. Go me. :)

Keeping Busy - Some New Pics

So, business has been really slow and since my life is not crazy enough with 2 crazy little girls (insert rolling eyes), I have been doing blog design to keep me busy. I'm participating in a Giveaways Carnival which basically means a bunch of people get together and sponsor a giveaway on their blog. We then post the link to our giveaway on on main page and people will then go to our blog and enter our contest. Well, I could use as much exposure as possible for my business so we're participating. We get such great comments and responses about the website - how cute our products are, how easy it is to navigate, etc. but no one is buying anything. :( Not sure how much longer we can go on because we're losing money keeping it going. So, if you are a prayer warrior, could you pray for God's will and direction for us and for the business? We put a lot of time and energy into it and would love for it to be prosperous. We're in a tough spot because unfortunately, we're unable to sell any of our products on Ebay.

We broke out the bounce house again the other day and the girls (and half the neighborhood) had a great time. Gracie probably did more roaming around the yard than bouncing but it kept them busy for a good while. Here's some pictures. Probably looks a lot like Gracie's birthday pictures but that's okay. :)

Oh, here's a few nice little pictures of Gracie after she decided to color her face with pink highlighter. That was nice. lol

On another note, Tim is off this week - had to use some time before he lost it so this should be an interesting week. lol He hopes to do some work in the backyard - just cleaning it up a bit.




Emilee had an ear infection last week which was really weird because she has only had 1 since she got tubes put in 2 summers ago. She's back to her normal, feisty, strong-willed self so she must be feeling better. ha ha




Gracie has been asking for Justin for the last few days. I explained that he's with his mom so whenever she asks for him she answers her own question with "his mom?". It's too cute. Emilee on the other hand understands that he moved away and is anxious to get his big bed. lol Hopefully in the fall when it's not a suana upstairs we can move her and Gracie up there as well as us.




Nothing else really to report. Until next time........

God Moments

Last night was a girls night out with some of my girlfriends. Emilee is sick with an ear infection and Tim was working late so I could not make it. Not a big deal. I've missed them before and I know there will be others. Then today I was reading a post that a friend of mine had written about an encounter they all had last night with a lonely old man who they were able to share the love of Jesus with just by listening to him talk and not shunning him. I started to get a little bummed because I missed out on that. A God Moment. Then I was quickly reminded (a soft rebuke maybe from the Holy Spirit) that I was taking care of my kids and that was just as important. I'm really enjoying my kids this summer. I've purposed to do things with them and just enjoy them. Even if it means just going for a drive or running errands. I'm doing what God is requiring me to do at this time in my life. Sharing (and showing) the love of Jesus with my family. Those, too, are God Moments.

Siggie

Just want to test out my new little siggie feature. :)

Gracie's 2nd Birthday Pictures

Today is Gracie's 2nd Birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies. We have truly been blessed by her presence in our lives and here is how we celebrated her special day. :)

Enjoying the summer

This summer I decided that we're going to have fun. Regardless of the hot weather, me and the girls are going to do some fun things. I'm hoping to plan a few outings with some friends and some play dates too. I am taking some time off from all the time I spend on the computer to just really enjoy being with my family. I also plan on doing some serious praying and just seeking God for His will in my life and the life of my family.

On a side note, I have been doing a little bit of scrapbooking too. Here are 2 pages that I did today.

I haven't scrapbooked in a long time but it's something I really enjoy and I hope to do more of this summer. I plan on taking lots of pics of the girls and our "adventures" and scrap away!

Change

Anyone who knows us knows how much I have my hands full with Emilee and Gracie. For the longest time it feels like we have been going through that horrible "terrible twos" stage with Em. She's 4 and a half and she started it when she turned 1. Boy, oh boy, has it been a long 3 years! Don't get me wrong, throughout those few years we have had a lot of fun. Emilee is really funny and the stuff she comes out with makes me laugh. But her strong will can be really tiring.

Everyday I'd find myself frustrated and grumpy b/c it was just utter chaos around here. Trying to get a business off the ground has been nuts b/c the girls are just all over the place. Gracie, although a little more subdued than Emi, is a handful. She'll be 2 in July and she is one busy little girl. So, lately I've been miserable. Normally I'm a pretty happy person - I tend to find humor in everything but I noticed that I was not really portraying what a Godly wife and mother should be. I knew I needed to change but I found myself getting cold and not as convicted as I used to get. Right away that was a red flag. I felt like I was treading some very dangerous waters. I felt like I was in a spiritual rut. And for whatever reason I just could not get myself out.

On Easter I was sitting in church and my pastor was talking about Jesus' words on the cross. He mentioned when Jesus said "it is finished" and he started talking about not finishing things that we start. That immediately brought something to mind (something that I won't share just yet) and the very next day I began to work on finishing something I had started a long long time ago. So, with that change and goal I felt my life start to take a bit more order.

Then last week after hearing a message on Mother's Day I realized that my mothering skills really REALLY needed some work. I knew I was not being the mother that God really wanted me to be. I mean, how could I be when I was grumpy, stressed and screaming at my kids all day. I knew the answer to my problems lied in daily time with God. I knew that, for me, my short little prayers here and there throughout the day were just not cutting it. I NEEDED that time with just me and God, devoted to praying for my family. I think what always kept me from doing that was always thinking that I had to get up early and pray and I had tried that and I was always half asleep, could barely say a coherent prayer. I never stuck with it long enough to make a difference.

Well, last week, around mid-morning when I was wide awake, i put a show on for the girls, went into my room, got on my knees and prayed. I talked to God just like I'd talk to my husband or a friend. I remember one week recently during my Beth Moore study how she was talking about talking to God like that so I did just that. It was great. I was not dead bent on having to pray for a specific amount of time or say something specific. I just got open and honest with God and let me tell ya. What a difference it has made! I feel so much better - so much more connected to Him. Emilee and I had a great week last week! We even made 2 trips to the store and she did wonderful. Now, that's huge! I'm praying for my family and friends everyday. I'm far from perfect for sure. I still had a few outbursts last week but I've been happier and my kids seem happier and I'm just SO THANKFUL that God moved in my life and is bringing me to places of change.

Mother's Day

With Mother's Day just a few days away I've been giving a lot of thought to the "mother's" in my life. I think of my mom and how many times she's been there for me. How many times I've gotten a good laugh at her expense. lol She's is such a great sport too. There have been countless times that me, Kate and Dad have gotten a lot of good chuckles out of the things mom has done. I could always count on her to tell me the truth. And I could always count on her to throw a few doozies out there. I remember one time I was sitting in the kitchen, having eggs for breakfast and I bowed my head to pray. While I was saying grace a few things came to mind so I started praying for them. I guess I had been praying for a few minutes and when I was done my mom said to me "my goodness, Diana, they're just eggs". Oh, Diane! lol

I never realized how much like my mom I was until I had my own kids. Just recently I've heard myself saying "oh, go haunt a house" or "if you don't stop crying I'll really give you something to cry about". Those were her 2 favorite things to say to us.

I can't think about Mother's Day without thinking about my mother-in-law, Stephanie, who passed away 2 years ago.We miss her and think of her a lot. I remember all of our conversations about making cards on the computer and creating mailing labels. I remember the first time I met her. She made stew for dinner and we ate in the dining room with the gold silverware. Everytime I look at Tim, I see a lot of her in him. Momma Stephanie, we miss you. We know you are taking good care of our baby up in heaven. :)

On Mother's Day I think of my grandmothers. Tina who went to be with Jesus a few months before Emilee was born. I have a lot of great memories of Grandma. I remember her in her great big garden. I neve realized how much work that took until just recently. It was her pride and joy. I remember everytime I saw her she'd ask "so, whatsa new?". That translated to "do you have a boyfriend yet?" I remember all the times at our house growing up when she had to use the bathroom and she'd stop right before the door and then lean over and peak in to see if it was empty. lol Awww! I miss her.

Alda. Oh, Alda. She is my mom's mom. We aren't allowed to call her Grandma - it's Nana. She is a rip. She is 81 years old and has more energy than I have. She came to stay with me when Gracie was born and she cooked for me, did my laundry, babysat, pulled Emilee's hair. Good times. lol She is by far the most generous person I know. Always pulling through for birthdays, holidays and "just because" in between.

So, this year, Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's in my life. Each of you has had an impact on me. I love you!

What We've Been Up To

In case we haven't talked in awhile and you just happen to be reading this blog for the first time, I should probably give you the lowdown on what's been going on with us lately.

Last summer we started thinking about starting a business and in November of 2007 we incorporated a business called The Emilee Grace Company. In March of 2008 we went live with our website after many months and hours of product sourcing and finding great products to sell. If you haven't already, stop by Emilee Grace and take a looksy. We sell some pretty neat products for the modern day mother and her baby. In the coming weeks we'll be adding some new goodies. But, you'll have to check out THIS blog to find out all of the Emilee Grace Buzz. :)

While I was waiting for our site to get ready, I started a review blog of mommy favorites. That is doing really well. I've "met" some really cool people and got some samples of some really cool stuff. That blog is called Modern Mama's Fabulous Favorites and you can get there by clicking HERE.

Oh, I started sewing when my laptop crashed. My new little hobby is coming along. I've done a few projects that have all turned out pretty crappy but I keep plugging away. Eventually I get the hang of it and hopefully by then I can make some cute items to add to our store.

Tim transfered back to his old station in Cortlandt, the one he started his job at 6 years ago (can you believe it's been that long?) after being in Somers for a year and a half. He's loving that. His 2nd day back he had to deal with a homicide which brought in more OT in on week than he had gotten the whole time at his former station. Yay God! Thanks for that little blessing. Not the homicide. The OT, silly. :)

As if his life is not busy enough, he joined our church softball team. He and Justin play on it and they're having a great time hanging with the guys. Tim plays first base (which is what I played high school - pretty cool) and Justin is in the outfield.

We still teach sunday school together at our church once a month. Every other Wednesday night Tim teaches the pre-youth class and I teach the preschoolers. We're happy to be used by God and are always praying about where He wants to use us next.

Justin's been keeping busy playing JV baseball at his school. That takes up a lot of his time (and mine, hello, I'm the taxi lol) but that will be winding down soon.

Emilee is ripping and raring to go ALL THE TIME! From the time she wakes up until the time she goes to sleep, she is pretty much bouncing off the walls. I will say though that she stops from time to time to do a puzzle, draw some pictures, play with play-doe and dance around with Gracie to her favorite CD, God is My Friend. The CD is bilingual and it has Christian children's songs on it. Her and Gracie like to hold hands (well, Emilee likes to hold Gracie's hand. Gracie is usually just the innocent bystander being dragged around against her will) and dance to the songs. I have to crack up when I see a little group of 3 holding hands (the 3rd "person" is one of their dolls - it's pretty hilarious). In September, things should calm down a bit here because Em will be starting pre-school. She's going to St. John's Lutheran where they call it Jr. Kindergarten.

Gracie is a ball of fire too. She a little more subdued than Emilee but she's a cryer. And a momma's girl. If I go out and leave her home with Tim or Justin, she cries at the window. Awww. We are teaching her how to count. She counts to 10 with us and occasionally we'll hear her counting to 5 all by herself. She is talking up a storm. And yelling at Buster, just like the rest of us. She'll be 2 in July.

We get the question a lot about whether or not we'll be having any more kids. Well, we lost baby #3 in November, at the end of my first trimester. That was very heartbreaking for us. Emilee still asks me sometimes if I have baby Jesus in my belly. lol She knew I had a baby in my belly and I had told her that the baby went to be with Jesus so she gets them sort of confused. We decided that we definitely want to try again but probably not until next year. We have some things we need to do first and I think it will be a lot easier once my firecrackers of little girls are in school.

Wow, so this is a book, huh? Kudos to anyone who makes it through til the end. :) Now, let me post some of my favorite pictures.

Okay, I just have to say that this picture is typical of what my life is like; Emilee climbing on top of something and Gracie along for the ride.

Recognize this guy? lol This is Tim in our church Easter production this year. He played the disciple, Matthew. Justin played John, The Beloved Disciple, but unfortunately I could not get a clear picture of him. :( Sorry, Just.

This is from Gracie's first Easter. I did the photo editing myself. Another little hobby I picked up last year. :)

Tim & Gracie at our annual block party.

This is Gracie the morning of her first birthday. She's already pooped and we didn't even have the party yet.

Justin trying to wrangle the girls for our Christmas 2007 picture. A typical sight anytime we need to get these 2 to focus for more than 2 seconds.

Hope you enjoyed our little update. Until next time...........

Welcome To Our Family

This blog was created because I want our family and friends to be able to come here and visit and see what we've been up to. It's hard keeping in touch with everyone as our life is crazy and so is yours. Here I'll be posting stories, pictures, news and just about anything I feel like posting. Hope you come and visit often and leave us some comments.