Time for a phone dump.
I love taking pictures with my phone! Love, love, love!
But they stay on my phone. Bad, bad, bad.
Do you use Instagram? Do you love it as much as I do?
Embrace the Camera
This weeks Embrace the Camera is all about my baby girl, Lexi.
We just found out that I am expecting baby 4!
I'm still early on in the pregnancy, not even throwing up yet, so it doesn't quite feel real to me. Once my head is hanging in a toilet I'll "feel" pregnant. :)
Thinking about the arrival of New Baby has me hugging on Current Baby a lot more.
Never have I had a child as attached to me as this little one.
We are, without a doubt, best friends.
How will she handle the change?
We shall see!
Go to Emily's for more Embrace The Camera!
A smelly summer
Summertime means lots of good things like popsicles, ice cream and pool time.
But here in Paraguay where temps easily go over 100 degrees on a daily basis, summer also means stinky.
I fight two battles every summer: Kill All Ants and Keep House from Stinking.
Why does summer smell?
Well, the house is hot. I mean, H.O.T. So every little crumb, every little piece of toilet paper in the trash can, every sweaty child, every dirty diaper (be it cloth or disposable), every wad of dirty clothes, every piece of leftover food in the trash, begins to fester and steam in 97 degree house.
A trash can that is only half full of used paper towels will be ok at bedtime but by morning? It smells like a pig pen.
Here's what I do to help, but the problem is never really solved to Fall weather wisps in sometime in March.
1. Empty every trash can, every night, no matter how empty it is.
2. Flush every toilet many times a day. (My children are unable to flush. I don't know why...but they never do. Annoying.)
4. Take the trash out to the street every night. This makes the front of the house stink, but hey, we spend more time indoors than outdoors.
5. Spray all sweaty children down with water house about three times a day.
6. I had to switch Lexi back to disposable. In order to keep the cloth from stinking I had to wash a load every night, this was using up too much water and for me right now, taking the trash out is easier than doing yet another load of laundry.
7. And speaking of laundry, keep on top of it! That stuff is smelly!!!
8. Light candles all the time.
9. Open windos and turn on every fan.
And once all of the above has been done...
TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONER.
Any other ideas? Please share!
On getting organized
I always get bit by the organizing bug in Janurary. I want to declutter, throw out, and deep clean just about anything in site!
Here's a few things helping me keep on track.
Declutter Calendar
What tools are you using to stay, or become, organized?
Sunday tantrum and Tim Tebow
Here is Lexi throwing a temper tantrum on Sunday.
Yes, I dress my kids to go to church, but she decided to play with the water bubbler, when told no, she threw a fit and spilled water all over her dress.
Nice.
She had to sit in the "happy chair" till....happy.
Aaah...that's better! Snotty nose and all!
She ended the service by throwing up everything she had eaten all day, in front of everyone. It cleared the room fast. Sorry folks! Fellowship time is over! The pastors kid just puked in the middle of the small and crowded room. See ya next week!
Then we went home and watched Tim Tebow win and win good.
Yay for MK's! And big double Yay for MK's who love Jesus!
Go Tebow!
This week in review
What does a week in our life look like?
1. A firework show in our friend's backyard.
2. Brian helped light the fireworks and kept us all alive.
3. Many (many) failed potty attempts. I give up for now.
4. A ladder. On top of my dining room table. To install the ceiling fan. I left the room, because I didn't want to look.
5. A late night snack of peanut butter sandwiches in their bedroom. (Moments like these are what make being a mom awesome.)
How was your week?
Determined to keep trying!
I am joining Emily's Embrace the Camera again.
I am determined, DETERMINED, to take more pictures of myself and my husband with my kids.
And since the main purpose of this blog is for my girls to read in the future...Here girls, this is me! Twenty-six years old.
Next week I'll try to include some of the kiddos (or the husband!) with me.
Some messes are not nice, but some look cozy. Like this scene in the girls room. Pink, sunshine-y, and glowy. It makes me happy to see remnants of their creativity and playfullness laying around.
(Most of the time, anyway. Some days it drives me crazy!)
I've been organizing, tidying up, cleaning out and sprucing up the house. I always seem to struggle with finding the balance between home and others. On the one hand, I realize the importance of making my home a haven for my family. I can glorify Christ through welcoming others into my home, helping them enjoy their stay, feeding them,etc. On the other hand, should I really care about hanging pictures on my wall? Should I spend less time inside and more time walking around the neighborhood with my girls finding people to encourage and help? When do you stop one good thing and move on to the other?
It reminds me of how important the Holy Spirit is in a Christian's life. Every day is so different, and my role as wife, mother, missionary can change on an almost daily basis. I'm learning to follow His leading and enjoy the balance only He can give. 
New Years Eve around these parts
Isn't my new kitchen artwork beautiful? My friends gifted it to us for Christmas and I couldn't possibly love it more. That constant reminder of Christ's sacrifice for me and the growth that He gives us, placed in my kitchen. The room of the house that gets the most use.
I hope your New Years Eve celebration was a sweet as ours. We kept it simple with all of our littles running around. They did get to stay up late. Ten o'clock. Wow!
I am thankful for:
The look on her face when she sees ice cream being served.
The joy these two have. Their excitement is contagious!
Homemade ice cream cake to ring in the New Year
Because what could be better than ice cream cake?
A Crazy Costume Competition to end the evening? (Lexi decided to wear her Birthday Suit)
How did you spend your New Years Eve?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
