Round Two

You may have wondered where the heck I've been. I hadn't been on a computer in 3 days!! Can you believe it?! Yeah, me either=)

We just finished round one of Christmas at the Via's. Tomorrow morning we head back to Maryland for the second time in 1 week but this time we're going to be with family. My sister and her family live in New Market and my brother, sister-in-law and my parents are all going to meet us there for OUR Christmas. It is the only time of the year that I get to see my whole family and we're pretty excited!

It's also time for the annual String Party. I'll definitely be posting pictures.=) I hope everyone is having a GREAT vacation! I'll be back in commission soon I promise.

...Not A Creature Was Stirring...

Josh and I just got back from an awesome night at Southbrook Monroe Campus leading worship for their Christmas Eve services.  Check out Josh's blog for pictures and details!  It was a really special time.

Now, we're sitting here blogging, finishing up the last minute touches for our newsletter, stuffing stockings and setting out the kid's presents.

Then tomorrow...

We are waking up in our own beds for the first time ever on Christmas morning.  We are going to have our own family Christmas morning before heading up north to see our families.

Merry Christmas!

Just HAD To Post This - Have You Ever Seen Anything SO Ridiculous?

We saw this house in Maryland. You should have seen it all lit up at night time!!!

You could hardly see the porch because of all the blow-up things.  HA!

A Smartie Is Cheaper Than A Diaper

While Areyna was potty training we gave her little "incentives" for going potty.  You know, like a sticker on her sticker chart (that really never worked for Areyna) or a gummy bear or something.  It was the hardest habit to break though.  It was a rough day when she figured out that she just had to potty to go potty.  So, we vowed never to do it with Zeke.  

Well, we gave in about 2 weeks ago.  We knew Zeke could go and if we asked him he'd go pretty well but we could sense he needed a little more incentive for some consistency.  So, a couple of  weeks ago we started giving him a single Smartie every time he'd go potty.  By that Friday Zeke had his FIRST full day in big boy undies without an accident.  In fact, it's been almost 2 whole weeks and we've only had about 4 accidents.  

He's not nearly to the point of being fully potty trained but if I can remember to ask him every hour or so we'll make it to the potty in time.  He'll tell me on his own about half of the time.  We're getting there and he is doing GREAT!  He even has a dry diaper when he gets up from his naps which means we are averaging about 1 diaper a day!  We can handle that=)

So, for the little amount of work to ask him every so often and go set him on the potty I'll take handing out 1 smartie over going through 4-5 diapers a day!

Do you reward for potty-training?  What kinds of things do you do?

A Good Day

Yesterday was a good day.  

First of all, I could feel my anti-biotics kicking in.  I had a few 45 minute intervals of energy before I would have to collapse back onto the couch=)  

Second, it was also our first ultrasound for baby #3.  We saw the little "peanut", that's right, just one, and heard a good strong heartbeat.  What a blessing. 

Lastly, Areyna had her first Christmas program.  Yes, I did have a little tear of joy well up in the corner of my eye watching her sing Jingle Bells and We Wish You A Merry Christmas with her class.  I'm gonna get Josh to put a little video of Rainy's performance up soon;)

Today we are heading up to Maryland to play for a church.  Do you have any plans or Christmas parties you're going to?

He Kept The Natives Happy!

Josh did such an amazing job keeping the kids occupied and happy this week while I've been sick.  Yesterday was "special craft" day.  He pulled out a book of ideas for him and the kids to do and they went to town.  The kids kept asking for another and another.  After crafts he played games and wrestled 'til all were satisfied!  Thank you for holding down the fort this week and for taking care of me=)  I don't know what I would have done without you...

Here are a couple pictures of their paper Christmas trees that they made.

Third Times A Charm

Two weeks before Thanksgiving I got really sick.  I mean, REALLY sick!  By Thanksgiving I was starting to feel a little better.  At least for a couple of days.  Then, I got another "something" that really took it out of me.  I didn't even completely get over that before I started getting really congested.  That congestion turned into a full-blown sinus infection.  You know, the kind that hurts your gums and teeth, gives you a pounding headache which leads to nausea, and makes everything hurt from your shoulders up!  In the past when I would hear "sinus infection" I would think, "oh, poor thing, she has a really runny nose".  But now I know better.  I have been laid out in the bed and on the couch for 2 days and the pain just keeps getting worse.  The bad thing is that I couldn't find anything that even touched the symptoms because I'm pregnant.  Until this morning.  Josh just took the kids to run and get my anti-biotic.  I am praising God already for the relief that I know this medicine will bring.

I'll be a new woman in 24-48 hours=)

Thanks for letting me vent for a minute.  That is about the only news going on around here.  Poor Josh has been dealing with super cranky/whiney kids and taking care of me while he tries to get set lists together and deal with all the last minute stuff for this weekend in Maryland.

There's A New Super Hero In Town

SUPER MULLET MAN

The kids have had a lot of fun playing with the new superhero that has made an appearance at our house this week.  His mullet is enough to scare any toddler away=)  He comes armed with a hairbrush, a pretty sweet cape and that's pretty much it.  He has sure kept our kids entertained.  Feel free to contact me for booking information.  I've got connections=)

The First Signs

My pregnancy signs had been pretty mild so far ... until yesterday!  We woke up to get ready for Ridge Church.  I found out the day before that coffee was a BAD IDEA.  The smell of this favorite beverage of mine has begun to give me quite the urge to hurle!  Anyway, in order to avoid the inevitable that coffee would cause, and still get a little caffeine to wake me up, I made some tea.  This proved to be an even worse idea.  I ended up having to take some anti-nausea medicine that completely knocks me out.  This wouldn't have been that bad except that it was SUNDAY, our main day of ministry, and I had a lot of lead parts in the set.  I felt like I was walking around in a different world than the rest of the people around me.  I couldn't think straight.  I normally don't have to think much about keeping a beat or which finger I lay down next, but yesterday it made my head hurt.

Needless to say, I got the prescription filled for the anti-nausea medicine that DOES NOT make me feel like a zombie=)