Now That's A Good Daddy

Areyna loves girly things.

She loves fixing hair (never her own though:), putting on makeup, wearing dresses and sparkly accessories and...

...painting nails.

It doesn't matter who it is, as long as she can use your nails as her canvas!

Yesterday she asked if Josh would like her to paint his nails.  His usual response is, "Nope, I'm good:)" and she is fine with that.

But yesterday his response was a little different.

He said, "Sure, do you have any boy colors?"

They proceeded to go through the color selections and pick the perfect boy blend of color for daddy. 

It was precious to watch her carefully apply the polish to his fingers as he sat patiently for her to be done.

I must admit that the shiny platinum catches me off guard when it flashes across the room, but I absolutely LOVE it!

Not Me Monday (On Tuesday)

I do not become a pillow snob when pregnant.

Nope, not me!

Really?  That is just so vain.  Becoming partial to a pillow, ha!

That just would never happen to this down-to-earth momma.

Nope.

But, if for some reason I were to become that ridiculous...

I would NEVER make the one pillow that I absolutely have to have...my daughters!

Oh no, not me.

That's like stealing candy from a baby Micaiah...except it's stealing a pillow from Areyna.

And what kind of mother goes around stealing pillows from their daughter?

Not this mama.

Because if I did, I'd have to start hiding it after every use, in fear that my daughter would see that, in fact, her mother had stolen her Cinderella adorned pillow, and decide to steal it right back.

And that would not make for a very happy mama.

So, nope, no pillow-stealin'-mama around here!

Nope.

The View From Here

Family Devotions With Friends

What To Expect When You Are Expecting...#5 - Weeks 13-16

You may begin to feel those sweet little baby flutters this month, but remember, holding your breathe for more will only cause a black out, not more of those sweet little movements in your tummy:)

You may as well get used to cooking but not being able to eat it.  For some reason dinner only looks appetizing if someone else fixes it, ha!

You know "the smell test" you use to see if laundry is clean or dirty?  Yeah, don't even try it!

Unlike your first pregnancy when you could hardly wait to be showing and wearing those cute maternity clothes, you may find yourself squeezing into your normal clothes for as long as you possibly can.  Just be aware that you may look like the "fat guy in a little coat" if you wait too long to make the transition:)

Gas-X and Tums will most certainly become your best friend.

Eating the leftover bites off of your kid's plates is no longer considered a meal!  Calories are needed at this point.

Your tolerance for other people's kids will deplete day by day.  Just tell your friends and family not to hold it against you:)

It will help if you can keep natural disasters coming (i.e. Earthquakes and Hurricanes).  It will give you something else to blame your children's insanely hyperactive tendencies on, instead of your lazy weary parenting approach caused from your lack of energy and motivation.

If brushing your teeth continues to be an issue, begin buying packs of gum in bulk.  It's cheaper!

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This month has been an emotional roller coaster, but I have continued to stay vomit-free!  Bouts of nausea are still eminent on a daily basis, but still, I can't complain.

Headaches are the big issue for me this time around.

I have had 2 really bad colds this month!  It is taking me so long to get over these little illnesses.  They are more of a nuisance than anything.  I know my immune system is shot.

I am patiently waiting for that surge of energy to come during this second trimester, but I'm beginning to feel less hopeful that it will happen this time around.

And for your viewing pleasure...a shiny 16-week photo because I still haven't figured out how to take a good picture with my camera:)

16-Week Belly

The Weather Nerd Dictionary For Dummies

This gust was pushing me over.

Here's a post for all you weather nerd wannabe's.  Just a few tidbits about Hurricane season and the definitions surrounding the storm.

Hurricane Categories -

■ Category 1 hurricanes have sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph. These very dangerous winds will produce some damage.
■ Category 2 hurricanes have sustained winds of 96 to 110 mph. These extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage.
■ Category 3 hurricanes have sustained winds of 111 to 130 mph. Devastating damage will occur.
■ Category 4 hurricanes have sustained winds of 131 to 155 mph. Catastrophic damage will occur.
■ Category 5 hurricanes have sustained winds greater than 155 mph. Catastrophic damage will occur.
 Source: NOAA


Storm Surge - a rise in level of coastal water - a rise in sea level above the usual tide as a hurricane or other intense storm moves over water, causing flooding when the storm comes ashore.

Deteriorating Conditions - for some reason everyone just likes to use this phrase...over and over...when talking about the hurricane conditions:)

Overwash - a deposit of marine-derived sediments landward of a barrier system, often formed during large storms; transport of sediment landward of the active beach by coastal flooding during a tsunami, hurricane, or other event with extreme wave action

Why is everyone freaking out about a Category 1 Hurricane?  Because of it's size and duration.

Eye Wall - The eye wall of a hurricane surrounds the eye of the hurricane with a wall of clouds that is considered the most deadly area of a hurricane. The eye wall removes any trace of a storm from the hurricane's eye and produces deadly winds more than 150 mph.

Eye - the center of the storm as well as the calmest part of the storm. When you see a photo of a hurricane, the eye is the empty hole in the middle of the storm that the bands of the hurricane surround. The eye is calm and almost serene, and is where the weather service flies its planes into to determine the ferocity of the storm.

 

Spiral Bands - Hurricanes have spiral bands that surround the eye wall of the storm. These bands are what produce the vast majority of the wind and rain that hurricanes produce and are the largest part of the storm.

 

Hurricane Season - Begins June 1 and ends November 30.

The View From Here

Fun Facts For Friday

Yesterday felt so much like a Friday to me that I woke up feeling like today is a Saturday.  It's a weird feeling...

I have had a terrible cold this week...again.  The kind that makes your head hurt from coughing so hard.  The kind that makes your nose drip when you tilt your head forward to talk to the kids.  The kind where you eat a wonderfully tasty meal but can't actually taste a thing because your nose is so stuffy.  The kind where just walking outside to hang the laundry up on the line feels like you just ran a marathon.

I'm 16 weeks pregnant!  Where is the time going?!  Two weeks from today we can find out if it is a boy or a girl...now that is crazy!

Hurricane Irene is said to make an appearance tomorrow.  I can't help but get giddy...it's the weather nerd in me:)  I remember growing up in Texas and frantically preparing the yard for the coming Tornado or other awesome storm that came our way!  I loved the excitement of the dark clouds moving in and the gentle breeze blowing before the storm approached while I excitedly ran around picking up the small toys in the yard that would inevitably end up in the neighbors yard.

All this word typing has made my arms and fingers feel like spaghetti so it's time for me to rest:)

But first, a picture to start your day with.

My adventurous boys:)

Happy Friday ya'll!

The (Temporary) Death Of A Super Hero

Zeke woke up this morning with a massive swollen bug bite on his arm.  He was itching it and saying that it hurt.  So, naturally, I gave him the proper dosage of Benadryl.

About 20 minutes later we noticed a huge change in Zeke.

He was no longer climbing on the walls and door frames.

He was no longer begging to wrestle.

He was no longer jumping off of furniture.

He wasn't even interested in getting into any kind of Super Hero costume.

Instead, he was quietly sitting around.

He was contently playing his Leapster.

He cuddled up with Josh for a while.

He concentrated through his school work.

Instead of asking for wrestling he asked for us to read him a book.

He even asked if I would let him take a nap this afternoon.

No fits.

No outbursts.

I kinda like my medicated little boy:)

It's kind of like when you see your kids and how sweet they can be when they are sleeping...

I must admit, though, I kinda miss my hyperactive little boy that I'm used to. 

You know, the one who is full of life and energy.

The one who can turn anything into a guitar to play.

The one who rescues his Princess sister from the bad guys and sits on his protesting little brother.

I'm sure he'll be back in full swing in a few short hours!

The View From Here

Sweet Baby Hannah (my niece) taking a nap this afternoon