My little dishwasher

Today after lunch I decided to do up a few dishes. Alexandra insisted that she do them. Since there were no glasses(other than sippies) and no knives, I let her at it. She did a really great job! She was really proud of herself too. I know I need to encourage this behavior since I will want her to do dishes later in life. It was also cool since the kitchen was pretty clean and I didn't have to do it. That's the best!

Wrestlemania

Tonight, as Paul and I ate, wrestlemania happened in our living room. The really funny part is that Alexandra loved having Sebastian tackle and tickler her. After the wrestling was over, they went in the playroom and both sat quietly on the couch and read books. We prayed and Alexandra wanted to hold Sebastian's hand. As Sebastian was praying for me and Paul and alexandra and atticus he pauses and points to Alexandra's bandaid with Cookie monster on it and says, very loudly "Cookie!" He's coming up with stuff like that all the time. He headed up stairs tonight and the stairs were dark and he says very plainly, "It's dark up there". I know that doesn't seem like a big deal but when he wasn't really noticing anything and now he's noticing everything. It is so cool. I'm loving it!

you know it's a good day....

When someone asks you where you get your hair cut! I mean no one would ask if your hair looked bad, right?

This heat is driving me crazy.

Now it might not be what you think. Yes it's hot and humid and that makes me cranky but it's really all about the wardrobe. I have been wearing these short sleeve shirts for 6 months now. We had a warm spell in May! I'm ready to wear my jeans and my long sleeve t-shirts. I also have some great sweaters I'd like to break out. I know, I'm such a girl!

Kid antics

Tonight on the way to church, Alexandra starts singing in the back. It's all about God which is really cute and then she would end and say "I'm finished". When Paul and I didn't clap or cheer she said, "why isn't anyone clapping?" So we clap and cheer. Then she says for my next song, and it's about God and sounds about the same but she claims they are all different. When she finishes again, we clap and cheer and she says, "Thank you, Thank you", then she announces her next song. Paul decides to ask me a question and she says, "Why aren't you listening"! She's a trip.

We were at church tonight for a worship night. The worship band was playing and as one of our elders said that he was doing summersalts for Jesus. He also was dancing around with his hands in the air. It was too cool!

oh I hate getting my buttons pushed

There's something about me that is deep. I get ugly when it comes to injustice and fairness. I also get ugly when someone messes with my family. Now that's not just what you think. Yes if someone messes with my kids, I get ugly. But if someone messes with my "peeps", I get ugly. I don't like this ugly but it happens and sometimes I cool down quickly and sometimes I don't. Tonight is a long cool down time. Even though I'm ugly right now, my bowl of ice cream soothes this button pushed woman.

A great Sebastian Day

Yesterday was the first time that I can remember that Sebastian engaged Alexandra and I in play. Alexandra wanted to play the freeze game while we were outside yesterday. She would sing and then say freeze and I would have to freeze. Then I would sing, she would dance and I would say freeze and she would have to freeze. Sebastian noticed what we were doing and he came over, started singing and dancing and would put his hands out when one of us would say freeze. It was so cute. A little bit later we decided to lay on the ground and look at the clouds and see what pictures were in the clouds. Sebastian would say "an elephant, up there, mama". He named a whole lot of characters and animals. He was having so much fun. It was such a joy to see him engaging in what we were doing. It brought tears of joy to my eyes. It was soooooooo cool!

I've been a very busy girl

So last Wednesday I left for the Internet Ministry Conference. I was there until Saturday morning. We had our annual business meeting at Fresh Start. Paul and I hosted and it was a Mexican theme with Pinata and all. Sunday was church. I still don't feel like I have processed everything I heard and learned from the conference so my brain still feels like it's on overdrive.

There's a stomach virus going through our house and it caused quite a mess in Atticus' car seat and our van on Sunday. That's all I say here but it was nasty!

I got it last night and am still feeling a little weird today. Hopefully it won't run through the whole house.

I've got to have one of these

The ladies over at 5 minutes for mom are giving away a pink dyson. I can't even imagine Alexandra's reaction if I brought this home. She loves to vacuum right now and a pink vacuum would make her flip out. You can enter to win this just like me here!

a sweet brother sister moment

Since Sebastian has been putting more and more sentences together, it's been pretty cool to hear what comes out of his mouth. There was a spider on the wagon and she was freaking out in the back yard. Sebastian starting walking her way saying, "What matter sissy, what the matter?". He headed back to her and then decided once the spider wasn't an issue anymore she should pull him in the wagon. She made it up to me and Atticus decided to get on board as well. So Sebastian was in the back, Alexandra in the middle holding onto Atticus. I pulled them up the house and it was pretty cool to see all three of them in the wagon. Too cute!

Another brother joins my ranks

One of my younger brothers, Jim, now has a blog. Go check it out jimmygrimes.blogspot.com

Current Alexandra Antics

Last night was the first night of dance. She really loved it. We got done and Alexandra said she wanted Pizza for dinner. I told her I had dinner in the crockpot. She said she wanted to talk to Daddy and see if he would get her pizza. To make a long story short, I got him on the phone and we had pizza for dinner last night. So after we got home, we were waiting for him to bring pizza we got books together for Bookmobile. I'm trying to get her to help me and she's singing into a mallet. I was getting frustrated with her not helping me. I expressed that to her and she says "tough crowd"!

As she was going to bed last night she got really upset about going to school today. She said she was really afraid to go to school. Part of it was that she thought she would have to go all day and not just the morning. Although I think part of her conversation with me was manipulative, I appreciated the moment of sitting on her bed, tucking her in and listening to how she felt about leaving me and the boys to go to school. It was dark in the room, and she was snuggled with her blanket in her bed. She looked so sweet even though she was very upset. Erin took her to school today so It'll be interesting to hear how things went when Erin dropped her off.

First day of school part 2

We got to school and Alexandra was still excited. Then, I started to leave, and she started to cry and hug me. I stayed for a few more minutes and then the teacher came over and offered to read her a book. Once they started the book, I stepped out. She was fine the rest of the morning. I got home to a hysterical Sebastian. Erin said she couldn't get out of him what was wrong. I hugged and snuggled him. Finally he said, "sissy mommy, where sissy", and he started to cry again. I couldn't believe it. Usually he asks about her but he was so out of sorts. I told him we'd go get her soon and that we could play until then. He snuggled a little bit more and then we played with the little people. He was really happy to get in the van and go pick her up. It was very cute!

The First day of School

Alexandra starts three day pre school today and she is over the moon. She got up today and I was still in the house. She was sure Erin was going to take her and wanted to make sure Erin knew how to get to the school. I am going to take her today since it's the first day and they are splitting the day into two parts. I hope she feels the same way when I drop her off at 10:20 AM. I'm excited about school start and Dance tomorrow. There is a girl in her class at School that will be in her dance class as well so it should be fun to get to know her parents better. I'll give an update later about how the first day went!

A sweet moment

Today for the first time Atticus did not want to be in the nursery. I think he's getting to the point where he still needs a little nap in the morning but doesn't need a full nap. So, I heard him scream and went and got him from the nursery worker. I walked around with him as one of our Elders, Jack taught up front. I put Atticus down on the floor to crawl around a little bit. At the end of the message, Jack asked if anyone wanted prayer to come up front. Atticus crawled right up the isle to Jack. It was so sweet to see Atticus up there resting on Jack's shoulder as Jack prayed for him and worshiped. It was very, very cool!

Win a cute baby doll

Tips for Toddlers is hosting a contest. You can win a cute baby doll that makes kissing sounds when you push her tummy. Head over to Tips for Toddlers and check it out!

Happy Birthday to me!

Well another year has passed. Paul led worship yesterday and had everyone sing me happy birthday which was really nice. He took Alexandra shopping on Saturday and had her help him with the presents. We had rest time and then Paul went and got some chicken so I wouldn't have to cook. We then opened presents and had ice cream. My husband was wise in not buying a cake since I didn't need the extra calories. Paul always gets a card for me and says really nice things to me like he appreciates me more each year and he appreciates how I am raising the kids and such. That is really the gift to me, his words. The lotion and clothes are nice but the encouragement is really a gift. It's amazing that as I get older, physical gifts mean much less than the emotional.

An HP Photosmart printer

The sisters over at 5 minutes for mom.com are giving away a HP photosmart printer! Yahoo! It's easy to register so head over there and check it out!

Free Music Friday

It's that time again. Check out some new artists to spice up your Ipod or MP3 player.

Go to Myfreemusicfriday.com!

Alexandra antics

Tuesday night We were praying before bed. Sebastian prayed, then Alexandra. She went on and on about her dog, her bed and such. Then Paul starts to pray. He prays for work and a family member and so on. Alexandra is sitting on my lap and she leans her head back and closes her eyes. Then she starts to snore while Paul is praying. I almost fell off the bed laughing. It was so funny.

I heard foot steps up stairs tonight so I headed up to see what was going on. Alexandra was out of her bed and said she was playing with Buddy and she was sorry. I asked her to get back into bed and to stay there. She wanted a hug and kiss and as I hugged her she said "Mommy, I love you so much I could hug you forever"! How sweet and precious.

Wordless Wednesday - Dancing fools!

I've seen the light

Two nights ago I walked past Alexandra and Sebastian's room at 8:30PM to find the light underneath the door on. I walked in and told Alexandra it was bedtime and she couldn't have the light on. She told me sorry and then said they were just reading books. I said she could do that tomorrow morning. She said she needed light to read. I told her she had the small kitty light. She looked at me and said "mommy, that's not enough light to read!". When I told Paul that he about fell on the ground. I told him, you know where she gets that from right? He probably said the same thing to his mom at some point in his life.

It's going to get busy

Today Atticus is 1! He is such a cutie and we are celebrating tonight with family. Alexandra has been with Grandma and Grandpa for the last 24 hours and will return tonight with G and G for the party. It's been interesting having just the boys. Even our sitter was excited to see how things would be different today without Alexandra here. It's good for her to be with G and G but It'll be nice to see her as well. Tonight my mom and step dad come into town from Florida and we have a pig roast to go to tomorrow for a friend of Paul's from work. Whew! A lot but a lot of fun too!

Happy Birthday Atticus!

Wordless Wednesday - Why don't you understand?

Abe Lincoln's face

This article was front page on Yahoo.com this morning:

Abe Lincoln's face was lopsided. I say, who cares? Why should this be on the front page of Yahoo. Don't we all have deformities? None of us have perfect faces or bodies so why is this such big news?

A Comfy Easy PC

Alexandra is always wanting to use my computer. I sometimes log on to PBSkids.org and play around with her. This comfy easy pc would be awesome for her and then for the boys as well as they get older. If you have a kid that would this would be good for as well, enter over at 5minutesformom.com.

I've seen the writing on the wall and the poop on the floor

Yes you read that right with in a 18 hour period, Sebastian took a crayon to our wall in the living room and Atticus figured out how to take his diaper off and throw it and poop on the floor of MY bedroom. Paul and I were chatting at the kitchen table on Thursday night and we are oblivious to the fact that Sebastian is right around the corner with a purple crayon making his own "work of art" on the wall. I felt like I handled it pretty well and Paul held him while he helped me clean the wall up. He did a really good job and I gave him a high five at the end of the cleaning job. The next day Erin came and watched the kids like normal. I got back, went to check on Atticus up stairs. I start to smell the dirty diaper in the stairway. I look in the room, Atticus is sleeping like a little angel with poop all over the bed, the diaper on the floor along with more poop. Can you believe it? Alexandra did the same thing when she was just a little younger than him. I went back downstairs, took in some fresh air and then shared the horrible story with Erin. About an hour later, after I had cleaned up the mess and gave Atticus a bath, Erin came upstairs bearing a peach cobbler. It was so nice of her. She said she knew she had two options, she could come and help me clean it up or make a peach cobbler, so she made a peach cobbler. I can't blame her for that. It was so nice and thoughtful of her. This one goes down in the record book as a crazy 1/2 a day. What scares me is that with these two boys I'm sure it's going to get a whole lot worse! :)

Such a cool picture

My sister-in-law Wendy got this picture of My brother Jim this weekend. To get this pic with a digital is amazing. You can read more about the weekend at my older brother's blog charliegrimes.blogspot.com.

Plumber Heather Strikes again!

Our bathroom sink got plugged up AGAIN. I tried all the natural ways to unplug it, vinegar and baking soda and it only made the problem worse. So I decided in the heat of the day to take everything out of the cabinet, take off the trap and try to put drain cleaner right down into the wall. Now the actual plan wasn't bad, it was the smell. I'm not sure what caused it but after I put the drain cleaner in, a horrible, wreched rotten egg smell started to come from the sink drain. Oh, it was awful. I took the box fan and pointed it out the window in the bathroom but it was still bad. Paul came home and thought it was dinner. He wasn't trying to be mean he was trying to be nice but didn't know that I had tried to tackle the sink. He went to Menards to get some thing including more drain cleaner. I tried the snake again down the pipe but I couldn't get it to be unplugged. Paul got to it later in the evening and he got it unplugged. Other than the smell the worst part was the black water in my sink and no being able to use the sink to wash hands and brush teeth. Even though I had black stuff all over my shirt and pants, plus the rug on the floor, I have a working sink in the bathroom now! Yeah!!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Fun at the company picnic

Another site like craigslist

I just found a site just like Craigslist. It's by Ebay and it's called Kijiji.com. Just don't ask me to pronounce it.

I went there and Kalamazoo was on the list along with a lot of other Michigan cities. I believe this is new that's why I wanted to let you know about it.

Check it out.Kijiji.com

Random bursts of Laughter

On Wednesday night we picked the kids up from my dad and Karen and Alexandra asked if I would play the "Happy" song. It's the song "Happy" by Ayiesha Woods. So while we're listening to the song, Sebastian just starts laughing and I mean belly laughs. When he does that he makes us laugh. I asked Alexandra if she knew what he was laughing at and she said "NO"! I think she was irritated that he was interrupting her Happy song. Anyway, Paul and I thought it was awesome that he was just randomly laughing during the song.

Wordless Wednesday - a boy after his dad's heart

What a way to start the day

Alexandra came into our room this morning saying that her clock was different than ours. I told her it didn't matter and that she needed to go back to bed. She looked at me, held her nose and said "you're stinky". I was shocked. I said get back to your room. How dare she come into my room and call me stinky. It must have been my breath because I had showered the night before. I've got to train her to at least say "good morning" before she says I'm stinky.

Sweet and Sly Sebastian

So what a weekend with Sebastian and Alexandra. Saturday morning Alexandra comes running into our room saying I need to get buddy because he got out of his bed. He came running after her and sure enough he was out of his bed. I asked her if she had helped him and she said no but then it came out later that maybe she pushed him a little. Paul says that he did see Sebastian crawl out of the playard but we'll see if he does it again. Also, Friday night while we were praying I laid hands on Sebastian and Alexandra and asked God to protect them from bad dreams. Sebastian reached up put his hand on my head and said mommy no dreams. Paul was down stairs and Atticus was in his bed but he put his hand out and said the same thing for both of them. It was so precious. Tears welled up in my eyes. It was awesome.


We also got an entertainment center given to us by our friends Ryan and Jayme. The kids thought it was a toy and had great fun playing hide and seek in it.

Win a TV, a really cool TV

As usual the sista's over at 5minutesformom.com are giving away a great prize. It's a Insignia® 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV!!! You can details on this cool TV at Best Buy. If you want to enter just leave a comment over at5minutesformom.com and then post a link to your blog like I did here! Good luck!

I learned by example

A series of events lately has made me think about how influenced we are by our parents but for me particulary my mom. My mom was on her own for the most part when I was growing up. My Dad was around but we lived with my mom. There's some that I know that live off the state and expect that things should be handed to them. I know that's not the way to live and I know that because my mom taught me that. Even in the difficult times when money was tight, I never went without anything I needed. She also told me and instilled in me that I could do anything I put my mind to. Not everyone hears that when they are growing up but I did and I still believe that today. I'm a talented woman and If I work hard I can do pretty much anything. My mom never put limits on my abilities and never told me that I wasn't good enough to do something. For that I'm grateful and am trying to instill that into my kids as well. Encouragement goes a long way for a kid, even into her 20's and 30's. So I say a big Thank You Mom for working hard, setting a great example and encouraging me throughout my childhood.

This post is a part of the MamaBlogga July group writing project

Helping someone who doesn't want to help themself

I have a situation right now with a family member where they need some help. I visited with them and felt compelled to help them. The reality is that I have three kids, two part time jobs and a house to run. I offered what I thought I could and come to find out they haven't done anything for themselves to make things better. When I offered to help I thought I knew the whole story but I found out later that I didn't. I'm not willing to step in and do everything but I do want to help because I think that's what God wants from us as his followers. I'm disappointed though that they are willing to step out and do something to help with their situation. I know I'm being vague, but what do you do when you see a need, try to meet it and then find out they really want you to do everything for them and they don't want to step up and take care of things on their own?

More Alexandra Antics

Yesterday all the kids got baths and Alexandra got to take hers by herself since the boys bathed together. As I'm washing her dirty feet and legs, she says "mom, you're really dirty too. You should take a shower tomorrow morning." What she doesn't really know is that she's right. I haven't showered in a few days :)

She's been telling our sitter that I never do certain things like make her wear shoes and I never brush her hair. She also has tried to convince both Erin and I that she's safer on her big bike withOUT her helmet than she is with it.

On Monday she had her 4 year check up with the Dr. and she had 4 shots. As I sang the ABC song to her she gritted her teeth but didn't shed one tear. It was amazing. We also found out that she has to be 4 and 40 pounds before she can get out of a car seat. She's only 28 1/2 pounds right now. The Dr. was optimistic and said maybe she can get into a booster in 6 months but I think that it might be at least a year. That was not what she wanted to hear.

It's official, a fit was pitched

Don't let this cute exterior fool you, inside is a fit just waiting to get out and it did last night! Every night since we started having Erin come and sit for the kids in the morning, Alexandra has cried at bedtime. She's always fine when I get home. Last night, Paul took charge of things and she lost it. He told her to go back to bed and that she couldn't talk to me. This was fine with me since I had listened to her "chat" at me for almost 3 hours straight that evening. She just lost it. She was screaming my name, and crying uncontrollably. I hate those moments. I know that she's fine but to hear her scream my name and cry so hard she has a hard time breathing is so hard. It those moments as a mom that you know you are doing the right thing but it's still really hard. I've been trying to spend just time with her after the boys go to nap time but I guess the adjustment is just really hard for her. Anyway, she finally did settle down and go to sleep and this morning woke up doing the river dance in her room for Sebastian. That's what Erin and I call her dancing in the morning.

Wordless Wednesday - All three kids around the age of 1

Can you tell who is who?

Being Open

It seems that one door closed on Friday when it comes to my life as a working person. I thought I might be going back to a comfortable position, where I'm known and I know everyone. It came to the point where I felt I needed to make a decision, I couldn't wait for them to make the decision for me. I'm not one to wait a really long time for things and this has been going on for a few months now. Also, My husband was concerned although as usual very supportive of what I wanted to do. I made the decision to pull myself out of the running for a position and head in another direction. Now that we have childcare in the morning I want to be doing something productive. As I was driving this morning it hit me, God may be protecting me from a lot of hurt, stress and frustration. Although I thought this job might be a ton of fun, It could also cause me a lot of stress. So, we've decided to venture out on our own. In the next few weeks I'll be writing more about this but I've decided to start my own Website Development business. I'm excited about branching out on my own and look forward to the work I'll be doing.

As for today, Alexandra has her 4 year Dr. Appointment and she'll have to have shots. We'll see if she does as well as she did this winter with her flu shot. Atticus is doing better, looking better and eating better. He has a fever all weekend and I stayed home with him and Sebastian on Sunday. I'll give an update later on how the Dr. appointment and shots went!

Oh the Guilt!

This week we started having a sitter come and watch the kids for a few hours in the morning so I could go and do some work. Erin comes at 7:30 AM and stays until 10:30 AM. I thought this was the best possible time. I could get some work done and all I would really miss was breakfast and a little PBS kids time. Alexandra has been having a really hard time with it. She cried on Sunday night when I told her and then last night she cried again. She says that she doesn't love Erin, that she loves me and wants me there. What do you say to that? I told her that I love her and that I would be back before Lunch and then we would play on the swings and the sand box and read books. Nothing seemed to work. Then I pulled a rabbit out of my hat. I told her in a month or so she'd be going back to school three days a week and that while she was gone I'd be gone too. Then she got really, really excited. She kept saying, can I go tomorrow, can I go tomorrow? I told her no in a month but then she said something pretty amazing. "After that I go to the big school with the big doors and play on the big playground". She must be talking about kindergarten. She's a year away and she's already excited about going to the big school. Pretty amazing! So, I saved the mommy guilt for another issue. Although I have to admit when she is crying I keep thinking to myself, Is this really the right thing to be doing but in my heart I believe it is right now!

Wordless Wednesday

The only thing wrong with this picture is I'm usually out there behind them pushing.

Alexandra's Antics

Here's a few things Alexandra has said to me over the past few days:

I told a friend that I was going home to have a fruit bar. Alexandra asked if she could have one. I told her no because she didn't finish her dinner. She said please mommy and I said no. She replied "Can I watch you eat yours then?"

Alexandra: Mommy I want to be the mommy now.
Me: You can't be the mommy.
A: I want out of this situation, can I please be the mommy!


Alexandra: Can I go outside and swing?
Me: No it's too wet.
Alexandra: I'll just wear my snow boots.
(She proceeded to wear her boots all day even though it didn't rain again)

It rained on our parade but not our party!

We marched in the Parchment Kindleburger parade with the Preschool. It was very fun but it rained on and off. Alexandra rode in a wagon with two other girls from the school. We came home after the parade, had rest time and then got ready for the party. Lee and Sylvia Plus Dad and Karen came over to celebrate. This was one of those days It was great to be a mom. Alexandra had a Dora cake and Barbie dancing Princess plates and napkins. Both her choice. I love that she's decisive and everything doesn't have to match! It was a great time and I think Alexandra will remember this day for a while.

Fire Marshal Atticus

My girl is 4 today

I know everyone says this but "I can't believe she's 4!" I think the reason it's flown by for me is that I've been pregnant with the boys for the last 3 years. She was very excited to get her big bike and we sang her Happy Birthday many, many times. Last night she was cracking me up making up songs and getting Atticus to dance with her. She also made up a guessing game where she tells me a joke or story that I have to finish. If I get it right, she yells, You're a winner! Too funny!

What Vacation means for hubby

Right now we are sitting in the lobby of the Sleep inn, South Bend, watching the Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer. I don't mind watching Tennis but I'm also not complaining. We are sitting in air conditioning when it's going to be 95 today in Indiana. We did do the White water rafting yesterday and went to the South bend Chocolate factory. We also went to a very, very nice restaurant The LaSalle Grill. What's funny is we got all dressed up for dinner, had a great time and then went to the movie theater and saw Transformers. It was more sci-fi then we thought which is good but it also had a lot of action. It reminded me of Independence day way back when. It had a lot of humor in it as well. I was surprised it didn't have any big name actors in it. I like everyone that was in it. What also surprised me is it was an 8 PM show and there were babies and toddlers in the theater. It reminded me how fortunate I am to have great family and friends to watch our kids even for a night sometimes so that we can get out and have "Couple time".

I took some pics of our trip but can't upload them right now. I will in the next couple of days.

So why would you go to South Bend?

Yes, that's what a lot of people have asked us when they found out we were going to take a weekend trip without the children to South Bend! We wanted to get away but didn't want to drive too far so we felt like Indiana was a good bet it is a different state! Anyway, we got here, had dinner last night right by the St. Joseph river and then found out that there were fireworks. They were awesome, especially over the river. It was a nice surprise. Today we are watching tennis, doing a tour of the South Bend Chocolate factory (my choice :), and then taking a ride on the man made Whitewater rafting course. It should all be fun, fun, fun!

The Best $15 I ever spent

If I let Alexandra it would be the first thing she does in the morning
and the last thing she does before she goes to bed. She has spent so much time on the swingset since we got it. She's out there all the time. She's also spent a ton of time in the sand box. She likes it more than Sebastian. She's even been so kind as to push Sebastian on the Swing and to make him a sand castle in the sand box. It's been very cool.

Here's a Meme I couldn't pass up.

As I was surfing tonight I found this at Rocks in my Dryer Feel free to answer these questions on your blog and link back to me and her:

1. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I would have to say Cantaloupe or Watermelon. Yummy!

2. What's the most nerve-racking "close call" you've ever had?

One day on the way out to run some errands I almost got into three car accidents. I had all three kids with me and it made me want to go right back home.

3. Name five features your ultimate dream house would have.

Oh I love this one. A hot tub bath tub. A large kitchen with an island and a bar with stools. Large master bedroom with a large master bath. A craft room. A large walk in closet.
4. Who has been the most influential non-relative in your life?

My friend Ann Browning. She has been there for me during the hard times, we craft together, she also takes my kids so I can have a break. I also think she knows more than any other friend I have.
5. What one non-physical feature would you most like to change about yourself?

I like to talk about myself a lot and I need to ask people about themselves more and talk less about myself.

Practice what I'm talking about

We had a church meeting last night and it came up that we need to be inviting more people who cross our path to church. I've been feeling like I need to be bold in asking people where they are at. Tonight we went to pick up the swing set and the woman who had the garage sale and I got talking. She was so nice and we had a lot in common. She's trying to get her kids out of a school system and into another. I asked her where they went to church. She said they wanted to find a Presbyterian church but her kids would like a more contemporary service. I told her about Fresh Start and about how we incorporate kids into the service but they also have their own time which is something she wanted for her kids. I told her the time we start and that we'd love to come and check it out. She said they really wanted to find a Presbyterian church. I told her about a church on the east side of Kalamazoo. I'm always amazed at how open people are about where they are with Church. I think it's really in our mind that people don't want to connect with God. Why are we so stuck in thinking people don't want what we have. It's the best thing ever, having a relationship with God. I encourage you to just step out there. People are more open than you might think. I'm not sure that this woman will ever come to our church but the point should be that she reconnects with God.

I rock at great deals today

I had Laura Browning over today to sit for the kids so I hit some garage sales. One of the first ones I saw they had a swing set. It looked sound but needs a paint job. I walked up to it and the price on it was $15. My jaw dropped. We're getting our truck back this weekend after being in the shop. I asked if we could pick it up on Sunday and she said yes. So, after that I found a little tikes cube with a slide on Craigslist. It was in battle creek but they only wanted $39 for it and that's the cheapest I've seen. As you can see the kids are already loving it!

Goggle Girl

Ever since Alexandra saw her cousins (Shannon Katie and Leah) wearing goggles at Me me and Papa's she's been obsessed with goggles.
I found two pairs of goggles at Walmart for $1. Can you believe it. She was giddy!

He's pulling himself up now and making is mama's day

Atticus is pulling himself up and saying mama when I say it to him! He also does it with a huge smile on his face.

One of those Michigan summer days

It's one of those days that you don't bother showering because you'll get out and sweat even more than you were before. It's one of those days that you wish it would rain and just cool things off instead of making things even worse. It's one of those days that you go to walmart with no money but at least it's air conditioned. These are the days we forget about in the heart of winter here in Michigan.

Backyard fun on a hot summer day

It's going to be even hotter today here in Michigan so some of our time will be spent in the air conditioned room!

4th of July party over at 5 minutes for mom

You've got to head over to 5 Minutes for mom.com and get registered for some very cool prizes for 4th of July! You can also get there by clicking on the banner on the right hand side of the blog.

She's Married

After lots of prayers and tears my friend Jennifer Married a wonderful man yesterday. It was an awesome day and everything went great. It was one of the most fun weddings I have ever been to. Everything started Friday with a bridesmaid luncheon and pampering day. After that we had the rehearsal and dinner. It all went very smoothly. The wedding day started out with getting our hair done. Even though I had no idea what I wanted done the stylist did a great job and I got a lot of compliments from people, even my hubby loved it. We made it to the church and had all our pictures before the wedding. The wedding itself went very smoothly but I have to tell you that my feet are not use to standing for more than an hour in huge heals. I changed shoes to platform sandals for the ice cream social after the ceremony and then by the time we hit the dinner reception, I had no shoes on at all. It was so great to see Jen so happy. I also got to see a couple of girls that I went to college with and a couple from New Zealand that we met at Western Michigan University who now live in Texas. Overall, It was an incredible day!

I'm a fan of the spray tan

At the recommendation of one of my friends I decided to do a spray tan. My Friend Jen is getting married this weekend and I'm in the wedding. The dress is strapless and I have horrible strap lines from my tank tops. I would highly recommend The mystic tan. It only takes 40 seconds and then you are done! You feel a little sticky after ward but by the next day you have lots of color. If I had the money I would continue to do it for sure. I don't remember being this tan ever. I'll post some pics after the wedding so you can see. Oh the funniest thing is that Paul doesn't know I've been doing this and he hasn't said a word about how tan I'm getting. I laugh out loud every time I think about that.

What a big boy!

Today Atticus pulled himself up on our little whale slide, stood up, and climbed up the stairs and went head first down the slide. I'll try to get a picture of him doing it again. After his adventure outside, we went up for a nap and i was saying How about a nite-nite and he said ni-ni! It was too cute. I can't believe that in less then two months he'll be a year old.

Wordless Wednesday - My Family 19 or so years ago

Busy, busy Erbe's

Boy, what a weekend. I was still fighting my cold and not feeling great. Todd's graduation party went really well. I can't believe my little brother is now going to be a freshman in college. We got to spend some time with by older brother and his family and got to have pizza with my dad on Father's day. This next week is only busier. My Best Friend from college is getting married this weekend and I'm in the wedding. It's going to be awesome! She's waited a long time for this, It's going to be quite a celebration.

A warm day in Michigan

The Erbe's from Texas are in michigan so we all headed to a inland lake in Allegan. It was 90 degrees today but there were some great shade trees. The kids were in the water most of the time that we were there and I realized how stressful that was. The water was really shallow but you never know. After lunch Alexandra and Sebastian both wanted to swing so they did. It got to be almost 2 PM and I decided that I needed to take the kids home. Sebastian was fading and Atticus was getting really really tired. Paul stayed with his family and his brother brought him home later. I think the kids were happy to be home too. After dinner we played in the beans and then took a bath. After the bath I asked Sebastian for a kiss. He gave me one and then Alexandra gave me one. They kissed me over and over. It was such a sweet moment. I then read them some books to settle them down for the night. I am realizing that with three little ones I am in need of more and more downtime. I watered the garden and the flowers and watched a little TV the rest of the night.

I'm a slacker blogger

Wow, I can't believe that it's been so long since I blogged. I guess with the warmer weather we are spending more time outside and less time in front of the computer. We had dinner Friday night with my inlaws and it was great fun! Hopefully Paul's brother Dave and his family will make it in this week so we can hang out with them. Dave's wife Melisa and their sons haven't met Atticus in person yet. We went to Todd's (my youngest brother) graduation yesterday. We decided to get a sitter and leave the kids at home. What a great idea. It was so nice that we didn't have to watch the kids while watching the ceremony! I started getting sick again over the weekend and now I've lost my voice. One of my friends echoed a thought I had. With three little ones it seems that I'm so tired and am not getting enough sleep so my body can't fight things as well. I think she might be right! Alexandra had her first taste of Garage sales this weekend and loved it! A neighbor across the street had one and so did some homes down the street. We found some stuff we couldn't live without, of course. She just can't understand why the neighbor isn't have the sale again today. It's suppose to be really nice and warm here in Michigan this week so we'll be spending some time in the kiddie pool. More later.

You gotta love being a mom moment

After changing a poopy diaper on Sebastian he put his arm around me and said "U r da bes". Toddler speak for you are the best. It was so sweet and nice! You gotta love being a mom when that happens.

Weekend highlights

Friday night brought a dinner out at Chicken coop. It was so great for all of us to be out to dinner together. Saturday Alexandra and I ran some errands and we went to a graduation party. Sunday was Church and working in the yard. Alexandra and I got the rest of the garden planted. Last week I bought a bike for Alexandra for her birthday. It's a two wheel bike and we still need to get training wheels so she can ride it. I had it covered up in the garage so she wouldn't see it. Paul moved it to get to some things and it was on the ground with a little of it uncovered. She was outside playing and found it. She came in the house all excited that she found this bike and she thought it was for her. Paul and I talked. This may sound cruel but we decided to not show it to her and tell her she needed to wait 5 weeks until her birthday. She cried and cried. She kept saying to me that she couldn't stop thinking about that bike because it was so nice. It has Disney princess' on it so it was of course very attractive. After her bath she didn't mention it again and she hasn't mentioned it this morning. We hid it in the house where she can't see or find it. Whew.

Memorial day - Erbe style

We went to the Memorial day parade in downtown Kalamazoo. We wanted to make sure that Alexandra knew that it was about more than fun, little American flags and candy. Paul told Alexandra all about how we honor and thank our service men and women on Memorial day. We are free because of their sacrifice and we need to thank them and this is one way we do it. It was a very good speech and I think she got it. So we turned around to pull out of the parking lot and we hear "owwwwwwww! Buddy just hit me with his flag!" We couldn't help but burst out laughing and then scold Sebastian for hitting Alexandra with his flag. It was too funny! As you can see from the pic, not everyone is open to pictures. I was excited to be there though!

I'm not who I was, Praise God!

There's a song right now that WaYfm's playing called "I'm not who I was". It's by a singer songwriter Brandon Heath. For some reason, God has used this song to remind me
of the work he's done in my life over the last few years. It's amazing to look back at times when I was so selfish and self-centered. Not that I don't still struggle with those things but God has worked some of that out of my life. God has used the change in jobs (staying home with the kids), going through three pregnancies in 4 years, struggling with depression, our church closure, a new church start and much more. Even though I don't think there was a huge change all at once but over time. I'm thankful for that. I can't imagine what that change would look like. It makes me love God more because he's taken time and effort to show me the areas that I needed to change. If you'd like to hear the song and play the video the link's below! Thanks be to God that I"m not who I was!

"There's a bean in my nose!"

Those are the words that woke me up at 5:30 AM this morning. Alexandra came in just sobbing trying to convince me she had a bean up her nose. Who knew beans would cause nightmares in our house. I asked her if she'd put a bean up her nose, she said no but she was still sure it was up there. I asked her if she had a dream and she said, yes I had a very bad dream. I told her it was still nite-nite time but that I would check her nose in the morning. She didn't forget either she had me check her nose to make sure there wasn't a bean up her nose. Her young mind can't comprehend that what she's dreaming isn't true. At least she went back to bed.

A trip to see the Grimes'

My Brother is a track coach for Malone college and this is his busiest time of year. My sister-in-law is with her three kids most of the time during track season since my brother is gone so much. Usually during the spring I go to Canton OH to see them but with three little ones I decided not to do it this year. They came to Michigan though and we drove just an 1 1/2 hours to see them. It was a ton of fun! Alexandra loves her cousins and they are so good with her. I think the boys had a good time but it's hard to tell. Here's a pic of everyone!

Another contest over at 5 minutes for mom!

Janice and Susan are giving away this very cute Tutu thanks to Tutufantasy.com. I can just see Alexandra dancing around in this for days on end! You can enter to win it as well at 5minutesformom.com

We've got Beans!

The specialist working with us for Sebastian recommended we allow him to play with beans to help stimulate his touch sense. I put them in the pool today and they had a grand time. It was pretty fun to watch Sebastian play and play and play with them.

Wordless Wednesday -- The Grimes girls 4 years ago

My family is known for helping out. When I was almost ready to give birth to Alexandra , we decided to re-roof the house. My brother, his wife and their three daughters came to help along with my dad, step mom and brothers. This is a pic of my nieces doing their part!

It only takes 3 minutes....

to scan my head! Can you believe it? When we were trying plan this CT scan we didn't know how long it would take. I got there early this morning and my appointment was at 8 AM. I was actually out of the hospital building by 8 AM. Technology is amazing. Now we wait to see what going on in my sinuses!

My Cuties

Although it took me about 10 tries, I finally go this good pic of all three of the kids!

Another busy day

Today, I got to sleep in, in to 9:30 that is. Paul was nice enough to let me stay in bed until I had to take Atticus to his 9 month check up. It was really nice to just take one kid to the Dr. Atticus and I played in the room, he crawled around. It's amazing to me how much I enjoy him without two other distractions. He took the two shots well and is doing good on his growth. His ear infection is almost cleared up so that's good as well. I also got to go to the grocery store by myself today. Wow what a day. Tomorrow is Alexandra's last day of Preschool and dance so we get a little bit of a break for the summer. I'm taking Sebastian to get a hearing test tomorrow to see if there's anything physically wrong with his hearing to help the therapists. I know you mom's who have older kids are saying to yourself, she doesn't realize this is only the beginning. I'm going to cherish the somewhat quiet summer!

An unwanted visitor

As Paul is gone this weekend, something like this was bound to happen. I don't like spiders. I don't really like anything that's creepy or crawly. Yesterday afternoon, I saw a spider in the kitchen. It was up on the ceiling and it was difficult for me to reach and kill. Plus it was lunch time so I was busy. I thought, ah, I'll just let it go. It went upon it's business. Later after getting home from dinner, putting the kids to bed and settling in to watch TV, I'm minding my own business sitting on the couch and I see something out of the corner of eye. It's the spider and it's coming to see me, up close and personal. I yelp and get up to see it was about an inch from my shoulder. I tried to kill it but of course was unsuccessful. So, needless to say, I went to bed cause I was sure he wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs. :)

A weekend on my own!

Paul tries twice a year to get away and camp with the guys. This is his weekend. I love that he does this. It is so good for him and he always comes back rested and with a different perspective on things. Normally I don't really mind that he does this cause it's just a like any other day for me. I say normally because although I know we'll be fine, I'm struggling with my sinus infection still and my head and throat were on fire this morning. I have a ct scan scheduled for Wednesday since the 2 week strong antibiotic they put me on didn't kill the infection. They think something is going on in my sinuses since I have like 4 to 5 infections a year. I've had an allergy test and MRI's and XRay's and nothing had shown up! Paul still says to me that with all the times they zapped my head they should have been able to find out what was wrong. We are suppose to go to a graduation party today but I'm not sure we'll make it. It'll all depend on how I feel. I really hope they find something on Wednesday so we can get this fixed and I can live without drainage and headaches. Pray for me that some resolution will come for me. Thanks...

You could win a years supply of Nexcare bandages!

The moms of 5minutesformom.com are having a giveaway of a years supply of nexcare bandages. Can you imagine how many boo boo's you'll be able to cover with all those! You can enter by leaving a comment here.

Another Free Music Friday

This week is a host of International musicians including one of the best known worship leaders Darlene Zschech! Check it out at Freemusicfriday.com!

Free Christian music downloads

You know how much I love music and especially free music. I found a new site that has free christian music downloads. It's called FreeCCM.com. You have to register with an email address but after that it's a breeze. They have free downloads right now from Disciple, MercyMe and Sara Groves. It's so exciting to get free music!!!!

A tradition revisted

There was a time when I was younger, My dad would pick us up from my mom's house on Friday nights. As we drove to my dad's house, there were two ways we could get there. Almost every time, he would let me choose which way to go. I remember loving it. I won't go into analyzing what that says about me! ;)

When I pick Alexandra up from school there are two ways that we can go home. I let her choose. She loves it too. On Tuesday we didn't get to do it since we needed to rush home and she was really disappointed. I think these types of things are really important to allowing Alexandra to feel like she has some say in what we do and where we go. Also, it's fun for me to see her face light up when she gets to choose!

I'm a top momma!

I'm on the front page of Top Momma.com. Well maybe I should say Alexandra and Sebastian are with their sunglasses. You can vote for me and keep me on the main page by going here! Thanks for voting!

Wordless Wednesday

Our first early on appointment for Sebastian

Today we met with Sally from the Early on program. This was our first meeting. Sally was really nice and sat right down and started playing with the kids. She asked a lot of questions and we talked about where Sebastian is and what some of my concerns are. She got out a puzzle and also a bouncy ball with a handle on it. We also took a survey to see what his sensory issues are. She wants me to start letting him, in an controlled manner to bounce on the bed. This will help with his balance issues. I also need to help him bounce on a ball to help with that need he has. She also said that he needs hard play on a daily basis. What hard play is defined as getting his joints and muscles to work hard, hence the bouncing. She also had him sit in a chair and rolled a ball toward him. She got Sebastian to move his foot to help him learn to kick. She also got out a bucket full of pinto beans and Sebastian just dumped them all over himself and the floor. She said that he's doing that to get the sensation of the beans when feels good to him. I guess I'll be running out and getting some pinto beans to play with outside. I think this was a good start. We have another appointment scheduled for July. I look forward to seeing how he progresses.

What a day!

First off this is my 200th post. Who knew I could do that many in such a short time. This day started off by Sebastian telling me that the donuts he was eating was Broccoli! Too funny! Then I mowed the front part of the back yard for Paul. Atticus has still been sick and so I decided to call the Dr.'s office. Because the cough has been around for so long, they wanted to see him. We had to drive out to the Centre ave. office because they had nothing at the closer office. I packed up the kids for a 3:45 PM appointment. The kids did really well as usual in the office but Atticus has an ear infection. He has been so cranky, so It's good to know that something is really going on. The other kids have something too but the Dr. thinks its just a cold. I think today was so crappy because I'm still not feeling well and because Atticus has been sick for so long and the other kids are sick too. This day had a good ending though. Alexandra was blinking her eyes at me when I was tucking her and I asked her what she was doing with a giggle. She said mom, I'm winking at you! It was so cute, it made me laugh out loud and it made things at least seem better for the moment. As I would say to my kids, I need to find my joy today. I'm having a hard time with that today.

A girls night out

Tonight Paul wasn't feeling good so Alexandra and I decided to go to a special worship night at Fresh start. She was so eager to go that I decided to run some errands before we went to church. We went to Meijer and got some food, then Walgreens for some medicine for Paul and Candy for us! Then we stopped at Beaners for a strawberry creme freeze AKA a Smoothie. It was so much FUN! Alexandra and I talked and she was so excited to just be with me and stop at all the stores. The candy and smoothie helped of course. She's at an age where she can buckle herself and walk by herself and I don't have to be worried about her running into traffic. It was a really nice night. We worshiped together, we danced and when she got tired (although she wouldn't admit it) we came home. I hope she remembers this night as much as I know I will.

A day at the preschool

Today was my day to work at Alexandra's preschool. It's pretty cool to see her in this environment. I'm pretty surprised at how she interacts with other kids who are just as strong as she it. Today there was an incident with another child hitting her because she was trying to take a toy away. When a child does something like that to her she retreats and pouts in the corner. I'm surprised by that since when she fights with Sebastian she fights to win. I guess there's less to risk with Sebastian since they're siblings. Over all it was a good experience and Alexandra always likes it when I'm there.

I hate that smell!

Poor Sebastian. He and Atticus have been fighting some kind of respiratory cold. We went to dance last night for Alexandra and Sebastian just wanted to sit on my lap. His eyes looked tired. When we got home, he vomited all over himself and the dining room floor. I put him in the bath and proceeded to clean up the floor. Oh how I hate that smell. Sebastian just sat in the bath, quietly and didn't play at all. I got him out and put his PJ's on. He then snuggled into me and fell asleep. I hate it when my kids are that sick. He slept all night and seems a little bit better today. He drank some juice for breakfast and just asked for some apple. I wonder if he vomited because of coughing and not because he has a stomach ache. This is one of those times when I wish he could tell me what's going on so I can know better what to give him. We're not doing milk that's for sure!

I know everything

We were outside playing and Alexandra helped Sebastian get unstuck from a vine in the back yard. I told her that was nice and this was her response:
"I'm 3 mom and I know everything". I said, "what". She repeated herself, word for word. I had no response out loud to her but thought to myself, this is only the beginning.

What kind of Friend/Christian are you?

Ever since I went to the women's weekend a few weeks ago I've been struck by what kind of friends I have. I've also heard a lot of stories lately from people who have been hurt or rejected by the church or people in the church. This just breaks my heart. I've been through some hurt as well from people in the church so in some sense I can understand but I have also had a lot of people who have been there with me as I walked through that pain and have accepted me for who I am and where I'm at. Not everyone is like that. I want to be the kind of Christian that walks through the hard stuff with people. I don't want anyone to feel the way I did and there shouldn't be anything that separates from each other. I can't imagine walking through my pain without friends like Jan and Jack Bishop, my friend Jennifer, Albert and Wendy Dumois and my husband. All those I mentioned have sat with me as I cried and tried to work through what happened. I want to be that for someone else. I also don't want to abandon people when they go through tough times. I think about people that I don't go to church with anymore. We don't see them as much but If they really needed me I'd be there for them as much as I could. I think about the people I mentioned above. Circumstances might draw us apart, but if they needed me I'd be there for them.
Putting this out there for the world to see, now allows you to hold me accountable. If you see or hear of me not holding to what I've said you have my permission to call me on it, in Love of course!

My Friend Jennifer's Bridal shower

This was the weekend for the long awaited Bridal shower for my College friend Jennifer. Two of the other Bridesmaids put together everything on Saturday and I sent out the invitations and took pictures. We had a good turnout and played some fun games. The picture to the left is a game where we blindfolded Jennifer and asked her to dress herself. Yes that is men's underwear on her arm. Never worn though. I'm so happy for Jennifer and she's marrying a great guy as well. I'm in the wedding in June and can't wait to see her walk down the aisle.

Freebie Friday

Here's another Freebie Friday music download!

My son the politician

Alexandra had a field trip today to the Nature Center. My mother in law went with us and it was a lot of fun. We took the boys in the stroller and both the boys and Alexandra did really well. We saw the pony, a calf and two very curious goats. Atticus did not like the cow. He cried when it came close to us. The goats really like Sebastian and as they climbed through the hole in the fence to sniff him and he moved back and then said Hi! After we left the Nature Center we headed to McDonalds for lunch. We walked in and Sebastian right away walked up to two strangers and shook their hands and said "HI"! He has never done anything like that. I couldn't believe it. He just cracks us up. All we needed was to put Atticus in front of him and he could have been running for City Council at 2 years old.

Heather's brain surgery

Today is the day a fellow blogger mom has her brain surgery. Please lift up a prayer for her and her family. The praying for Heather picture to the left links to get an update on how she's doing.

Wordless Wednesday - Atticus' sweet feet

Can it really be 8 years?

I can't believe that 8 years ago today Paul and I stood in front of our family and friends and said we'd love honor and cherish each other for the rest of our lives. Now 3 kids later, I can't imagine my life without him. He went out tonight got some champagne and we toasted our eight years. He also got me a really nice card. So what are we going to do for our anniversary? We hope to take a couple of weekend trips this summer without the kids.

They're at it again

The sisters over at 5 minutes for mom.com are hosting a prize blowout for mother's day. Their first giveaway is an ultimate mom gift, a pink Ipod nano and chocolate. Can you believe it? Even if you are not a blogger you can enter this contest so head on over and get in on the fun. Check back with them and me as well because they'll keep posting new prizes all the way up to Mother's day.Go here to enter! I love entering contests!