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!

Talk about a scare

It was rest time and since I am still sick I decided to lay down and rest. When I went to lay down it was bright and sunny. I wake up and it seems like it 6 PM. I wake up with a jerk, grab my glasses and look at the clock. It was only 3:15. Whew. Alexandra fell asleep as well so that's why I got to sleep til then. Sebastian is still sleeping but Atticus was ready for food! I'm so glad I didn't sleep until 6 PM. Oh the reason why it looks like 6 PM, a storm is coming through with really dark clouds.

My Motivation is back

For the first time in at least a month I feel like getting up and doing something. Laundry is going, dinner is being dethawed and even though my head hurts I don't feel as sick as I did. The Dr. put me on Augmentin for 14 days. He doesn't think we killed the first infection I had in March. If I don't get rid of this one or if I get another in 2 or 3 months he wants a cat scan. The funniest thing is that Paul says to me " You would think with all the times they've zapped your head, they would have found something". A few years ago I struggled with Migraines and they did X-rays and MRI's to see what was going on. They found a tumor in the back of my head. It turned out to be nothing but I had to have multiple MRI's to make sure it wasn't growing or moving. He obviously remembers that clearly and thinks they should have found something in my sinuses. Anyway, today the bathroom is getting cleaned today and the laundry will be finished as well. It's so great to have my motivation back!

More fun giveaways

After searching some of the other mommy blogs, I found some cool mother's day/May Day contests.


Michelle over at Gingham World is giving away a cool mayday basket.



ParTea Planner is giving away a gift basket for mothers day. Go check it out!

New 5 minutes for mom contests

Again the twins over at 5minutesformom.com are having some fun giveaways.

The first one I'm really excited about because I love to put cute things in Alexandra's hair. These cute hair ribbons come from Madison's Room


The second one is for a cool book pack featuring Angie the Ant. This is a cool book that a portion of the profit goes to help prevent child abuse in American. You can get more info on that here Either of these I would consider for Alexandra for her birthday coming up in July!

A new job opportunity

Paul has had two interviews within flowserve for a new position. He's really excited about it and if you wouldn't mind, lift up some prayers for him. He says he'd really like the position and it would be more money. Thanks. We should know something late next week.

It's the sickness that keeps on giving

This is what an infected sinus looks like. It's what I have. I have pretty much been sick since the beginning of March. I was put on Antibiotics but it still hung around. I hate it when the sinus right under my eye is infected, it makes my teeth hurt. Anyway, I'm going to the dr. tomorrow and hopefully it will end!

A hilarious quote

I found this on another mommy blog and had to post it here!


"Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake!" ANONYMOUS

That is laugh out loud funny!

Wordless Wednesday

From 2005, This cracks me up!

Back to life as I knew it

In my last post, I let you know that I was going away to a Women's weekend. What a weekend it was. I got an opportunity to choose to forgive some people in my life that I'd been harboring hurt toward. I also learned that God had been giving me opportunity to reach out to people and show them love but because of my hurt I couldn't. I also felt incredible love and acceptance from God and from other people. If you ever get invited to go to a Decolores Weekend, Do it. It is an awesome experience.

Headed off into the unknown

I won't be blogging again til monday since I'm off to a women's retreat. I don't really know what it's about but I won't be back until Sunday. Pray for Paul as he's with the kids most of the weekend. Pray that God meets me and I'll be blessed by this weekend!

Help for a fellow blogger

A fellow blogger named Heather is dealing with a brain tumor. Let me tell you since I've become a blogger I've noticed how much bloggers care for each other. Boomama has set up a really cool thing to bless Heather as she and her husband go to the Mayo clinic for a second opinion. If you would like to give to Heather financially to help with the trip, here's the link to do that. If you'd like to follow Heather's story, here's the link for that.

Wordless Wednesday

Two random acts of Kindness

Today is Tuesday so Alexandra is at school this morning. With us being so busy I hadn't had a chance to go to the store yet this week. So with the two boys in tow I decided to tackle it. As I'm pushing the cart down the pasta aisle, an older man stops us and gives me two pennies for the horse. He says that Sebastian looks like he's a cowboy needing a ride. We thanked him and kept going. Then as I'm loading up the groceries and the boys in the van, I forget the cart is behind the van and as I'm about ready to back out another man pushed the cart into the cart corral for me and then smiles and waves. I would have backed right into it with the van. What a nice thing to do. Two strangers helping out this mom with a busy day! How wonderful!

A new addiction for Sebastian

Fisher Price's Little People A.K.A. Peeps! Sebastian can't get enough of the little people these days. We have a ton of them and he hords them like he doesn't have enough. It is so funny. In the car we have to have peeps. Outside we have to have peeps. In bed, he has to have peeps. He lines them all up and then put them back in the bowl and then he takes them out, lines them up, knocks them down and then picks them back up again. It's pretty cute. I remember little people as the one on the right side of the picture above. Sebastian has the one on the left. Oh how the little people have changed.

mom to mom sale download deux

So, after a lot of rest I have a few more thoughts on the mom to mom sale. I do feel it was a successful. I'm happy with it but not satisfied. We did a lot of advertising but I think we could do some targeted advertising to reach mom's and caregivers specifically. I also learned to not have a table. I originally took a table to have another table but I was either tied to the table or trying to find someone to watch my stuff. I also think I need at least one more adult to be in charge of the large item area. The teens did a great job but If someone else was in charge of it then I wouldn't have to check in with them and see how they are doing. Having the teens help was a great idea and all of them did an awesome job. I think we might move it up in time like maybe start at 9 AM instead of 10 and only go to 1 PM.

I had a dream last week that someday we'd have a mom to mom sale at Wings stadium (the large hockey stadium in Kalamazoo). I wonder how long it'll be before that happens. At least we wouldn't have to borrow tables if we did it there! :)

A beautiful sunny day

This is one of those spring days in Michigan where I love to just sit in the sun. The wind is blowing and it's a little chilly (50 degrees) but the sun is so warm and if you can find a place out of the wind, it's really warm. We went outside earlier and will go out again after dinner. I'm so thankful God created the sun to warm the earth. It seems to make a day of cleaning and laundry much, much better!

Mom to mom sale download

Today was the day that I put together what is called a mom to mom sale. 14 mom's came out to sell their stuff to other moms. We had good outlets of advertising but didn't really get a good turnout of people to buy stuff. We had probably 100 people come to buy but with all the advertising, I thought we'd have more. We had a lot between 10 and noon and then it just died off! If you have ever been to one of these or have hosted one of these and have any suggestions on how we could get more people, please leave me a comment. I would love the feedback and suggestions!

Free music friday

It's that time again. This week there's two well known artists and two newbies!
Check it out!

Take a look at my new blog header

Thanks to Revka over at RS Designs for designing me a new header. I love it. I especially love the font. I reminds me of an old time sitcom or something which really is my life. If you are interested in getting her to do some work for you, email her at rrstearns@peoplepc.com or check out her website!

A new contest over at 5minutesformom.com

The ladies over at 5minutesformom.com have a new contest. This sick bear cup is an awesome idea. If I do win it I will have to decide whether to get a pink or blue one.

Get in on the contest here

Oh, no she did not just say that to me, did she?

Tuesday's are our busiest days of the week. Yesterday was even busier because of Sebastian's evaluation. So by the time we got home from the bookmobile at 8 PM I was pretty tired. Plus, Paul didn't come home last night after work, he needed to be at church. So, Alexandra is putting me through the paces last night and I said to her "Alexandra you are tiring me out. I am one tired momma!" She responds,"Well, momma, maybe you should just go to bed. You need a good nights rest and you'll feel better". I stood there stunned. She was using my own words to her against me and at three! I said you're right I do need to get some rest. After I tucked her in she said to me "I hope you get lots of rest tonight mama so that you aren't so tired tomorrow." I said I hope you do too Alexandra. Her response "Oh I will, I'm going to sleep all night long mama! I smiled and left the room! How can my words be coming back to haunt me so soon! Pretty crazy!

Dealing with a delay

We had Sebastian evaluated yesterday with the specialist at Early on. It's a program to help delayed toddlers and their families in Kalamazoo county. We have seen some things in Sebastian that we wanted to get checked out and the Dr. didn't feel any further testing was necessary. The specialist's that came to the house yesterday were so good. One of them got on the floor and played with Sebastian while she was testing him. The other one asked me some questions. They determined that he has some sensory issues. He might have some sensitivity in his ears and his sense of touch. He also is about 9 months delayed in his gross motor skills. We're going to have a hearing test done in a few weeks and a therapist is going to start coming to the house every month or so to work with Sebastian and I. Yesterday afternoon and evening I was having a hard time because it was hard to hear that there is anything wrong with your child. Today I'm glad we had it done and am eager to help Sebastian. All the things that he's delayed with are fixable and treatable and it will help to get him back on track.

You know, Lori?

I was in the play room today playing cars with Sebastian and Alexandra came in and was upset that no one was in the living room playing with her. First what you need to know is that we have a few imaginary friends that come and go as they please. Lori is the most popular. So when she's upset that no one is playing with her I say with a large grin on my face, why don't you play with Lori? This was her response today " Mom, Lori is sick in bed today. She and Maca played out in the snow yesterday and they got really sick. They have to stay in bed today so they get better. I hope she gets better by tomorrow." I was so shocked. First we hadn't talked about Lori in a few days at least and then for her to come up with such an extravagant story just cracked me up. She also says all that with a straight face. She doesn't lack for personality that's for sure!

What a weekend!

It was a good weekend but really tiring. Paul took the kids to an easter egg hunt on Sat with our friends Jayme and Ryan. He's a brave soul but he had help. Then we had Jayme and Ryan and our Friend Ron over for a few games Sat. night. Sunday we went to Bacon, Bacon, Bacon (AKA Easter breakfast), then easter service. We then headed over to my step mom's sisters house for dinner and an easter egg hunt. Also one of my cousins is a stylist so she cut my brother's hair and Sebastian's. I was so thankful after the hack job I did on it. You can see in the pics, it looks sooooo much better. We didn't get home from there until 7 PM and then after getting the kids to bed I still had to go into work and cover midday's for today. Whew! It's nice to be doing laundry in my pjs today! :)

Injustice abounds, how do you respond?

Lately I've been having some conflict with Alexandra about how Sebastian gets a pooh spoon for Breakfast and she doesn't. She's even used the words, it's not fair! I've been really irritated with this because it usually happens at meal times when I'm already busy getting everyone something to drink and eat. I was resting this afternoon and had a huge revelation....She's just like me. Now, I don't complain that someone got a pooh spoon and I didn't. Oh, no mine are much more important. This person gets away with lying, that person gets something that I deserved (like a raise or a promotion). I can remember when I was working I was all over the office politics and how unfair so much was. Boy when I look back at that it was ugly. Just as ugly as Alexandra's need to pout about the injustice at meals. I keep telling her to be thankful that she has food to eat and milk to drink and that she has a spoon to use to eat with. I guess I need to start doing some self talk of my own when I see injustice. If you see me walking around talking to myself just know I'm not going crazy!

Photos of our cupcake adventure

Alexandra was a huge help with the cupcakes. She put the cupcake liners in the pans, then helped stir the batter. She also got to lick the spoon as you can see. We tried to do the licorice handles but I couldn't get them to stay up so we put a few crosses on the cupcakes for Good Friday. Alexandra showed Paul the cupcakes and said we did some crosses Daddy for Jesus' dying today. I was so glad she got it! The cupcakes are going to church tonight so I don't gain 10 pounds with them around. :)

Springtime cupcakes

Alexandra and I are making these cupcakes today. When we get them done I'll post some pictures.

A Presto for Grandma

The ladies over at 5minutesformom.com are prize giving machines. They are now giving away a machine I have never heard of before but would love to win it for my mom! It's called a Presto! Now my mom is very computer savvy but this would be cool for her since her Mother (my grandmother) doesn't have a computer. I could send Emails and then my mom could enjoy them and show them to her mom. Check out Presto.com for more info on this very cool product! You've only got until April 9th at 1PM to sign their mister linky!

Unbelievable

No words can describe my disgust with these views outside our house this morning.

Wordless Wednesday

Alexandra and Atticus back in September when Atticus was just a month old.

Happy Easter from the Erbe's!

The glasses have a duck and bunny on them and are so cute. Also, in the picture with just Alexandra you can see the very cute skirt from Katchy Kids that we won! We got it in the mail on Saturday and she has worn it every day since! We also got her new Strawberry Shortcake shoes which are very, very cute. Makes me wish I was a little girl again so I could wear cute stuff like she does. It's hard to believe that both of these kids are sick!