phewww!

the bread is kneading in the bread machine (why do all that work???), the carrots sticks are cut and put away...and the house is quiet....ahhhhh! so i have decided to take a minute and blog. can i just start by saying how thankful i am that the march birthday festivities are done!! i love making cupcakes and celebrating my girls, but it is an exhausting to have them both in the same month. i am so thankful that this next bundle of joy won't be joining us for a few more months (though i am so excited to meet her). these last few weeks have been busy, but mentally they have slowed down. i have been able to check a few things off my to-do list and that alone feels wonderful....hopefully i will be able to mark a few more things off soon.

good news for today....i just found out that i do NOT have gestational diabetes with this pregnancy. that is a total answer to prayer. i wasn't sure how i was going to do it behind on this blood type diet and all...it would have been very complicated, but God knew...why do i doubt??? oh, i and i just realized that i only need to work four extra shifts to make up for my maternity leave...i may try to get them all in this month so i can actually enjoy the last month and a half of pregnancy....and not suffer from complete exhaustion before she comes (because i know i will endure once she gets here). hmmmm, what else is good about today....oh, the sunshine, grocery shopping done...i am sure there is more. now if our accountant would just call us and tell us that we are getting back an amazing refund, that would be the cherry on top!

i am 27 wks today, so that means i only have 13 more weeks to go. the time is starting to fly by. i am really excited to meet her, but seeing as how this is probably our last go around i am enjoying this pregnancy to the fullest. i really do love being pregnant, i feel great, other than my silly sciatic nerve....it's killing me. i love feeling her move around inside. she is super active around 1:00 pm, 6:00-7:00 pm, 11:00 pm...and if i am at work 3:00 am! i think the girls really enjoy watching my belly grow...they continually remind me how big my belly is getting (at least they haven't told me that my backside is getting bigger too...ha!)

well, i just heard the fan click off in alaina's room, which means she will be on her way down any minute. yep, here she comes, gotta run!

PS. thanks to everyone for coming to the girls birthday bash on saturday. i know the weather wasn't great this year (first time in almost seven years that we haven't had nice weather at their party), but we really appreciate that everyone was able to come. they had a blast, and i just enjoyed being with my family. love you all!!!

::4::

beautiful girl...it's been a busy day! today you turned four and i am still blown away! i feel as though i am at a loss for words and don't know where to start. before you came into this world i wasn't sure how i could love more than one child...but then you came and it was love at first sight. you light up my life, bringing me so much joy and laughter. every single day you bring something new to it. your sweet little hands still fit perfectly into mine. our "glitzy and glam" girl, you have such an impeccable taste for accessories...high heels and jewelry...oh, bags too! you are so funny and sooooooo ornery! we love you so much! hope you had a great birthday. tomorrow it's disney on ice...whoo hoo!

much needed fun!

(26 wks)

God sure knows what we need....even if we think we can do without!!! this weekend is proof of that. last week was an awful week. things just seemed to be piling up and last week i lost it....yes, again! it's the pregnancy i tell you;-) anyway, i didn't think i was going to be able to attend the "holles girls weekend" this past weekend because of work, or lack there of! but God knew, He had it all arranged. i was planning of having to work thursday and friday (which wouldn't have allowed me to go), but tried to work monday instead of friday...but that didn't work out...so low and behold i received a call wednesday to come in and work. well, it worked out perfectly. i worked wednesday and thursday and was able to go to iowa on friday.

i have to say...it was wonderful. not only was it a nice little break from my little family (i love you dearly), but it gave me an opportunity to be with a wonderful bunch of women, who i dearly love and adore. they are so much fun!!!! though alan and i had many breakups in our relationship (hee, hee) we have technically been together for fifteen years!!! so, needless to say i have been able to get to know his wonderful aunts/uncles and cousins. i am so lucky to be able to call myself their family, really...they are wonderful! i have to thank them so much for taking me in as there own (i really don't feel like an in-law at all..i feel like a real niece/cousin). it is such a special thing for me.

it was so neat to have that time to sit and talk, sharing stories about our families and our faith...and laughing until we were all about to pee our pants (well, i was anyway!) oh, i almost forgot about the shopping....that was great too, but exhausting;-) i can't wait until our next girls weekend....especially for that glass or two of wine that i had to miss this time around! i love you all, thank you for a wonderful weekend!!! i needed it!

rice bread...

Rice Bread

(for bread machine)

1 C water

1/3 C rice milk

2 eggs

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 T canola oil

2 T sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 C white rice flour

2/3 C brown rice flour

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp quick rise yeast

combine the ingredients in order listed above. i have an old bread maker so i only have a few settings....so, i set it to bake for whole wheat bread (and normal crust color)....which is approx three hours and fifty minutes.

i would love to give credit to the person who originally blogged this recipe (and i will if i can find her), but i can't find the site! anyway, it really is a great alternative to wheat bread. it has a great, but unique taste (makes great grilled cheese sandwiches). just don't forget to add the salt. i did that with the last loaf and it was awful!! but the loaf pictured above made up for it in taste and looks. i even had a pb&j sandwich today....which was simply heavenly because i haven't been able to have one for years (due to my peanut allergy, i used almond butter and an organic mixed berry preserve....it was sooooooo good!) who would ever thought an adult could get so excited about a pb&j sandwich? loved it!! if you try this recipe, i really hope you enjoy it as much as we do (kylee LOVES it!).

b-day fun

traditional birthday breakfast in bed (she was already sitting there waiting for us to come in..."what took you so long." to beat her in the morning you have to wake up at the crack of dawn!

i have to say...i think she had a great day. started with breakfast in bed (bonus....NO eggs!!), lunch at school with mom...and cupcakes, picked up from school by papa and ohie....then pizza for dinner (gluten free/dairy free of course) followed by cake and presents. phew.....that was a mouthful. she was in a wonderful mood.....and would not stop talking!!!!!!

i do have to say that i was a very proud mommy that night. i remember being so nervous when we found out that alaina was a girl...i thought, two girls and three years apart they won't ever get along. man have i been proven wrong and so happy to be. i can honestly say that these girls really love one another. of course they fight and say mean things to each other, but over all, they show genuine love for one another. my eyes were just opened a little more to that on kylee's birthday. when kylee was getting ready to open her presents alaina was so excited for her. she wanted to help her open them and kylee said "sure." she never pouted or was sad at the fact that none of the presents weren't hers or that she wanted to play with them. i believe she was really happy and excited for kylee....just to see what she got. i know this probably happens every day with many kids, but i think God really wanted to make this known to me.

the next morning while getting ready to leave for school i over heard the girls talking. kylee was telling alaina that she knows that she takes really good care of her own barbies and because of that she could take care of her new doll while she was at school. she said she could do what ever she wanted with it. (when i was little there is no way in you know where would i have let my sister do that with my brand new, special birthday present...sorry megan! i was a little selfish...ya think?) i came around the corner, just shocked at what i was hearing. i said, "alaina get's to be the babysitter today?" kylee said, "yeah, she takes really good care of her dolls so i know she'll take good care of my doll." it was such a sweet moment....the love and trust kylee has for her little sister....it's pretty awesome.

as for lainey....boy did that boost her self esteem! she took the best care of her doll all day long. she played with her, took her "pretend" shopping, had lunch with her and put her down for a nap in kylee's bunk while she slept below. oh, and when we went to pick up kylee for school she made sure that the doll went with us! it was just awesome!! my girls are great....but i am very biased. i had to share this story so i will have written proof...a mental snapshot of a sweet, tender moment between sisters.

:7:

seven years ago this morning alan and i welcomed into this world our first child....kylee! seven years ago!!!! i remember that day like it was yesterday. that first time i saw her, it was so surreal...nothing i had ever experienced before. it almost felt "out of body." i was lying there watching her and thinking, "she's really real, she's here and she's ours."

here we are seven years later and when i look at her i am still amazed. such a little beauty growing right before our eyes. i see so many things in her that remind her of me or of alan, but the deeper i look i see "kylee." she is definitely one of a kind....caring, passionate, sensitive and strong. though i don't want her to grow up too fast, i am excited to see what kind of women God is growing up in her. God does not make mistakes, all things He creates are wonderfully and beautifully made....and my dearest little kylee, you are a little treasure sent straight from heaven, made by His hands, wonderful, beautiful and all things good!!!!

(a little note from mom:

kylee,

i know this year hasn't been easy, and i can't promise that they will get easier...but i can promise you that daddy and i are always here for you and will always love you. know that no one is perfect (we all make mistakes)...it's not possible. you are smart, sweet, funny and so loving...you are WONDERFUL! God made you, you, and it shouldn't be any other way. don't take to heart negative things that may get thrown your way. know that you have us, but more importantly you have a God who loves you so much. He wraps His arms around you each day, He will never leave you...you are so special to Him. so stand strong in God's love and the love of all of us. we love you so much and hope that you have a wonderful birthday!!!

love,

mommy xoxoxo)