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It seems like overnight I have big things to be proud of in my three little ones... (and for myself too)!
Haleah is learning to recognize and write her numbers and is thriving. She loves to count over and over again. I have some preschool activity books that I have been pulling out to try and teach her throughout the day, and she is loving it when I spend the time to show her and then show her how proud I am of her. I think she is a smart cookie for a 3 year old!
Kaelah is doing GREAT in her potty training process. All of the the sudden she is showing interest in going. She has remained mostly dry for over 3 days now, even during naptime! Her Princess couch got a "cleansing," but she is learning! I hear Kaelah singing the "I'm Proud of You" song to herself throughout the day and after she puts a star sticker on her Diego Potty Chart that I made her. And if she wakes up dry from nap, she gets to have a CapriSun (new favorite).
I have officially weaned Bekah, and like magic, she is sleeping through the night without throwing a fit for me to comfort her. I am in awe at the luxury of sleep and am so thrilled. In the morning I am able to wake to a sweet Bekah who stands up in her crib to greet me, squeezes me around my neck and pats me on the back. She is the sweetest baby in the world.And finally, I am proud of me! I went trekking to Publix again to pick up my Mystery Penny Item and a few other things, and came skipping out of the store. I ended up spending about $8 for over $57 worth of groceries. I could not believe it! Here is the picture of what I bought:
1 London Broil for $4.65 (saved $5.27, as it was on sale)2 Frosted Flakes cereal for $.99 each (with coupons)2 gallons of Publix milk for $4.00 (sale item)1 Lipton Tea Bag (100 ct.) for $1.90 (Buy 1/Get 1 item)6 four-packs of Fiber One YoPlait yogurts for FREE (with coupons)3 Schick Quattro razors for Women for FREE (with coupons)1 McCormicks Grinder spice for FREE (with coupon)1 Eggo Nutragrain Waffle for $.64 (with coupon)2 Kraft shredded cheeses for $1.00 each (with coupons)1 Ritz Cracker box for FREE (with coupon)1 Publix glass cleaner for $.01 (Mystery Penny Item coupon) Then, I had some overage on a couple of my coupons and a competitor $5 off of $25 coupon that Publix accepts. I cannot believe that I got all of this for $8!!! What made my day even more extra special was that I returned an unused gift item that I had to Walmart and got a $52 store credit. So today was a bonus day! I topped off my day with a night out with my cool friend Trish. We went to Applebees with a gift card that was given to me. FREE is great.... isn't it? I'm hooked!
Well, I sure don't win the title for Super Mom, being that I consistently don't accomplish much of what I set out in a day to do, including blogging. Other moms seem to have it more together and always seem to look nice, have their kids look nice, have their homes picked up and fine meals prepared. Me? I struggle. But I did have a nice Mother's Day this past Sunday, thanks to a family who seems to appreciate me. To my surprise, David made me delicious french toast after he let me sleep in for an extra hour. Who KNEW that he could cook? He had been hiding this secret from me for 9 years!
In other news, I have taken up a new hobby that hopefully will enhance our household. I think I have become a couponing freak. I spend quite a bit of time searching for deals and clip my coupons every Sunday. I scour over the Wednesday circulars, make my plan and head out for the best deals in town. It's kind of a challenge for me, to get what I need at a bargain. My competive spirit comes roaring out (especially since I can't play volleyball right now)! This week, I bought groceries for our family of 5 for under $40. Now that makes me feel great! And I am always on the hunt (as I call it) for free stuff. This is a pic of the free stuff I got today, merely from using my coupons...
Today, Bekah is 13 months. And my-oh-my, she is growing in leaps and bounds. I caught her in the bathroom this afternoon with all of the toilet paper unrolled, and she was swishing her hands around in the toilet. She's a stinker-pot that one! But I love her dearly.
Kaelah is on the potty train and has her ups and downs. We are slowly filling her rewards chart too, for going pee in the potty. Some times she is enthusiastic, other times---not so much. She loves to sing the alphabet and I catch her saying the darndest things. Today she had a ketchup bottle and was complaining to me that the "genie won't come out of there," even though she was "rubbing it and rubbing it."
Haleah is a challenge, but partly I think it's because she is ready to move forward with her learning. I wish we could afford to send her to preschool in the fall, but we will have to wait till spring. She so needs to be around other kids her age. I think she acts up because she might be bored.
I wish I could "put myself together" better these days. I feel like this is the worst I've looked in my whole life, and I don't like that. I am hoping to make changes for me this summer, both inside and out. It's hard to know what focuses are best to take, and still keep my family happy.
It's been so long since I've blogged that I almost forgot my site password. Time seems to fly by and stand still at the same time here in the Whitt household. This post is merely to upload a long overdue video that I promised my Mom I'd post. It's of Bekah walking, some of her first steps. This short clip is about 2 weeks old and Bekah is now a walking expert at almost 13 months. She is such a tease too, and likes to walk and wave at the same time. More later (my eyes are burning off from lack of enough sleep lately).
The past two weeks have moved along, though it's been a struggle to write amidst my sadness over the loss of Shelley, who will no longer enjoy life's milestones. But I must press on...
We celebrated David's Aunt Annie's 60th Birthday. We planned a surprise for her at her house. The theme was "Still the 'Apple of our Eye' after 60 Years." I had so much fun creating the decorations for this party. Pulling it all together allowed some creative juices to flow. Here are some pics from the party. One includes a real apple tree with golden paper apples on it, in which people were to write why Annie was the "Apple of their Eye.."
We also took some time, as extended family, to celebrate my Mother-in-law's Birthday at the local Cracker Barrel at the end of March. Going there is always an adventure with three kids, and always a big mess too!
With the welcoming of spring came new developments with my kids. Bekah loves to look at pictures and tries to leap out of my arms to get to any pictures that she sees. She also loves and can say, "duck." This little 11 month old is also beginning to really walk and is still remains as my little night terror.
Kaelah's language seems to be taking off and she is showing an interest in potty training again. We also moved Haleah's old toddler bed into Kaelah's room to try and get her transitioned to "Big Girl" bed. I am really antsy to sell at least one crib.
And Haleah is excited about the thought of attending preschool in the fall. She seems to be boy crazy already and loves to direct and lead playtime during the few playdates we've been having or attending lately. We are having some issues with her tantrum throwing and back-talking, but we are working to address these issues. Many cannot believe that there is this side to Haleah, as she is such an angel in public.
Haleah looking at playmate/friend, Tristan
This past weekend, I ventured out alone to the town's Egg Hunt with the kids, as David was working at the church. I saw some of my friend's familiar faces, but as the "hunt" began, I became annoyed with what transpired. One mother was trying to hoard all of the eggs hidden in one hole in a tree. She kept piling her own basket up. I finally said, "Could you save some for my kids?" My sweet children were just looking up at me innocently, waiting for an egg. They had no idea what was going on. The "mother hen" begrudgingly took her hand out of the tree hole for a moment. I reached in to retrieve the last two eggs, one for each of my kids (and I was holding the baby in my arms too, mind you). The woman then tried to squeeze her hand back in with mine in the tree hole. I had NO IDEA that this hunt was going to be competitive. I could not believe it. Those two eggs that I practically had to steal from the "hoarder" were the only eggs my children got (one each) the whole time. What a let down. I had talked this whole Egg Hunt up with my kids and I don't think this experience was positive.
My poor kids with the one SAD egg they each got...
Other milestones over the past week included mine and David's 8th Anniversary. We celebrated by going to The Melting Pot restaurant which just opened up in the city. It was so wonderful. We had no right to spend the money that we did, but we decided that we were going to enjoy it. We had been to a Melting Pot fondue experience once before when we lived in Colorado Springs and loved it. This time we had what was called Big Night Out. It included a cheese fondue, a salad, a Surf and Turf entree fondue and a chocolate "Yin and Yang" fondue finale. Everything, including our waitress, was fantastic. After we dined, we walked outside near the outlets where lighted fountains were and took silly pictures together. It was great. David and I have our ups and downs, but it nice to let it all go for an evening and just enjoy one another's company.
The Yin Yang chocolate swirl and a tray of delcious desserts to dip!
She was "made to be a Mom." That's how my friend Linda said it when she wrote to me last night to tell me that our friend had passed away suddenly from the flu virus that simply took over her organs and then took her life. I cannot express the shock I am in and how greatly this news has affected me. It hits so close to home.
Shelley, and her husband Scott, were friends whom David and I first met through our small Bible study group at church when we lived in Colorado. And after I gave birth to my firstborn, Haleah, I got to know Shelley even better at the MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers) group I attended. She was part of the Steering Committee for that Chapter and had three small boys. Shelley was always smiling and made her mothering "job" look effortless. I also played volleyball with Shelley and Scott in the recreation league as well, from time to time. Shelley was vibrant, did not have a "bad bone" in her body and put her everything into her family. She cared for her father-in-law when he was ill for quite some time too, as a true act of selfless love.
She was a Christian woman who always seemed to put her faith into action with the way she made others feel comfortable and important in every encounter they had with her. Her attitude was never judgmental, but always loving. She was capable and sweet and lived with joy in her life. And when we moved away from Colorado to Alabama, Shelley still kept in touch. We were overjoyed to learn that she had a baby girl to add to her "brood" of boys. That little baby girl was such a blessed addition to her family.
So this news of Shelley's death is something I cannot even begin to wrap my head around. I am devastated with grief for her family. I cannot understand how someone so healthy could contract an illness and simply pass on so quickly. It is a tragic situation. It tears me apart to think that Shelley's joy was raising her children with full intent that she was going to watch them grow. Now they are left, not just without a mother, but left without an amazingly gifted, nurturing and loving mother. My heart breaks for Scott who's burden is now so heavy. He has a long road ahead of him. He needs strength and prayer to make it through these next dark days. I wish there was something I could do. I could hardly sleep last night thinking of this family. And every time I see Shelley's face in my mind, I cannot stop crying for her, for her husband and her children.
I fully understand that our (my) days on this Earth are numbered and that we are not promised even one more day. I just hope and pray that God will grant me the privilege to raise my children into adulthood. And if not, that He will watch over their every step as they grow and know how much I love them, without any doubt in their minds. I pray now that Shelley's touch that she has enveloped her children with, will stay with them and leave a permanent impact on the adults that they will become. I pray that their bond as a family will grow and strengthen, somehow, in these next few days, months and years.
I am going to commit to pray for Scott too, that he will find the direction, strength and faith he needs to pull through and be the father these children are going to need, and for comfort for his own heart. And I'm absolutely bulled over with a fresh perspective on my own parenting. I have no right to take for granted one single day that I have with my children. I need to show them and tell them every day that I love them. I cannot control the time I have with them, but I can appreciate the quality and the importance of the space in time that I have been blessed by our heavenly Father to share with them.
God bless you, sweet Shelley. It hurts my heart more than you know to see you go. You were a blessing to more lives in subtle (yet big) ways than can ever be known.
Big day today... I saw a sale going on at Kmart for sheet sets, so I decided this was the day that Haleah and Kaelah would get "bed upgrades." I started off the morning on a positive note, as I snagged an unheard of 8.5 hours of sleep, since Bekah slept through the night. Her four front teeth are in now, so perhaps we all get some relief!
We headed to Kmart and happened to find the two coveted Disney characters (of the moment) for my kids---Ariel (for Haleah) and Tinkerbell (for Kaelah). The sheet sets were on sale, but the character pillows were not. So I gave David a "puppy dog" face and said, "Look how cuuuuute," and then he agreed to buy them too. I got lucky.
After our run about in Kmart, we decided to let the kids play at a nearby park since it was a record-breakingly warm day. It was perfectly sunny and breezy and totally enjoyable. The kids got to play at a playground then huck some big rocks into a swamp. Their day was complete after that!
But it didn't end there. We ventured to McDonald's together for an impromptu family lunch. While there, we saw the LeMay's, a sweet older couple whom we purchased our minivan from over a year ago. They still remembered us and hoped that we were still enjoying our vehicle. We didn't tell them that water now pours through the vents in the car when it rains, or that the passenger side window no longer opens, or that the radio mechanisms are jacked. I'm sure all of this must have something to do with the fact that three babies right this car on a regular basis...
This afternoon, after David went to work, the girls and I picked up my niece Gracyn and came home to organize the new bedding. I moved Haleah's tiny toddler bed into Bekah's room (for a day down the road that she would use it), and gave Haleah a full box spring and mattress set. I am worried that she might fall off?? But I think she can manage it, and we are going to give it a try. She loves her new Ariel set up. Kaelah is coming out of her crib and down to one floor mattress for now, to get her acclimated. She seemed more than willing to make this transition tonight in her Tinkerbell bed. And I had a conversation with her to "stay in her bed" if she wakes up. I told her to still call for us if she needs us. I hope that little head of hers was paying attention. We shall see!
After the beds were assembled, we took off to my other niece, Cora's soccer game. Cora played goalie for the 1st half and was like a brick wall. She didn't let anything pass her by. She did great! And she played defense during second half and was a force to be reckoned with.
My girls were moderately behaved. I had to take Haleah to a disgusting outhouse of a bathroom two times during the course of the game. It was a really sketchy place located behind the bleachers--the kind of bathroom I have nightmares about. Then, when the game ended, and we ventured back to the parking lot with all our stuff, Haleah told me she had to go potty again. I was like, "WHAT? You just went! Twice! And I'm NOT bringing you back to that disgusting bathroom again!"
But Haleah insisted that she had to go. So in the parking lot, I tried to shield her with the stroller and my body while my mother-in-law helped her squat down. And Haleah didn't go. So we all got buckled up and into the car. And as I was backing out of the parking space, Haleah declared, "I said I DIDN'T have to go!" I was thinking she was out of her mind. Haleah put up quite a production to tell me she did have to go and couldn't wait until we got home. So we tried to make a way for her, only for her to tell us moments after that charade that she never had to go. Ugh!
Anyhow, we really did have a good day. We came home and got some cereal (cause we kind of missed dinner due to the soccer game), and I put the girls to bed in their "new digs." I hope they sleep tight, but I'll be listening closely in the monitors tonight.
I've been delaying doing this 100th post, due to the expectation that I should do something extra special or make a list (for example) of 100 things I love, which takes an awful long time and creative effort to produce. But since I have been sleep deprived for the past two weeks due to children with high fevers, runny noses and teething, I simply do not have the stamina (or mommy brain power) to produce such a list. I just want to blog in a more realistic manner at this point...
I will say, however, that I am 100% blessed and in love with my girls and my husband. I have 100's of things to be happy about and thankful for. I love the way David is such a fun Daddy with his three daughters--bringing out "the tickle spider" on them and throwing them over his shoulders singing a made-up song he calls "Sack of Potatoes." And I love the way David holds me at night, encourages me, tells me I'm smart and provides for our family.
I love that Haleah is starting to understand jokes and is becoming quite an interesting story teller. She asks so many questions during the day and is a literal sponge. She keeps asking me 100 times a day when summer is coming and why I (seem) tell her every day that it's "not here yet." Her independence is growing and she told David the other day, "Daddy, some things I just HAVE to do myself." She told me that she wants to pray to God by herself too. I say, "Great!"
I am 100% in love with Kaelah's sweet and giving heart. She is a 2-year old with a tremendous sense of compassion. She is always noticing when others are hurt or need help and comes to aid. She never wants to insult or harm. When I told Kaelah that I was so tired that I could fall apart, she said, "Oh, are you okay Mommy? I will keep you safe." And then she gave me a big kiss. She is precious beyond belief, even though she is testing her limits every day and using her table settings as science lab experiments.
And Bekah, is my 1-in-100 (I say 1-in-1,000,000,000) baby... She is my delight. Even though she is my baby who has given me the hardest time with sleep issues, I cannot get past the love that I have for her. Every morning, when I pick her up out of her crib, she hugs me around my neck and gives me the biggest smile (without any inkling of what a terror she was the night before). She seems to be crawling 100 miles an hour, eats about 100 foreign objects per day, but then gives me at least 100 kisses a day. So it all balances out. I couldn't stay mad at that precious, sweet baby. I know, as a 10 month old, that she won't be a baby much longer. So I am taking in every moment and trying to enjoy it all.
So this 100th post is merely a short tribute to the 1000's of things that I love about my family. Even though I'm working on improving other aspects of my life and worry about 100 different trivial things a day---I still don't have any doubt that my children and my husband are a gift that should never be taken for granted. Here's to the next 100 posts! May sleep come my way so that I will have the ability to formulate coherent thoughts and sentences!
1 London Broil for $4.65 (saved $5.27, as it was on sale)
