Internet Finidings

My recent Internet findings:

1. This article. 

This is an excellent article by a worn out mother on 'The Gospel Coalition' blog. 

My favorite part was this paragraph:
The truth is, motherhood is hard, and we can't do it on our own. As John Piper wrote in A Godward Life, "I need help. Always. In everything. I am simply kidding myself if I think I can move an inch without God's help." Just as we cannot live without water, we cannot do anything apart from Christ, including motherhood. "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).

I suggest checking out this blog if you haven't seen it before. I think Tim Keller is involved with it, and it provides Christian views on recent events and family issues.

2. When shopping on the Internet, shipping will kill you. Well not kill you, but it kills the idea of the discount you thought you were getting when you received the email that said everything was 50% off.

For example, I got an email that said everything at Ann Taylor Loft is 50% off. I'm not buying clothes right now, but the last Loft necklace I bought was a great success. So I go to buy this one:

Instead of truly being 50% off, it was only $10 off (which was only 25% off) after shipping was included. I bought it anyways. Nick asked me why I wanted it, and I told him that some cute jewelry can make bad clothes look better. And until I get back to normal size, I'll be wearing the same few outfits that fit from now until brother is probably one. Just kidding. Hopefully I'll be in some cute clothes before then!

I had the same feeling about these shoes from Amazon.com (I couldn't get the picture to work on here). They are only $13! I thought, for $13 how can I pass these up? I have been looking for some wedges anyways. But then I see that these don't qualify for free shipping, and the shipping was almost as much as the shoes. I didn't like the shoes enough to get them for $25. While $25 is still cheap for a pair of shoes,  it bothered me that the shipping was as much as the shoes. My feet will probably start swelling soon anyways, and then I wouldn't be able to wear them. I'll just wait for some fun fall finds.

3. Do you remember the colorful stuffed eggs I made for Easter? Well you can do the same for the 4th! This is from the Plain Chicken blog.

4. Thanks to this post on James Farmer's blog, I'm thinking about this for Millie's twin bed.

It is from IKEA. I didn't know they had bedding. What do you think? The tan one looked good on his bed. But like I said in the last post, I'm not rushing. I just like to look at a lot of different options and styles. 

5. This morning the Today Show was saying that binge TV watching is the new way to watch TV shows. And I think it is true. We are definitely binge TV watchers by using Netflix. 

Watch the clip here: http://www.today.com/video/today/52339605#52339605

6. I heard Rick and Bubba talking about this book the other day. 

I'm thinking about getting it. This is the summary according to Amazaon.com: This book presents in a profound way how the Bible reflects the true nature of reality. Reliable Truth is about seeing the world as it is while debunking the myths, legends, and false beliefs about the Bible.

It never hurts to know more facts that validate the Bible and allow you to defend it to unbelievers. On the radio show, the author was sharing how a lot of people who don't believe the Bible don't really know much about it to begin with. As someone who does believe the Bible, I need to know everything I can about it and Jesus. From what I gather, this book shares some of the historical facts that surround the Bible and disproves some of the myths non-believers often think of when it comes to the Bible and Christianity. 

I hope you are having a good Friday. I am about to enjoy a restful rainy afternoon. Have a good weekend!

Millie's Room

Millie has officially moved into her big girl room (even though her crib is still there). 

Millie moved into the room that looked like this. She gave up her old room for brother.

Nick scraped the popcorn ceiling, patched and painted it, hung crown molding (with Captain Steve's help), and then he painted the walls, trim, and crown molding.

This is the during process. The ceiling has already been scraped. 

This is what Millie's old room looked like, but more recently the bookshelf was replaced with her kitchen. We just moved this stuff across the hall.

This is her new room. A flat ceiling and some crown molding make a huge difference.

I'm still working on the bedding for the twin bed, and I want new light fixtures.

This room will never look like a board on Pinterest (nor will any other room of the house), but for now, we are using what we have. The dresser and bed were in my room growing up. Her crib will only stay in here another 6 to 9 months, and then there will be more room for toys. While I always sometimes wish I could buy everything I see in some picture perfect bedrooms, that is just not realistic.

I'm also not sure about what artwork to use or where to hang it. I love 'The Grand Catch' picture above the dresser. I thought about leaving it in the nursery for brother because it is a fishing picture, but I think the colors go better with Millie's room. 

 Again, before.

After

I love how it turned out. The paint and ceiling make-over looks better and more dramatic in person than in the pictures. I'm not rushing to get the little things finished (art, bedding) because when I rush, I buy things that I later regret.

Yesterday Nick started scraping the ceiling in Millie's old room (brother's new room). The childrens' bedrooms are going to be the best looking rooms in the house, while our bedroom needs a new paint job and some basic decorating items. Oh well, maybe we can tackle our room next year.

Being Two

Two year old Millie has been precious, funny, creative, and challenging. 

I love pre-school. She goes twice a week. Millie comes home with cute crafts, and she has some sweet teachers. She also comes home exhausted. She falls asleep before she can finish drinking a cup of milk. 

This is another picture from her first day. Can you tell I like monograms? Both her bags and dress all have her name on them.  

COOKING

 She loves cooking. She will spend 30 to 45 minutes a day cooking in her kitchen.

Most of the time she will bring a plate of  food out for Nick and me to enjoy.

READING

Reading to baby before bed time. She also takes baby to the bath with her, and she likes to wash her hair. 

I hope Millie is this sweet to brother.

BOATING

 Mil and her daddy went on a Sunday afternoon boat ride with cousins.

 EATING

Upon request, she eats at the table for every meal.

She also likes to tell Nick and me where to sit. 

TEA TIME

Sorry for all the shirtless pictures, but food or 'tea' often require no clothes.

The picture below was a pre-bed tea time. This tea ended up all over the table, chairs, pajamas, and floor. Good thing it is not real tea.  

SWIMMING

At first she rejected her new swimmy diaper. I purchased a reusable swimming diaper on Amazon.com. Click here to find it.

It fits great under her swim suit, and it was only $13. A box of disposable swimming diapers is about $10 for 24. We would go through 24 in two to three weeks. So far it works great. The only down side is that you can't rip the sides off if it is dirty.

What I'm not showing of this precious girl is that she takes her diaper off all the time in different places all over the house (including her bed). She throws super fits over little things like what pajamas to wear, and she has a cold that will not go away. 

Last week I failed my glucose test. So this morning, this was my view for three hours while I had to take a longer glucose test to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. I won't know the results until I go back to the doctor. On the up side, I did get to read a magazine and good chunk of my book. 

 Tomorrow I'll be 30 weeks. We set a c-section date. August 22nd is the big day!

 Only 9 weeks left!

Preschool

first day of 2 year old preschool

 

 Millie and her lunchbox

Millie is 2!

I now have a two year old! She's 2! 

She isn't a baby anymore. 

She runs around, she talks, she feeds herself, she watches TV, and she picks out the certain pajamas she wants to sleep in. She plays with baby dolls for long periods of time while cooking in her play kitchen. 

It is hard to grasp how fast Millie has grown. I take a million pictures because I don't want to forget a moment. 

Millie woke up to find her presents from us. She was thrilled over each gift. We gave her a baby doll bed, a book, a Curious George movie, and food that she can cut up. 

This picture is my favorite of the day. It was her special breakfast. I haven't iced the cupcakes yet.

Today is the day that blowing out candles became fun.

After her cupcake, she requested pizza (leftover from last night) and a juice box. This was about 8 am this morning.

Then we had a party! At first it was going to be very casual. I sent Internet invitations to one group of friends. Then when I actually started planning the party (about 6 days ago), I kept thinking of more food and decorations to buy to make it a little more fun.

Sunscreen party favors may be a repeat as long as we have pool parties.

The guest book. I think it was my mom who started this idea. We give Millie a book for her birthday, and all the guest from her party sign it. Then every time we read it, we see all the sweet happy birthday notes from our friends.

I don't normally do naked pictures, but after the party was over, and everyone was gone, I was getting Millie out of her swimsuit. She started running around the yard, and she thought it was hilarious. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the birthday girl in her birthday suit. 

 This picture was taken on my phone after dinner. It was her third time to blow out the candles for today.

Sweet Millie we love you more than words can say.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:15

It is funny to think back to the day of her birth while I'm pregnant. As we celebrate her life, I feel her little brother moving around. All day I keep thinking back to the anticipation of having this little girl. Now, two years have gone by, and we are all looking forward to meeting brother who is still growing in my womb. Thank you Lord for knitting Millie and making her so wonderful. I can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you.