Just thought I'd share some pictures of my gorgeous little girl. This was in the back yard of our "old" house. (Still feels like we're going to leave any day now and go back to it....guess that's not going to happen.)

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We had to leave church early tonight to come home and get to bed. Thankfully the house is about 3 blocks from the church building. She was just getting a little too excitable and I was nervous to see what would happen if we'd stayed. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of her still. I'm doing better just not quite able to let my guard down yet. I'm really missing being in class tonight, but that's the price I sometimes have to pay for being a mother...and I'm totally alright with that.

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This little girl has started talking sooo much. She will talk your ear off if you will let her. The other day I'd asked her for a kiss and acted sad when she told me, "no." I pursued a kiss yet another time and she put her hand in my face and said to me, "No. Go cry!" I must admit I was saddened by this. I can only hope she will have the same gusto when presented with the same situation at 18 years of age.

Before we left Tennessee we were driving to a friend's house to drop her off whist we packed the house. She had a spray bottle with water in it and was spraying it in her car seat. I turned around to tell her to stop. Her response was, "Mommy, close-it eyes. Lay down." I told her that I wasn't going to close my eyes nor lay down and she needed to stop. Then she raised her hand, pointed out the window and shouted, "Look!! Moose!" How might you have responded to that one?

Yesterday we were in the car going into town and she says "Let's go! Train's leavin'."

At church when we first got here, there was a deer in the parking lot as we were leaving. It was brought to her attention by mom or dad. When she finally spotted the small buck she simply states, "Look at that. A reindeer."

Some days, I don't know what to do with her cute-ness.

ten things

1: I really should be in bed, but I'm waiting for my husband to call me back. His phone died and I'm sure he knows just where his charger is located.

2: I need to get in touch with a Hypnobirthing teacher in the area. My sister recently used this method in childbirth and I saw a notable difference in her ability to relax when she applied the technique.

3: Half Pint is trying her hardest to potty train herself. She does really well in spurts. I've decided not to push. I'm hoping if she does it on her own we'll have less of a chance of regression when the new baby arrives.

4: I've become quite fond of my morning coffee and pop tarts. Hey...they aren't that bad. They are organic, you know.

5: Video monitors are the best invention ever! I could sit and watch my little one sleep for hours on end.

6: I need to start re-portioning my meals as I'm quickly running out of space and had to stand for most of bible class this evening just to feel as though I was not going to rupture.

7: Is thinking the decision between new jewelry and a new S.onicare toothbrush (purchased with my "fun" money, of course) should not be this difficult. What a dork.

8: I really am trying to blog every couple of days. However, I'm finding it difficult to come up with content. This might be the reason for this totally random post.

9: I'm really hoping that we can go into town very soon in order to get more of those wonderful pop tarts.

10: I really don't think he can find his charger, so I might as well just head to bed...

I cannot believe she's two!

Yes, this is a bit late as her birthday was just over two weeks ago. However, we were packing the house all day on her birthday and she spent the whole day with friends of ours. I felt a tad bit of guilt and decided that I would have a little party for her once we arrived to mom and dad's house.

I love this little girl!

(This is her telling everyone, "I'm two!" with one finger on each hand. Putting up two on one hand is rather difficult, you know.)

Everything went very nicely.

That is, until the gifts started to come out.

Hubby and I got her a shopping cart with little grocery items in it.

She loved it!

So glad, but she loved it so much that she didn't want anyone to touch it. She spent all of her time and energy trying to keep everyone away from that cart.

I opened her gifts for her and tried to make them look more appetizing than the cart...

...didn't work out so well.

Is it rude to wait an open the gifts after everyone has gone home?

Not Me! Monday Whatever Day I Want

I thought of these yesterday, that's gotta count for something.

I was helping my mother prepare dinner for women's bible study last night. In an attempt to get more accomplished I had given Little Bit a bowl and she was "creating" with the salt and pepper shakers. I certainly did not allow her to eat her "creation" especially after she'd added sugar to the mix. There's no reason for a child to eat salt, pepper, and sugar out of a bowl...yuck! (She did eat more of her carrots and chicken than her granulated concoction.)

Some days with a two year old are just no fun. However, my two year old can sometimes be quite strong-willed. I've got a grasp on how to handle her. It was not me that had at least 30 minute time-out battle with her yesterday. She sat right in her chair when I asked and said "sorry" immediately after the "beeps." hmm....must have been my mother at which Little Bit was screaming, and throwing the wooden time-out chair against the wall. Nope, not me! I've got a grasp on how to handle her, remember?

Last night, after bible study, I noticed a little pink car seat with Pez, peanuts, and a few pennies nestled inside. I had a little giggle. It would never have been me to say "When I have kids, I'll never throw food and snacks at them just to keep them content in their car seat for a short car ride." (I was such a good mother, before I actually became one.)

debt free

We are now officially 100% debt free! This is such a good feeling. In October we paid off the last debt aside from the house.



Soon after, we put our house on the market. After just two weeks and two days we got TWO offers on our home in the same day!



What a blessing in the housing market today.



As of January 19th of this year we closed on the house and now owe no one any money!



As far as our baby steps go we are currently on baby step 3: 3-6 months of expenses in a savings account. (fully funded emergency fund)



We currently have 3 months and are working on getting the rest funded by April of this year.



The plan as of now is to rent and put away as much money as we can toward the purchase of a home. I would like to pay cash for a home. I know this is an attainable goal, it's just a matter of how long it would take us.



If we could find a stealin' deal on a house I would not pass that up but for now I would like to save 100% for the purchase of a home. No official timeline has been set on this goal as I'm still working on getting someone else in the home to go along with that big dream.

(Just in case you didn't know them or had forgotten them) Here are Dave Ramsey's baby steps to financial freedom:

Baby Step 1: 1,000 to start and Emergency Fund

Baby Step 2: Pay off all debt using the debt snowball

Baby Step 3: 3-6 months of expenses in savings-3 months down, aiming for totally funded by April 2010

Baby Step 4: Invest 15% for retirement-we are currently putting a minimum of 13% (more at times) into an investment. Guess it's time to kick this up a notch!

Baby Step 5: College Funding-We need to talk a little more about this one. I personally think that a little financial contribution from the student helps with how much they apply themselves in class. Not really sure just how much we will be contributing, but thanks to DR, we can use the financial calculators on mytotalmoneymakeover dot com to find out just what we should be putting toward this step.

Baby Step 6: Pay off home early Some could consider this accomplished, however, we have no home now! I would say this is completed more so when we have funding for or a paid for home.

Baby Step 7: Build Wealth and GIVE! This has already been started on as far as the giving part. It's so exciting to look around and see those that need a helping hand and don't even know that you're the one that offered it! What a blessing.

I'm so excited to reach financial freedom in our lives.

I say all of these things in the hopes that our situation can be motivating to you and show you that it really can be done!


It's also been so nice to not have nearly as many addresses to change with this move...no one is after us for money!

no milk

With all that we've got going on lately, it's easy to get wrapped up into the mindset of "this will never happen." Or "we'll never be able to pull this off."

God has done so much for us.

Sadly, that's easy for me to put at the back of my mind.

Things were going well and I had a pretty good attitude.

Until today.

Hubby was supposed to get his orders and get to transportation to figure out how all of this moving business is going to go down.

That didn't happen.

Also found out that his application didn't get all the way to the department it was supposed to get to.

Earlier today I poured Half Pint our last drop of milk. No big deal, I'll just ask Hubby to bring a gallon home with him.

Then, Hubby calls and informs me he'll be a while. Like an after-bedtime while.

My attitude begins to head south.

We'll never get out of here, we won't be able to close on our house in time, we won't have a job when we get out, we won't make our flight next week, I'm not going to be able to get the baby to sleep without any milk!

BLAH!

OK

Focus.

What do I need to do right now? Get the baby to bed...I have to find milk. Go to the neighbor's house.

He just gave his last drop to his little girl and he's hoping his wife remembers to bring a gallon home.

He's in the same boat!

Nuts.

What now?

Call Kim. They live right down the road; church starts in half an hour; they're big cereal people; they've got to have milk.

She's on the line.

They've already left the house.

Nuts.

She tells me to come outside and bring a cup. "We're almost to your house," she says.

Huh?

They had a gallon of milk in the car with them.

Who takes a gallon of milk to church with them?

And this is where God speaks to me saying, "I will give you what you need when I know you need it."

"I will take care of you."

As I type this my attitude is returning to positive and I'm reminded that everything will work out. Just because it's not the way I think it should work out means nothing.

Tomorrow I will go to buy milk and boxes. And get started on moving us out of this house.

Knowing that it will all work out and God will provide just what we need and so much more.

Not Me! Monday

Are you feeling a little guilty because you let your child eat Nerds candy off of the dirty floor in the airport? Or because you got frustrated with your husband for flicking toothpaste on the bathroom mirror you'd just cleaned just before you did the same crazy maneuver yourself? Don't be! Not me! Monday was developed out of MckMama's desire to admit some of her imperfections and reveal a few moments that we'd all rather forget. Join in, you might find it a little therapeutic.

I'll start...

When returning home on our flight on Saturday I was trying to distract Little Bit and have her look out the window as we took off in Denver. It was not us that saw the man in the window seat scratching his brain through the best route: his nose. Nope! We looked over and saw the beautiful Rocky Mountains disappear as we took off into the sky.

I get a little nauseated when I fly. I always make sure that I've got d.ramamine with me for this reason. I also make sure that I have water with me to down that bitter pill. I did not have to pull the lid off of my child's juice bottle and down the pill with some of her juice. No, not me, I politely asked the busy flight attendant if she could grab me a shot of water with which to take the pill. I'd never drink a child's diluted juice! Yuck!

I'm so thankful for gracious friends that let me borrow things. There's no way that I would keep said things for waaayy too long. I returned the carpet cleaner that I borrowed from a friend last June a couple of months ago just after I used it. It was not me that paid someone a couple of weeks ago to shampoo my carpets. And during nap time today I'm going to have time to read, rest and relax. I do not need to wash and prepare the carpet cleaner to be returned to my dear friend before both of us move out of this state! (that one kinda hurts to admit...)

"pay no"

Little Bit has really enjoyed going out and playing in the snow ("pay no") whilst we've been in the colder regions of the US. Unfortunately, we haven't seen near the amounts of snow as the towns even 15-30 minutes from here.

The other morning Hubby was suiting up to take Half Pint out and I told him not to stay out too long as the outside temp had gone five degrees below zero. My hubby, being from the warmer regions of the US, only lasted a mere 2.5 minutes outside. Needless to say, Half Pint was not nearly as reluctant to come back inside this time.

one expressive girl

I didn't need a quick shutter for this photo...this face stuck for at least a few moments.

bakin' cookies

getting to enjoy the best part...

not quite sure if she's going to get in trouble for partaking in this cookie dough goodness...

"OK, where do I start?"

our finished product....

pumpkin raisin cookies