Trundle bed, more space????

We have been wanting trudle beds for our girls for a long time now.So ourselves and the grandparents went in together and got them for the girls birthdays. I thought we would save a ton of space and the girls would have their own beds... but wow this bed is BIG!! Maybe I just need to get used to the height of it all:) Maddie jumped right up on her bed and claimed herself as the "Princess and the pea". I'm sure we will endure a few bumps and bruises from climbling and jumping (even though these things are not allowed), but it really is nice for them to have their own beds and one of them can easily be hidden away for more space.

Birthday Blues

Well I am not writing this post to announce that it is my b-day by any means, It has been a horrible day so far and I am just venting I guess. I have been having trouble with my 4 year old and today she pushed me to my breaking point. She has been so disrespectful and mean to everyone today and to make it worse I feel as if it is all my fault. I feel depressed and angry and just plain rotten. Have I failed as a mother? Is it too late to turn things around? And if it isn't the how??!! I don't spank my children, I have tried it in the past, you know the spanking with love and the intent to teach, but I am not a believer of it. I would always get control of myself before a spanking and explain why it was being given, and it was only used as a last resort, but I can't put my belief that hitting teaches hitting, and the fact that it just seems demeaning to me. So today Maddie has had all of her dress up stuff put in a garbage bag in into the closet(only to be earned back one at a time), several time-outs, lost all t.v. privileges for the rest of the day, and then I broke down and set her on the floor and screamed at her to stop at the top of my lungs(now my throat hurts).Let me give you an example: she was jumping on her bed which she knows is not acceptable and when I told her to stop she just stared at me and laughed(now Bella is jumping too,she looks up to her big sis). This is where I scream, I've had enough, I didn't even feel like myself. I mean where did this short fused person come from? I love my girls more than anything and I want them to grow up with good morals and values, but I feel like I don't know how to teach them. Nothing I am doing is working. Maybe I need some outside help myself or I just don't know, I have prayed so much that I wonder if he is even listening??
Well that felt really good to get that off my chest and I'm sure that after a couple of days I will regret putting this on here but oh well.

First Love???

Today Maddie had a party at her preschool in honor of Valentines Day. We were all very excited(again, I just LOVE Valentines Day). Now ever since the day we went to check out the preschool Maddie and (the pastors son) Samuel hit it off. Maddie even calls Bella Samuel when she is playing(yeah they hit it off). Well when we were buying valentines Maddie had to get Samuel a little horse for a special gift to him. Today as we walked into preschool, there stands Samuel dressed in a shirt, tie and blazer holding a pink rose for Maddie. I thought I might cry but I just smiled really big instead. Later his mom and dad told me that he had picked out the outfit to look nice for Maddie:) It's just so sweet and terribly cute that I had to share.
Happy Valentines Day to everyone:)))))

Oops....

Well that last post was suppose to tell a story, but it si backwards. The first picture is suppose to be the end of the story:0 And to think my husband thinks that I should change my major to Web Design!!!!HA HA to him:)Ruthie you will have to help me on this one, lol:)

Love is in the air:))

Happy Valentines Day everyone:) This is my second favorite Holiday:) I warned the preschool when they set out a list of things they would need for the party on Tuesday. I just can't help myself when it comes to pink, purple and pretty hearts!! So here are some pictures that I tried to put together as a collage but failed miserabley:(.. Oh well they are funny..enjoy:))))

Can I cry now???

Today as I was making dinner, my almost 4 year old daughter comes up to me and says "Mommy will you teach me how to read?". Big smile and then, "Of course sweetie", and when she left the room....teary eyes. Has it really been 4 years? Where did the time go?, It seems like yesterday that I was rocking her and gazing into those big blue eyes and wondering what will you look like when you are 2 or I can't wait for those first steps, teeth, words!!! And now she wants to learn how to read....Bittersweet to me. I want them to stay my little babies forever... sometimes:)

Say What?????

This is what I am trying to get through in my Intermediate Algebra class. For some reason I just cannot retain this information, go figure huh?
Determine if the given ordered triple is a solution of the system.
Ex: (-1,3,2)ordered triple
x - 2z = -5
y - 3z = -3
2x - z = -4

I will never be a mathematician and I hope that you can see why. I only understand how to do these problems when the teacher is going through them step by step. As soon as I get home from class I try to finish the homework and draw a blank. I will definately need some tutoring for this class:o

Big Bucks....

Michael has always wanted a son to join him in his love of hunting and fishing. Now my husband loves his little girls wholeheartedly but fears that they will be to girly to hunt or fish. By looking at this picture and hearing little Bella say Big Buck clear as day everytime she sees a deer, I don;t think Michael has to worry about Bella being too "girly". She also loves venison jerky, banging her little fists on the fridge while chanting "more, more". Maddie is always in a dress and putting on an endless amount of jewels, hair clips, and anything pink she can find, but she still says that she wants to be a "Big Buck Hunter" when she grows up. I can easily see at least one of our little "girly girls" joining their daddy in the woods hunting for Big Bucks.

The girls and I went for a little country drive after playing in the snow today and I took along the camera and captured this old barn surrounded with the snow covered trees. Just thought I'd share with all:)

God is amazing

This is what our street looked like this morning, it speaks of God's Grace with the purity and serenity within it. It's things like this that make it worth living in Michigan:)God Bless everyone and have a great day!!

Help has arrived

For the last 3 weeks or so my girls have been assigned with chores. They each have three like feeding the cat and putting away silverware, simple things but helpful. They get $1.25 every week, teaching them to earn money for what they want. Now that the girls are used to doing their chores Madison (My three year old) has been helping out with other things on her own. The other day I had a pile of clean towels on the dining room floor just waiting to be folded and there goes Maddie all on her own, folding the towels. She folded every one of them all by herself (of course she earned a reward magnet) but she was being thoughtful and helpful, two things that I have been working really hard at instilling in my girls. So I am very excited and pleased at the fruits of my labor, and maybe even bragging a little but hey aren't we all entitled to brag about our children a little?

All I want for Christmas is....

My three year old daughter wanted nothing but princess and the Pauper dresses for Christmas this year. I didn't really think that she was serious at first but anytime someone would ask her what she wanted that was her reply. So I panicked because I could not find them in any store and it is what she told Santa she wanted. I finally looked on Ebay and found an ebay store called my dressup trunk and they were great to work with, making sure that we received them in time for Chritmas. Here in this picture Maddie is explaining that her best friend Sophie can only wear the blue dress because the pink Annelise dress is her special one from Santa. How cute that the first thing she thinks of is her friend coming over to get dressed up with her, as they often do.

I've been tagged, so here are 5 weird things about me:

1. When my girls are sleeping I repeatedly check to make sure they are still breathing.

2. I am really particular about my hair being just right when I go out.

3. My husband told me to put that I don't like dogs:)

4. I save an abundance of my girls artwork, clothes, projects, etc., so that they can see first hand what is was like when they were little.

5. I always rush into things without thinking through the whole situation, mostly regretting my decision in the end.

Well it seems that sharing a bed is working out just fine. The girls have been pretty sick the last couple of days and Bella is seeking the comfort of her big sister. What a great Christmas present for me, I thought I would share it with all:)

Now that the girls have eaten all of the boot house we decided to create a "gingerbread house". In a more relaxed environment I believe we did a pretty good job. Mind you the girls did not get to bed until a little after 10 pm because of all the sampling they did while creating , and the fact that the roof is so heavy that we had to put in side supports to keep it from falling down:) but the fun we had doing it was well worth it.

Our first gingerbread house

Today Maddie's preschool hosted a gingerbread house making party. We were both really excited and ended up having some great mother/daughter quality time together. This was actually alot harder than I expected, our roof caved in a couple of times and our house actually resembles a boot more than a house, but the time that Maddie and I got to spend together was priceless.

December 14th, 2005

As I search for a way to make more room for my girls in their bedroom it hits me, Maddie loves Little House on the Prairie and Mary & Laura share a bed:). Being able to remove a bed would provide so much more room for the girls to play and the new treasures that Santa will be bringing our way. So I gave it a try and for two nights they have cuddled, played and willingly slept next to each other. Even little Bella is sleeping longer than the usual 3 hour intervals. I will continue this new bedtime ritual until we are able to get a trundle bed. I can't resist how cute they look all snuggled up to each other too!!

Welcome to the Cat Refuge

Over the last couple of months our front porch has become a favorite spot for lost,sick, and abandoned cats. First there was Nikko (Maddie named him), Nikko had a bad eye but he loved my daughters and all their friends. He was always there and loved any attention, sweet but still not coming inside. We thought about what we were going to do with him because he was so sweet and Maddie especially, grew very attached to him. He disappeared for a couple of days only to return with it's back legs limp. He must have fallen from a tree given how he chased birds and squirrels in our trees in the backyard. So my husband took poor Nikko to the humane society where they put him to sleep, better off he was suffering. We all shed some tears and told Maddie he found a new cat friend and they went off on an adventure together. Then comes Sally, a beautiful long haired black and white cat. Yes Maddie named her too:) Sally is a little on the timid side, I wonder if she has a home just not a loving one. We feed her on the porch and give her a little milk here and there but she runs when she hears a noise. A couple of weeks ago a new fellow appeared, no name yet, Maddie has only seen him once when he made his way through our front door. He is loving and has a very distinguished face, I will keep you updated on the name for I am sure he will posess one soon. Now the other day my husband said there was yet another cat hanging out in the front flower bed!! Tonight I saw him/her for myself and how sad. Nothing but skin and bones and sick with some kind of cold. This is when my husband said " What is this the front porch cat refuge?". This poor cat scarfed down some cat food all the while sniffing and shivering. Being the overly sensitive person that I am I went inside and grabbed my old comfy lounge blanket and wrapped up the cat and put it in the front porch chair. I don't quite know what to make of this new found cat business but I can't just turn my back on a lonely, sick, cold and starving cat.

Global Warming.....believe it or not

As I sit diligently working on a "global warming" term paper, I step outside to take a break and I realize that it is warmer outside than it is in our house. The weather all day today was rainy and cold but now at 10 pm there is an almost warm breeze. Global warming? maybe. Ironic? definately.

What do I want to be when I grow up?

If you know me then you know that I am attending a local college to earn a degree in Elementary education. I am currently taking my first EDU class and have been placed in a kindergarten class for my observation fieldwork. I thought this class would be a blast, never did I think that half way into it I would be re-thinking my career choice. I love children and the thought of having my own classroom filled with little learners but, when I was asked to get in front of those kindergartners I felt really uncomfortable and out of place. I am a very shy person and I don't know if I will be able to break out of my comfort zone so to speak. I desprately would love to be a photographer but I don't want to waste the money I've already accumulated in financial aid and student loans. I'm at the crossroads right now and I am really struggling with making a decision. Any comments from you would help, or anyone who knows of local schools that carry a photography program please let me know. How many people really know what they want to be when they grow up?:)