Friday, November 30, 2012

Thanksgiving

Wow have I been busy over the past week! Clearly because I'm posting about Thanksgiving over a week late!
After what happened with Bella on Wednesday, Thanksgiving with family and friends and the long weekend helped us feel better. The kids still talk about her at least once a day and say they miss her often. I think about her often too. Like yesterday when I saw some squirrels on our back porch, and thought how happy they must be. I know they're not missing her. And I had a mini breakdown the other day when I finally made myself wash her food and water bowls and put them away.
I think we are done with the pets for a while. I have enough things to worry about and care for. I guess we'll just see how it goes.


On Thanksgiving, we had lunch at my grandmothers house. It was a good day and good food! We stayed most of the day talking and looking at Black Friday ads. We left around 7:00 and headed home. I put the kids in bed and headed out to meet my mom and sister for some shopping.
Here are some of the very few pics my sister and I took on Thanksgiving :)


My Mom, Dad, Jaycelyn, Noah, and my nephew Conner. Eli just wasn't having it.

My brother 

 My Grandma
 
My Sister

My eyes were so puffy :-/

My sweet Noah Reid, I love this picture!

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I've been decorating for a week now and I'm finally finished. I changed my Christmas tree up this year and I love how it came together. I'll share soon. Have a great weekend! :)

-Rachel

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Our Sweet Bella

 Let me just be honest and say today sucked!
 It. Totally. Sucked.
I had a pretty big agenda today and of course was feeling really excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow and the upcoming weekend.
 The weather was beautiful so I kept the front door open and let the kids play in the garage and the carport while I cleaned. 
We were waiting on Brandy, a friend of my cousins, to come and pick up a train table I had for sale. This was the first time we would meet.
When she got here, the kids and I walked out to her van with her to load the table and we continued to stand there and talk for a while. 
Quickly, I saw the UPS truck coming past our house. The sound of that truck is so familiar to me that I barely even recognize it anymore.
Now, as I sit here, I could care less if I ever hear it again. 
I don't know what it was with Bella and that truck but she hated it. 
She wasn't one to chase cars or bother people, but she hated that truck and she was very protective. 
I guess she felt like she needed to protect us this particular time because she didn't even let up when I yelled at her to stop.
Our Bella wasn't so lucky when she reached it.
Thankfully she didn't suffer, and it killed her instantly. 
My heart is deeply hurting right now. She was a part of our family and such a great dog. I wish I didn't have to see that...and my kids...my poor kids. How do you make them understand something like that? 
For a while after, my neighbor Pam, took the kids over to her house to play and take their minds off of everything. It was a huge help!
I know that God intended Brandy to be there at that time because she was also a huge help! It's crazy how someone that you've just met can be so compassionate and caring to someone they don't even know. I learned a lot about her today and she is truly a wonderful genuine person. That is so hard to come by these days. I have a feeling that we'll be great friends.

I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. This was God's will. I am soo Thankful that it wasn't something worse. 
Something good will eventually come out of this. 

The kids are having a really hard time with it right now.
 Jaycelyn has been crying all afternoon and talking about her non stop.
Noah doesn't really understand like Jaycelyn does. He doesn't understand that she's not coming back.
He'll say she's in heaven one minute and ask where she is the next. Then he tells me to wipe the blood off of her and make her stay in the house so she can't get ran over again. Poor baby :( 
Some people may think that it's a little too early for them to be told about death, but in this situation I didn't really have a choice, but I'm also kind of glad. Even though they can't understand to the the full extent right now, I hope that it instills something in them that I try to make them understand on a daily basis. Like, not going near the road, and how dangerous parking lots or moving cars are, or staying right beside me in the store. I don't want them to be full of fear, but to know that there can be serious consequences for not listening and that we tell them these things because we love them and want to protect them.

 This was one of my devotionals today. I get them on my phone twice daily and I love them because I feel like they relate to my situation or what I'm going through every single day.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
Sometimes bad things happen to good people. But how do you make peace with this thought, especially when you are fighting back anger, hurt, betrayal, or loneliness? It's important to realize that God has perfect timing, even when we can't understand it. Without placing your faith in His timing, you leave room for resentment, despair, and rebellion. When you can't see the work God is doing through tragedy, remain faithful in knowing God's timing is perfect. 

 In the meantime, I will trust in God and lean on him for peace and understanding.

Bella sure was a wonderful part of our family and she will be greatly missed.

There are so many things we all will miss about her but here are a few I will definitely miss:
 Tagging along with us in the kids bedrooms while we tuck them in and put them to bed, talking to me when she needed me to pay attention to something or feed her, her thinking she's a 5lb lap dog, rides in the car, helping me clean up after the kids when they eat, snoring so loud that you can't hear the tv, her big beautiful brown eyes, her love and patience for my kids, and her loyalty to our family.





R.I.P. Sweet Girl

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Today, Today, and Yesterday

Today seems like one of the longest days I've had in a while. Even though I don't really have much to show for, I've been going non stop all day! The laundry is caught up (for the most part), my kids are alive, fed, worn out, and tucked in their beds. I consider that an accomplishment! ;)
 Anyway..
 So yeah, I did laundry all day because I was a slacker over the weekend and needed to play catch up. Seven loads to be exact and I still have a few here and there things to throw in the wash.

My dad was in the neighborhood and dropped by for a visit today. I really enjoyed spending time and talking with him. I love him dearly.

For Dinner, I cooked this Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole from Pinterest that I previously blogged about here.
I'm still not too thrilled about the preparation for this meal and it takes what seems like forever! I think next time I make it I will start preparing a few days ahead. Jason loves it too and I like to keep my man full and happy so I know I'll be making it again. 

Yesterday, My sister took some some pictures of the kids and they are precious! They had so much fun! Here are a couple that I really adore!







 
-Rachel

Monday, November 19, 2012

Tummy Aches, Bare Bottoms, and a BRAT

Our weekend was pretty laid back. Actually, I don't think we even left the house. 
On Thursday Noah woke up with an upset stomach and by noon he had a fever that wouldn't subside. Finally, by that evening it was gone and hasn't returned. His tummy ache continued on through Saturday but wasn't anything serious. He's just fine now and back to his normal self.

Eli has been dealing with the same thing, only worse in the bottom department because he wears a diaper. I couldn't keep that poor baby's butt cleared up. He ran around naked for most of the weekend so things could air out. The brat I'm referring to is him, just kidding, he is one of those, but I'm talking about the BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. 

And just for a need to know basis...

The BRAT diet can help you recover from an upset stomach or diarrhea for the following reasons:
  • It includes “binding” foods. These are low-fiber foods that can help make your stools firmer.
  • It includes bananas, which are high in potassium and help replace nutrients your body has lost because of vomiting or diarrhea.
I tried to follow the diet the best I could but if you know my boys, you know they both LOVE to eat! I'm really not sure if Eli's was a virus or from teething. He's cutting two molars right now so I'm thinking it's more from that. I don't know why my kids get so many teeth all at once!? It was okay with J & N because they were so good while teething but it seems like Eli has been teething for more than half of his life. Like every day. 

If it was a virus, I'm so thankful that it was quick and didn't do too much damage! 

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Eli that I took yesterday...






Wednesday, November 14, 2012

So What Wednesday


Today I'm linking up with Shannon at Life After I "Dew" for So What Wednesday!

This Week I'm saying So What If...
  
  • I haven't shaved my legs in over a week.
  • I'm still eating on my kids Halloween Candy that's been in my bedroom most of the time and the majority eaten by Jason and I.
  • I have to consume coffee or coke most of the day for me to survive and not kill anyone else.
  • I let the kids skip a nap on most Fridays so I can put them to bed early and have Mommy and Daddy time.
  • I wear a hat most places I go because I'm too lazy to fix my hair.
  • I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done, now on to decorating!
  • I've already given the kids one of the things previously mentioned, okay three. 
  • I still try to feed my 15 month old.
  • I've been asking Jason to drive to Indiana and back just for my favorite bottle of wine.
  • I threw all of my clean laundry in a basket over a day ago.
  • I've made a mental to-do list for three days and have yet to check off anything on it.
  • I let the kids eat their choice of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich for breakfast almost every morning.




-Rachel

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Weekend Recap

This past weekend, Jason and I had uno child and it was sooo nice! I know that sounds terrible, but it was so nice to get a break for a change!
Friday evening, I took Jaycelyn and Noah to my Grandmother and Aunts house to spend the weekend. I wasn't expecting Jason home until around his usual time of 7-8 pm, but much to my surprise he got off of work early. I was just about to get Eli something to eat when he called to let me know he was on his way home. He was too tired to meet us somewhere to eat so I picked up some O'Charleys To-Go and him a Sanpeggios Greek Chicken Salad (he's obsessed with the things, he could eat them daily).
When we got home, daddy had us a nice fire going in the fireplace.


Eli kept pointing and saying "HOT" and jumping up and down. The first time we started one, he looked at me almost in tears, pointing to it and mumbling. He knew something wasn't right about it. He's been really good though about not going near it. 
While we got settled in and were deciding on what movie we wanted to watch, Eli and I played around on instagram for a minute...




 Eli got sleepy but he was a good sport so we let him hang with us for a while.


Saturday, I let Jason catch up on rest and Eli and I headed out to Toy's R Us to do a little Christmas shopping. I don't know what in the world I was thinking going to that crazy house on a Saturday!
Oh wait, that's right I only had one kid! I knew it was now or never!
 I can't even begin to imagine what that place is like on Black Friday or right before Christmas!!
 I'll just be happy when it's all over with! Can you agree!?
 Noah is my hardest child to buy for. Jaycelyn doesn't mind telling you everything she wants. Like this ridiculous pony that costs way too much that yes I bought anyway! I'm still debating on keeping it or not. That is all she keeps talking about and told me, "I totally want one". Ha

 
I picked up Longhorn for dinner and we pigged out and watched more movies! :)

Late Sunday morning, we picked the kids up and went out to lunch at Cracker Barrel for my Father-in Law Larry's birthday.

Jaycelyn was excited to see her PaPaw...


Uncle Michael and Eli...


I thought this was cute...


PaPaw giving Noah some love and Jason doing something...


Jaycelyn loves her Uncle Michael...



My sister-in-law Hillary, my niece Peyton, and I...



And our many attempts at a family picture...




We had a great time and I was super excited to take these home ...


along with an order of pancakes for breakfast! Yumm!

We just chilled the rest of the afternoon. The kids were over exhausted so I put them to bed early, Jason watched a boring movie, and I surfed the internet! Then, we turned in pretty early ourselves :) 

Until next time! 

-Rachel

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