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

Monday, June 25, 2012

Pinterest Food Finds

Can I just say that I love Pinterest! Kudos to whoever thought of it, You are brilliant! :) I am always cooking new recipes that I pin but this past week I cooked several new recipes that I found. I wanted to share a couple of them with you that we really enjoyed...and trust me when I say, it's pretty hard to please everyone in a family of five! 

First up is... 


You can find this recipe here! This was a very filling hearty meal. A little goes a long way and it serves 8-10 people. I wasn't too fond of the preparation for this meal because it felt like what took forever and there was a good bit of cleanup involved. It was worth it though. I would definitely give it a try! A word of advice though: FIND PREPARED WILD RICE! :)

Next up is....

BLT Pasta Salad


 Here is the recipe, just go ahead and click it, you know you want to!
I made this for lunch one day and every bit of it was gone! If you love a good BLT sandwich then you'll love this! It's not really like other pasta salads that taste like pure mayo but it's much smoother and subtle. It calls for sour cream and you know anything with sour cream is pretty much heavenly! The preparation of this meal was very efficient as well and super easy! The only thing I will do different  next time is use two packages of bacon instead of one!

And last but not least...

Chicken Parmesan Bake


And the recipe! Let me just say SUPER EASY! I love easy, I mean who doesn't when you live in chaos! This literally consists of putting a few ingredients in a baking dish and putting it in the oven! 

Jason is my go to critic and he decides whether a recipe goes into the book or not. The only thing he said about this was that the chicken was a little bland. Although this IS coming from the King of salt and garlic on everything. I kind of did agree but the chicken was very tender. Next time I think I will cut a few slits into the chicken and marinade it throughout the day before I cook it!

What are some of your favorite Pinterest food finds!? Please share!


-Rachel


Friday, June 22, 2012

This is Me

So I've been thinking... I come here to write so that I can clear my head or to reminisce on good times, holidays, or milestones. The thing is...what I need to write about most is what is real. I've decided that from here on out, I will write exactly what I think or feel. I will not sugar coat anything and pretend that every day around here is a walk in the park or give you any false indication that I have everything together because I most certainly don't. I am a Christian, I was raised in church, I believe in what is right and I stand firm on my morals and beliefs but I so need to work on my relationship with God and rely on him more for his guidance. 
Just something I've been thinking about...Probably every time I leave this house I get so many compliments about how beautiful my children are and "how do you do it"? I'm told by so many that I am so blessed and I do know this but why can I see it but not always feel it? Why do I sometimes get down and feel like being a mother is not an important role. I will tell you honestly that I often feel like I am trapped in this role as a wife and mother and I hate it. Like it happened so quickly that I want to blame others (Jason). Like my life was chosen for me. "I have three kids and no life", says the selfish part of me. But by the grace of God and his beautiful creations and a random "I miss you", or hug and kiss from Noah and a sweet soft little "I love you Mommy" from my sweet girl as she curls up in the bed with me early in the mornings and scratches by back for no reason at all. Or my adorable little Eli who just crawls around entertaining himself and gives me the biggest grin with those cute little four teeth he has, I am reminded that to those kids, I am everything and for whatever reason God gave me those beautiful babies to raise and mother. I need to learn to love it because one day it will be gone. I will look back as if I was holding a handful of sand on a windy day. I won't ever get it back. Ever. I can't bottle it up and let it loose after I get my crap together. They will never be this little again. I do not want to live my life with regrets. The choices that I make now will affect me and them forever. The people that they will become, the lifestyle they will live, the choices that they will make, and the way they choose to uphold their own families. When I say that, I think Wow, how can I think my role is not important? I am in charge of three little lives. Not only providing for them and watching over them but teaching them and guiding them in their daily life and the decisions they will make. That is definitely an achievement that will be greatly rewarded by God himself one day and a legacy honored by many. I'm so thankful that I can see and admit what I need to work on. I realize where I fail and what I need to work toward. If there is anything I know I'm doing right, it's that I pray for my children daily. I ask that God will bless them in every aspect of their life.   


-Rachel

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