Missing Family and Setting Goals

It has been a great week with my family!! I have so much enjoyed having them here. They left this morning and I was so sad to see them go. It was crazy at times and my house was chaotic a lot of the time with the kids but I miss them soo much! Eli even missed them. Tonight he kept telling me they went bye and asking about Chloe.

Today also began my day of losing baby weight!! I was motivated before but after Monday became even more motivated.We went shopping to get the kids Easter outfits but I also tried on some pants because I am in between sizes. It was not pretty and decided right then I am kicking into high gear when it comes to losing this weight!!! Today I did Zumba and also went for a nice long walk carrying Lilliana in my Ergo. She has a fussy time at night. It happens every day at the same time and I found that wearing her in the Ergo she is completely calm but I have to be walking around. So, I used that to my advantage and just walked. She was a lot less fussy tonight and it was more enjoyable to be able to just relax tonight. Tomorrow I will take the kids for another walk and probably do one of my excercise DVDs. I am determined to lose this weight!!!

While Tosha was here I made some more hair bows. Here are some of the ones I made. I plan to make some more tomorrow. I love doing it and Chloe looked adorable in her bows that I made for her. All in all it was a great week and I am looking forward to my visit in July home to spend with all my sisters and their families!!

The Three Grand Kids.

Miss Chubby Cheeks smiling in her sleep!

Having fun with Family

My mom, sister, and niece arrived Wed night very late. We have had so much fun with them here. Eli and Chloe are having a blast!!! It is a little chaotic at times but they are enjoying themselves so much. Its nice having extra hands to help and my mom is an excellent cook and its nice having her cook for us.

Today we celebrated Eli's birthday finally. I decided to scratch the Curious George party and just make cupcakes because of how many people were going to be at the bowling alley. zoomba The kids made cupcakes yesterday for it. They had a blast. Today they bowled together and we celebrated Eli's birthday. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of what has been going on and a video of them bowling. Its interesting having a 3 year old and 2 year old around but so much fun!!!

We are all in New Rooms.......Finally!!

Yesterday was spent rearranging everybody's living space. We all got new rooms. Anthony and I are upstairs now and Eli has a much bigger room. Lilliana will have her room after my mom and sister leave in a week. It felt good to finally get all that done. The only problem is we will have to take stuff out of Eli's and our room to lay carpet, and do some more painting. We knew that would happen but while my family visits everybody has space!!!

Last night I slept terrible. It is cold in our room upstairs so today I have to get a space heater. We also are on the bed I do not like anymore. It just is uncomfortable but it will have to work until we can figure out how to get our box springs upstairs....old house and the stairs just won't allow for it. Or we buy the split box springs and I am sure it happens soon because it was miserable. We are not stressing about any of these things right now because we just want to enjoy my family visiting.

Eli is enjoying his new room! He loves all the space. His old room was so small!! It worked for a while but now that he is older it just is not working. He even slept well in it and did not get scared. At one point I thought I heard him but it was our silly dog whining. I can't wait for he and Chloe to play this week. They will have plenty of room.

I was reminded yesterday while we were moving all sorts of stuff how good God is! We have been so blessed with people giving or buying our kids things and us too for that matter. In many ways I think we have too much!! God is good is in his provision!

Feeling Settled

It has been a busy weekend. We spent Saturday finishing our painting and getting a few last minute things that we needed to complete rooms. Anthony got the carpet for the bedrooms that we bought but the owner was not at the store and on vacation and his daughter did not know where the pad was. He was supposed to call us that night so we could come get it but he did not. Soooo that put us behind. Sunday we just had some touch up stuff to do and were going to lay the carpet well we still had no pad so decided to just not even worry about it lay out the carpet but not actually put it down and put a few things in the room so we could switch rooms so my mom and sister had a place to stay when they come wed. Its not ideal but honestly I feel so much better about it and now we are not stressing and hurrying to get it done. It was not to be able to just relax today and not worry about getting it done. I am also loving how it will look when it is completed the carpet laid out with the paint looks awesome. It will be so nice when it is finally complete.

Eli is still not feeling 100% neither am I for that matter. I feel a ton better but have some congestion. Consequently this weekend and today has not been the most pleasant because he is whiny and just out right being bad. I know he does not feel the best but it can't be an excuse so we have been dealing with that. He is trying to say even more words and his use of sentences is amazing. I was carrying Lilliana in my Ergo and looked terrible. I had been painting and was sweating and just a mess. Anthony told me, "Your Hot!" Not even two seconds later we hear Eli say, "Your Hot!" LOL I told Anthony got to start watching what you say. So Anthony said to me, "Your Beautiful!" Eli turns and says, "No, Your Hot!" I am in for it with this child.

Lilliana is such a good baby. She is now sleeping primarily in her bassinet at night and not in bed with us. She has only been waking up once to eat so that is great. She is also holding her head up on her own now. I can't believe how quickly she is growing. She is even trying to sit up when in your arms. She just likes to look at everything. She stares a lot at me. She is more serious than Eli was at this age and does not smile as much but just takes everything in. Its so fun to see the difference in them. She prefers mommy over anybody right now too which can be a little frustrating. Eli loved Anthony and me both and was not particular but she is. We have also found Eli is very calming to her and if neither of us can calm her down he can. He will just sit by her and talk to her or touch her and she just stops. Its so great the bond they already have and he is such a good brother to her!


It was nice to spend the weekend with Anthony. I really missed him last week. We spent a lot of time working but it was nice to work and just talk. We have fun dreaming about what we want to do with our house. Too bad it never seems we have enough time or money to get it all done. Oh well, it will eventually get done I hope:)   Anthony took tomorrow off so we could switch rooms and I think he just wanted to spend some time with us. Last week was a long week. It is nice we are at a place where he could just take tomorrow off. I was happy he surprised me and decided to do that. Here are some pictures I have taken of the kids the past few days. The ones of Eli show how much he did not feel very good. They also took a bath together for the first time so there are those too.

Taking their first bath together. Eli loves her so much.

Bright and alert



Not feeling so well but look at those eyelashes!

Sister for Sale will trade for a bike

Lilliana is One Month!!

I can't believe it but Lilliana is one month old today!! Its amazing how time just flies by. She is starting to be awake more and has been interracting with us more. She just sit and stares and stares. We love her and she has been such a good baby!

Anthony also got home tonight so I will be cutting this short so we can spend some time together. All that to say we have a long weekend ahead of us because of a mess up from Home Depot and paint we will be getting our rest and hopefully finishing our bed room this weekend!!

One Month!

Holding her head up very well and look at those cheeks!

Its been a LONG week!!!

Well Anthony has been out of town all week and of course right before he leaves the kids get sick and so do I. Needless to say the rooms are a little behind schedule but I am hoping to get them done tomorrow.

Monday Eli would not eat or drink. He would not even talk and all he did was lay around. That is not my child. Of course I could not get him into the Dr. I also was starting to get a crazy sore throat. Lilliana was cranky and obviously not feeling well either. I could not lay her flat on her back or she would  start having problems breathing. I was able to make an appointment for Tuesday though.

Tuesday I took them to the Dr. They had strep and so did I. Mind you this was my first outing by myself with both of them!!! It was a little crazy!! I had to go to the grocery store to get antibiotics for all of us and of course it is the Meijer I LOATHE!! Its too crowded for the area and always busy no matter what. There are a ton of stupid college kids from MSU there all the time and they just make it miserable. I also picked up a few groceries in hopes that Eli would eat. After that wonderful adventure that I have to say went pretty well we made it home and slept and relaxed the rest of the day. Eli was throwing up all night though because of a bunch of mucus in his stomach because he wont spit it out. So I was exhausted!!

Yesterday everybody was beginning to feel a little better I was tired but it was ok. We went for a walk and Eli played at the park. He still had a night of the runs from his medicine and was throwing up so it was another long night. It was so nice to see the sun though and have warm weather.

Today everybody is doing great!! Eli was fairly good and is starting to be  himself again although the whining is still there so I am hoping that goes away soon!! We decided to get out as it was 70 plus I needed out of the house. I had to get some cloth diaper soap so went to the Cloth Diaper store in Holt and got that and also got an Ergo baby carrier. My moby wrap was just too hot and not cutting it this time. With Eli it was great but I have not been enjoying it as much this time so I got an Ergo thanks to my wonderful husband. Then we went and got groceries and I broke it in. It was so nice and I feel like supermom that I accompolished that!!! All in all it has been a rough week but that is ok. It has taught me a few things and I feel like I am getting more organized and into a better routine! The verse I kept going back to was Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." It was a very trying week but in the end I MADE IT!!

Rooms almost done and Everybody is SICK!!

So this weekend we have been working a lot on our room we will be moving into. We ran into some problems so of course it has taken longer. I think that is normal though. All that to say I will be painting tomorrow and Monday and then Anthony will lay carpet next weekend and we move in. I will also be painting Eli's room and carpet will go in it next weekend. I am very excited.

Sadly through all this everybody is SICK!! Eli and Anthony being the worse. I have a slight sore throat and Lilliana is stuffy although I am wondering if it is just the adjustment period they go through. I am worried about her the most as she is only 3 weeks. She has an appointment this next week so hopefully everything is still going great!!

Not much else is happening. We are just getting into the swing of things and enjoying our family. Eli has been rather naughtly lately because he is sick plus I think the terrible 2s have come upon us but other than that he is good. I took some pictures the past couple of days so I will post those. Oh and and update on the furnace. The furnace Anthony wanted was already spoken for but there are some other houses coming up that are possibilities so I am hoping and praying one of them is it!







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3 weeks old!

We caught Eli sitting on the couch with a bag of potatoe chips spilled everywhere just shoving them in his mouth!!!



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So sweet!

Sickness, Productive Day, and Prayer Request

I know yesterday's post made no sense!! I was in the middle of dealing with Eli being sick. All that so say he is doing better but still has a terrible cough and nasty nose.

Today was a great day! I got a lot done this morning and then Anthony's mom came over to watch Eli so I could go to my first postpartum appointment at the Birth Center. It was nice to get out. I do feel bad leaving Eli but he was sick so there is no way I would have taken him out and I know Anthony's mom enjoys seeing him. My appointment went well and Lilliana has gained 1 pound 10 oz. in less than 3 weeks!! She is such a chunk!! I meant to post some pictures yesterday but have been so busy it did not happen so I will tonight.

I am impressed with how much I am keeping up with things and how well I am doing. I did not even take a nap today and feel pretty good!! She is such a great sleeper and Eli was sick last night so he did not want to be up playing like normal. I really hope he decides he is done with that nonsense.

We got some possible good news today. Its more of a prayer request. We have the possibility of getting a brand new furnace or pretty new for free or scrap price of a few hundred dollars. Our furnace is VERY old. When we had our inspection they told us they did not even know how old but it was over 30 years I believe. It is on our list to replace this year. Anthony is demoing some houses and usually they just throw these things away so he and another coworker are going to ask for them. Most the time they will give things like that away so I am hoping it is the case. It would be a HUGE blessing and answer to prayer. Anthony's uncle does heating and air conditing so he can help us install it I am sure. Either way it will save us some money. So please pray that tomorrow the people they will be calling say YES!!!

God has been so good to us this week. I have had 2 friends offer clothes for Lilliana that their little girls wore. I am truly grateful for this. My friend Meghan also gave us some too. I love getting hand me downs so it was a nice surprise. I have been buying stuff on sale or clearance and at consignment stores but do not have a lot. Well, I am off to bed!! I am sooo very tired. I guess not having a nap is catching up.



Yep that is exactly what it looks like Eli wearing only underware and snow boots. My child is odd!!

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First Family Photo

The New Normal

Its seems the new normal in our house is craziness. I think its just the adjusting and trying to add a new member into the house. Sunday was a disaster it seemed. We went to go grocery shopping. We drove all the way to the store but got gas first. It is about 25 minutes. Anthony did not have his debit card and neither did I.....can we say FAIL!!! Luckily he had cash for gas but not enough for groceries. I desperately needed things from the store. Sooo we drove all the way home and then started began our drive back to the store. As we are driving back Eli starts throwing clothes and shoes off. Then he throws up! So we still go but just I go in to get a few things. Mind you its now close to dinner time. Lilliana is now getting hungry because its that time. Eli has to go to the bathroom. It was a crazy night. I finished the groceries yesterday.

Anthony's mom watched Eli while I went with Lilliana. I was glad to get that done. Yesterday Eli also went and to Aunt Toni's to play. Last night I endured my first melt down with both the kids. Luckily it only lasted about 15 minutes. I did not get too frazzled so that was good. Eli was up all night though with a cough and sore throat. He has not felt good and as I write this he just puked everywhere so now I am going to clean up puke oh and it looks like the runs. Like I said its the new normal. Being a mom is sooo rewarding but sometimes its a messy job!!!

New Carpet

I feel like this week has flown by!! I have been much busier now that Anthony is back to work. We have started to settle into a routine, although not perfected yet. Eli is such an early riser so that can be frustrating but Lilliana sleeps in so it helps. I can get him up and get him ready and fed before I have to feed or change her. That has been working out well.

At this point Lilliana does not have a room. I know I feel terrible about it but it is just the way things have worked out. We cosleep so its not a big deal at the moment. I have cubby set up in the living room with all her stuff so it is working well. I am ready for her to have a room though. So today we went and picked out carpet for the room we will be painting and moving into upstairs. Eli will be moving into the room we live in now and her room will be Eli's old room. He really needs a bigger room anyways. It is small and he has been playing in it a lot more. We also got carpet for his new room. I have no idea why but there is no padding under the carpet that is in there now and its purple so it makes no sense. We also looked at paint and have our colors picked out for our room but are trying to decide on Eli's. My mom and sister come at the end of the month so they will actually be staying in the room we are in now and then we will move over Elis stuff after that and set up Lilliana's room. So come April she will have a room!! It was fun shopping for carpet even though we just got remants. I am excited to decorate the kid's rooms. I have been holding off doing so because we were going to be switching everything but now I will be able to.

Eli got to go bowling again today. This is the first time we have actually seen him at the bowling alley and all I have to say is that boy is Mr. Popular. I think he runs the place. Everybody knows him and everybody loves him. A lot of the people are family but there are some that are not. He also loves to bowl now. He has been telling us all week I bowl. At first we thought he wanted to bowl on the Wii but soon realized no he wanted us to take him bowling so him going today was great. He had a blast. Aunt Toni dropped off the pictures of him bowling for the first time so here are those. There are also video because I think they showed up better than the pictures.

Birthday Cake

Tonight we celebrated Eli's birthday with just us. He LOVED his cake. I let him help me frost it and he kept saying mine. He also counted his candles and will now tell you he is two. He was such a good boy today!! I was so worried today would be crazy but he was sooo good and made my first day by myself sooo easy. I got a lot accomplished and was not too tired. I will admit I look exhausted but I do feel pretty good!! Here are some pictures.

Yes I know I look exhausted. I am but  I do feel good.

Happy Birthday Eli

Today is Eli's 2nd birthday. I can not believe my little man is two already.  I still remember the day I found out I was pregnant with him. I had a rough pregnancy but would do it all over again just to have him. We will just be having cake with him tonight and celebrating at the end of the month when my mom and sister are here. He gets a Curious George Birthday at the bowling alley.

It is also my first day solo. My friend is coming over later this afternoon but so far I have been great and got a lot accomplished. Monday Eli went with Aunt Toni all day and yesterday Anthony had off for a funeral so today its just me. I am actually impressed with how easy it is so far. I am not big and huge so its easier to get things done and not wear out. We will be laying down for a nap in a few minutes so I can get some sleep. Lilliana is a great sleeper though so I am not too sleep deprived at this point. There is not much else going on at this point. Here are some pictures from when we welcomed our little boy into the world!

This is Eli one year ago when he turned 1!

 And here is today.....Being silly and painting his face. A typical thing Eli would do! I love this little boy!!