For the Family: Christmas List

Since we are all tight on money and could use a bit of help saving for the Holidays, I have decided to go ahead and start my Christmas shopping early.  Not that Christmas is about the gifts.  As a matter of fact, Jacob and I have decided to go ahead and keep our family gifts to a minimum so as not to take away from what we are really celebrating, Christ's birth.  We have decided that Christmas presents will be a good way to set money aside to get our children things that they need, and not so much things that they "WANT."  Plus, it is kind of nice to be able to give that "fun" gift giving opportunity to the Grandparents.  Either way, I want my children growing up loving any gift they receive.  I want them to be ecstatic over receiving the things they really need since it is truly a blessing.  It is nice to receive things that are fun, but it is even sweeter knowing that they have all of the things that they need to really enjoy life.

All of this being said, I want to let our family know the things we need as a family for Christmas.  So, here goes, this is the official Via family Christmas list:

- New Via Baby -
- A fuzzy blanket to match Bella and Ilijah's (we will find out tomorrow whether we will be having a boy or a girl, so this will help with colors!)
- White onesies long sleeve and short (you can never have too many of these)
- Money to purchase a swing and a new bouncy play gym at the consignment sale
- Diapers, diapers, and more diapers in all sizes!
- Wipes
- Formula for just in case

- And, an electronic piggy bank
- Money for savings

- Bella -
- A new car seat!
- Diapers size 3/4
- Buddy Fruits (these are a new find that my kids just love! they come in a small bag with a lid on it that you suck out of.  they are all natural and no sugar added)
- Finger foods that are easy on-the-go
- Sippy Cups that are actually spill proof
- Some books on CD
- Educational DVDs
- Clothing is always much appreciated sizes 6-12 months (hopefully, she is still in 3-6 months now)
- Soft shoes since she will be walking
- And, an electronic piggy bank
- Money for savings

- Ilijah -
- Big boy undies!
- Socks
- Clothes as well, size 2T
- Books on CD
- Educational DVDs
- Workbooks
- Bob reading books
- Anything school related (we will probably begin setting up a home school section in their room)
- Sippy Cups
- And, an electronic piggy bank
- Money for savings

- Keesha -
- Curtain rods for our room (it really doesn't matter what they look like, I just want to be able to hang my curtains : )
- Vacuum
- Duvet cover (anything in a natural shade) This is a want, not a necessity.
- Baskets for organizing
- Clear large storage containers for closets
- Anything that helps declutter a house (not sure what that is, I just want a simple house)
- Nice fabrics, buttons, ribbons etc. to make clothes and pillows and other items
- Cleaning supplies, esp carpet cleaners
- Money for Women's Retreat & Passion Conference
- Money to go towards Dental fees
- And, an electronic piggy bank
- Money for savings

- Jacob -
- Office supplies, computer paper, ink, etc.
- Books
- Clothes
- Money for Men's Retreat & Passion Conference
- Macbook Pro 15"
- iTunes gift card (for all his videos)
- Basketball/running shoes
- Graphic Tee Shirts size medium
- Flip Flops

- Gift Cards -
- Gap or Old Navy
- Target
- Walmart
- T.J. Maxx
- Harris Teeter
- Lowe's
- Gas Cards
- Little Caesars
- Taco Bell
- McDonald's 

Okay Family, hope this helps!  I know you all are working hard to save some money too!  Love you!  Can't wait to all be together for Joy's wedding soon!

Finally . . . a new post!

Well, I know I am not so hot at this keeping up with my blogging thing, but I figure that you all are ready for an update.  So here goes!

Bella @ 8 months:
- Has grown leaps and bounds, she is very tall
- Is now crawling everywhere, not just military style, but full on crawl
- Can now go up the stairs (Yay.)
- Pulls up on anything on her own
- Can walk with something to hold onto, but generally chooses not to
- Has quite the personality and will be difficult to discipline, though she is a sweetheart
- She is my whiner, she will fuss at just about anything if she is not getting her way
- She will laugh at just about everything too
- She thinks it is hilarious to squeal with laughter if you are disciplining her
- She has no problem flashing her puppy dog eyes when she needs to
- Her smile makes you feel as though you are the specialist person in the whole universe
- She can be both adventuresome and cowardly
- She is my eater.  She will eat from the time she gets up to the time she goes back to sleep, yet she doesn't look like it at all
- She has beautiful blue eyes, and unlike Ilijah, I think she will keep hers
- She still has little hair just like her brother was
- She wears mostly dresses and at times she will lounge around in her brother's t-shirts
- Her favorite pastime in her crib is to stand up in the corner closest to the door and let us know that she does not feel like sleeping
- She has had some trouble sleeping lately, I believe do to some teething, but then she has days where she will sleep from 8:00pm-10:00am
- She doesn't care for TV and movies as much as Ilijah
- She would rather hang out with mom all day
- She is very slowly becoming more independent, but I think we really need to start forcing room time because she is starting to have separation anxiety when at church
- She loves to pick on her brother and steal his toys and climb all over him
- So far she has no allergies that we can tell, and has great skin too
- She has super long fingers, legs, and feet, so she will be a great volleyball player one day too ; )
- She likes to observe, she is my people watcher, but she learns alot from doing so
- She wants to do everything her brother does and she absolutely adores him
- She is very pretty in pink, which is so funny, because I used to hate the color pink, but now I am a mom and that kind of changes everything
- She wears a size 2 diaper still, but that needs to change because she is going through those quickly
- She is a size 3-6 months still, but can wear bigger if need be, or if the dress is just too gorgeous to pass up
- Her daddy likes her to wear shirts and pants, but her mom prefers her in her Sunday best at most times, if we are going out
- She is a snuggler
- When you pick her up, she immediately turns around so she can see everyone
- She sleeps with her blanket over her face just like her brother does
- She already knows how to play with cars and trains just from watching her brother, but she generally prefers girlie toys
- She can drink from a bottle or a sippy cup now, but she still really loves her bottles
- She eats at least two things of baby food and takes a bottle at every meal
- She can eat almost any big girl food and really enjoys it, she even ate ham the other day
- She is not a picky eater like her brother
- The only thing she is picky about when it comes to her food is that she doesn't like plain milk, it has to have some other type of flavor with it whether it be fruity or chocolaty or even veggies
- She often says Dadda, but only says Momma when she is upset or wants something
- She uses "G" sounds alot, and can almost say "car"
- She doesn't have very many "favorites" yet other then her family, eating, and sleeping
- She is very tender hearted, but stubborn at the same time (hmm, I think I know someone just like that)

Ilijah @ 23 months:
- He is so sweet
- He loves his family very much and likes it best when we can all just hang out together for the day
- He is very good with Bella and is an awesome big brother
- He loves his carbs, any type of bread or cereal or cake or cookie or breakfast bar
- He still does not like meat, so he eats at least one thing with peanut butter in it a day to help get some protein
- He will drink milk and water now, so we load up on that
- He climbs on everything!
- He is mischievous yet super obedient at the same time
- He has an adventurers heart
- He loves Scooby-Doo, Cars, Thomas the Train, Princess and the Frog, Toy Story I, II, & III, and any other Pixar animated movie
- Ilijah would watch TV all day if I would let him, and it doesn't help that his father is a movie guru
- He is very particular
- You can often find him lining things up, by himself, off in a corner
- He has to have things in just a certain order and in his certain way
- He loves to dance and will go fast or slow depending on the music
- He loves sports and all things manly
- He LOVES being naked
- He is about 50% potty trained and is just doing so well with it, we are just trying to make it simple and not push it too hard
- He is also very observative
- His brain is always ticking and you can actually see him thinking about all the things he encounters
- He loves to sleep with mom and dad (on mom and dad's terms) and even takes good naps with mom all the time
- He does a great job brushing his teeth
- He still has not had a hair cut, but his dad wants him to get one, even though his mom absolutely does not
- He is no longer a little boy
- He has grown a ton this year and does not seem like a typical two year old to me
- His language is awesome and he says and comprehends just about anything
- He is so very smart
- He has great manners and loves to please others
- His eyes are now a green, gold, and barely blue
- He has tons of teeth and I think already has his two year molars
- His hair is blond and curly, but not super curly
- He makes the best faces
- He is very dramatic and funny
- He loves to entertain and thinks that he truly is the life of the party (it doesn't help when people shout out his name every time he enters a room)
- He is confident
- He loves cars, trucks, trains, boats, tools, action heroes, buzz & woody, and the list goes on
- He is an awesome swimmer
- He would play in the water all day if we would let him
- He also has no allergies and has beautiful skin
- He now sits in a big boy chair and rarely eats in a highchair
- He loves people and has no problem going off on his own (this one is not so fun sometimes)
- His feet are super stinky and he gets that from his aunt Kendra : )
- He has two cousins that he likes to say their names, Shawn and Zeke
- He LOVES dogs and animals in general
- Almost every dogs name is Heidi
- He thinks that he is having another baby sister, but we think it is going to be a boy
- Did I mention that he is super obedient?
- He constantly asks where is dad is and then when I tell him he is at work, he then replies with, "oh, work."
- He knows that his dad works at the church and yells out his name every time we pull into the parking lot
- Screams with excitement whenever he sees water
- Loves the ocean, but does not like wave pools
- Thinks it is awesome to wear his mom's headbands
- Does a good job sharing with his sissy, even though she does take advantage of that from time to time
- Would rather be doing other things than eating
- Is very imaginative
- Likes to sword fight
- Memorizes things easily
- Loves to sit down and "read" a book by himself
- Interacts well with other children
- Takes one nap a day
- Has to immediately go and turn on the TV when entering a hotel room (random I know)
- Easily functions within routines, too bad his mom doesn't
- Cleans a whole room when asked, but doesn't get why when he is just going to dump all the toys out later
- Loves to put on lotion whenever he sees his mom do it
- Loves to tickle
- Loves encouragement and reinforcement
- Loves kisses and loves to have his mom kiss all of his toys
- Has the softest skin
- Gets hurt at least three times a day due to his daring feats
- Likes to lick people just to get a reaction out of them
- Likes to snuggle on his own terms
- Likes anything on his own terms for that matter
- Loves playgrounds
- Sleeps with all of his cars and trains
- Likes to pretend he has fallen or hurt himself so that we come to his rescue and love on him
- Doesn't take failure well and hates it when he is not successful at something
- Is very determined
- Is also very tender hearted and stubborn but these are good attributes

Mmm . . . the little pleasures

Mmmm . . . there is nothing like indulging in fresh raspberries after a long walk on a hot summer night.

Lost Faith

I am totally writing this post today out of complete frustration and discouragement. 

Let me explain. 

I am simply one of those people who go to the doctor for something, which seems very serious, and comes out with NOTHING.  No explanation.  No positive test result.  No, yeah lets give you this for that, it will help.  Just alot of smirks, sighs, and rolling of the eyes from my doctors as if I had just offended them for wasting their time. 

Now, you might think that this all sounds silly.  I mean why would she actually want something to be wrong?  Well, because I absolutely DO NOT go to the doctor for just anything.  I have been through these sort of disappointing appointments for years. 

Not only is it difficult for me emotionally, but it also hurts the bank as well.  It's like every time one of my doctors gives me that "crazy lady" look, I just want to respond with "WHY!?! Why would I want to spend tons of money and time just to find out that, yet again, there is NOTHING?" 

Now, it is not all the doctors fault.  For some reason, my body clearly steers me wrong.  However, now, I have even been double checking with Jacob just to make sure I am not crazy.  I make sure to get multiple confirmations from my husband before going, because at this point, I don't want to even go any more.

This morning was yet another one of those miserable appointments.  Jacob and I found something which concerned us about my pregnancy, and since I already have a rather large cyst on my ovary, we just knew we needed to get it checked out.  I mean, we do not take anything with our children lightly.  I must admit that I was very worried and quite emotional about the situation.  Jacob prayed over me this morning before I went out.  Again, I am certainly glad that there is nothing wrong.  However, it hit me quite hard when my doctor came just short of laughing at me. 

Now, if you know anything about me, I am not one of your super sensitive, ultra paranoid, give me all the shots you got kind of moms.  I am rather laid back and I try not to let things bother me.  I try to intentionally rely on the Lord and give Him my worries.  So, you can see why it hurt so very much when I was so concerned about something, only to have my concern mocked at.

I am not really sure where I am going with this particular post.  Maybe I just need some confirmation that I am not the only one in this world who feels this way.  Or maybe I need someone to help restore my faith in the medical world.  All in all I guess I just needed to get this of my heart. 

I praise the Lord for always taking care of my family.  I am very grateful to be "healthy" and to be independent and mobile.

The Mystery

Me: Where has all of our tupperware gone?

Jacob:  We threw it all away.

Me:  WHAT!?! What do you mean we threw it all away?

Jacob:  You know, every time we find something moldy and nasty in them, we throw them away instead of cleaning them.

Me:  Oh, yeah . . . we probably should be better at that.

Veggies Anyone?

After having a TON of trouble getting Ilijah to eat his vegetables (or anything that is not fruit or carbs for that matter), we decided that we would be force feeding Bella her veggies.  We weren't going to even give her an option.  We went ahead and started out with vegetables and didn't even buy any fruit products for her.  Well, the older she gets (now almost 7 1/2 months), we have decided that she can start having juice and fruit.  So, in order to still keep the veggies flowing, I have taken after the V8 juice idea, and I have created a veggie smoothy that she absolutely LOVES!  This morning she had a mixture of sweet baby carrots, country veggie medly, apple sauce, blueberry, soy milk, rice cereal, and apple juice.  I warmed it up a little, and she enjoyed the whole 10 oz. of it.  I love it because she can get a good meal in while still taking it from a bottle.  We just cut a large X in the nipple and she just goes at it.  So, she gets a great nutritious meal and it is convenient for me.

PS - Bella is now crawling and pulling herself up.  She is growing up super fast!

Just a Few Pretty Ladies

Lots of things to commemorate today!

I DID IT!!!

And we have success!  Ilijah not only went pee-pee on the potty, he did it all by himself!  We were going commando again this morning and I had to go get Bella from the room.  When I returned, I saw Ilijah going pee-pee on the potty unprompted.  I was sooooo super excited!

Picnik Edits. Cheating I know.