Resolution Update

I'm still way behind.  I know, sad to admit it.  But that's the truth.  I am still trying to plug away at it, but I want to READ it . . . not just quickly read it to check it off my to-do list.

I am currently reading thru Hosea.  I have read "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers and that book is based on the book of Hosea, {Side note:  it is one of the best fiction books EVER.  If you haven't read it, you are missing out.  Go get it and read it.} so it is interesting to read through Hosea again.

Click {here} to see what my resolution for this year was.

I Have Issues

My name is Rebecca and I am a "tanktop-aholic".  Admitting is the first step to recovery, right?

What you are looking at is 41 tanktops (some I've had for 10+ years).  That is not counting the one I am wearing or the ones that are in the laundry from the past week.  I can literally wear one each day for a MONTH and not wear the same thing twice.

W.O.W.  Talk about excessive.  And even more convicting is that there are people who only have ONE garment to wear EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  God has been working on me to let go of my "stuff" and trusting in HIM to provide my daily needs.  Guess I need to start with some tanktops . . .

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19

Well Checks

I took the boys to their well checks today.

Rylan: 4 month well check (well 4 months + 1 week)

25" long (38%)

14 lbs 12 oz (34%)

I snapped this picture in the car on our way. 

Dylan: 8 year well check

4'1.25" tall (50%)

50 lbs (25%)

Both boys checked out great from their sicknesses last week.  We are so thankful to be healthy again!  Now to get Rylan back to sleeping thru the night....

Monday Monday

Payton had to turn in her first homework assignment this morning:

My favorite was the middle star.  It says "I am a star because..."  Her reply was "I want to be fancy."

Rylan is loving his Exersaucer now!

What I Ate...

Monday - Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich
Carrots with Ranch Dip
Grapes
Tortilla Chips
Water

Wednesday - Guy Fieri's Rosemary Peppered Tri Tip
Au Gratin Potatoes
Salad with The Old Spaghetti Factory's Creamy Pesto Dressing
Sparkling Water with Crystal Light

I purchased Guy's tri tip at Target and it was really yummy.  I made the dressing for the first (and last) time.  I wasn't a fan.  It didn't taste anything like the restaurants which is why I filed it under "Eeh, not so great" in Pinterest.  =)

Thursday - Turkey & Cheese Sandwich
Grapes
Water

Friday - California Chicken Burger (YUM!)
Homemade Baked Fries
Water

Sweet Girl

My sweet girl.

All ready for school - she is loving it.

I Break Rules

So the rule is "Back to Sleep" (Lay your babies on their back) and NO blankets and toys in the bed.  But this is how Rylan likes to sleep:

On his tummy, with his bear blanket, a blanket over his head and sucking on his binky.
Yes, I am a rule breaker.

Four Months Old

Happy Four Months to Rylan!  Or 1/3 of a year (isn't that weird?).

This past month he:
Had his first tear.
Learned to roll over from back to front.
Loved standing up while holding our fingers.
Worked hard on sitting up.
Laughed (a lot).
And had his first sickness (boo!).

(Because he was sick we couldn't go to his well check to get his weight and measurements [I rescheduled it for next week].  But yesterday he weighed 14 lbs and 11 ounces.)

Today was filled with this:

And this:

We are praising God that he is doing better.  His congestion comes and goes but he is staying happy!

We love our Ry Guy!

Not How I Planned

Today did not go how I planned (but then does it ever?) . . .
Dylan stayed home sick from school for the second day in a row.  He has had a fever for a few days and was complaining of a headache.  At first I though it was just a cold/bug that would run its course and he would be okay in a couple days.  But then last night he still had a fever of 102.7, and was snoring SO badly we thought it might be a sinus infection and would require medicine.  So I called to make an appointment with the doctor this morning.  Since Rylan was getting sick as well (running a low fever, congested, and threw up early this morning) we decided to make him an appointment as well, just to check on him since he is so young.
I honestly thought we would be sent home with an antibiotic for Dylan and they would tell me that Rylan just had a cold and to let it run its course. . .
But this afternoon we ended up doing this:

A breathing treatment and an x-ray for Rylan.  When we arrived his oxygen level was 88 (it needs to be at least 92).  The breathing treatment was for 12 minutes and he screamed the WHOLE time.  Poor baby!  If the treatment didn't work, they were going to send us to the hospital.  Then he had an x-ray and we had to wait for an hour after the treatment so they could re-test him to make sure his levels stayed up.
Dylan (of course) didn't have a fever when we got there.  Everything checked out fine.  Negative for strep throat.  She said it was just a virus.
So imagine this just for a second . . . a sick (very sick) baby, 2 rambunctious kiddos, and a worried mommy and daddy stuck in a 6 x 8 room for 2 hours and 45 minutes.  Yeah, not how I planned for the day to go.
We were sent home with the breathing machine to do again every 4-6 hours.  Not how I planned but grateful for how GOD planned it.  Grateful that we were able to get help for Rylan (even though we didn't realize he was so sick).  Grateful that we didn't have to go to the hospital.  Grateful that he responded to the treatment.  Grateful for a concerned doctor that wanted to make sure he was okay before we went home.  Grateful for a wonderful husband who was there with me and helped me with all 3 kids.  Grateful that Dylan is okay.
So, it's not how I planned - but I am GRATEFUL for that!

"The mind of a man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."
Proverbs 16:9 NASB

What I Ate...

This week was a little crazy with Payton starting school.  Our evenings seemed to be rushed so I didn't take pictures each night.  Hopefully next week will be better.

Sunday

My Whatever Pasta Salad
Water

Monday

Turkey Sandwich
BBQ Potato Chips
Water

Tuesday

BBQ Chicken
Potatoes
Green Salad with Italian Blue Cheese Dressing
Water

Friday

Smoked Pork Ribs
O'Brien Potatoes
Bread & Butter
Water

Saturday

I found a heart in my strawberry at breakfast!  Awhile ago, a friend kept posting pictures on Facebook of all the random hearts that she found everywhere.  It reminded her of God's love for her...  Now when I find a heart, I think of her and then think of God's love for ME!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NASB

Today

Ry loves his fingers.  He is drooling ALL the time.

Dylan had his first official karate class and loved it!

Traffic

Traffic in Canton, GA

Karate

In California, Dylan L.O.V.E.D. taking taekwondo classes.  He was a purple belt!
When we moved here we couldn't find a taekwondo place that was close by (since classes are 3 times a week) AND taught the same forms that he had already learned.  So we decided to put him in soccer.  BUT martial arts has been his first love.  His goal is to become a black belt.  There was a karate class right outside of our subdivision, so this afternoon, we surprised him by taking him to a karate assessment class there.  This was his face when we told him what he was going to do.

He was one happy boy.

It was like putting a fish back in water.

He tested in and officially starts karate classes on Thursday as a purple belt!
Way to go Dylan!

First Day of Pre-Kinder

Well, I made it without shedding a tear IN FRONT of Payton.  I waited until we were pulling out of the parking lot to boo hoo.  I am going to miss having my girl around all day long, but she is MORE than ready for school and has been looking forward to this day for years (quite literally).
Here are some shots from today.
Rise and shine - time to take the last link off your daisy chain!  (Love the bed head?)

Checking in the mirror to see how she looks.

All ready!

Isn't this backpack HUGE on her?

Then she had to give her favorite pose.  Papa calls it her "Paris Hilton" pose.  =)

She is SO excited!

On our way!

Waving bye as she walks to the door.  She's all grown up!

{Insert mom's tears.}

Rylan and I went with Chris to do some work today then headed back to pick her up.
Waiting in the carpool line.

Mrs. Dowd (her assistant teacher) walking her to the car.

Looks like she had a fun day!

She said that "Nap was boring." but other than that she had a great day.  She played on the swings and got to play in the pretend kitchen.  She is looking forward to going back tomorrow!

Last Day of Summer (for Payton)

Today is the last day of summer for Payton.
{don't cry . . . don't cry . . . don't cry}

This morning we went to church and then came home and ate tacos for lunch.

We turned on Wall-e for family movie time and Chris, Rylan and I fell asleep.  Wall-e is the BEST movie to watch when you want to take a nap.  There is not a lot of dialogue, just music and noises.

After naptime, oh I mean the movie, the kids went on the slip-n-slide.  It was a beautiful day.

We also had ice cream cones.  Yum!

Bedtime was exciting because Payton had "One more sleep." until school starts.
Rylan was even trying to stay awake.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day!

What I Ate...

Monday

Chicken Fajita Burrito (figured I would show you inside before I wrapped it up)
Water

Wednesday

Turkey Sandwich
Blue Cheese and Peach Salad
Sparkling Water with Crystal Light

Thursday

BLT Pasta Salad
Water

Friday

Blue Cheese and Apple Salad
Buttered Toast (not pictured)
Water

Saturday

Hot Dog
My Whatever Pasta Salad
Veggies
Water

3 Amigos

Lemon Crepes {recipe}

Growing up I looked forward to Christmas morning when we had Swedish Pancakes (crepes) for breakfast.  My mom made a huge batch and we topped them with butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, sour cream, and lemon juice.  We rolled them up like taquitos, gobbled them up and then went into a sugar coma . . .  Yum yum.
My kids have a love for Swedish Pancakes now too, and I serve them occasionally (but I DO try to limit the amount of sugar we add).  Crepes in and of themselves are pretty healthy too (that is IF you just were to top them with fresh fruit).  There's not a lot of sugar, and it has milk and eggs in it - both (protein) items that Dylan doesn't really want for breakfast.

My mom's recipe (which is the best and super yummy) calls for Bisquick and I do not like buying it.  It's expensive, especially since I like to buy the "heart healthy" version.  So when I came across this recipe in Parents Magazine, I was intrigued and decided to give it a shot.

{via}

I would have posted a picture of my crepes, but mine don't turn out as pretty as the picture, so let's just pretend I made and photographed those - mkay?!

I have made this recipe twice now, the first time following the recipe using the cinnamon.  They were good, but then Dylan suggested putting the lemon juice INTO the crepes.  Great thought!  We omitted the cinnamon and added lemon juice and they were PERFECT.  I will used this recipe from now on IF I don't have Bisquick on hand (mom's still is best!).

Lemon Crepes
Adapted from Parents Magazine
1 cup fat-free milk
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wisk ingredients together.  Heat a non-stick griddle pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour 1/3 cup of the batter onto the heated griddle pan and swirl around until it is a thin layer.  Cook until the bottom is lightly browned (about 1-2 minutes).  Flip and cook again until lightly browned (about 1 minute).  Now your ready to top it and roll them or fold them!

Some topping suggestions:
butter (it doesn't need it, but that is how mom did it!)
powdered sugar
brown sugar
(more) lemon juice
light sour cream
sliced bananas
sliced strawberries
fresh berries
shredded coconut
fruit preserves
whipped cream
Nutella
Biscoff Spread

Really, your options are endless!  What do you eat on your crepes?

Meet & Greet

Payton's school had a Meet & Greet today.  She got to meet her teachers and check out her classroom.

And find her cubbie and hook for her back pack.

Then they sent us home with a sweet care package.

She is SO excited to start school on Monday. . .  I told her that I am going to cry when she is at school and she says "Mooommm, don't cry cause then I will cry!"  Such a sweet girl!

So Sad

Gig and I woke up at 4:30am this morning to get her to the airport.  Payton woke up too and said good bye again and then fell back asleep.

After dropping her off (and boo-hooing) I came back home and took a short nap.  Then this afternoon has been spent catching up on the last 3 days of blog posts (remembering all the fun that we had!).  So make sure you go back and check them out!

Last Full Day

Taking Gigi to Cracker Barrel.

Excited for yummy food!

Getting snuggles!

Me and my girl.

Payton was hungry. . . she ate: 3 pieces of bacon, 4 scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of toast.  Wow!

Sitting in the rocking chairs outside of Cracker Barrel.

Then it was off to Target.  We found a new seat for Ry Guy!

Slurpee at 10:30am.  Yes that is the theme of our days with Gigi in town!

Nap time for Rylan.  At nighttime, I place him the opposite way and he scoots himself over into this position right in the fold of his pack-n-play.

Fun times.

We picked up Dylan from the bus and headed to the park.

Dylan being Dylan.

Rylan and Gigi

After dinner we took a walk back in the woods at the house.

The bridge over the creek.

See the frog?

 

Letting our polywogs go.

Checking up on Spot.

(We had to let Doppelgänger go.  He ended up not being too friendly.)

Doing a craft with Gigi.

Bedtime stories with Gigi.

Love these moments.

Last time (this trip) snuggling, singing and goofing off with Gigi!

They had to say their good-byes because she is leaving really early in the morning.

=(