Baby Fever

I have never experienced baby fever, until now. Annalee was a complete surprise, and Shelby was a logical decision beause I wanted the girls close in age. I am feeling this new, kind of wanting feeling. I love being a mom. Don't get me wrong, there are days I have fantasies about working full time, feeling significant, not listening to whining, or serving as a jungle-gym, but I do love having a family. I enjoy watching our little "unit" interact. And I do feel ready to have another. But, I promised myself and my body that I would be stronger this time. My back and abs were so weak when I got pregnant with Shelby, I had a pretty uncomfortable 9 mths. So, I am training for a sprint triathlon. I thought I would have to wait until spring to complete one before I could try for another babe. But, I found one in Sand Diego in December. We are going to shoot for that one. It will all depend on $, I hate that. But, one day, sooner than later, $ will not determine how big I can dream. That is another story...

The Library

I have a love/hate relationship with libraries. I love what they have to offer, especially nice ones. I have gone out of my way to find the best library in town, even though there is one on my street. I just enjoy new and clean. The girls like the toys, puzzles, computer and other kids. Storytimes are always an adventure. So, I pretty much always look forward to going, but... The employees, oh my. No matter which one you go to, no matter the city, time of day, or weather, they are so often too crabby. They remind me of fabric store workers, always having a bad day. I am not sure why, it is not that they have incredibly stressful jobs. Maybe all that quiteness gets to a person, who knows? I often end up at the library at the end of the day. They close at 5:30. Inevitably, I arrive at 5:10, with the intention of dropping off a few books and picking a few out, very quicly. But, it is lights out at 5:15. Why do they do that, I mean, they close at 5:30!! I asked them why and they said it was to let the patrons know they would be closing soon. As though I couldn't catch on when they have someone posted at the door at 5 as "greeter" reminding all entering patrons that they will be closing PROMPTLY at 5:30. And then there is the ROAMING reminder. She makes sure to personally tell each person they will be closing in 8 minutes. My goodness! I said the other day, "Man, you ladies don't like to stay one minute late, do you?" She said, "Well, we HAVE been here since 8 am." Oh, dear. Overworked women!

Front porch sittin'

I really enjoy our front porch, except for the flys. The girls like to sit there often. Change of scenery, I suppose. I look forward to this Fall when we will spend our weekends outside, on the porch, eating lots of grill food.

Papa's visit

Papa came to visit us on his "mo-syke-a-doe." Annalee loves motorcycles. She thinks her Papa is pretty cool for having one. Thanks, Papa for the company!

Sisters

Shelby is pretty much obsessed with her big sister. Annalee can make Shelby laugh all day long. Shelby gets so excited when Annalee appears. She waves her arms frantically with a huge smile on her face. I never knew how much fun it would be to watch my children enjoy each other.

Me and the girls

I love being a mom. God is good.

Yummm...

My friend Sara is amazing. She has many talents. Two thing she happens to be very good at are cooking (if you can call it that) and photography. I have recently been thinking of her lots as I have been eating a lot more vegetables and taking fun pictures of my food. Here are a few of my recent eats. Check out Sara's food blog here http://happyfoody.blogspot.com/. What an inspiration!

Hiking in the "mountains"

Last Sat. we headed up to the mountains with the girls. Shane has always teased that the mountains here are just hills, compared to his mountains in Colorado. We have been looking forward to a hike since we moved here. Now that I got my ergo carrier, we loaded up the girls and headed out. It was perfect weather, low 80's. The girls did great, exploring everything. We hiked for about 3 miles. We found a doe and her two little babies. There weren't 20 yards from us. It was quite the experience. Oh, how we love VA!!! Click here for more pictures

"Go, Liberty!"

Annalee is a cheerleader at heart. She loves her uniform and she runs around yelling, "Go, Flames! Go, Liberty!!" We like to tailgate with our friends and then watch the game together as a family. Afterwards, instead of sitting in traffic, we go back to the tailgate and roast smores on the gril. Lots of fun. I cannot wait for my LU alumni to return for the homecoming game and tailgate with us. We have a prime spot! You are all welcome and we have lots of room at our house.

Rain, rain go away

Oh, the rain. I now remember the rainy days of Drenchburg. At least my family will be dressed for the weather.

Ode to the park...

"Let's go park, let's go park!" Off we go Oh, but wait I smell Osaka's calling my name Habachi chicken to go Under a tree Eating chicken, swatting bees Shelby crawls everywhere Memories of college dates Annalee begging for the playground Off we go Kids, kids, everywhere Twirly slides Straight slides Climing wall and ladders Swings, wheels Balls and bonks Meeting new friends Missing old ones Loving Virginia Getting Dark Time for bed, oh the whining Off we go

For more pics, click here.

Amazement Square

Our children's museum is awesome!!! We bought a family membership, so we can go as often as we wish. There is a toddler area called "The Big Red Bard." Annalee likes to play in the corn stalks. There are 4 floors of way too much to do in one trip. Talk about overstimulation. We take it on in smaller chunks. I can send Shane there with the girls and he actually enjoys himself, I think. There is this little center where you lay on the floor and look up into a bunch of reflecting mirrors and lights. Shelby is always mesmorized. My personal favorite are the light-up stairs. They make me smile. For more pictures click here.

Let Salvation Flow

We visited a church on Sunday, and sang a song with the words, " Let salvation flow as your people pray..." As I sang I began to realize that I was so very hungry for salvation. I want to see salvation flow. I want to be part of witnessing the unspeakable mirical of eternity changing and a person's heart being fully surrendured to Jesus. I want to see a broken soul understand that he is alive, loved and made for a greater purpose. I want to be part of heaven's rejoicing when another one of God's beloved children chooses Him. I have missed this. I get so caught up in church ministry that I find myself surrounded by nothing but believers. This is great for fellowship, but now I see that I am starved for the newness of life that comes with salvation. Oh, to be part of that glorious event. It is but a taste of Heaven on earth. Dear Jesus, may my hunger for overflow.

Bedtime

Bedtime in our home is very ritualistic. I, Jacqulyn, clean up after dinner while Shane gets the girls changed and teeth brushed. Then we all head to Annalee's bed for storytime. Shane reads and Annalee and I listen while Shelby crawls over all of us like a monster truck. She laughs the entire time and thinks it is a fun game. Annalee gets frustrated and inevitably, I end up removing her from the room or Shane will give up trying to read and let the girls "fly." It is definatley one of my favorite parts of the day.

The Piano

My girls love their piano. It was gift from a family in Lincoln. They bang out tunes everyday. I always smile when I hear the two of them playing and giggling. I am not sure who enjoys it more...

Shelby's Stats

Name: Shelby Miller Age: 9 mths Profession: eating, sleeping, pooping, learning, playing Dreams and aspirations: to be like her big sister Annalee, and to walk, one day soon Favorite pastime: pulling this picture frame off of the toy piano and sliding it around the floor for hours on end

Family Times in Roanoke

We were able to spend our "transistion" time during our move with my aunt and uncle. My grandfather and aunt came down as well. The girls loved all the attention. Fun times by all.

New Beginnings

New beginnings are so very fun for me..., or us, um, yeah. We are always trying something new. We recently have a new city and state to live in. Shane has a new job. We have a new house, which I love. We have new daily activities, including library visits (oh, how I do miss the Lincoln libraries), lunches at Kid's Cove, having friends over for dinner (I finally have a dining room), MOPS will be starting this week, and many more. We have a new diet, we have incorporated different types of fasting into our months. This month we will embark on a fruit/vegetable fast. Last month it was a juice fast, yummy. I have a new workout plan, I am training for a sprint triathlon, woo-hoo!, new friends, and many other exciting new things everyday. I thought with this new beginning, I would create blog. This is for all of our loved ones who care to see what goes on in our lives. For you...