Because sometimes I forget that this blog is supposed to be about them!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Ten on Thursday
1. I am so tired of the sound of my own voice today! If I have to say "Be nice to your sister" one.more.time...
2. We have all had yet another cold this week. Yes, all four of us. Fun times at the Beeler household. I am beginning to think this house needs to be sterilized.
3. Speaking of a clean house, that is what I told Justin I want for my birthday! Is that hilarious?!? If you had told 22 year old Claire that 32 year old Claire would want housecleaning for a birthday gift, I am pretty sure 22 year old me would fall over laughing. How times change!
4. You can see some pictures of Brielle, my newest niece on the business blog. She is quite the sweetie!
5. Lauren is in a stage of truly not wanting to eat anything. Especially at breakfast. Just for the control. Yesterday she told me her apples tasted like weeds, the day before her plain eggs were "too spicy". This morning I thought I had her with strawberry yogurt smoothies, but she wouldn't drink it. After one sip she said she couldn't drink something with seeds in it, even if it did taste like ice-cream. UGH!
6. Only one week left of March? This month really got away from me! And now we start the hot months... NOOOOOOOOO!
7. We are absolutely no closer to naming this baby! Justin calls her, "The baby who shall remain nameless". LOL! I wish we could decide on something so the girls could start getting used to it, but I am just burnt out from even looking!
8. Wondering if I can talk Lauren into having Pioneer Woman "Springy Flower Pot Desserts" instead of cake for her birthday this year! Yum!
9. W have had much potty training success with Paige lately, yay! Not to say there aren't MANY accidents, but I am learning to judge success on the total of the times she does use the bathroom instead of when she doesn't. Makes it easier to stay on the cheerful side.
10. The family picture my MIL shot of us when we were taking family pictures last week. Even though my hair is in a pony (ugh), I really love it. And look how great my hubby looks these days!!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Splash Pad Fun
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Visitors
Things have been busy around these parts, and I haven't had a chance to edit any pictures I have taken lately! But, I wanted to take a moment and post this one of Lauren holding Baby Brielle. Justin's brother, Brandon and his wife, Jamie came into town for a visit with their new three week old sweetie-pie! I am really hoping to have a chance to sneak a little session in with her in the next couple days... she is so sweet!!! I wish I had a picture of Lauren's face when Uncle B asked if she would like to hold the baby. Her eyes grew wide and she silently nodded -- shocked that she was even allowed to hold such a tiny baby. She was in heaven:
Justin's sister Tamara is also in town with her two girls - so I should have lots more pics to share really soon. We enjoyed a fun day at the splash pad today and hope to spend tomorrow soaking up some more of this beautiful weather we are having!
Monday, March 15, 2010
St Patty's Parade
On Saturday we were able to take the girls to the St. Patrick's Parade in downtown Phoenix. It was really cute, a beautiful day outside, and surprisingly NOT crowded. We were also able to meet up with some friends we haven't seen in ages. Truthfully, none of us could really remember the last time we saw each other, but we suspect it was 2006?!? Crazy! It was a great day, and I suspect we will be hitting this parade again in the years to come!
Each girl, all ready for the parade to start!
Lauren - always on a treasure hunt!
Daddy and Lauren sharing a chair (we were one short). Anyone else find it adorable that my hubby is wearing beads?!?
Each girl, all ready for the parade to start!
Lauren - always on a treasure hunt!
Daddy and Lauren sharing a chair (we were one short). Anyone else find it adorable that my hubby is wearing beads?!?
Paige really loved the parade - she'd talk about everything as it passed and wave and clap for all the participants. SO fun!
Someone please tell me what DeLorean's have to do with being Irish?!?
Got me.
I just loved this pic of Kathleen talking to her youngest about the parade. So sweet!
Here's Lauren and Daddy watching what she proclaimed to be her "favorite" float going by. Gee, I wonder why it is her favorite?!?
I am sure it has nothing to do with the pink accents and sparkles.
Kathleen was kind enough to take a family picture for us before we left - which is invaluable to me! Sometimes I think my kids are going to wonder if I hate having my picture taken because I am always the one behind the camera.
Thanks for letting us hang with you, Brig & Kathleen! It was a fun morning!
Big Girl Bed
On Friday night we moved Paige to her big bed in Lauren's room. She has done really great - with no issues at bedtime or naptime, until last night. She somehow fell or crawled out of her bed at 3AM and couldn't find her way back into bed or to the door. When I went in, she was happy to go right back to sleep, and for that I am grateful! =) She loves the novelty of it right now, and is actually excited for naps and bed time! I will milk that for all it is worth, trust me!
Daddy doing story time with the girls. Love that!!!
Like I said, she thinks the new bed is pretty great!
I could just eat her up.
And this one too...
Lauren was not going to be left out of the picture fun. She begged to have me take a picture of her in HER bed too!
Now we just have to pick paint for the nursery and get a-workin'!!!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Ten on Thursday
Better late than never, right? ;)
1. Lauren has Kindergarten preview tonight! What? Seriously?!? I am just bewildered as to how she is big enough to be in school! We decided to opt for the public school in our neighborhood instead to taking her to a charter school. I figure with a new baby something in walking distance will have great benefits. It is only a two year old school, so there just isn't enough information out there - but it was an excelling school in its first year, so that is something at least. A new phase of our lives begins soon! I am sure I will have some pictures of this event for you soon.
2. Ooh, actually have some prospects for photo shoots this month, so be watching the business blog! I will have new stuff going up really soon! Seriously, it will be nice to freshen that page up a bit! (My hubby says I say "seriously" too much. Seriously?!? I like it, it has many uses. Let me see how many times I can say it in this post...)
3. I want to paint the nursery yellow. Happy yellow! Also, we have a full can of leftover paint in the girls' pink color that I am thinking of having re-tinted to a burgundy shade. That means I could to a wall or a bathroom in my favorite color! Do we think we will ever be able to sell this house once I am done exploding my love for color everywhere? Seriously.
4. Springtime is here and with it comes the beginning of my longings to go to the beach. That typically lasts from March to October for me. Seriously, I love everything about the beach and am DYING to do an early morning photo shoot of the girls at one! I have some really specific ideas for standouts in the office playroom. Now, how can I finagle a trip to the shore where we are close enough to wake up and do a photo shoot? Hmmm...
5. Dinners around here have had a lot of Pioneer Woman recipes involved in them lately. Really, everything I have tried has been good - and some are awesome! What I love best about her cooking and walk-through recipes... I feel freedom to change things here and there. She doesn't etch things in stone, and I love to feel like I am being creative with my cooking. The woman is a true miracle worker, I actually loved her Caesar salad dressing (SERIOUSLY!) - and that, my friends, is unheard of!
6. Potty training Paige is not going so well. She has no problem with accidents and just keeps playing without even telling me! She loves her panties and cries if I put a diaper on her - but she also throws a fit when I make her try to go, and I have cleaned up way too much urine and BM's lately. Annoying!!! I think I need to read up on it or something, because though I feel like I am doing the same thing as I did with Lauren, clearly it is not enough. Ugh.
7. Maternity clothes are no fun. Seriously, I have never felt so dowdy and blah as I do these days! After wearing things through two pregnancies they are stretched out, faded, and over-worn. But, who wants to buy new stuff when you know you plan on getting rid of all of it in five or six months?!? These clothes also make me laugh because I feel huge until I put some stretched out piece on and realize how much bigger I will get before the end!
8. Pregnancy is going really good though - the dreaded heartburn has started in full force this week, but it is a lot later and a lot less than with my other two babies! And I still feel pretty comfortable and energized. I think I am nearly over this cold - just a lingering cough now, so I should be back to my loud, talkative, crazy-picture-taking, self really soon!
9. Confession time: I have been struggling with trusting God with our finances lately. And now I am even more thankful for my Thursday morning bible study!!! I was feeling truly frustrated and bitter that after budgeting hard for a month to get money together to pay off some debt, we had crazy car repair bills last weekend that took that money and more. Instead, I truly should have been thankful that we had the money to pay for the car repairs and that we didn't have to go into debt to get them done! In the "Lies Women Believe" book, we are currently talking about the if/then lie, which I fall into SO easily. If XYZ happened, then I would be happy/content/etc. But the truth is, if I can't be happy and content right where I am at, no new situation will bring me contentment. I need to learn to be content with God, and if I never get another good thing in this world, I still have much more than I deserve. Call that my "a-ha" moment of the day.
10. Speaking of feeling blessed and content and wanting to wash away the selfishness... MckMama is just returning from a Compassion International trip to Kenya. Reading her daily updates broke my heart. Truly. I cried, a lot. It would have been so easy to just skip all her entries until she came back with the attitude of, "Oh, they are just trying to get sponsors and money." But, I am so glad I didn't. My spoiled-brat-woe-is-me-attitude needs a swift kick out the door, because how clearly blessed we are to have been born here and not there! God is still working on me with this - and I am sure it will take Him working on me every day... but I so don't want to take this life I have for granted!
Seriously!!! =)
1. Lauren has Kindergarten preview tonight! What? Seriously?!? I am just bewildered as to how she is big enough to be in school! We decided to opt for the public school in our neighborhood instead to taking her to a charter school. I figure with a new baby something in walking distance will have great benefits. It is only a two year old school, so there just isn't enough information out there - but it was an excelling school in its first year, so that is something at least. A new phase of our lives begins soon! I am sure I will have some pictures of this event for you soon.
2. Ooh, actually have some prospects for photo shoots this month, so be watching the business blog! I will have new stuff going up really soon! Seriously, it will be nice to freshen that page up a bit! (My hubby says I say "seriously" too much. Seriously?!? I like it, it has many uses. Let me see how many times I can say it in this post...)
3. I want to paint the nursery yellow. Happy yellow! Also, we have a full can of leftover paint in the girls' pink color that I am thinking of having re-tinted to a burgundy shade. That means I could to a wall or a bathroom in my favorite color! Do we think we will ever be able to sell this house once I am done exploding my love for color everywhere? Seriously.
4. Springtime is here and with it comes the beginning of my longings to go to the beach. That typically lasts from March to October for me. Seriously, I love everything about the beach and am DYING to do an early morning photo shoot of the girls at one! I have some really specific ideas for standouts in the office playroom. Now, how can I finagle a trip to the shore where we are close enough to wake up and do a photo shoot? Hmmm...
5. Dinners around here have had a lot of Pioneer Woman recipes involved in them lately. Really, everything I have tried has been good - and some are awesome! What I love best about her cooking and walk-through recipes... I feel freedom to change things here and there. She doesn't etch things in stone, and I love to feel like I am being creative with my cooking. The woman is a true miracle worker, I actually loved her Caesar salad dressing (SERIOUSLY!) - and that, my friends, is unheard of!
6. Potty training Paige is not going so well. She has no problem with accidents and just keeps playing without even telling me! She loves her panties and cries if I put a diaper on her - but she also throws a fit when I make her try to go, and I have cleaned up way too much urine and BM's lately. Annoying!!! I think I need to read up on it or something, because though I feel like I am doing the same thing as I did with Lauren, clearly it is not enough. Ugh.
7. Maternity clothes are no fun. Seriously, I have never felt so dowdy and blah as I do these days! After wearing things through two pregnancies they are stretched out, faded, and over-worn. But, who wants to buy new stuff when you know you plan on getting rid of all of it in five or six months?!? These clothes also make me laugh because I feel huge until I put some stretched out piece on and realize how much bigger I will get before the end!
8. Pregnancy is going really good though - the dreaded heartburn has started in full force this week, but it is a lot later and a lot less than with my other two babies! And I still feel pretty comfortable and energized. I think I am nearly over this cold - just a lingering cough now, so I should be back to my loud, talkative, crazy-picture-taking, self really soon!
9. Confession time: I have been struggling with trusting God with our finances lately. And now I am even more thankful for my Thursday morning bible study!!! I was feeling truly frustrated and bitter that after budgeting hard for a month to get money together to pay off some debt, we had crazy car repair bills last weekend that took that money and more. Instead, I truly should have been thankful that we had the money to pay for the car repairs and that we didn't have to go into debt to get them done! In the "Lies Women Believe" book, we are currently talking about the if/then lie, which I fall into SO easily. If XYZ happened, then I would be happy/content/etc. But the truth is, if I can't be happy and content right where I am at, no new situation will bring me contentment. I need to learn to be content with God, and if I never get another good thing in this world, I still have much more than I deserve. Call that my "a-ha" moment of the day.
10. Speaking of feeling blessed and content and wanting to wash away the selfishness... MckMama is just returning from a Compassion International trip to Kenya. Reading her daily updates broke my heart. Truly. I cried, a lot. It would have been so easy to just skip all her entries until she came back with the attitude of, "Oh, they are just trying to get sponsors and money." But, I am so glad I didn't. My spoiled-brat-woe-is-me-attitude needs a swift kick out the door, because how clearly blessed we are to have been born here and not there! God is still working on me with this - and I am sure it will take Him working on me every day... but I so don't want to take this life I have for granted!
Seriously!!! =)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Rambling
Well, as you can see - I fell out of my own goals for February. In the last week. *sigh* To those of you who know me, this probably comes at no surprise. I am not good with goals. I am sure that says something about me, but I would rather let sleeping dogs lie, for now. I would LOVE to blame the fact that there are no new pictures on the depressing news that I have yet another nasty upper-respitory infection... but that started on Friday, and there were no new pictures for two days before that. Simply, I was feeling quite uninspired. Tired of taking pictures inside of my house, but unwilling to pull everything together and get out of the house to do what I love. What is up with that?!? I really hope to get out there more in March, once the congestion has left my head! Lauren has a stuffy nose and sneezing this morning, so she is joining the ranks of the miserable. Poor thing! So, I suppose I will have to wait for her to be ready to go as well.
That's the other thing! Why am I constantly fighting colds when I am pregnant?!? Seriously. I can vividly remember all the times I was coughing, sneezing, and whining with my other two pregnancies. I had a pretty bad cold the day Paige was born. A stuffy nose and pitocin do not mix well... hello, epidural! LOL! I should not complain since my pregnancies are overall very easy - but it is exhausting to be feeling this way, dealing with all the body changes, and parenting two kids at the same time. I was having some serious pity-parties about it over the last three days, but I am determined to be thankful for all the other good things now. My emotions don't define if something is real - I need to be determined to focus on the right things!
All of that comes out of Justin and I finally watching the movie "Fireproof" last night. I know, we are way behind - it came out AGES ago. But, if we don't see something in the theatre - we usually don't get around to it for a long time! It is an awesome Christian movie, and while of genuine low-budget quality, truly spoke to my heart. I cried. A lot. I cry at everything, I know... but this was fight-back-the-sobs crying. Mostly because I know this movie speaks to so many things people I love are going through every day! If you want some inspiration to fight for your marriage and get your focus in the right place, I would go out and rent it today!
More soon! TTFN!
That's the other thing! Why am I constantly fighting colds when I am pregnant?!? Seriously. I can vividly remember all the times I was coughing, sneezing, and whining with my other two pregnancies. I had a pretty bad cold the day Paige was born. A stuffy nose and pitocin do not mix well... hello, epidural! LOL! I should not complain since my pregnancies are overall very easy - but it is exhausting to be feeling this way, dealing with all the body changes, and parenting two kids at the same time. I was having some serious pity-parties about it over the last three days, but I am determined to be thankful for all the other good things now. My emotions don't define if something is real - I need to be determined to focus on the right things!
All of that comes out of Justin and I finally watching the movie "Fireproof" last night. I know, we are way behind - it came out AGES ago. But, if we don't see something in the theatre - we usually don't get around to it for a long time! It is an awesome Christian movie, and while of genuine low-budget quality, truly spoke to my heart. I cried. A lot. I cry at everything, I know... but this was fight-back-the-sobs crying. Mostly because I know this movie speaks to so many things people I love are going through every day! If you want some inspiration to fight for your marriage and get your focus in the right place, I would go out and rent it today!
More soon! TTFN!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
