Quilt Top Finished!

Drumroll please......







Not perfect at all, but overall I'm very pleased with my first quilt top! Now I'm itching to go back to Hobby Lobby to get the batting and backing to finish her off!

Bug Party!

I'm No Grandma

**Update: I got my squares laid out. Look below!

I have a new obsession...one that doesn't cost a lot and I can do while staying inside with a newborn.

QUILTING!

Yes, I know it sounds very senior-adult-like. But, don't be fooled! It's the "new" thing to do!

I found a book at Hobby Lobby yesterday that has all sorts of beginner quilts with pictures of
quilts made with modern fabrics.



I decided to do a blue/green/brown quilt. I bought some fabrics, and used some scraps I already had.



So, I have my work cut out for me (sorry...that was terrible. I couldn't resist).



***Update: Sydney and I went walking and she fell asleep for two hours, so I kept on working! Here are my four big squares and the border laid out. Now I have to sew them all together. Whew! Now I'd better pick it all up before the crazy three-year-old comes home and we have a disaster on our hands!

No one has to know...

....that these pictures were not taken on Easter Sunday, but five days later, when Sydney Kaye was happy.





Well, maybe not completely happy.... :)

I know I've been a little heavy on the blogging this week, but like I said, I print these out at the end of the year and I want everything documented!

Three Years Old!

Can you believe it?? I absolutely cannot!

At three years old, Jack is:

1. Speaking in complete sentences.
2. Knows many letters.
3. Knows all of his colors and shapes.
4. Loves to sing songs...his favorites are "Farmer in the Dell" "My God is So Big" and "The Lord's Army"
5. Fully potty trained
6. Knows all of his numbers 0-10 by sight, and can count to fifteen.

We had a fun day yesterday! I kept him home from school and we opened his small present when he woke up...
A Bug Vacuum!! This goes along with his bug party theme for Saturday.

Then, we went to the park and met up with some friends. After playing really hard for two hours, we ate baseball cupcakes.


After lunch and naptime, we got a snocone and went to watch the ASH Baseball team practice. Jack brought his bat and tee and took some batting practice. The boys then showed him how to run bases. He got very confused when they told him to "run home." Jack's favorite part of the baseball field was riding the tractor!! Thanks Coach Tomlin and Trojans for making Jack feel special!

We then went to Hastings and played with Thomas the Tank Engine, then ate supper at Chick-Fil-A. Sydney and I then came home and Clint and Jack went to WalMart to pick up his big present! We still have to finish putting it together, but here's picture from the website:



And, just a bonus picture...look who is becoming alert!!

When it rains....

Truth be told, I mainly write this blog for myself. I can have it printed and bound in a hardback book for $30 and Voila! An entire year's worth of memories recorded forever. Easy!!

So, one day I will look back on Spring 2010 and laugh really hard. I'm sure I will. Today I'm not laughing :)

Let's back up to the beginning of February. Clint was in the middle of planting season and I was awfully pregnant. I had the fleeting thought that Rudy was probably entering a heat cycle and I should go get her spayed. I should have known that putting it off was a bad idea. I have a degree in animal science, for heaven's sakes. Well, one night at the beginning of February I heard this awful racket outside in the middle of the night. I ran out there and found a tomcat. I came back in, got in bed, and told Clint that Rudy just got pregnant. Lovely....


Throughout the month of February, Dr. Manuel kept a close eye on me because of my placenta previa. Every time I went to see him that month he moved the delivery up another few days. He told me to stay relaxed and to stay off my feet as much as possible. Not so easy to do when you're a teacher, you have an almost-three-year-old, and your husband is working 80 hours a week. So, on February 21st, I'm just trying to do laundry and the washer breaks. Of course I get all stressed out and mad at Clint (I thought he broke it...oops) and the contractions come on strong. Which led to this....

Which then led to this...

Because I have some hormonal issues and Sydney was in the NICU getting supplemented with formula like crazy, we're having to pay out the wazoo for this...
After two long weeks of calling different repairmen and those repairmen ordering wrong parts, the washer finally got fixed...
But then the next week, Clint hit Flapper with the Explorer. She had to have her leg amputated and she stayed in the laundry room for two weeks. I kept her pretty well doped up, as you can see...

Flapper is better now and living life outside again, the washer is fixed, Sydney is growing healthy and strong on formula and I've dealt with the emotional side of not breastfeeding, so there was only one thing left to worry about. You guessed it...

Rudy had the kittens. Four furry little tabby kittens. In our closet. Again....lovely. She won't let me move them to the laundry room. I've tried and she has a total meltdown and actually carries them back to the closet herself.

Actually, I lied earlier. I am laughing now...it all is quite funny when you think about it!!

Now, here are some blessings:
1. Getting the washer fixed was free.
2. We got a tax refund check.
3. My/Sydney's hospital bill was $46,000 and we paid $300.
4. I'm home for six months and not taking a paycut. Thank you short-term disability.
5. Sydney was out of the NICU after only five days.
6. I'm fully recovered and feeling normal again.
7. Clint is done with planting season and back to his normal work schedule.
8. The yard is green and the weather is beautiful!

Easter Weekend

We've had quite a busy weekend! Of course, I didn't take nearly enough pictures.

Thursday: Grandaddy came over to hunt with Clint. He spent the night with us Thursday and he and Clint hunted on Friday. Nope, they didn't even hear anything.

Good Friday: Jack and I spent the morning planting flowers in pots by the front door, which is our Good Friday tradition. This is such a special time for us as we pick out flowers and drive trucks through the potting soil. It's also a time when we can have conversations about what Good Friday really is about - the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.



On Friday we also had a visit from Clint's Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Lawrence. We then went to DeRidder and ate crawfish with my family. It was wonderful! I forgot to take pictures, though!

Saturday: We had a great day of working in the yard and cooking for Sunday's meal. PawPaw and Dee came by on their way home from Harrisonburg. Dee helped me with sugar cookies and Jack showed them the eggs we dyed.

Sunday: We gave Jack his Easter basket, and he LOVED all the candy. A little too much. We had to hide it in our room! Sydney got a bunny from my grandparents, and as you can see...she was thrilled.



Clint had to run cameras at the 9:30 service at church, so I had to get the kids ready by myself. Not an easy task! Sydney had a bonnet with her dress, but she threw a royal fit when I put it on her. I finally got her to calm down and got her in her car seat, then realized I never took a picture of her. I'll get her dressed up again sometime this week and just fake an Easter picture. I'm terrible, I know. Jack, on the other hand, loved getting his picture taken this morning and kept suggesting different poses for the camera. The Ham.

For this picture he said, "Take one with my motorcycle, Mommy!"


I feel terrible that I didn't get a good picture of Sydney in her beautiful dress, but this morning I was proud to just get them both out of the door and at church on time! I'll post a picture later this week. We can pretend, right?

Jenn, Drew, Laura, and Bob all came up for church and lunch afterward. We loved having them! I enjoyed cooking and setting the table....no pictures. Laura and Bob stayed for a while this afternoon and played with Jack. He loves them!

We had a great day of celebrating Jesus' resurrection. He is risen, He is risen indeed!