Some Photos From Last Week

These photos didn't make it in my last post, but they are really cute so I have to share.

We have been working like crazy to finish building our chicken coop- it's become a family affair. It was chili out on this particular day, so we had to bundle up our little chick. Isn't he cute?

Eating strawberries is messy business.

Blackberries are pretty messy too! Don't worry, all of the stains came out.

Our First Tumble

Andy and I go berry picking several times each year. We like to pick about 40 pounds of each kind of berry (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and occasionally marionberries and chesterberries). You might be wondering what we could possibly do with that much produce. We freeze the majority of it and use it throughout the year to make smoothies, pancakes, we put it on top our ice cream and cereal and sometimes we just like to eat frozen berries.

Mommy & Bubba.

Strawberries recently came on at our favorite farm and with the crazy weather we have been having we weren't sure how long the berries would be around. We decided to get up early Saturday morning and go picking. We brought Bubba along with us for the adventure and figured he could sit in his Bumbo chair.

As soon as we put him in his chair he started trying to put anything and everything he could get his hands on in his mouth. We quickly realized that we needed to change something, we decided to put his chair on top of a container we brought to put berries in-- bad idea. Bubba decided to lean forward really hard to try and get a hold of some grass and he toppled over forward and landed on his face-- he was still buckled into his seat. He let out quite the wail. Aside from bruising his face, he was okay. We are super grateful that he didn't get hurt worse.

First time eating a strawberry.

Owie near his eye.

After Bubba's tumble. we decided it would be best to take turns holding him. One of us would hold him while the other one picked berries. I tried holding Bubba and picking berries at the same time, but each time I would pick a berry, he would pick a leaf and try and put it in his mouth.

I think it is safe the say that strawberries were a hit with this little boy.

We ended up picking 46 pounds of strawberries. These by far are the sweetest berries either one of us have ever tasted.

This photo was too cute not to share.

Bubba's 6 Month Check Up

This past week was a difficult one, Bubba. On Thursday Mommy took you in to see you new pediatrician for the first time, this was also your six month check up. Mommy was impressed with the new doctor and felt like the visit went well. The nurse gave you two shots at the end of the visit and we headed home.

Things seemed okay in regards to your vaccinations. On Saturday though, it was like a switch flipped. You cried and you cried and you cried. You cried all night Saturday, I think Daddy and I got a total of three hours of sleep that night. Mommy called the triage nurse on Sunday and she had us take you in to urgent care.

The doctor at urgent care was really nice. He noticed that your leg had swelled up and that there was a large lump under the skin when you pushed down on the leg. He suspected you were upset because of your shots but didn't seem overly concerned.

Today your pediatrician called to see how things were going. Mommy told him what had gone on, he explained that the nurse hit a blood vessel while giving you your shot. The blood leaked out the vessel and collected (it's called a hematoma)- that's what the hard lump in your leg is and the source of your discomfort. He said the pain should subside soon but the lump itself can take a month to go away.

I know that shots are essential to keep you from getting debilitating diseases. Hang in there little one. I'm so sorry you are in pain. Hopefully this next week will be better.

Satan's Counterfeit

I have heard it said many times that you can buy anything. I had never really given this idea any thought until recently and as I thought about it I had a major revelation. I felt kind of dumbfounded and wondered why I had never had this thought before. The realization was simple and clear as day to me.

What I realized was this:

Satan wants so badly for us to believe we can buy anything, but the thing is you can't buy the things that matter most in this world. You can't buy love, it's counterfeit is lust. You can't buy health, it comes from good lifestyle choices (healthy food, adequate sleep and exercise). No amount of fad diets, quick fixes or surgery will change that. You can't buy family, friends, confidence, self-worth, knowledge, happiness or even a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

All of the things that truly matter in life are the result of hard work and making good decisions and these things can't be bought.

Rolling!

Bubba, we just love you! I don't know that we will ever get tired of telling you that. Hopefully, you don't ever get tired of us expressing our love to you either. You have such a sweet disposition about you. As long as you can see Mommy or Daddy you are a pretty happy little boy.

I love those Asian eyes!

Selfie with Mommy.

We have been doing a lot of work in the yard and Daddy has been working hard to build the chicken coop. You just love being outside and watching your Daddy work. The other day while he was hammering some shingles into the roof of our coop, you just started to laugh. Each time Daddy would hit the nail you laughed- it was super cute!

Who says you can't eat in your swing?

I think the big milestone for you this week would be rolling. We've been working hard to help you learn to roll over. Whenever we put you on your tummy, you roll over onto your back. Good job! We are so proud of you!

Those eyes!

Chomping on your toes.

Looking wise beyond your years.

Sometimes it okay to cry.

Why I Will Never Own A Front Loading Washing Machine

I remember when front loading washing machines first came on the market, they were all the rage. These new machines cost a lot of money, but they looked pretty and used less water so they very much appealed to people.

Many years ago a friend shared an experience she had had with a front loading washing machine. She had put her kids poopy clothes in the machine and ran a cycle. When she went to pull her clothes out of the machine everything was covered in poop. Upon hearing this story I remember thinking to myself, "I am never going to own one of those things."

Since that time I have heard countless stories about how front loaders just don't do as good of a job as a top loader.

Recently our washing machine decided it would be fun to start leaking oil. We ruined several loads of laundry before we figured out what was going on. Life has been so crazy that we haven't had a chance to tear the washing machine apart to fix it. That meant for the first time in my life I had to make a trip to the laundry mat.

I went to the laundry mat with the best reviews in town. The man who worked there was super nice and helped me haul all of my laundry in and he showed me the machines and told me how they worked- they were all front loaders. I asked him if they had any top loaders and he said they didn't do a good job as the front loaders. Upon looking around the laundry mat I noticed almost every single top loader had a sign on it saying it was out of order. So, I used the front loaders and then hauled all my wet laundry home to dry it.

I wasn't at all surprised to find baby food still stuck to Bubba's clothes. My top loader gets that stuff out all the time. Will I every own a front loader? I don't think so.

Living Life

As I think back to this past week, it's kind of a blur. Life is CRAZY right now! We have so many unfinished projects, it is ridiculous! It seems like every day something breaks or a new project seems fall into our laps. We are struggling to find a balance between: sleep, work, exercise, becoming entrepreneurs, being parents, personal time, cars breaking, church responsibilities, family time, yard work, house work and our many other projects- you get the idea. Some days I am so stressed, I just cry. I wish I could wave a magic wand and have things done and finished. Someday, maybe I will feel like I can breathe again. For now, this is what we call living life and it's really hard.

A chicken coop- it's in progress.

This is our washing machine, it started leaking oil on our clothes.

The highlight for you this week Bubba, is that we discovered your ticklish spot (your thighs). And boy, do we love to tickle you!

I love how his face is framed in this photo!

Bubba's first picture, it looks kind of like a boat.

And we put a bowl on your head, that was pretty funny!

Even though you can be a handful at times, we sure love you!

I love my little bear cub!

He brings so much joy into our lives!