just gotta have it!

When I was pregnant with Luke, I craved sweets--all the time! He was due in October, and that summer before, I was wanting/needing ice cream like you can't believe! Now, as a 6 year old, while Luke's still our health nut, he leans more on the sweeter side than the salty side. When I was pregnant with Charlie, I craved salty things (which is more my normal speed anyway). Now, as a 3, almost 4 year old, Charlie prefers salt to sugar. Take yesterday, when it was time for the boys after school snack, Luke wanted Girl Scout cookies from the freezer and Charlie wanted popcorn!! Me, I wanted both and got both. Thank you very much! Now, when I was pregnant with Miles, Chad says I craved Coca-Cola and drank it a lot! I do buy caffeine-free at home, but there isn't that option when I go through a drive-thru, so I also had caffeine, which my dr. was okay with (for the record). At any rate, I can't tell yet, if Miles will be our little Coca-Cola lover, because he's never had any---nor have my older boys. Keep them away as long as possible!!

Okay, so where am I going with this? Well, if what I craved during pregnancy has an impact on what our children like now, then Baby #4 is going to like EVERYTHING!!! I am out of control! I'm really craving everything. Not at once--though yesterday was one of those days. I ate popcorn and Girl Scout cookies, a bowl full of berries and handful after handful of carrots! I'm eating pepperoncinis from the jar and I almost went crazy last night when I desperately wanted a smoothie, but didn't have the right ingredients for one. Seriously. I didn't have orange juice or frozen yogurt, so I ended up on Google searching smoothie recipes. By the way, there are some disgusting sounding smoothies out there. Yuck. I'm not a health nut smoothie drinker. My favorite way to make a smoothie is with the following ingredients. . .a banana, frozen mixed berries, frozen vanilla yogurt and orange juice. Add a little here, add a little there. Since Chad is out of town, I couldn't run out to get the ingredients I was missing and I was bummed. So I went to sleep thinking about the smoothie and woke up thinking about it. So much so that I took all 3 kiddos with me to the grocery store in the pouring down rain, for smoothie ingredients!!! Never something I would do not pregnant!

But now, I am a happy little lark. Finished one smoothie and I'm about to go down another! Just wanted to share! *** OH, and my amazing little chef-of-a-sister is about to start a food blog! Get ready!! She's awesome! I think she may even roll out her new blog next week. . .I'll be sure to link up to her! I'm her biggest fan already! Even if she couldn't help me out with smoothie recipes last night--because she hates them! What??

And one more fun tidbit of my day. . .a quote from our cheese lady at our grocery store--we love Miss Gwen. . . upon finding out I am pregant with #4 she says, "Girl, maybe you and Chad should try playing Scrabble!" Hahahaha! Hilarious!!!

Okay, off to that smoothie!!!

an announcement of sorts. . .

My hubby asked me a couple of days ago, what date it was. I told him the 16th. He informed me that at the time, it had been 11 days since I last blogged! Ahhh, yes, my blog! I do sooo enjoy blogging! I love sharing our adventures, my thoughts, memory keeping, etc. I have no plans to desert this spot! And I do appreciate how Chad loves to follow along (even though he experiences most of it daily) and gives me a little nudge here and there!
So, let me recap what in the world has kept us so busy! In no particular order. . .

#1 Little Lukey had eye surgery last week. It pretty much consumed me the few days before and the several after. The surgery, at this point, seems successful according to his dr. Praise the Lord! However, it was much harder on Luke and us, as parents, than any of us thought it would be! The anesthesia was a bear, the pain after coming out of it was rough, and now the keeping him from running and jumping for another week may do me in! It's hard to keep a 6 year old down, ya know? He's recovering quite well now, but his eyes are quite red and bloody looking. He thinks it's cool because he "looks fierce!" I'm really thankful for his perspective!!

#2 For the first time in a month and a half, we are sick. Poor little Miles is the worst. A raging ear infection and some viral something or other has him down. He can't breathe and his precious lips are dry and cracked. He has so much drainage that he is choking and throwing up. He is exhausted and just miserable. When I took this picture,

we were looking out our kitchen window at the wind chimes, which were ringing steadily, due to the wind advisories we've had over the past several days. I noticed that when it is cold and cloudy and rainy outside, the wind chimes sound melancholy to me. Yet, when it is sunny and the wind chimes are tinkling, I think they sound cheerful and they appear to look like they are happily dancing in the breeze. Ahhhh, isn't that a perspective on life? The first day Miles was sick, I remember telling Chad, "Wow. I know he's sick, but praise the Lord that no one has been sick for a month and a half!" The very next day, I was bummed out because Miles was so miserable. I wasn't feeling thankful at all. I'm re-reading, my very favorite book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, with a couple of friends. In it, she ponders how often we are thankful for only the good the Lord gives us (how easy it is), and not thankful for the bad (what a sacrifice that can be). I'm thankful to be reminded of this, because in the trenches of life (and ours isn't too deep) sometimes I forget!

#3 I think I mentioned in my last post (13 days ago), that we have decided to move. We want to be closer to church and schools. It's been in our thoughts for a while, but what put a fire under us, is actually what's in us (or who's in me, rather). . .

#4 and yes, I saved #4 to announce that our #4 is on his or her way!!! Shocker of all shockers, but we are beyond excited! He or she is obviously in the Lord's plan for our family, and why would we want anything different? So we think life is a little crazy and a LOT blessed now, but imagine what life will be like at the beginning of August?? A whole lot crazier and blessed more than we can dream!!

2012 word of the year

I mentioned in my last post that I had picked out my word for the year, implying that it would be coming soon. Then, I was sucked back into soaking up Christmas break and I just haven't wanted it to end! But, it did, and January has been here for 5 days already! So, while new, fresh starts can happen on any ol' day, as my husband likes to remind me, there's no better time than a brand new month and a brand new year! After changing my word once or twice before the new year, this word has finally stuck with me, and I'm encouraged! My word for 2012 is. . .

focus

as in (according to dictionary.com)

fo·cus

noun

1. a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity

verb

1. to bring to a focus, or into focus

2. to concentrate

2012 is going to be a busy year! I remember thinking last year, wow, this year has been so exciting (spending most of the year getting ready for my sister's wedding), what is next year going to be like? Well, it's not going to be boring! We've decided to sell our house and move in closer to our church and school and other ministries we want to be more involved with. We've never sold a house before. This is our first home! I have no firsthand experience, but we've had LOTS of friends move recently and I have some good insight into what's ahead. Craziness! I'm overwhelmed with the thought of trying to keep our house "show" ready with 3 little kiddos and all their belongings. Scary stuff! But, exciting stuff! We've been praying about this for quite some time and we know the Lord has a plan for us! Yes, we have desires and timetables and ideal scenarios already planted in our heads, but the Lord's will is what we want most. And the move is just one part of our year too! We know there is more and more will arise that we don't know about yet.

So, I am praying that, focus, will be a part of the small and big things yet to come! We want to focus on pointing our boys more and more toward the Lord! We want to focus on our marriage when our move and other things are swirling around us. I want to focus on important things and not be distracted by petty things in life! So my plan this year is to focus! Focus on glorifying the Lord and remembering that. . .

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Happy 2012!