I have a 5 year old?

So this week my sweet little angel Grace turned 5 years old.

I remember her birth like it was yesterday, what I wore to the hospital, what I watched on TV as we waited for her to be born, the frantic doctors and nurses as we prepared for a scary and rewarding birth.


This was Grace 5 years ago.

Man how time has flown, 5 years already. It seems like yesterday she came into this world in an exciting way, and it has been exciting ever since then. She is a big girl. So today one of the things we did to celebrate her birthday was Build-A-Bear, but instead of building a bear, we built a pink Octopus, which we dressed in a perfectly wonderful Mermaid Outfit! Only my daughter. So now she has a pink dinosaur (we got last year on vacation) named Daisy and she has a pink octopus named Xenia, apparently there is something about pink, and flowers that my daughter must like :D.




Dinner tonight with the whole family will be at Chuck E. Cheese. I will be sure to add some pictures from there. It is one of her favorite places to eat....who knew a kid liking Chuck E. Cheese.

So Grace, Hartley, and I have been doing something new at bedtime. The 3 of us lay in Grace's awesome Big Girl bed. I read both of them a book or two sometimes three depending on time, then we read out of the daily devotional book we have, then a bible story, or verse, then onto prayers. I am learning to pray for them not just "God bless Grace and Hartley" but to really pray for them, for thier future, their faith, their future spouses(That God prepares the heart of the men they will one day marry), their careers, just for their future. One thing I have been praying over Grace lately is for when she starts school in August, for the children she will meet, the experiences she will have, and for her teacher. Just that it is a wonderful experience for her.

Picture of the girls during our new Bedtime Routine.


Something Else Grace and I love to do and take pictures of is make Funny Faces.




So now onto Baby updates.
Hartley who is 9 weeks old can now roll from her back to her left side or right side. Wow how amazing she has been. She is always smiling at me when I talk with her. She is changing and growing so much it is crazy. She is getting so big and I cannot wait to take her to the Doctor on Friday and see how much my little chunker has grown. She was a dainty baby, and now you would never know she was dainty at a whooping 6lbs 14 ounces at birth. I am thinking this little bunny is close to 12 lbs now but we will see.


This was our family night from last Friday we went on a picnic at the Park and while Daddy and Grace flew the kite Hartley and I just hung out.

Here is one I got of her smiling at me though.


God has shown me a lot about life, patience, andlove through my girls, my marriage, and my everyday happenings. Keep reading for more updates on the girls, myself and my marriage.

Love, Peace, & Happiness always.

~Samantha.

The Joys of June

So far June has been a crazy, fun and busy month for this family. We have had graduation parties, friends coming over, family gatherings, and I even talked the Husband into doing Family pictures. :)





We have had so much going on, we don't get to celebrate G's 5th Birthday until July. :(
Well she doesn't care as long as her 5th birthday gets her tea party birthday party like she wants. I am still gathering decorations and ideas for her party.

Today Hartley turns 2 months. It is crazy. I've been trying to spend time with my girls separate and together. This summer is about making memories as a family, since Grace will no longer be with mommy all day once Fall comes and Kindergarten comes.

One thing I make sure to do with Grace and tonight I did it with both girls, is to read a story, read a bible verse or devotional, and say our prayers before we go to sleep for the night.


So because they were just so cute in Bed I had to snap a picture.

Grace recieved this book from the called Born Yesterday: The Diary of a Young Journalist(She received it before Hartley was born) it is the perfect book. Its about a baby who is born and has a sister who is about to start kindergarten. It makes me think so much of my girls. One of the last pages in the book, the baby decides it wants to run away and be part of another family because it is embarrassed that her older sister found her diary. So the older sister comes home from school one day crying and crawls into the crib with the baby sister, and says "You are my best friend, you don't laugh at me." Makes me have that same hope for my girls, that they will be best friends. I hope that's how my girls will end up.

Trying to figure out what to do for Father's Day for the awesome Father of my girls. He is amazing and wonderful with them.



Well I am out for the night. I can hear Hartley on the Monitor so I need to go soon. Keep checking back for fun pictures of the kids, family, and our awesomely fun filled family summer.

Love, Peace, and Happiness to all,

~Samantha

Another day in May

So it has been over 2 months since my last post. Well when you are preparing for baby #2 it can take a lot out of you.

Grace is really a big help with her sister. She loves being a sister and is always asking to hold the baby. She doesn't understand why she has to be so careful with her though.

A lot has happened in the last 2 months. The pool is now open and Grace is swimming without any help....no water wings or anything. My big girl is getting to big way way way to fast for this Mommy's liking. She also lost her first tooth. This makes me sad. I cannot believe she will be 5, in less than a month, good gracious time has flown by. I remember when she was Hartley's size and she was tiny. She is not so tiny anymore.

No water wings.

Well Grace is also done with Creative Movement for the year. Next year she will be in Pre-ballet and not in the pink anymore.

That's really all thats new.

Hartley is now about 9lbs so she has gained 2 1/2 pounds since she was born.

Peace and Love,
Samantha

Just another March Day

So much has happened lately.

Grace is still working on printing her name, and we are starting to work on sight words with her, so that hopefully she is reading a bit before she starts Kindergarten. She is getting wary about Hartley coming and keeps asking us random questions and doesn't really know for sure what the big deal is. She thinks that as soon as Hartley gets here she will be able to play and run around, I have had to explain to her multiple times that is not the case.

I checked some books out today about new babies and what not from the library. I hope those help her with her uneasy feelings. She likes the baby's room but I think she is still very uneasy and unsure of what this really is. As I write about the baby she has decided it is time to shift her entire body, making it a bit uncomfortable for me, since she wants to put her bottom in my ribs and kick.

Grace has continued to be an amazing little girl, who everyday makes me wonder about her extraordinary imagination. The other day she was SUPER GRACIE and I was her TRUSTY Side kick Sam. She makes me laugh everyday and I cannot imagine not spending time with her, she makes my day and I worry that when the new one come how will I have joy, and Love for 2 amazing little girls? I know it is possibly but Grace is the center of my world right now and I don't know how I could have 2 that are.

Hartley's room is basically complete. I have yet to take decent pictures so there are none yet. I do have some more recent ultrasound pictures. She looks so much like her sister and her daddy that it isn't even funny. You can see she already has hair......thats why I have such horrible heartburn isn't it? Well I am off, making dinner for a wonderful friend.

Sunny, Cold, Windy Sunday.

I know it has been more than a month since I have posted a blog entry. Man how time flies by when your having fun. I have been tired, working, and well just plain too lazy to write a blog post. We have been cleaning out our extra room slowly making way for Hartley. Her room is coming together nicely. It is an extremely cold, windy, yet sunny Sunday.

Grace has been a wonderful blessing and patient little girl as of late. I am loving it. I am not loving that fact that in a little more than a month I will be registering her for school! I know my baby is going to be 5! I don't want her to grow up but she is blossoming into a beautiful little girl. Her curls, big bright blue eyes, and personality get her attention everywhere we go. I always have people saying "She is a beautiful little girl" I sometimes get embarrassed because I know she is beautiful, and always will be to her mommy, but when perfect strangers come up and tell me that it is sometimes just weird because I don't always know what to say. The weather here has been wonderful as of late, Grace and I have gotten to play outside so much lately. I am so concerned that once she goes to school my sweet little girl, who in my eyes is still a baby won't be that anymore I don't want her to grow up too fast. I now feel like I know how my parents must have felt, and I cannot imagine with 3 kids 2 of them 18 months apart, how fast it must have flown by for them. It is crazy. Grace has the biggest imagination ever, she is so funny and makes me laugh all the time at things she does I'll say something to my mom and she will say "She is just like you" or "That's something you and your brothers would have done" makes me laugh and smile every time.
OH BIG MILESTONE: Grace Printed her first NAME all by herself. This mommy is so proud I just don't know what to say or do. Makes me very very excited.

Grace being silly, she said "Hey mommy look" I looked at her and just laughed with her oreo eyes.

Her name written all by herself, Mommy wrote the one on top, the one on bottom my big girl did.

Preparing for Hartley has been crazy and well interesting, we have been blessed so much already from all the gifts people have already given us. They have been so wonderful. I just cannot believe how blessed we are. It is wonderful that we are having another girl and relatively the same season since we already have baby clothes this will be a piece of cake, at least for the first few months. Grace is ready to be a big sister and to help, she will talk to my belly, hug it and kiss it, she is already sweet and a good big sister I cannot wait to see how she does once Hartley gets here.

This mommy is doing great, morning sickness is gone, now just counting the weeks 31 down 9 to go. :) I am excited but I am also a little scared, I am scared because the last time I was pregnant or had a newborn was almost 5 years ago. I hope I remember everything, I hope I do a good job, I have worries that I think every mommy has. Daddy is just going on about his merry way, I am sure he is nervous he just isn't showing it as much, he has been wonderful with me and Grace during this pregnancy and he will help out in any way he can. He is being great. Well I am going to go I feel like no one probably cares, or is interested in reading this blog. But hey I thought for my family who isn't close by I might as well be able to keep you all updated somehow.

Once we get Hartley's room together I will be posting pictures. I will be writing these more I hope, for my family who lives far away. Miss you all and Love you all.

Just another day in the house, muffins, rests, and Graceisms.

Today is another interesting day in the C household. I am trying something new, I bought Strawberry muffin mix at the grocery store. I mixed 4 large fresh cut strawberries, 1 cup milk, 1 cup old fashioned oats, and 1/4 cup flax seeds, with the muffin mix. Mixed it well and filled 12 muffin/cupcake cups in the muffin pan. I then baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the stick comes clean. They smell delicious as I write this, they are cooling. I have before and after pictures to come soon. Grace and I are going to share one and see how they taste. I hope they are as delicious as they smell. Before going into the oven:

Done and Cooling off:

G eating one, and the taste test results are: They are delicious, G asked for another one.

Today's Graceism, or phrase of the day: Giraffes can clean their noses with their tongues,I want to be able to do that too. Thought about today's Graceism. Where did that come from? How to I talk about this with her? What do u say as an answer to this one? The things my 4 year old thinks about and talks about just make my day everyday.

Christmas time and what this time of the year means to me.

Its the time of year I think most people love, CHRISTMAS time. Christmas has a huge place in my heart. It means so much to me. I have so many great memories of Christmas from the past 26 years.

My fondest memory, or maybe I should say my most vivid memory, I am either combining two or it happened the same Christmas I cannot remember, we lived in Pennsylvania. I remember we got home from Church and were getting our pajamas on, when the phone rang it was SANTA! WOW a phone call from SANTA that was amazing and awesome. He was telling me how he was having trouble putting my brothers Piano in his sleigh and my doll house. It was amazing and wonderful and kept the magic alive in me about that time of year. I remember I could hardly sleep that night I was so excited. I cannot remember if the next part is the same Christmas or a different one. We were all sleeping in my parents room when all of the sudden, we heard footsteps on the roof, and santa laugh, it was great and wonderful and amazing. The joys and innocence of childhood were awesome.

Traditions I Love:
We always can open our stockings when we first awake in the morning. Those are always fun, my mom packs them with fun and silly things.

We ALWAYS have overnight Brunch for Christmas Breakfast

We always separate and open presents in a circle, goes slow but we get to see what everyone got and the joy on their face.

We play board games and just hang out together

I love doing this kind of stuff with my family.

This year I am excited I have done a few crafts with G for Christmas and we are going to do more today. I know its a little late to do some now since Christmas is only 11 days away. But I want her to have memories of doing Christmas crafts with her mommy like I have of doing them with my mommy. Always fun times.

That's not the only thing this time of year means to me. This time of year is important to me as a Christian Woman. It is a time to celebrate the birth of a baby, who saved me from my sins, because his father wanted me to live a life where I could dwell with him and love him and cherish him. I thank God everyday for sending us Jesus to die for me. Little old me what I have ever done that was significant? Nothing really, but God loves me enough that he sent his son for me. That is so hard to fathom. How could anyone have a child whom they love and know that in the end their child would die to save all of humanity? That to me is an amazing parent who could allow that to happen to their child. I love Jesus and this time of year in our household is all about him with little emphasis on Santa, because the real reason for Christmas in our house is CHRIST! Thank you God for sending your son for me.

Well thats my update for today. Hope you all have a joyous and wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season.