I'd settle for a slow down...

In between packing, calling insurance companies - dropping & adding different policies, turning on new utilities, hunting for free boxes (I refuse to ever pay for a box with nothing in it), scheduling final walk through, scheduling document signings, scheduling moving truck, scheduling grandmas' to watch little one during Operation: Move In One Day, making it to early doctor appointments, getting jury summoned AGAIN, multiple trips to drop off items at Goodwill, dealing with a toddler that won't go to sleep & is hitting her terrible twos at mach2 speed (the speed of sound... doubled- DUH!), calling escrow company over & over to confirm final settlement charges, annnd hitting my 3rd trimester (phew!)...

Let's just say I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed and a lot-of-bit stressed!

I try to take my job (family manager/stay at home mom) very seriously. After all, Jason does bring in ALL the money to provide for us in every financial sense, so it's silly for me to not be the one taking care of  just about everything else. I've been blessed to have a husband who constantly wants to help me out on top of going to work each week, but at the end of the day, these are all things I want to be responsible for. All because I love my husband oh so so much!

Anywho! Today we're going to do a final walk through of the house (make sure it's still in the same condition it was last time we saw it before we sign papers), tomorrow we're going to the title/escrow company to sign documents & write checks, and then between Thursday and Friday our loan gets funded and the keys are placed in our hands.

Here's our cookie-cutter-typical-run-of-the-mill Arizona home. =) A first home, not a dream home!

Happy Easter!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Weekend. Aside from an epic toddler tantrum in the car twice this weekend & Grace kicking daddy out of bed last night to sleep with me (the wind scared her to death - and only an already-sleep-deprived mommy would do!), we had a great weekend with family & friends.

Grace sure enjoyed herself!!

While having kids does make the holidays a little a lot more stressful, it's so much more fun with them! Seeing my daughter light up with joy at the thought of opening presents or hunting for eggs... that's awesome. She will continue to ask me to hid eggs around the house for the next week, and I gladly will!

Today (woops, yesterday - I wrote this last night, and not posting it until this morning!) I am thankful that Jesus died for our sins, and that his resurrection day came soon after, but I'm no more thankful today than I am ALL 364 other days of the year. Through prayer everyday He knows this. He is Alive for us every single day, and it doesn't take Easter to remind me of this.

Enjoying the Small Things., Ed 1

...Today I'm especially enjoying the small things...

Pigtails that don't get pulled out all day long & little polka dot dresses.

Coming home to a mess, because I've got a place to call my home.

Alfredo sauce stuck to the side of my face after finishing a whole dinner at Olive Garden for the first time ever!

Watching my daughter share cookies with friends.

A body massage from Jason that almost never ended.

The first few minutes in the morning when I'm the only one awake in the house.

God's Grace in my life, though His son Jesus.

Hope ya'll have a blessed Easter Sunday!

Summer in April.

The AC is running, seat beats are leaving 2nd degree burns, and little tan lines are starting to form.

We are super thrilled that it's hot enough outside now to enjoy some a lot of days by the pool! It's got to be one of Gracie's favorite things to do, and I'm definitely not opposed to spending an hour or two in the sun!

Pancakes & Home Loans.

If I get incredibly large this time around, I'm blaming my 2 year old. Every single day when she wakes up she runs into my room and the first thing out of her little mouth, "Pancakes Momma!!" So every morning I drag myself out of bed and make a batch. She eats a coupe of small pancakes, but there's usually a bunch left over, so I make myself some ginormous pancakes to feed my own cravings. My cravings by the way, are getting way out of control, but my weight hasn't...yet! We shall see! I'm in the market for another round of ZERO stretch marks. 

Anyways, it seems our house hunt as finally ended! We found a cute cozy little house in Peoria, AZ. I use the words cute, cozy, and little because it's the one of the smallest houses we looked at. Weighing in at just 1322 SqFt. It's a house that will do until my two children reach a pre-teen stage probably, IF that long. We offered $10,000 more than the bank was asking for (because we know how the banks play their 'games') and didn't ask for any help with closing costs. (which means as of next month we are completely flat on our butts BROKE!) We ended up beating out THIRTEEN other offers. Our loan hasn't gone in underwriting yet, and our ten days don't actually start until next week, but I'm keeping an optimistic attitude. You pretty much have to or you'll go crazy! In today's market the banks/loans are demanding so much from you. Even with a FHA loan & only 3.5% down, you still need at least ten grand in the bank after closing costs and everything, and that's for a house under a hundred grand! Everything costs a pretty penny!

A-Z

Side Note: It's super weird to find out people have searched my name in Google's search bar, but then it's even freakier to find out just today someone actually did an image search on my name, found a picture of me, and then ended up here.  Hey, creepster, what's the deal? Nothing better do to?

Anyways, here's a fluffy post A-Z, all about me. =)

A. Age: 25- soon to be 26. I still feel pretty young, until I hear 21 year olds freaking out about 22!

B. Bed spread color(s): Earth tones, and I can't wait to upgrade! I hate them.

 
C. Chore you dislike: It's probably the most simple one, but I hate doing laundry! You'd think it would be the kitchen & bathroom, since that is something I clean every single day, or every other day. Can't stay a dirty kitchen or bathroom. Clutter is one thing, hygiene is another!

D. Dogs: Currently no. Since we're buying a house right now, we've recently played around with the idea in the future, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to take on another potty trainee so soon!

 
E. Essential start to your day: BIG glass of water, Gracie smiles, & a waffle. When I pop this baby out, coffee will be back on my list!

F. Favorite color: Don't have a favorite.

G. Gold or silver: I'm big on silver. Not a fan of gold. Slightly OT: We actually own around 100 oz of silver that we bought when it was only 12/oz. If you're up to speed on the stocks... that's cha-ching-ching in our pockets!

H. Height: 5′ 7”

I. Instruments you play(ed): I played the violin, moved to the flute, and stopped with the piano. Don't ask me to play any of these instruments today- I couldn't read a page of music if my life depended on it.

J. Job title: Family Manager

K. Kids: Gracie Jo- 2 yrs old. Levi- Coming Soon!

L. Live for ______: God, Jason, & my children.

M. Most embarrassing moment: I've been pretty darn lucky to not have any worth remembering.

N. Nicknames: Dee, but most people just call me Deena or Deena Jo.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Just when Grace was born. I've been an out-patient twice, and I've got a couple overnight stays coming up & one more out-patient procedure planned in the very near future.

P. Pet peeves: When people don't shut cabinet doors & when people don't use or forget to turn off their blinkers. I've got a lot more, but I don't like to be negative.

Q. Quote from a movie: I’m not a big movie person.

S. Siblings: I have a 'little' sister, who is only 16 months younger than me, most people guess she's older, even though I'm the one whose been married, had kids, and I'm the one that doesn't still live at home! Hm.

T. Time you wake up: When Gracie wakes up, which is usually 8am. I love it!

U. Ultimate vacation spot: I want to go on a cruise so bad, I've never been!

V. Vegetables: Asparagus, broccoli, and corn on the cod!

W. What makes you run late: Having babies. I use to be early to everything!! I'm usually still on time, but I'm occasionally late, and I can't stand that feeling!

X. X-rays you’ve had: On my teeth for the usually cleaning/checkup, and one of my chest; but I don't remember why.

Y. Yummy food you make: My dad taught me to bake a great cake!

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Tigers.

Sunshine & Grace-isms.

It's been an amazing past few days here in Phoenix. Almost everyday we've spend by the pool with Grace. Last night Jason did up Tbones, while I cooked & grilled asparagus and potato wedges, & of coarse ate them outside right next to the pool. It's actually 10am, and I'm already gearing Grace & I up for some swimming.

My daughter, now a month past 2 years old, has a rapidly growing personality. She makes me laugh every single day, and she completely catches me off guard at least 10 times a day with the silliest questions and comments! A few things lately...

Just now, she asked for a piece of chocolate. When I gave it to her, she thanked me 3 times! Not only thanking me, but kissing my stomach saying, "Thank you baby brother".

Last weekend Jason called her his Gracie Baby, and she corrected him, saying, "No dada,  I not baby, I Gracie JO!" And this morning when I woke her up I called her baby (a habit I'm trying sooo hard to break!), to which she told me, "I not baby no more, I'm Gracie Jo".

Jason & I play these 'I'm gonna get you' games where we chase her around the house and she'll scream running away from one of us and into the other one's arms. During this time, whoever is the parent 'saving' her, she calls 'Super'. "Help me Super Momma, Dada gonna get me! Super Momma!!" Exact quote from last night.

We saw a little newborn baby boy the other day, and I told Grace he maybe was someone else's baby brother. And she told me that he was not HER baby brother, and then reminded me that HER baby brother was inside my belly.

She calls her swimsuit, her 'swim soup', and when she 'reads' us a book, at the end, instead of saying The End, she says, "B M".

Sometimes when I tell her to dance, she starts waddling like a penguin saying 'dance like a penguin'. It was super random and completely caught me off guard the first time.

She knows that a ghost says boo (I'm still dumbfounded as to how she knows that?).

She's scared to death of bugs and a picture of Bob Marley...

If a motorcycle, air plain, or truck drives by, she can tell you which one it was by just the sound it made.

She's just so gosh-darn cute, and I'm loving just about every minute of being her mommy.

Updating My Life...

It's 9:20am, and my daughter is STILL sleeping. (I'm def. not complaining!) So I thought I would spit out a quick blog. An update of  my life if you will...

Firstly, my precious little baby girl is not so much a baby anymore. She turned two last month. It's a hard fact to face when you realize everyone was soo right. "They grow up way too stinkin' fast!" "It will fly by before you know it." "Take pictures/videos, because someday you won't remember what it was even like before they first sat, crawled, walked, ect."

Secondly, we found out that we're expecting a BOY! At first I freaked a little bit, I will admit. I always pictured myself with two girls (that was actually why we planned this pregnancy when we did, so our 'girls' would be close in age (to share clothes, toys, friends, ect. (because I was set on baby girls stuff too!)) So when I saw that little hotdog on the screen, my heart skipped a beat. After much thought and prayer however, I am ready to welcome a baby boy into my life this summer, and I wouldn't change that for the world. God's plans are not always the same plans we have for ourselves. And now, I'm sooo excited!

Thirdly, we are in the processes of buying our first (starter- if you will) home. It's def. an older home (that's why I say starter...) Built in the late 60s. There's the good, the bad, and the super ugly when it comes to this one. Good: 4bd, a heated swimming pool, over 1900sq., good sized laundry room with a bonus room, 2 fireplaces (one in the master bedroom - which I'm sooo excited to use!) New tile & carpet through out. The bad: No garage! Super old kitchen with old drawers & cabinets and the age of the home in general scares me! And the ugly: The neighborhood is old. Some people keep their homes in not so great shape. The outside of the house makes the home look tiny, and the yard needs grass, and the house is currently painted a poop brown color. ughhh!

((EDIT: The above has been crossed out because tonight we decided to forgo this house and withdraw our offer. Things just didn't feel right. There were both small and big things we just couldn't look past. We both felt that 'something just didn't feel right'.  I don't know what the future holds, but I want to make sure every decision we make along the way is the best for Jason, myself, and our babies. And I trust that God will take care of us!))

Well, it's time go to say good morning to my daughter. She's awake and singing twinkle twinkle little star in her room. =) Love when she wakes up in a great mood!

She Turns 2 Today! (& I Feel Old!)

 -Gracie Jo-

Exactly two years ago today you were placed into my arms and my whole world changed in a million beautiful ways! It’s hard to believe you’re already two. Sometimes when I watch you sleep I still see you as my little newborn baby girl. 6lb 3oz, bald, and beautiful! I so vividly remember the first time you made eye contact with me, the first time you walked to me, and my absolute favorite- the first time you told me you loved me. Seeing you for the first time changed my life in my so many wonderful ways. You made me a mother, in more ways than simply giving you birth. Over the last two years you’ve forced see the world in breathtakingly new ways. You’ve given me a level of peace, grace, hope, and patience I never knew I had in me. Being your mother is the most gratifying and rewarding opportunity I have ever been given. Thank you for being my little princess. Happy 2^nd Birthday my sweet Gracie Jo!

Love & Kisses,

Mommy

Casper, the (un)Friendly Ghost.

Blame it, I guess, on these really, really cold temperatures we're having in Phoenix right now! (Seriously... my heater wants to run all day? Not saying this with any glory, but I'm a Phoenix girl. I'm not use to freezing all night in bed, let alone- having to wear clothes??). Lately, all I can think about is summer. Laying by the pool with Gracie, getting a tan!, getting toned up a tad for bikini wear, and having a super cold beer and/or margarita (or 2) while basking in the sun. Oh wait, that's right! I'm pregnant! I'll be an extra 25lbs (if I'm lucky) and I'll probably be egg-white-WHITE! My last pregnancy I found out I was pregnant on June 9th, so I still had the whole summer to (while making sure I stayed hydrated & not over heated) play in the sun! Loosing that initiate ten pounds from morning sickness = me wanting to LIVE in a bikini that summer.

So I guess I'm saying this summer, I'm still going to be out there, in my bathing suit (with a tank top that won't be removed of coarse) and I plan on taking Gracie swimming as much as I can and getting a little vitamin D while basking in the sun a tad. This summer's goal is to not look like Casper, the friendly ghost, when it's time to head to the hospital!