Meal Plan Monday

Sorry I've been absent guys, we are fighting contractions and colds here at my house...and those are two very vicious things especially when a new enemy has reared it's ugly head....not only is Ryan gone BUT it's looking like our two girls are now adding some stomach irritation going on! So, if I don't post, just know that I'm really working on getting people healthy!

Monday- Leftovers
Tuesday- Lunch-Leftovers
               Dinner-General Tao's Chicken and fortune cookies
Wednesday-Lunch- Sandwiches, Fruit and Yogurt
               Dinner-Aunt Brittany's Pork chops, Garlic Butter Rolls, Green Bean Casserole, Brownies (making double and           delivering the second dinner to our friend who just had a child!)
Thursday-Lunch-Leftovers
               Dinner- Tilapia with Fresh veggies!
Friday-Lunch-Might be ate out
           Dinner- At a group camp out with friends! We are SOO EXCITED! You have no idea!

for more menus go here!

BTW the only things I'm having to purchase for this weeks meals (aside from Friday night camp out items) are...
eggs/milk/bread/orange juice/brownie mix/those crunch onions for the casseroles and porkchops!

Wonderful Wonderful News

This is our sweet, HEALTHY, CYST FREE baby! Yes, you read that right! He/She (it's still a surprise) is not only cyst free (completely, PRAISE GOD!) but is measuring on point or a little ahead (which is the normal for my child) and weighs 2 WHOLE pounds!  I am so grateful for all the prayers and for this WONDERFUL news! I feel like I can breath, and plan for the arrival...if only I could get the Air Force to cooperate and allow some leave...

I wrote the first entry for our sweet little one in their baby diary (I try to write atleast twice a year for each of the girls) and thought it might be nice to share!

May 5, 2010

Dear Baby,


You don’t have a name, or even a pronoun, but you are more real to me than you will ever know. I sit here on the eve of “the day”…the one where we discover if your Choroid Plexus Cysts are gone, the one that will determine if I fight like a mad woman (which is so not my personality) to get the amniocentesis so that we can know what life holds for you dear one. Regardless of what tomorrow holds, know this one thing…that we love you, we love the life we’ve had thus far with you, and we can’t wait to see your sweet face, smell your sweet new baby smell and cradle you in our arms for the rest of your life.


You and your sweet beating heart have already impacted my life in ways that I had not expected. You have taught me patience, waiting for tomorrow has NOT been easy, but I’ve managed with the prayers of others, support of friends, and the joy of experiencing each day with you growing in me. I have been able to focus on the happy things, time with your father, stories with your sisters and the way you nudge me while I am reading to them…or how you will kick suddenly when Anna cries or Kaelyn talks to you. I’ve been able to float through the past four weeks enjoying each moment with you as though it were our last, and that in and of itself has been a blessing…because I haven’t taken one nudge, on kick, one stretch, one happy beat of my heart helping to grow yours for granted. I have thoroughly enjoyed having your Daddy spread his hand out against my growing belly and feel you so alive within me, hearing Kaelyn whisper sweet nothings to you, ask questions about you, and embrace the idea of you joining our little family, and watching Anna start to connect the dots that there IS a baby in mommy’s belly. Anna is so excited about babies!


You have taught me to value the small things, because God knows that we all too often get caught up in the big worries and miss out on the tiny blessings like a moving baby, the sound of your heartbeat, and the beauty of a quiet afternoon spent at the park. I’ve valued our small amount of time together and hope to keep this lesson in mind as we continue on.


You showed us the meaning of worth, value, life and perfection. Despite what the silly machine might say tomorrow, you are perfect, God made you and formed you for a reason, you have worth and value. It doesn’t matter what condition you may or may not have, I am so blessed to have you here with me and our family is overjoyed with your presence already! This is in no way a goodbye, but merely a hello from my heart to yours nestled safely within me.

Really? This is what my life is about?

This morning, my dear sweet not-quite-19-month old decided to start going potty, on her own, as in going into the bathroom, stripping down, using it, putting on her pants and walking out.
She did it once...and then again...and again...and again! Not once did I have to remind her, ask her, or push her.

Yep, you read that right, today was a SUCCESS and I can't believe I am so freaking so excited about my child choosing to go potty, but that is what my life consists of these days...and I am so okay with that!


For those of you who will be potty training a younger child while having an older child wonder why they can't get a treat for going potty...here is my new tip! Use this opportunity, every time Anna uses the Potty...Kaelyn gets a chance to earn candy by READING SIGHT WORDS! So far, Anna is peeing in the potty 8/10 times and Kaelyn is reading The, On, and Cat/Hat/Mat because those were the words used in her various sentences today! By the time Anna is fully potty trained, Kaelyn might just realize that reading is EASY!!!

Preschool--Money, All about Pennies!

So, first let me appologize for the lack of photos...my hubby and sister in law are in historic Philadelphia and have my camera.

This past week (aka 2 days of school) were spent focusing on the Penny! We managed to use pennies in almost ever area of study.

For math:
sorted coins, counted the number of pennies and other coins, talked about which had most etc.
We discussed the penny specifically..a penny=1
Used pennies to add and subtract small sums.
Did a great worksheet (that showed both the front and back of the penny because it took Kaelyn all of two seconds to discover that their was a difference) for counting Pennies

For Geography/history:
 I visited the US Mint's website and we studied the history of Abraham Lincoln by looking at the various backs of coins and the stages of life the represented! We are still working on this section, but we also used the map to look at how far away California (where my Sister in Law lives) is from New Jersey, and then we began to look at the states that Lincoln lived in.  http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonPlans/cents/_k01.pdf


For Science/Art:
We did Sun Prints using various coins to block out the sun on construction paper
Rubbed prints of a penny on copy paper and used the pennies to make shapes and rubbed copies of flowers etc.

For Writing/Reading:
We read tons of non-related books, but Kaelyn did manage to write her thank  you notes for her birthday and I was shocked to realize that she could read her own handwriting. She would pick up a card, look at what she wrote and then proceed to draw a picture for that particular friend...it was CRAZY!

Anna worked on her colors, singing her alphabet and counting. She's really experiencing a vocabulary growth spurt and I'm loving the concepts, charm, and humor she has brought into our lives.

For more Preschool Corner go here!