9 months old

Alternatively titled Better late than never.  I tried to get our bear shot on the day he was nine months old...didn't happen, the picture of him arching his back and crying....pretty much sums up the photo shoot.  I was going to take his picture a few days later....and then he caught a cold and was very uncooperative...so on the 25th...15 days after turning 9 months old we got the shot....so much harder to take now....but I think we got a good one!

Some stats and Facts:

Still not sleeping through the night.
Pulling up on EVERYTHING!!!  Too chicken to let go though
Moved up to Size 4 diapers
Loves to eat and really likes yogurt, yogurt bites, apples, fruit and goldfish crackers
Around 23-25 pounds depending on the day
Happy and Smiley
saying BABABA, DADADADA and other sounds
Waving at EVERYBODY!!!

What???

Really, it's the 28th of the month already and I am so behind on blogging.

I think that working, having a small baby and busy big kids have made for me not getting on the computer as much.

Hopefully I can update soon.

I really haven't forgotten, I promise!

So True!

This happens at our house especially if I don't get all the sweeping done properly!

January is Flying By

Wow!  It's been crazy around here.

Life is moving rapidly and I feel like I am constantly playing catchup.

Jayden turned 9 months old on Tuesday and I tried to take his picture with his bear but it didn't happen.  He was cranky and disagreeable so we will try again hopefully this weekend.

Work is going good, the kiddos are back in school and Janea hasn't gotten the chickenpox.  Dan is busy, I am busy and on top of everything I am taking a class for work online and it's good but makes for busy days.

Looking forward to a three day weekend and getting things put away and organized around her. 

As I said...it's a busy crazy life....thankful for my life but sometimes it moves faster than me.

Getting Back to the Routine

Now that Christmas Break is over I am trying to get back to the routine of life.

It's harder than I remember...probably because I am trying to be cleaner and more organized.  More purposeful too....

So tonight I really don't want to cook...I want to go out for dinner but we shouldn't go out since it is much more affordable to eat at home...but I am cooking because it is a good grown up thing to do.

Chicken and spicy rice with lemon...will be good...I hope...but it's good to be cooking and meeting the needs of my family.

Tomorrow I will post my P365 pictures for the week!

Off to a good Start

2012 is here!  I'm already confused by writing the date on things!  The first few days of the New Year are always more challenging for me.

We spent the first days of the year working hard on getting things organized and working.  It's hard to rearrange and reorganize your life but it is profitable to.  And important.  We have family goals that we are working towards and working together to meet these goals is also very important.

I've decided to tackle the P365 this year.   The goal is to take a picture a day of things that are happening in our life.  It's only day three and I am already stumped at what to take a picture of today but I will figure something out!  It's all good....I'm thinking I will just post the weeks picture instead of a picture every day. 

My word for the year is PURPOSEFUL.   I want to think of the Purpose of the things that I do and the words that I speak.  I think it will be a good focus for me as I am working on things in my life!

My goals for the year:
Clean  the kitchen every day!  Even when tired and not wanting to do it.
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Learn to cook more delicious foods from scratch! 
Be an encourager rather than a nagger in life...
Be more in the WORD!

So those are some of my goals...what are some of yours.

Final Post of 2011

Wow!  I can't believe the year is almost over!  I've not been the best blogger this year but I am thankful for the blog because I can use it to look back at the year that's gone on and see how God has worked and all the changes that have occurred.

Some big changes for us this year:

NEW BABY:  I'm thankful for a healthy happy boy that we have in Jayden.  He truly is a joy to our lives and we are loving watching him grow and develop!

NEW JOB:  At the end of February I quit my job in order to prepare for baby.  I enjoyed being a SAHM for a while but as the summer drew to a close I was feeling stressed by our financial situation, feeling like the walls were closing in and knew that I wasn't feeling content with where I was in life.  I struggled with this and felt like a failure at times. So I started looking and applying for positions.  All the while I was praying that God would open up the right position for the whole family and lead me to a babysitter who would give wonderful care to Jayden.  I was offered 2 jobs and the one I chose has truly been a gift from God.  I have hours that follow the big kids schedule well, I get longer breaks at Christmas and Easter, I work with people who are building a school program and since we are not corporate owned there is a family atmosphere for both the families of the school and the staff.  I feel blessed to be there!  Also I have found the greatest babysitter who takes such good care of Jayden and loves him like he's her own and I am so grateful for that!  He is in a home, not a center, he gets plenty of one on one attention and truly is thriving!

NEW SCHOOL:  Jaron started a new school in the district and while he didn't like it at first we have again been blessed with a great teacher for him and he is enjoying it!  I am thankful for our school district and the good education both of my kids have been getting!

Some focuses for the upcoming 2012:

Being a Better Wife:  I struggle with my attitude toward my husband at times and I don't express my feelings and stresses in an appropriate way.  I hope to have a proper attitude with Dan at all times and be a good helpmeet to him.

Being a Better Mom:  As a mom now of kids both older and infant I am struggling with the age gap.  I want to be the mom that all my kids need!

Being a Better Housekeeper:  I'm not a cleanie, I am a messie and I struggle big time with this....any and all help in this matter would be appreciated or someone offering to hire me a maid!

Being a Better Cook:  Dan and I love the flavors of restaurant foods but we can't afford to eat out all the time.  We also are trying to eat healthier so I have the goal of making delicious healthy dishes for the whole family that taste Better than eating out...another goal is to keep a cleaner kitchen so cooking is not a big challenge!

So as I bid the old year good bye and look forward to a new year I pray that God will continue to bless us with good health, a happy family and a good life.

Another Round of Poxiness

Jaron now has the Chicken Pox....and he is covered in SPOTS....poor thing....


Will Janea get it or not???   That is the new question???

Randomness

The kiddos and I are on Christmas break...no I don't call it WINTER BREAK or WINTER HOLIDAY....I celebrate Christmas and for me this will always be Christmas Break!

I missed having a Christmas Break last year....this year I am enjoying it....or I am trying to enjoy it...despite having a moody preteen in the house and a rambunctios 9 year old who loves video games more than anything except maybe eating and who uses to much ketchup but that's neither here or there...

My goal for Christmas Break is to get a plan together for the family for chores and stuff to help keep this house more BABY proof since Jayden is a ninja and can find things he shouldn't have faster than any baby should be able to and because the messiness is getting to me.  I don't enjoy not being able to find things that I need easily, I am tired when I get home from work and I don't want to spend all evening trying to get things under control and seriously I am thinking of joining a nudist colony just to cut back on the LAUNDRY....how is it that adding another person to the household brings so much LAUNDRY....I think they are like bunnies and multiply.

I've also decided to pair down my wardrobe....SOME...not completely but I have quite a few shirts that no longer cover my belly when I raise my arms or I have had them for a while and I frankly need some new stuff and I can't fit it all in the drawers in my room which is contributing to my laundry problems.  Oh the joys of living where clothing is affordable and we have extra money to spend on it!

I'm thinking of resolutions.  New Years is right around the corner and I need some goals for all of us to work on in the coming year.  I need to be PURPOSEFUL in what I strive to have us acheive as a family, what I want to accomplish as an individual and how I can be more supportive to my husband.  I don't want to fail in my endeavors this year. 

I'm also going to attempt the Project 365...where you take a picture a day for an entire year....I am curious to see how our life will enfold in pictures....it's a cool project when done well and I am excited to attempt it!

Well, that's a little bit of the randomness in my brain...hard to believe that there are only 4 more days until 2012....

8 Month's Old

It's Getting harder to get Jayden's picture every months sitting next to his bear!  He is a wiggling, giggling, squirming, crawling, exploring machine!  But here is our cutie before the Chicken Pox!

Some Stats and Facts for 8 Month's Old

• Full on Crawling
• 24.5 pounds and 30 inches long!
• Blueberry Yogurt is one of our favorite foods
• Learning how to wave hi and bye....or just for fun...we wave alot!
• Starting to pull ourself to standing!
• Screams for attention, fun and at people when shopping!
• Loves to be where the action is
• Able to find the smallest spot and then try to crawl through it and finds ourself getting stuck!
• Finally sleeping more consistently and only waking up typically once at night!~(Mommy is very grateful for this one!)
• A true joy to the family!

What's up with the Jonathan's???

So what has been happening with us this month you may be asking...Where has Erin been and why isn't she posting???  Well, I've been a little bit busy....and here is a short rundown of our busy life!

December is a super busy month full of rehearsals for programs at church!  I was privileged to sing in our church choir and our annual cantata was December 11th!  It went very well!  I was very happy to sing!  That same afternoon we got to go see SEUSSICAL the Musical thanks to cheaper tickets through my school!  It was a great show and the big kids, Dan and I enjoyed it very much(even though we had to sit on the floor)

Thursday the 15th I noticed that Jayden had woken up with a few spots, I thought he might be having an allergic reaction from something he ate and so I took him to the babysitter and I thought nothing of it....well, that afternoon he started running a fever and low and behold he had the CHICKENPOX!!!!  Where he got them I don't know!  So I spent some time at home taking care of a cranky baby and doing my best to keep him comfortable!

Sunday the 18th was the kids program Sunday Night at church!  They did a great job!  I totally enjoyed it and was very proud of both of them!

Last week was full of Christmas parties at school, last minute of shopping, my work holiday party and lots of busyness!  It was a crazy week!

This week is going to be spent cleaning house, getting some new routines into place and enjoying my week off work!  I am thankful to have a Christmas break again and getting to spend time at home with the big kids!  It's going to be a good week!

Gotta Post

I'm so behind in my posting!

I have lots to update on and I need to change the blog for winter but life has been crazy and hectic and busy and I haven't had time.

Jayden is sick tonight and we will be staying home together tomorrow so hopefully I will have some time to post again...

We are still here...just super BUSY! 

Baby Giggles!

My new favorite sound....Jayden's little giggle!  It is the sweetest, happiest sound I have ever heard!  When he really is laughing you just want him to keep on doing it.  He laughs the most for the big kids than he does for Dan and I but when we get him laughing it is so much fun!  I love it!

On the Move

We had to put up baby gates and put outlet covers on all our exposed wall outlets!  Jayden is full on crawling and starting to get into EVERYTHING!  We knew he would not be immobile for long!  Watch out world...He's on the MOVE!

Being Thankful

I'm feeling thankful.  I am thankful for the things that God has given me and I am trying to teach my children to be thankful.

Things I am thankful for:
My salvation
My husband
My 3 great kids
My Parents
My Sister
Good Jobs for Dan and I
A wonderful Babysitter who gives great care to Jayden
The schools that my children are in and their teachers who care about them so much
My house...love my house...so thankful for a warm home and a comfortable space.
Our vehicles so we can get to work.
Dr. Pepper...love it!
Food to eat...we have not gone hungry once this year.
Utilities...seriously couldn't survive without them.
Clothing that is appropriate for the seasons!

I think we in America have a hard time truly being thankful for little things but as I was complaining about needing to clean house I was reminded that there are people who live elsewhere who don't have a house to clean, food to cook or clothes to wash.  God has blessed us with so much EXTRA...beyond the necessities and we so often are not Grateful or Thankful for it.  It is my goal to be thankful for the things that I have and not to worry about the things I don't have. 

Fall Leaf Fun

Digital collage created with Smilebox

7 month's Old

7 months old...can't believe how big he's getting...some stats and facts:

• wearing 6-12 month clothes
• loves eating in the high chair
• Cheerio Champ
• army crawling and scooting
• sitting up ALL by himself
• starting to try and stand up
• giggly
• happy
• loves tickles and tackles!
• fun little boy!



Jaron's Birthday Party

Aunt Wendy came from Omaha for the weekend!

Grandma makes the best birthday cakes and fun decorations for the table!  Love parties at Grandmas!

Jayden enjoyed the balloons!

What's more fun than sitting on your sister and a balloon to celebrate being 9!

Tell me the truth....does this do anything for my hair???

We had a party with Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate Jaron's birthday!  So much fun to be with the family and celebrate our awesome 9 year old boy!

Happy Birthday Jaron

Jaron turned Nine on October 26th!  I can't believe how old he is now!  It seems like he was a baby just a few years ago....I love this kid to pieces

At nine Jaron is:

fun

energetic

LOUD!!!

exuberant

lover of all things Wii and DSi

Super excited by little things

Growing up

3rd Grader

Awesome Reader

Math Machine

Jesus Follower

Big Brother

All around Super kid!

We love you Buddy!  Have a great year being 9!

Someone Stop this Crazy Thing

Just realized that I hadn't posted since before Jaron's birthday so I will be posting a lot of new posts catching everyone up on our life.  I sometimes feel like George Jetson...."Jane Stop this Crazy Thing."