The 1st 2 weeks back

Whew! The past 2 weeks have been an absolute whirlwind! Kristen and I started back to school, and it's been a crazy, exhausting time around our house.  I am so beyond thankful for Will, who has seriously stepped up in doing my chores and his, so that we've had clean clothes to wear, food to eat, and a house that's at least halfway picked up.  Also, I'm pretty sure he's been waking both Kristen and I up every morning (and I'm usually the morning person in our house!)  Several people have asked for updates about how Kristen and I are both faring with school back in session, so here's your update!

Kristen: What a beautiful transition she has made!  We were a bit concerned.  She doesn't handle transition very well typically, and the Sunday before school started, they had to come get us out of church twice to deal with issues from her (we've never had our "number" called before!)  So we had some concerns about school starting that Tuesday.  She is currently in 2nd grade- in a 1st/2nd grade split class.  She does some 1st and some 2nd grade work.  Her teacher, Mr. Murphy, is very firm with discipline, which is why we chose him for her this year.  We've had  1 or 2 rougher days, but for the most part, she has been fantastic!  If our biggest issues right now are that directions have to be repeated a couple of times for her, we'll take it!  She's always excited when she has a "green" day- and we make a big, HUGE deal out of that (she got McDonald's-her pick- for dinner the 1st time she was on green.)  Overall, I'm really proud of my girl.  I don't expect every day to be perfect (they haven't been so far) but the tantrums aren't as big as they were, and they are coming fewer and farther between... and the good days are coming more and more frequently.

Me: I have an AMAZING class this year!  I moved to 3rd grade this year, and I have a lot of the kiddos that I had 2 years ago when they were in 1st grade.  I loved that class, and I love them again. :)  They're really sweet, and it's made this year a joy- behavior wise.

Honestly though, the past 2 weeks have been rough for me physically.  The 1st day of school, I was actually timing contractions (at 29 weeks) to see if I needed to call my dr.  Since then, I've learned I need to do more sitting to teach (again...soooo thankful for my good class so I can do that!) and drink a lot more water.  Contractions have calmed down, but are still a lot more frequent than they were.  (Don't worry- they're Braxton Hicks, and there's no pattern to them.  I'm keeping a close eye on them!)  I'm also exhausted.  I mean exhausted.  I'm usually tired this time of year, but this is insanity! In addition to being pregnant, and not being able to sleep longer than about 2 hours at a time (before I've got to go to the bathroom, or my leg falls asleep, or my hips hurt, or Sam gets kicking...) I'm sure it also has to do with having a child at the beginning of the school year for the 1st time ever.  Again, I'm thankful for Will who's been coming home from work early, getting dinner together, putting Kristen in bed, giving me a foot massage, and then putting me to bed.  What a wonderful man I'm married to!  (PS- my mom was right! Girls, you need to marry the nice guy!)

So that's what's been up with us!  We are praying that a long Labor Day Weekend brings some much needed rest, and that our bodies start adjusting to our new schedule soon. :)

it's so much more than just "dance lessons"

Kristen had her 1st dance lesson yesterday.  She's doing 1/2 hour of ballet, and 1/2 hour of tap on Saturday mornings.  While watching her yesterday, I got a little teary-eyed basically bawled my eyes out the whole time.  Here's why (in addition to obviously being hormonal):

This was about so much more than just a dance lesson.  Kristen has never been able to do something like this before.  Either no one has cared to put her in some sort of activity, or her behavior has been so bad that she couldn't be put in any extracurricular activities.

When she came home in December, we had serious questions about whether we'd EVER be able to do anything with her besides school, therapy and church.  Her behavior was just out of control (but she had made tremendous improvement in the 6 months with her former foster family before she came to live with us).  We were seeing full-blown tantrum meltdowns almost daily, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

A friend of mine commented on how much progress she's made since she came home 8 months ago.  We have to agree.  It's just unbelievable.  The fact that we were even able to consider an extracurricular activity is mind boggling.  But then, she went to her class and listened to her teacher.  And did everything that was asked of her.  And TRIED to do things that were "tricky."  She looked to us for approval from time to time, (there are viewing windows into the dance studio)  and we assured her she was doing a great job. 

For Kristen, it's a sense of doing a "normal" little girl thing.  It's a hope for her future that I can't even adequately express.  It's proof of an amazing God who loves her, and won't let go of her.

People often tell Will and I what a great job we are doing with her.  We are thankful for the compliments, because in the daily trenches, sometimes it's tough to see the progress she's made (until my mom reminds me to look at the pictures from the beginning, and the pictures from now-see below).  However, we can't take credit for her progress at all.  It's nothing that we've done.  Y'all, we have no idea what we're doing.  Most of the time, we are taking stabs in the dark about strategies or discipline techniques that might work. 

However, we pray daily for wisdom in parenting her.  And we pray for her soul daily.  We pray daily for wisdom in parenting her.  We pray that God will show her the seriousness of her own sinfulness, and that she'll come to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior.  We pray daily for wisdom in parenting her. We pray for her behavior.  We pray daily for wisdom in parenting her. We pray that she will feel safe, loved, and secure in our home.  We pray daily for wisdom in parenting her. We pray that we will be patient and merciful towards her. The list could go on and on...

I truly believe that it's just been in the last year or so that she's actually had people praying specifically for her.  I believe that is why she's made so much progress.  Her former foster parents are Christians, and I know that they, and their family, and their church prayed/are praying for her.  I also know that our family, friends and church are praying for her. 

When I talk to her therapist and her psychiatrist they are amazed at her progress, and say they haven't seen anything like it before.  It's the power of prayer, and a God who can work miracles.  I'm seeing it daily- when she chooses to tell the truth even though she's going to get in trouble- when she doesn't fall apart when we tell her "no"- when she accepts discipline and can tell us why she is in trouble- and a million other little things that sometimes I notice, and sometimes I don't...
 

The 1st time we met.  8 months ago.

Now.  Is this the same child?!

So for us, dance lessons are more than "just dance lessons," and if I start crying when you ask me about how they are going, that's why.  

Cinnamon Roll Waffles Recipe

I made these for dinner TONIGHT and I had to post the recipe ASAP.  They. Were. So. Good!

It started as an experiment.  Somehow, we were 1 meal short this week, and while that normally would have meant me ordering pizza, or asking Will to meet us at our favorite Mexican restaurant (it's right around the corner, and cheap, and tempts us soooo easily),  we're trying to cut back on eating out, so I figured I better whip up something from the kitchen.

I remembered that I had some leftover sausage in the freezer, and decided we could do breakfast for dinner.  I thought waffles sounded good, but then I realized that we didn't have any syrup.... (seriously, Mexican was sounding better and better...)

Then... I thought about these AH-mazing pancakes that I had while we were on vacation in Gatlinburg.  They were cinnamon roll pancakes with all the cinnamony (is that a word?) goodness swirled in the middle, and then the "syrup" was cinnamon roll glaze.  I'm drooling just thinking about them....

Anyway.  I don't make pancakes, (and by don't, I mean can't-- they fall apart on me) so I knew waffles were the way to go, but how to swirl the yumminess into them??? Hmm....

Here's what I decided: I made regular buttermilk waffles, and topped them with all the yummies. My family was in love.  We didn't have any leftovers tonight!  Even Samuel was jumping for joy.

I've got to learn how to take better food pictures...

Here's the recipe:

Buttermilk Waffles (Use whatever your normal recipe is.  I used a mix- my mom has the best waffle recipe ever, but I couldn't find it...)
So.. cook your waffles in your waffle iron.

Toppings:
Brown sugar:  I melted butter (I used about a stick, but you could use more or less depending on what looks good) on the stove, and added brown sugar and cinnamon.  (sorry, I didn't measure- I honestly just used what I had left in the cupboard-- maybe a 1/2 c. brown sugar, and a TBSP cinnamon????)  If I had some chopped pecans I would have added them to this too.

Glaze:  I melted about a 1/2 stick of butter, and added powdered sugar until smooth and the glaze consistency that I wanted.  I played around with this some, and I have no idea how much sugar (maybe a cup???) I added.  Just do a little to start.  If you add too much, add a tiny bit of water to make it thinner.  This is a glaze, not a frosting.

Take waffles, and top with desired amount of brown sugar mix, and glaze.

So there you have it: add some bacon or sausage, or eggs, and some fruit, and you have a yummy dinner (or a sugary breakfast!)

Let's get organized: part 3- the bathroom

We've been slowly but surely reorganizing each room in our apartment.  We started with the living room and the kitchen, and now it's time for the bathroom.  I'm sharing our new organization system, not because I think it's the best, but sometimes, looking at what others have done inspires me, or gets my creative/organization juices flowing, and I get that aha! moment.  Maybe sharing our ideas will do the same for someone else.  If not, thanks for humoring me. ;)

We have 1 built in linen closet (love it!), some storage under the sink, and a small medicine cabinet.  We also added another linen closet for some extra storage.

Our main closet now holds: diapers, baby lotion, body wash, etc.  Inside that locked toolbox is all of our medicines (It's a requirement of the state in order to keep our home open for foster care).  The 2 canvas baskets hold extra toiletries, and things we don't use everyday.  Then we have: beach towels and older towels, and sheets.  Toilet paper on the bottom.

Under the sink:  in the canvas basket are things we use (almost) every day.  My hairdryer, straightener, and curling iron rest next to that, and then we have a small trash can. 

In the medicine cabinet: since we don't actually use that for medicines, we put things that Will and I use daily, or things we don't want Kristen to get ahold of (like Will's razor). 

Another Pinterest idea! Magnetic strips to hold bobby pins, tweezers, etc. (no, I don't know what that mystery stain is, and no, it won't come off. Joys of apartment living!)

In our other linen closet: towels! 

So that's it- that's how we make our small bathroom work for 3 (almost 4) people!

Motherhood

I love my child, but this is seriously what I feel like most days.  Moms-and teachers-out there can relate.  She doesn't do this to her daddy though- just to me.  Nice. ;)

This accurately portrays it too...






Seriously though, I'm glad that she's secure enough to know that she has a mom who will respond to her needs... she just better not teach her baby brother to call for me like this. ;)

Let's get organized! Part 2: Kitchen

Edit: I forgot to mention that this shelving look is NOT what my ideal kitchen looks like, but we were trying to do this for next to no money, and hopefully, we'll be moving within the next year, and those shelves will not be going with us.  We can live with it for now. :)
This is part 2 in a series- click here to see part 1.

Ok, so I was really proud of what I had done in our kitchen, and then I visited my mom's new house, and her huge kitchen with its brand spankin' new granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and ceramic tile floor (that doesn't show dog hair or dirt!)-- that they basically stole because home prices have dropped so low out where they live, and when they sell it, they'll make their millions (ok, maybe not millions, but they'll make some good money on it!) I digress.

I visited my mom's house, and felt like my tiny little kitchen in my (have I mentioned this before?) 800 sq. foot apartment was completely inadequate.  So I didn't want to post at all, but then I reread my post about contentment, and I remembered that we are not the only people in the world who have a small space.  So here it is!

1st of all- I like to cook and bake.  I'm not saying that I'm the world's best cook, or that I should open a restaurant, but I can turn out some decent meals (thanks to my mom for teaching me to cook as a child!)  So.. the kitchen is an important room in our home, and I have a lot of stuff that I use.  I  tried to clean out what I could, but I really do use these things, so I kept most of it.

2nd- Our kitchen was functional before, and I was amazed that it took as much reorganization as it did!

The only real problem that I had was that our pantry was too small.  It worked for Will and I, but as our family has grown, it's become too small.  Also, you had to basically lay on the ground to see the bottom 2 shelves, and well... that wasn't working anymore.

So here's what we did (don't worry- I won't show you every single cabinet and drawer, but I am showing you most, because I don't have many!):
1st, let me show you what we're working with:

We cleared off and moved a bookshelf from our room, to the middle of those 2 white cabinets.  (Our "pantry" was 1/2 the height of 1 of those!)  I moved the pantry from the small cabinet, to the larger one that used to contain our dishes. 

So here's what we have- the cabinet on the left holds all of our appliances.  On top of that is a basket that holds tablecloths and cloth napkins. 

I think you can see what's on the bookshelf- not 100% sure we'll keep bottles there, but for now, it works.  I let you know in about 3 months what we decide! yikes!!! :)
 

The cabinet on the right now functions as our pantry.  Everything is organized (mostly).  However, even it's a little on the small side.  The basket on top holds bread, and chips.

The cabinet above the stove is lunch making central.  Everything we need for lunches- containers, lunch boxes, water bottles- is up here.  Hopefully it will make lunch making go smoothly since we won't be searching all over the kitchen for a lid to find a container!

The cabinet to the right of the stove holds spices, and some things for baking.

 I have this set of drawers in between my stove and my fridge-yes, 1 is broken.  I keep measuring cups, etc. in the top one, serving utensils (the fancy ones) in the 2nd drawer, potholders in the 3rd, and aluminum foil, baggies, etc. in the bottom.

I registered for those trays when I got married- and it's one of the best things I registered for! Perfect for kitchen organization!

Under the sink-- this cabinet is deep, because our sink sits in the corner, but it's hard to get to the back of it.  I think we're utilizing it better than before, but I don't know.

This cabinet is my favorite! It's deep and holds all my pots and pans. :)  Those organizers came from Walmart but I could only find the bottom one on their website. Who knows- they're located with the kitchen organization stuff.

2 more cabinets round out my kitchen.

Under the stove we keep our cookie sheets, etc.

The basket above the fridge holds things we need to hide from Kristen (candy, mostly) but there's also a couple of sharp knives in there.  In the cabinet above the fridge, we keep pitchers, vases, etc.

 So that pretty much rounds out our kitchen! It's not my mom's, but it will do for now. :)

Our trip to the desert

My parents recently moved back to Arizona, and Kristen and I took a trip to go see them last week.  She was spoiled beyond belief, but we had a great time! She met her great grandparents, and several of her great aunts and uncles (Mom has some pictures of that, so I'll post when she sends them to me.) Here are some pictures!

1st time on an airplane!

Monkeybar like things at the playground

Learning to sew

Build a Bear!

making cookies

Reading with Grandpa

Her favorite part was seeing all the cacti!

Peter Piper Pizza before we left for the airport (It's like a Chuck E Cheese)

Saying goodbye to Nana and Grandpa- Nana was fighting hard to keep it together!

You can see the rest of the pictures on my Facebook page.