Flying, Nesting or Both?

I have been keeping my house clean (not just picked up) for almost a month. Let me explain quickly what this entails. I can have anyone over at the last minute without feeling embarrassed. The majority of the house is picked up and about 2/3 of that is cleaned. I still have some rooms/areas I would like to clean up and go through! Who doesn't? I thought it was my was all part of my FlyLady system. I have been faithful to work on it almost ever day. However, I have come to the conclusion that FlyLady is not the only thing keeping me going. I am pregnant and must be in my nesting phase. I didn't go through this phase with Hannah. Back then it was easy to keep the house clean and I was at work all day and not at the house. So that could explain why I didn't "nest" with Hannah. But with Trey, I am always cleaning. And I LIKE it! If you know me, you know that my house is always in CHAOS unless I am expecting company. And you know I HATE house work, especially laundry. (Which I am proud to say I have been keeping up with!) SO, is it FlyLady, pregnancy or a combo of Flying and nesting? I don't know. I guess we will see after Trey gets here! What keeps you motivated?

Another Miracle on Markham

I am not a big sports fan, but my husband is. I have followed the Razorbacks in the past and enjoyed being a faithful follower. This year has been a lot different. I haven't kept up with them at all. Last night was the famous Battle of the Boot Game with LSU. In the past years, this game has always been exciting. I was at the Little Rock game a few years back when the Razorbacks beat LSU in the last few seconds and won the SEC championship. OK, maybe it was some time ago, but it was one of the best football games I have ever been too. DJ and I were still in collage at UAMS and just dating. It was a very memorable experience. Well, now the Razorbacks have a new memorable experience and sadly I missed it. I was not expecting the Razorbacks to score, much less win the game. I was impressed when DJ told me they won. I watched the last few minutes from our recording of the game last night with DJ. He was so excited and dancing to the band's songs. Now there is a true fan! Sadly I was not at the game so I don't have this awesome experience to tell you about first hand, nor do I have any photos of the game or tailgating to show you. I just thought I would express my mind and say that I will never doubt the Razorbacks again. Just another Miracle on Markham, Razorbacks Win!

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Here the Hogs are celebrating their victory for The Boot!

Pictures of Trey and Christmas Photos

Here are the pictures I promised you sooo long ago! And here are some family photos of us for Christmas.

The scary photo of Trey's face. These ultrasound photos were taken the day before Halloween.

His foot!

The profile picture.

It's a Boy!

We know for sure now we are having a boy. The baby looked great on the ultrasound and the heartbeat is still strong (158 bpm). I have some photos I will add, but for now I just wanted to get the word out. We are not a 100% sure on the name but are leaning more towards naming him after DJ. If we decide to go with that route he will be Dennis Dale Jackson III and we will call him Trey. On the other hand, if DJ decides not to name the baby after himself, then I am not sure what we will name him. We have a little while to decide and will let you know when we are sure. We are going to Eureka Springs this weekend for DJ's niece's 2nd birthday party, so I will update with photos after we get back!

When mom's away, the cats will play!

Hannah has been stuck inside the last two days with strep throat, not to mention it has been pretty cold in the mornings too. So, this has made for a restless Hannah! I was trying to pass time so the weather would warm up while fixing my printer issue. The new ink cartridges have messed up something and now will not print the color blue. Instead it prints pink! Anyway, while I was chatting with HP help support Hannah was watching Monsters, Inc. Or so I thought she was! Instead she was giving her bathroom a make over, or rather a Make-up Over! Here is her handy work.

Here is what she looked like when she came to me in to office and said she needs to wash her hands.

Here what I discovered when taking her to wash her hands, not realizing the size of the mess beforehand.

Some close-ups of the sink and floor.

She did try to clean up. Here is the make-up she used. Notice the brown covered eye make-up and the brush hidden in front of the basket.

The towel she used and placed neatly on the towel rack. She also managed to get some make-up on my fresh white towel too!

In just one more week: Boy or Girl?

One week from today we get to see our baby again via ultrasound. The doctor (or actually the tech) will look at the developing organs and make sure the baby is growing healthy and normal. Also he will look at the weight and possible due date, and not to forget the baby's sex! Yea! And yes we want to know what we are having. I have said it before that we want first and fore most a healthy baby. After that I would like a girl for money reasons and DJ wants a boy.

What do you think it will be? Take my poll on the right and on Thursday we will find out for sure!!!

The first recognizable object

While in the car this morning (waiting on breakfast) Hannah was drawing on her magnetic doodle pad. You know, the ones you draw on with a magnetic pen and then can erase with the lever at the bottom. I don't know the technical name, but we all had one as a kid! Anyway, I heard her in the back saying "tree Mama". Since there are no trees in the drive thru at Sonic, I figured she must be drawing something or want me to draw something. I turned around and to my amazement she had drawn a tree of her own. This is were I would have normally taken a picture, but didn't think to bring my camera along for this ride. I will explain it to my best ability and then hopefully get her to redraw it sometime soon. It was a line (for the trunk) and some squiggly circle-like lines on top. It looked pretty good from a two and half year old. I was impressed since this was the first object that you could actually recognize. I asked her if she could draw Mama and she said no! I guess my portrait will have to wait till another day!

Baby's First Movement

Last night was the first time I felt the baby move. I thought I might have felt it last week a couple of times, but every time was when I just moved or was busy with something. So, I didn't think of it too hard. Last night while watching some TV in bed (laying still) I started feeling the movements just like I felt when I first felt Hannah move. So, I knew it was the baby! I also felt it move again today. It isn't nearly as stead now, but I know the movements will start to get harder and come more often. I have been nervous for the past month. Right around 12 weeks my nausea went away. I had no way of knowing the baby was OK, except for the doctor appointment when we heard the heart beat again. That was on the 2nd and the heart beat was 163. Just like Hannah's when I was pregnant with her. So, I now have a daily reminder again. This time, it is a more pleasant feeling. I just love to feel it move. I am 16 weeks and first felt Hannah move at 18 weeks. I guess that is a perk of having a second baby!

Say Cheesy!

Here is a picture of Hannah dressing up in her (as I call it) pimp mama hat and top! She looks so cute and funny in it. My step mom bought it at the Dollar Tree for $1 each item. Hannah loves dressing up in it.

Going to Put-Put

Yesterday DJ got of work at 4:30! Thanks to his new pharmacist working for him, the schedule is a little more like normal. He has two different shifts: 8-4:30 and 1:30-10pm. The has every other Thursday off and every other Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off giving him a three day weekend every other week! Thank you God and for all your prayers!

To say all this, yesterday after he got home we ate dinner at a decent hour. It was still early so after a quick shower, we all went to the newer put-put course here in Benton. This was Hannah's first time to go. She had been with her daddy and and Grandpa to the golf course earlier but never to miniature golf. It was an experience. She loved picking up every one's ball and placing it in the hole for us. She also love the shortcut holes that lead you ball straight to the hole. She basically did her own thing and DJ and I tried to play. We didn't keep score and it was a lot of fun for all of us. I thought at first Hannah would be hitting her ball into the water or off the course. She didn't end up doing any of that, I did! The next to last hole I ended up hitting my ball into the water! I never have claimed to be good at the sport!

Daddy showing Hannah how to properly hold the putter and hit the ball. This was not how she hit the ball. She did it a really weird way! But it was her show!

Hannah playing with the short cut hole

Just doing my part!

A couple of months ago I was turned on to reusable shopping bags. At first the idea scared me. I thought there is no way I would be able to use them since I usually fill my buggy to the top with groceries and household items. I didn't want to carry a bunch of bags to Wal-Mart every time I need to do shopping. I tried it out and realized you can fit a BUNCH of groceries in just one bag. They are bigger and more sturdy than the plastic bags. You can fit TWO gallons of milk in one bag and when you carry it into the house it doesn't feel as heavy! I use them all the time now. I neatly fold them up and put them in one bag after each use. That way they are ready to go when I am. And I only have to carry one extra bag into Wal-Mart, instead of seven. That is how many I own and only use sometimes.

The best thing about the whole experience is they are reusable!!! I am not wasting plastic and letting them sit in a landfill for a life time! They cost $1.00 the first time you buy them and then are free after that. The cashiers don't mind them too much and I am doing my part in saving the earth. How can I go wrong? What things do you do to help the earth?

What was I thinking?

We have a fish aquarium! Here is the story: (Sorry so long)

Yesterday I had some errands to run for the week and the shower I am hosting at my house on Friday! I needed my regular groceries plus the food for the shower, a punch bowl, ribbon, and advantix K9 for Lexi's flea control. I asked my step-mom Sheila if she would like to go and get out of the house (she can't drive due to a stroke). The stores to hit were Hobby Lobby, (maybe Office Depot and Linen N' Things), PetSmart, somewhere to eat lunch, and Wal-Mart. This was going to be a busy day for all of us! When in W. Little Rock we decided to go to the big Dollar Tree. I ran into Office Depot to get some assorted sized rubber bans and then we went to Hobby Lobby to get ribbon and a punch bowl (which saved me a trip to Linen N' Things). After we went to PetSmart to get Lexi's meds. I told Sheila it would only take a few minutes and they could stay in the car. She insisted in bring Hannah in to look at the fish and other animals they sell. OK! I get the meds and come around the corner and Hannah has a bag of gold fish (two) and Sheila said she would keep them at her house. Hannah was SO excited. I have never seen her this excited about something. I started looking at the fish and the tanks and talking to the sales rep (my mistake). I talked to DJ briefly and decided to get a 10 gal starter tank for Hannah. She could use the two gold fish Sheila bought and I got a couple more. SO, we have 4 gold fish! I think later on we may get some more interesting fish, but for now the goldies are just fine! The only thing I don't like about the fish tank is that I had to put it in my kitchen. I was afraid of putting it somewhere Hannah could reach it and pull it over. She is so excited about them and sometimes tries to put her hand in there. I really have to watch her, but the kitchen makes it a little safer.

Hannah showing off her new pets.

4 fish (lower right corner)

Fun at the Zoo

Last Saturday the Little Rock Zoo had free admission all day due to the Razorback game. Every time the Razorbacks play in Little Rock, the zoo will allow free admission. Now this may sound like a great thing, but really it can be a parking nightmare. Instead of having "zoo" parking, you are expected to pay $20 to park on the golf course with all the fan who are tailgating. We ended up parking about a mile (maybe less) from the entrance to the zoo. Once inside, the crowd was a bit larger than I have seen, but manageable! My step-mom Sheila went with me since DJ had to work. We invited my good friends Robert and Ellen and their two adorable children, Tori and Carson, to come with us. They were brave enough to come and we all had a fun experience and the kids really enjoyed the animals.

Hannah being cheesy as she looks at the elephants.

Hannah, Tori, and Carson

Carson would go up to Hannah and ask her to hold his hand. I don't think Hannah understood what he was asking and usually she would pull away from him. When I would say to her "Hannah hold Carson's hand" she would grab his and they would walk around holding hands. I think Hannah may have found her first boyfriend. However, Big Daddy DJ will not let this happen until she is much older!

Do you see the way she is looking at him? We may have trouble after all. I think they were so cute!

Lost and Found

OK, a few months ago I posted about my trip to Texas. I also mentioned I lost my camera somewhere in Texas! Well, it was found yesterday in my Aunt's couch. Apparently she looked but couldn't find it when I realized I lost it. She called me today to let me know she found it last night stuffed way down in the couch. She couldn't believe she missed it last time she looked. What is funny about all this is when we bought a new camera (to replace the one I lost) we joked about finding the old one and then having two! It has been a couple months, but the old one is found. AND...now we have two! I think however, I may give the old one to my cousin who lives in Texas (she doesn't have one yet) and have them send me the SD memory card so I can have my pictures. I will update this post with pictures from my trip when we get the card.

Golfing with Daddy and Grandpa

Thursday DJ and his Dad, Dennis, took Hannah golfing for the first time. They left around 9 am to go meet Dennis and then head to War Memorial Park. I would have gone with them, but I had to work that afternoon and would have been late getting to work. So it was just the three of them. I thought it would have been fun to be a fly on the wall, so to speak. I know when Hannah is needed to behave that is usually the time she likes to act out the most. However, she did really well according to DJ. He said she wanted to hold the ball at first and then wanted a club. She had to have one of both at all times. She would get out of the cart at every hole and watch the guys play. DJ said by the 9th hole she was worn out. I guess that is a lot of walking for little legs, even with a golf cart. Unfortunately Hannah got sunburned. I completely forgot to pack the sunblock and so did DJ. It isn't bad since they tried to keep her in the shade most of the time. However it was a hot day and very sunny. So her little shoulders are slightly pink. Nothing that hurts her thankfully! Here are some pictures DJ took of their trip.

Daddy and Hannah in the cart

Grandpa and Hannah in the cart

Hannah chasing Grandpa's club around and around

The Best Seat in the House

Here is a picture of Hannah and DJ watching Disney's Robin Hood. Hannah loves for DJ to carry her on her shoulders around our living room and kitchen. If they are not running round then they are resting!

The Nintendo Wii

My brother Matt has a Nintendo Wii and keeps it at our house because of the space in our living room. Since he lives just down the street, this is not a problem for either party! :) Some of the latest games we have wanted happen to be some of the hardest to get: Mario Kart and Wii Fit. This morning (on his day off), DJ went to Best Buy at 9:30 to stand in line to get the two games. DJ was able to get the game Mario Kart, but he said there were no Wii Fits on this shipment. He will have to do this again on Saturday to acquire a Wii Fit.

Mario Kart is crazy fun and addicting. My brother came over and the three of us have switched off playing all day. When we would get tired, Hannah would join in! Here is a picture of her enjoying our new game!

Hannah fake playing Mario Kart!

DJ's 10th Year Class Reunion

This past weekend was DJ's 10 year class reunion. He graduated from Parkview High School here in Little Rock 10 years ago. For me (class of 2001) that seems like a long time ago. Sometimes I forget how long I have been out of High School. Since then we have graduated from college, got married, took some amazing trips (before and after marriage), bought our first house (and second) and had our first child with another one on the way! I am so proud of my husband for all his accomplishments. I could take up a lot of space bragging on my husband, but he asked me to keep it short and sweet. I really do love him. He makes me so proud everyday! Here are some pictures from the reunion.

Hannah playing in a big inflatable on Saturday at the picnic.

Hannah posing for the camera. She loved playing in the inflatable!

The semi-formal dinner at Next Level Events. Very good food and fun times visiting with and meeting DJ's old friends.

Some familiar faces:

Candice and Wesley Heltz - Candice graduated with DJ

Alisa and Daniel Cornelison - Alisa graduated with DJ

Baby News

I just wanted to update everyone on the baby. We had our first doctor appointment and ultrasound last Thursday. On the ultrasound we heard the heartbeat (and saw it too). It was beating at 121 bpm. The tech said anything over 100 is good at this point. It was a big relief to hear it. Everything else looked fine as well. I thought I was 7 weeks at the time of the appointment, but the baby measured at 6w5ds. Not too far off! Dr. Keller said everything else looked good too. I have to continue taking Prometrium until the 12th week. That is the time the placenta will take over. As far as sickness, things are OK. I get a little nauseous during the day, but nothing has come up so far. Hopefully it will stay that way. I tend to get more sick if I am hot and this summer heat hasn't helped at all. I haven't been sick these last couple of days and I think it is because it is not hot outside. We will see when the weather returns to normal. For now, lets enjoy the cooler weather!!!

The baby is on the left (being measured) and the little ball on the right is called a yoke sac.

The baby from a different view

FlyLady

My friend Amber has motivated me to keep my house clean. She posted a blog about cleaning house. I am not the best homemaker. It is tough to keep the house clean when you pick up the living room 3-5 times a day. Hannah dones't get the idea of playing just in her room. :)

About a year ago I was introduced to FlyLady and was able to keep my house picked up. It was amazing how easy it was even with a little one. I had developed a good habit and routine. Then one week about after a month or two into it I got sick. I wasn't able to get out of bed most of the time. Watching Hannah was all I could do. During that week I fell out of my routine. That was all it took. I have been back to the old self of not wanting to clean. Thanks to Amber's blog, I have been motivated again. I went and looked at FlyLady again and then went and shined my kitchen sink! I am excited. And so is DJ! Thanks Amber!!!

Before

After

Roseola or Sixth Disease

Yesterday morning I got to sleep in. DJ got up with Hannah and fed her. When I woke up and come into the living room, DJ said that Hannah's face looked blotchy. When I took a look I noticed it looked more like a rash and so I checked her out on her belly and back too. Sure enough she had broken into a rash. I was scared because I had never seen this before (on my daughter). Her fever had gone away the day before; I didn't know what to make of all this. I made her an appointment with the doctor. Turns out she didn't have just a fever virus; she has Roseola. It is a fever virus that causes a rash after the fever goes away. It is seen in children under 4 years, usually. It is caught the same way a cold is caught. I have no idea where she got it from. It started Saturday and the only time we were around other kids (that were not sick) was on Wednesday at Wild River Country. I guess she could have gotten it there or at the store. The doctor said it would get worse before it gets better. And she is not contagious anymore. I still don't want to take her out because people don't know she isn't contagious and give us funny looks. I would post pictures of Hannah's rash, but I wont get my camera until tomorrow. So here are a few pictures of the rash from the Internet that look most like Hannah's.

This is what Hannah's belly looked like

And her back

And this is a mild picture of what her face looked like. Hers was more solid red and swollen. If she still has it tomorrow I will update with her photos.

Good News

I am so excited about the pregnancy. I am still a little nervous about any problems. But I know God will take care of me and my baby. I have been going every Monday and Thursday to have my hCG levels and progesterone levels tested. On Monday (7-21) my hCG level was about 350. Last Thursday (7-24) my hCG level was 1613. This Monday my levels were 8507. I have been told this a good sign. I have looked online to see what normal levels were. I have found there is a wide range of "normal" levels. The nurse didn't express any concern and she said they will double and triple right now. She also said that I will not need to check my levels again until my appointment on the 7th. I am also taking Prometrium (sp?) to help my progesterone levels. Those levels look good too. One of the side affects of the medicine is nausea. I know that could be due to the pregnancy itself, but I am pretty sure it is from the medicine.

On another note, Hannah and I have a stomach bug of some sort. She has been running fever and we both have had some intestinal problems. I think they are starting to go away. Her fever has been down today and we both have slowed down in the other. I hope everything clears up soon. I hate seeing her sick. She has never run a fever for more than a day or two. Hers started on Saturday (fever). The other started yesterday for the both of us. If her fever is still there tomorrow, then I need to take her to the doctor. I really hope it goes away. I have a feeling that if she has to go to the doctor tomorrow they will want to draw blood for a CBC. I don't want her to go through that. I will let you know as things get better!

My New Camera

Wow! I didn't realize how expensive cameras are. My last camera was given to me. We didn't have to price and compare cameras. I liked it, it did everything I needed it to do. But since I lost it, I need to replace it. Thankfully my birthday is in August and so that is a good excuse to purchase something as expensive as a camera. I wanted one that was similar to the one I lost, but I didn't want to pay a hefty price for it. I found one I thought I would get (a newer version of the one I had) but it had a bunch of bad reviews. So I eventually found one for a little more in cost but it made up for it in features. It is a little on the bulky side, but I didn't want a little, easily broken camera. They are cute, but I needed function rather than cuteness. I went to Wal-Mart to buy the camera and they were discontinuing it. So, for 3 cents more and free shipping I ordered it from Best Buy yesterday. It should be here within the week. I am excited. Happy Birthday to me!

Baby on the way!

We are expecting our second child! We have been trying since April. We found out we were pregnant in April and then found out we miscarried the baby. It was a sad time for us but we have made it through. After waiting 2 months (Doctor's orders) we are now pregnant again. We are excited, but a little nervous too. After loosing a baby, it is hard to not fear another miscarriage. But we know God has a plan for everything and His love and grace brought us through our miscarriage and I know He will be there for this baby too.

Now to good news, I am 5 weeks pregnant and my hCG levels (pregnancy hormone) are normal. That is a good sign! Dr. Keller wants to have them drawn twice a week until it reaches 6000+. My first appointment is on the 7th. Please be in prayer for us and for me to feel God's peace with this pregnancy. I don't want to be afraid and it is not good for the baby.

First Time in a Theater

Today my Sunday School had a play date at the movies. Hannah loves to watch movies at home, so I thought she would love the big screen. We went to see Veggie Tales: The pirates who don't do anything. It was very cute. I think Hannah really like it too. At one point she was getting a little restless, but she behaved for the better part of the movie. I didn't have to leave like I feared. I would post a very cute picture of her sitting in her own seat eating popcorn (thanks Nitzia and Sara for sharing), but I have lost my camera. So, you will have to use your imagination for now. Hopefully next time we go to see a movie with Hannah, we will have a camera and take a picture for you!

Lost Camera

Since our trip to Texas I haven't been able to find my camera. I am so frustrated. I have missed some very cute pictures all because I have misplaced my camera. I am not sure if I left it in Texas or it was lost somewhere in the house. My fear is while we were unpacking, Hannah found it and put it somewhere (she has done this several times before.) Only this time I can't find it. This is one of the reasons I haven't blogged in a month. Hopefully it will turn up; I don't want to buy another one.

Oh, so beautiful!

I just love hearing Hannah talk. Everyday she surprises me with new words and phrases. Her concept of life and things around us amaze me! Just today she amazed me even more. I broke the latch on my vacuum cleaner and had to have it fixed. I went to pick it up today and as the lady brought it out she said they cleaned it up a bit for me. (I guess it was pretty dirty.) Hannah was with me and right after the lady said that, Hannah said "Oh it's so beautiful. It's pretty Mama." The lady and I just died laughing. Hannah was so serious. She then proceeded to talk and make friends with the vacuum. I guess she forgot that it was ours since we have been without for 2 weeks now. (Thankfully I have been using my parent's who live down the street!)

Another time today we were in the car and Hannah started to sign along with her Bible Songs CD. She asks every time we get into a car that we play her music. For the first time she sang out loud with it. She wasn't exact on the words, but she was close enough. I just loved it. I also sang along with her and she didn't ask me to stop this time. It was so much fun. She is getting so big!

Handmade Folded Photo Cards

Here is a unique expanding photo card made custom for you and your loved ones. They are great for Grandparent’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, birthdays and just because. The card is not just a card it is a gift too. It makes a great and inexpensive keepsake for family members.

The card features an expanding layout for photos, stickers and your comments. It has a beautiful ribbon to keep them nicely folded for safe keeping. The custom tag labels the occasion or a short message. You will get to choose the cover and tag to make the card just right for the occasion and the receiving loved one. The entire card is made from photo safe and acid free materials!

Front

Inside (made w/ 6 photos)

Where does she get it from?

The other night we were watching TV. It was getting close to Hannah's bed time and she thought she would start a new game. She took all the DVDs out of the entertainment center and perfectly stacked them in a tower (PERFECTLY) and then proceeded to lay them out in a pattern. Even though it became her bed time, we let her continue to see how far she would go. She ended up with about 30 DVDs (most of what we have) before we made her stop and pick them up. Both DJ and I are OCD and I wonder if she is going to be somewhat the same. They say your kids will become you as they get older and wiser. I hope she is not as OCD as I am! Here are a few pics of her new game!

getting started

getting more

getting overwhelmed