Random Cuteness and Whining

And now on to the whining. I.am.exhausted. You know how when you have a baby, and when you first come home from the hospital you are running on excitement, joy and adrenaline? The night feedings don't seem to bother you at first, because of those things. After about two weeks of getting up every 2 hours at night, the exhaustion hits. It's funny how the same thing happens when you have a puppy. The honeymoon is officially over.

**note**No, I am not feeding him during the night. As I've said before, his bladder is the size of a pea. No pun intended.

Justice Juels

Justice Juels was founded by Chelsea Dischinger, a stay-at-home mom who had a desire to make a difference with her life. Once she learned about the horrific Human Trafficking Industry she decided to start a company to support her family and help raise money for this cause. Justice Juels is a for-profit company who donates more than 50% of their profits to organizations who are involved in the fight to abolish Human Trafficking worldwide. Each piece of jewelry is hand-made with the finest materials and can be custom ordered in various sizes, styles and colors. Specializing in custom jewelry the options are endless. The average age of a Sex –Trafficking Victim is 14 years old. The average victim is forced to have sex up to 20 times a day. These victims are usually kidnapped or enticed by promises of a well-paying job in a foreign country. Once they arrive at their destination their new life usually begins with physical beatings, rape, forced prostitution or bonded labor. Their travel documents are taken from them and many times they are told their family will be hurt if they do not cooperate. In a state of malnutrition, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, unsanitary living conditions, forced abortions and HIV, these women and children work day after day in highly guarded facilities with no hope for their future. This cannot go on any longer. Justice Juels was birthed out of a desire to be a voice for those who do not have one. A voice for those women and children who wait silently for someone to speak up on their behalf and bring forth justice. Someone who will take a stand, someone who will fight for them. If we do not speak up, then who will?


In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that I am posting this to enter a contest. However, after reading the background on this company, it is truly a worthy cause and I am happy to support it. Head on over to see Jennifer, and enter yourself!


In case anyone is scouring their brains trying to come up with a fabulous Mother's Day present for me (hehe), this is the necklace I would love to own. It has each child's birthstone on separate pendants. Absolutely gorgeous!

Introducing Leo

Leo is the newest member of our family. He is an 8 week old French Bulldog, and the funniest little person ever. I have been super busy taking care of him, and it has been great except for one thing. I am now back to getting up every 2 hours at night. His bladder must be the size of a pea!

Sorry for the lull in posting...

I've been quite busy this week. She's got a secret to tell....

But she's not givin' it up just yet!

Football!

I'm a Lucky Girl!

What a wonderful surprise I had yesterday when I opened my mailbox. My loving, thoughtul mother-in-law sent me a beautiful (and I mean gorgeously beautiful) card with a more than generous gift card for Target. I am super excited to head on over there today and shop! And, my sweet sister-in-law sent me a great note with a Starbucks gift card inside! I love Starbucks, but rarely will spend that much money on coffee for myself. This is a big treat for me! But the best part was the caring and uplifting messages you both wrote.
Thank you both, truly, for making my day! I love you both, almost as much as I love your son/brother. I'm a lucky girl to have been gifted with the two of you when I married the love of my life!

First Taste of Summer

Dezi: "Mmmm...just one quick bite..."

Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Daughter

I mentioned awhile back that Taylor has morphed from a wild, obnoxious opinionated and stubborn 3 year old into a sweet, helpful, happy child who listens and follows directions at least 80% of the time.
Last night I was laying on the couch, watching "Biggest Loser" (yes, I lay on the couch while I watch that show, and usually I am eating dessert too), when Taylor came out of her room for like the nine thousandth time since Corey put her to bed. The following conversation ensued...

Taylor: "I want to do you a favor."

Me: "Huh? What?"

Taylor: "I want to do you a favor."

Me: "Uhhh you want to do me a favor?"

Taylor: "Yes!"

And with that she looked around the living room for a few seconds, then ran to the baby wipes box and picked it up, then carried it into my room and put it on the table where it is usually stored.

Say what??!

And with that, she broke into a huge grin, and ran off down the hall to her own room. Sweet? Uh, just a little!

After thinking about this some, I realized that I am always asking her to do things for me (like get me a diaper, put this in the trash, hand me this or pick up that) and I usually preface it with "do me a favor and..."

She is really quite inventive in her "reasons" for coming out of her room after being tucked into bed for the night. I have heard "what's your name?" before, in addition to the usual "I'm thirsty" and "I need to go potty". Also "I am being quiet in my room and you are being too loud Mommy". This may have just been another reason to postpone going to sleep. I choose to go the other way and say, what a sweet, sweet girl to want to help her mommy.

Random Cuteness (cause I don't have much to say...)

101 Uses For The Redbox

We are big fans of the Redbox around here. You can rent a new release for $1, as opposed to $5 at Blockbuster. You can also purchase DVDs for $5. As you can see, we have taken advantage of this option a few times!


Taylor has so much fun building "houses"...

That is, until the hurricane Maddie blows by...