Things I Dig

In response to my grump list...here are some "things I dig."

• Lists (obviously...)
• Babies (my twin sis is having one RIGHT NOW...there will be another post on this)
• Camping
• Window shopping
• My boys
• Having a husband who tours VA wineries when he travels on his off time.
• White Merlot (see above)
• Dessert
• Bubbles
• Reading 
• Trying new foods
• Seeing moms breastfeed in public (go ahead and roll your eyes, I'm cool with that)
• Ice (preferably from Jumpin' J's in Florence)
• Making my husband a meal that he requests to eat again (chicken spaghetti, baked eggrolls, Ramen casserole???)
• Making my kids a healthy meal that they will actually eat 
• Sappy, romantic, cheesy stuff
• Perfume, blush, and lip gloss (on a deserted island, this is what I'd miss)
• My parents, siblings, and in-laws
• Having a friend nearby to do free date night exchanges with
• The "rainbow" selection at the car wash
• Coffee someone else makes 
• Having a husband who is "not a natural," but gives it all he's got ;)
• Facebook
• Learning to make my own "stuff"
• Peace (the groovy, hippie kind) 
• Peace (that passes understanding)
• Having a Savior.  Enough said.

Overrated...

A list of things I'm not into...right now.

• Sorting laundry
• Politics
• Measuring before hanging pictures
• Recipes without substitutions
• Grass (as in "lawns")
• Preschool
• Disposable Products
• "Me Time" (I kind of like my husband and kiddos)
• Shopping for Clothes
• War on Germs (aka "antibacterial" everything)
• Washing clothes before wearing them
• Stuff (aka "dust catchers" or "attic fillers")
• Meat as the main dish (I'm sorry, Pack...it's not you, it's me.)
• Phone calls
• Eyebrow maintenance
• Running
• Having to CLEAN a washing machine (seriously, my oven can practically clean itself, but the washer???)     Speaking of...
• Front loading, HE washers
• Itineraries on vacations
• Coupons
• Uninterrupted sleep (who needs it, anyway!?)

Actually, it sounds like I might need a few nights of uninterrupted sleep...I sound like a complete grump!  Maybe I'll make a new list of things I actually like...some other time.

How far I've come...

I once would have called my cooking style "semi-homemade," but this, folks...THIS is a slice of our homemade bread (Pack's first loaf) covered in homemade strawberry jelly that we made from the strawberries that we hand-picked at a local farm. Oh...and it's really good;) My, how Virginia has changed us.

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Pack, this one's just for you:)

Eleven years ago (when I was a junior in high school), I had this crush on a guy who may or may not have known I existed (and who may or may not have known which "twin" I was).  We "talked."  We flirted.  We went to a concert together.  I told him I had a thing for big, strong, tall guys.  He said he always like petite girls.  He gave me a piggyback ride on the beach because I didn't have shoes with me on the shell-littered shore.  We had our first kiss at his house and we became "boyfriend and girlfriend."  After a sweet summer with lots more kisses, I was addicted.

Sometime that first year.

 Then...he went away to college...FOR FOUR LONG YEARS (well, four-and-a-half, if I'm being honest).  I tried going to college close to him (it didn't work).  He thought about coming home to be close to me (he didn't).  There were a couple of times that we both thought it just might not work (but, it did).

One month after he graduated (on my 21st birthday), he asked me to marry him at a picnic on the grounds of the university I was attending.  I still can't believe I didn't cry.

Telling the Family!

Just a few short months later, in April of 2005, I married him...at last (and I still didn't cry)!

The kiss!

Now, six years after that most perfect wedding day, I'm living in someplace I never imagined I'd be with someone I never imagined I would be able to love more and more each day, and I have the job of my dreams...as the mother of his children.

Nowadays...

He makes me laugh all. the. time.  He is such an awesome dad.  He makes me feel beautiful (even though very little about me still resembles that "petite girl") and I have never doubted his faithfulness.  He prays with me and for me.  He always surprises me.  He never stops trying to be better--at his job and at home.  He makes me walk on the inside of the road with the children so he can protect us from traffic.  He's an awesome guitarist.  He is honest with me.  He is such a professional and his work makes me so proud.  He's a friend to everyone.  He's mine and I know he loves me.

Me with my best friend!

Pack, thank you for kissing me, loving me, and asking me to marry you six years ago.  You are very simply the best husband I could ever dream of and I'm so thankful that God saved you for me!

Happy (late) Anniversary!!!

Time to Breathe

We have been so busy for the past few weeks (or just this past month) that I haven't even thought about blogging.  I mean, I wanted to, but life comes first, right?  Here's a little synopsis of what the Packards have been up to lately!

Visitors!  It seems we've had a steady flow lately since we got the "office" switched to our bedroom and we actually have a "guest room" now.  Starting with Karen, Cam, and Jac back in mid-March for a weekend-long play date, followed by my parents the next weekend for Jude's birthday (which was lots of fun and my parents helped a ton!), and most recently Pack's mom came for an overnight visit last week while traveling to Lynchburg (she took us out for dinner. and gifted me a nice solo grocery shopping trip!!!).  It's been fun.  I love having visitors although I'm still learning how to be a good hostess.  Luckily, family is very forgiving so it's been stress free.

Traveling to SC.  It's always fun going home, but that drive is surely dreaded.  We've been to South Carolina a couple of times this past month.  One time I just didn't want to stay by myself for that long while Pack had to be in Florence anyway, and then there was this past weekend that had been planned for a while.  This past weekend was an adventure of its own...

Dirty children...the only time they stood still!

This past weekend.  If you have ever wanted to pack your weekend with as much activity as possible, then you should let me plan your schedule.  I can never decide if I'd rather have one thing to do every weekend for four weeks or four things to do in one weekend.  Since we don't live in Florence, we just have to pack in as much as we can in a short time frame whenever we come home.  This weekend was no exception.  We started with a campout on Friday night with our church (after driving straight to SC).  Then we got up early, had breakfast, and headed home to mom's to clean ourselves up.  I was immediately off to do some shopping for some things I would need in the afternoon.  After getting settled back at mom's, she and I were off to my aunt's house for a shower we were throwing for my sister, Karen who is having her first girl (pretty much our whole family's first baby girl...we're pretty excited).  We had approximately 30 minutes to set up before the shower started and it was a hit.  She got some way cute things!!!  We cleaned up by 5'o clock and I headed back to my mom's to pack my bag for an overnight hotel stay uptown with my sweet husband on our anniversary (most of the day I was so busy, I forgot it was even our day, but I'll devote another post exclusively to my sweet hubby later this week!!!).  We ate dinner at a great new restaurant called Southern Hops and had a great night's rest in a spacious hotel room without being disturbed....ahhhhhh.  Then--back to breakfast at mom's, followed by church, lunch, and then target practice with Pack's dad...oh yeah, then church one more time (pant, pant, pant).  We made it home yesterday (after a long and stressful drive to RVA) and went straight to our Small Group Bible Study.  After putting the kids to bed , we both crashed by 9:30.  I am SO. GLAD. TO. BE. HOME.

Carmon's Diaper cupcake ceterpiece!

A brand new day.  Back to the grind, right?  Started today off with a 2 year old check-up for Jude only to have it thrown in my face that he's growing faster than the speed of light (okay, not that fast, but three and a half inches in just a few months is pretty significant).  He jumped from 75th percentile in height to 95th although he's still a scrawny little thing.  I swear I'd kill for his BMI...  Baby Jude is turning into a boy, I guess!

There are so many things going on in my family that I have to be thankful for right now. We are really blessed and so grateful!!!!  Hopefully, this month will be a little slower paced so I don't forget to take some time to breathe (I doubt it though...).

Jude...you make it better!

My sweet baby is turning TWO!  I can't believe it.  I'll probably say that every birthday that passes, but it seriously seems IMPOSSIBLE that he's that big.  Big enough to say how old he is.  Here are some things that make our Jude...OUR JUDE!

He has the sweetest hazel eyes that come directly from his Daddy.  They melt me.

He is definitely a man of many moods.  Which is why we often call him "Moody Judey."  And I can take full credit for that ;-)

Jude LIVES BIG.  I say this a lot.  Meaning, he's fearless.  Nothing scares my baby boy, which means that everything he does terrifies me.  Seriously, I see medical bills in our future.

He has the cutest baby words.  Penn didn't really have a whole lot of baby words, so I really love hearing Jude say things like, "Tank choo (thank you),"  "Wootsh (oops), "Sowy (sorry)," and "Too (I love you, too)" among many others.  He didn't talk for a long time, but now he's saying new words every day.  He also loves sign language, so I try to learn new things to teach him as often as possible.

He's scared of noises like dogs barking at night, airplanes or jets, and motorcycles...even if they are far away and we can barely hear them.  And he runs straight for moi when he hears them.  I eat up every second!  Yep, he's a mama's boy:)

Speaking of eating, he loves vegetables and grains and eats WAY more than Penn.  Meat, not so much.  He likes the idea of meat, but will chew it up for a while and then spit it out.  It's pretty gross.

Baby Boy plays hard!  He is constantly on the move, usually trying to do something dangerous or making the biggest mess possible in the shortest amount of time.  No joke.  I've never seen a kid that can make a mess this fast! 

He's a flirt!  This kids LOVES girls.  It makes no matter whether she's 8 days or 80 years old.  And they seem to love him (it's those eyes, for real!).

Mr. Independent.  He has no idea that he's any younger than his big brother or the grade school daredevil boys that live in our neighborhood for that matter.  And if you try to tell him that he's not big enough, he'll show you the biggest tantrum he can muster!

He sleeps!  After he actually STARTED sleeping at 9 months, he has been the perfect little boy at night.  If he and Penn didn't share a room, he would never wake up in the middle of the night.

He wants to be just like his big brother and he cries for Penn more often than anyone else in the family.  If we want him to do something and he's reluctant, we tell him, "Do ____ just like Penn!"  That usually does the trick ;-)

He is so unique.  For so long, he seemed like Penn's twin (not that twins can't be different...).  It was so hard NOT to compare the two look-alikes!  Now, God's creativity is clear.  Jude is a masterpiece and we are having so much fun getting to know this little boy.

Our sweet "Baby Jude" makes our family so much better. Simply put...HE'S AWESOME, and I'm so thankful to be his mommy!  Happy birthday, sweet boy!

P is for Patience.

Week one of "home-preschooling" is over!  On Monday, we started this simple little curriculum I bought from Laura Coppinger at www.heavenlyhomemakers.com, called, "Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve."  It's as simple as it sounds and I loved it as soon as I saw it because it gave me an opportunity to try out homeschooling without dishing out tons of cash for a preschool curriculum that was totally unnecessary.  I also loved that I could take this and run with it completely or just use bits and pieces of it that would fit into our days.  I am all about using someone else's good ideas:)  And who doesn't want to teach their children to have a servant's heart???

I was going to tell you all about it...how I bought it, what we did day by day, why I chose not go linearly through the alphabet...you know, stuff you're probably not that interested in.  Instead, I'll tell you this story and you will hopefully see the heart behind the lessons.

Day One.  We talked the Letter "P" to death.  Penn really liked the idea of "school" so I thought things were going pretty well.  Then, we tried to think of people that we could pray for that started with "P."  Unfortunately, we could only think of four people (bet you can guess two of them...).  It suddenly occurred to me that "penny" starts with "P" and when I worked in a public school, we took up a collection for "Pennies for Patients."  That sounded perfect to me!  I told Penn that we would be on the lookout for pennies for a while and that we would give them to sick people in the hospital.  Shortly after, I found him in his room, dumping out all of his money from his banks.  He was separating all the pennies so he could give them to the sick people.  I think I might have cried.

I see a ton of lessons about serving in that face right there...and I'm the one who needs to learn them.