Goebbert's Farm

This is a tradition for us each fall. We love going & for all the times we wish we could have kids with us in years past, it's crazy to see Blake & Iris running around the place enjoying themselves. We met up with our dear friends Kristi & Gavin (and Henry, their son) and got to see her parents after a couple of years. What a fun reunion!

We stayed a while and ran into some other families we knew and hadn't seen in a couple of years. It was a nice reunion! The kids had a blast running around & although I'm pretty certain it was the first time Iris has seen pumpkins she seemed quite enthralled with the whole scene. She wanted to touch each and every one and I've never heard so many compliments on her cuteness in one afternoon which was nice. Here we are!

Unfortunately this year they had a large area roped off that you had to pay in order to go walk around in. This was the first time we couldn't just stroll through the grass & have them sit in the little train, climb up on the ginormous rocker & just run around but oh well, we still had a great time. We skipped the animal land for today and just watched our two munchkins run in circles. Here a few pics:

 

I was happy to grab up pretty corn to hang on my front door, a cute green cinderella pumkin & mini white pumpkins for a small entry display. I'll have to take a pic once it's daylight. How's everyone else enjoying their fall???

Navy Bathroom!

This is how I envisioned my navy bathroom looking. Of course I have the boring builder grade mirror & cheap lighting that really can't be fixed (lack of skill & $) but I gave it a shot anyway. Sort of guessed on color because  I was in a hurry to "fix" what I had destroyed.
I got tired of my pale yellow walls that was left over from the nursery & tried to do one accent wall with paint I had lying around. I did not like it! Then I tried another paint I had around. Oops. Hated it more. I ran to the mistint section @ Ace & tried to correct it. Not good. Then I went to the mistint section @ Lowes once and for all and got white paint/primer in one. This still didn't work. I needed a dark color to fix all the paint that had gooped up the wall. Now thankfully so far the whole mess only cost me 3.00 in mistake paint.

So Sunday night I ran to my scary walmart down the street, out of patience and money & wanting to just make it work so I could stand being in there. I found their cheapest paint & saw "Rich Navy" & immediately loved it. I almost changed my mind and went for a charcoal gray but decided that I have enough gray around and navy is a great pop with yellow and gray (the rest of the house). Now on pinterest I had seen another color which was almost black but it was Benjamin Moore & although I know it's great stuff, it's a bit pricey.
I only got a quarter of a gallon which come to find out was not enough and in time I have to get more so the walls look saturated. However, I'm so tired of painting that will have to wait (and no money anyway for these upgrades when we are moving anyway).
Here she is, in all her glory:

Sorry for the cheap quality, my camera is not great & I need practice taking better photos.
Now  I know what a terrible painter I am, also quite impatient & with those ugly floors & bad trim it's hard to make this look decent. Trying to bring as much white in as possible. Thankfully that rug gives it a nice punch & the art is my beautiful grandma kreloff, done by my Uncle Marty who is oh so talented. I love seeing her each day & remembering my dad's side of the family in that way. 
The small white frames are from the flea market and although I love them they are a bit small for that wall, so they might move. I had the holes though & so it works for now. It's not perfect but better than before I think.
Joe says he's glad he's not depressed or he would be each time he goes in there. Thanks for the comforting words honey :)
Okay am I crazy or does it look ok? My first reaction was spaceship/galaxy theme in a boy's bedroom, which I don't like that idea - I want sophisticated & modern space that has some depth :) Hopefully we'll move soon and it will just be a fun memory!
Here are a few other pics I've taken recently that capture some cute smiles!

Happy Weekend to you all!

It is not always easy to feel this way! Took the kids on some errands this morning & was humbled with their behavior in public, especially Iris. She seems to turn into a different child when we are out and about. At home she comes when I call & knows she will not get away with hurting Blake or screaming in protest. That all goes out the window in a store though & I find myself struggling with how to deal with it. Obviously I can't do discipline in public of any kind & I feel like when we get home she won't understand what we are talking about since it's so removed from the situation. I don't know the best steps to take in the privacy of our home to train her for being in public and showing obedience instead of screaming / arching her back / not listening to me when I speak.

Lately she loves to scratch her nails on anything she can touch : walls, chairs, doors, my car...you name it. Now she knows to not do this and gets in trouble each time she reacts this way. It really only happens when she's upset or told something she doesn't like , she quickly finds something to scratch and then looks at me like well, are you going to do anything about it? Today I tried to show her that the only surface she can scratch is my back. I'm hoping she gets the hang of that soon and the screeching nail madness ends soon.

Blake continues to be obsessed with cars, Thomas the train & bees. He thinks every thing in the sky is a bee, when he looks out the window he says bee, everywhere we go "bee". The boy is terrified to swing b/c I think that's where he got stung, so he plays with mulch at the playground instead. It's so sad to see his fear control him and stop him from doing something he used to love.

 

Tomorrow we are all going to bible study fellowship for the first time - last week I had the pleasure of going without the kiddos. I'd appreciate any prayers as Blake is not a big fan of nurseries or leaving me & I feel that Iris will not react well in that nursery type setting. I'm truly hoping they both enjoy their time and it's not a nightmare or battle.

September

Kind of crazy about this month. I love all the pumpkin stuff, love getting back into somewhat of a routine, love the cooler temperatures & the excitement of what is to come with the holidays.
I turned 33 yesterday, which I also kind of like (not the number, just the birthday part).

Joe made it a special day by taking off work so I could relax a bit more. Bible study fellowship started and I'm glad to be back for the second time. It's going to be a really good year & I can't wait to be back into the habit of doing a bible study all week to keep me accountable.

The kids are healthy, but I've been so burdened for my sister and all the sickness she's dealing with - that's one of the hardest parts of being so far away....my inability to be a help to her when she's dealing with so much (Drew's new vegan lifestyle due to severe allergies, Jack having pneumonia & bronchitis, Lyla being very sick, trying to get the kids to school, missing sleep...on top of the craziness already with 4 kids that are 5 and under.) They could use prayer!!!

Joe continues to follow some leads about various job openings & slowly but surely we hear the short sale is progressing with our home. We are truly hoping to get down there this fall, but it's completely out of our hands & we await good news with each passing day.

Blake & Iris are adorable as always - Blake is completely obsessed with cars & Iris has a shoe fetish that won't quit. I love being their mom.

Contentment grows in the soil of selflessness

I've realized how much lately I'm struggling with being content. Not only with where I am, but with what I have. It's so easy to focus on all the things I want and not look at what I've been blessed with already.  It's so natural in today's world to surround yourself with wanting more (blogs, stores, pinterest & I'm guilty of loving all of those!) I don't want a new purchase to make me more excited than God's Word or my walk with Him...Or thinking that if I just had this one thing I'll be satisfied & life will be so much better.  What makes me truly happy / joyful? Some wonderful thoughts from John MacArthur on contentment:

The Lord is my Shepherd ( a great boy's name by the way...)  I shall not want

Discontent or disastisfaction is self destructive.

What I have is enough. With it I am content and satisfied. I will accept what God has given me and be satisfied.

Brooding discontent in the provision God has given to us is sin.
I Tim 6:6 Godliness is means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. If you want to pursue something - make it godliness!

Heb 13:5 Let your character be free from the love of $ being content with what you have. Find contentment in promises of His provision

Phil 4>I've LEARNED to be content and it has nothing to do with circumstances! IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT I HAVE BUT WHO HAS ME!

Discontentment >Denies the right of God to do with us as He will & it fails to believe that this is God's best for us. Whatever He does in this life is for the purpose of making us spiritually mature.

Joy & peace which rides above all the trouble around us. Some ways to be content:

 Cultivate a love for others
 Cultivate the practice of rejoicing (told 70x's to do this in NT)  
 Obey the Lord!
 Learn to accept less than you are due (willingness to be mistreated and not demanding health or   wealth...contentment belongs to people who are willing to take less than they are due, you don't expect anything) 
Confident faith in the Lord. (He is near so be anxious for nothing, He is your true security, not your money or house or anything, it could be all gone in a flash, what is there to worry about - The Lord is near!)

Hope this encourages someone today - Have a great weekend everyone! If you want to hear his sermon on this go to gty.org & it's under Free Sermons, Phil 4: Contentment (He also has a 3 part series on the secret of contentment)

It was such a nice long weekend! We took the kiddos to the splash park this morning. They both still are fighting coughs / runny noses but on the mend. Wish I could say the same for Joe. He cannot stop coughing and has been sick since late June for the most part. He's tried everything (natural, steroid, medicine, vitamins, dr. visits....) and it's quite discouraging for him and I.

One early morning I indulged myself in a coffee shop stop while working on a grocery list & journaling. I have not done that alone in years and it was wonderful.

If anyone is reading this knows of a good dermatologist in the area, I'm 99% sure I have another spot of skin cancer on my face and I really don't love the guy I've seen in the past. It's a little scary when he's cross eyed and going at your face to slice off skin. I'd love a good recommendation!

 

Spent way too much time on Pinterest this weekend - that place is addicting. Still trying to sell our dresser & media unit on craigslist if anyone is interested :)

Serenity Now!

Well, what started out as a tiring morning (hello, Iris, it's 6am & not time to hear from you yet) became a very long and tiring day.
I won't bore you with the details but let's say I've had better. Took the kids for a walk as usual and Blake somehow injured his feet. The boy who loves to run and climb outside stood there crying and helpless and I felt more helpless b/c I had no idea what was wrong.
The lawn men were out which always sends Iris into panic mode, must be the noise level - she throws down everything (doll & drink) and just screams until I'm holding her. It's really kind of sad.

The kids are both sick and after talking to my mom I felt a bit of a nudge to take them to the dr. before the long weekend is here. We were gone for almost 3 hours & the kids both have wheezing in their chest that the dr. thinks the nebulizer will help. Finally we got our own! It was delivered tonight (how's that for service?) and I ran and got the medicine @ our "scary" walmart (much scarier than the one I love on Randall rd).

Blake freaked out when he realized where we were, before we even stepped foot in the building he was sobbing. After a couple minutes though he calmed down and pulled it together. Iris was a champ as always and even after a nebulizer treatment acted sweet. Guess their weight!
(Blake is 29 lbs & Iris 27 lbs.)
One embarassment? Her gas. That girl could be mistaken for a frat boy some days....between the burps & farts it's funny that it is coming from her little body. I'm always trying to tell people, no , that really was her!
Anyway, they are fast asleep now and I'm hoping I get more rest tomorrow during naptime than the hour that I got today (it's true I shouldn't complain about an hour, but compared to two or three I feel robbed).

On top of that my permanent retainer I've had for atleast 10 years broke off last night in the middle and Joe ended up using pliers to remove it. He aimed a bit close to my teeth & removed not only the metal piece but also the glue that attatched it to my tooth. I really hope it didn't do any damage . I have to wait till next saturday to find out.

Well, I guess I did bore you with details - sorry about that! I had to ramble on to someone. On a bright note, I enjoyed Mitt Romney's speech & thought he did an excellent job, as did Paul Ryan, Ann Romney & Condoleeza Rice earlier this week. Okay, I need some rest very soon. If I could only get Joe better this place would be much happier. He's been suffering on and off with a bad cough (he thinks Bronchitis) for months now...He'll do better for a few days and then it's back in full swing. He's on a steroid now in desperation to help and it would help me for him to stop taking it b/c it's kind of like he's on a man period.
Okay, it's getting late - better stop talking now before I get myself into trouble :)

What I did

Today:

Made a new quiche and it was awesome - check it out on pinterest (under homemaking = hot, then ministry meals)

Watched way too much Thomas the Train (Blake will cry if you try to put on anything else)

Tuning into the Republican convention tonight with some icecream (wish it was Thur & project runway came on...it's the only show I watch right now)

Heard the loudest cry humanly possible from Iris when suctioning her nose out (her & Blake both have colds)

Cleaned the kitchen 10 million times. Okay, 3x's but it felt much much more

Checked my email continuously for any takers on Craigslist (we are selling our bedroom dresser & tv entertainment center). Please buy it someone!!

Had a target starbucks date with B & I this morning with some pumpkin bread and coffee. Fun to have Blake sit in the chair, Iris on my lap and just enjoy their company for 2 minutes.

Ran into HomeGoods, wanted everything, then left.

All in all not a bad day....

Day to day

Here's where I spend my days. Literally. This is my entire living room space. It only looks like this at night & naptime as toys and trucks fill the floor. As soon as Blake wakes up he takes out every truck he has and lines them up on every piece of furniture. Iris has her dolls & stuffed animals everywhere & although it drives me nuts because I love a clean space there is a beauty to it. I can recall many years of wanting to have laughter, children noise & craziness in the house. It was so quiet. Now the quiet is short lived and that's fine with me.

To be honest, it's still quite an adjustment. I think if Blake were a few years older maybe it wouldn't feel quite so overwhelming or I wouldn't get the twin question each time I'm in public...but one day it will be fun for them to play and be so close in age.
Having our future in limbo stage right now has its challenges, but I remain intent on being content and realizing we have no control over any of it. I'm hopeful to get down to Florida this year (this fall would be ideal!) but only time will tell.

Joe and I decided to flip flop the bill keeper position and it's going to be my responsibility now. The last time I was in charge of paying bills it was a lot simpler as a single woman sharing an apartment with a friend. I'm determined to do it though & do it well and would love any feedback on what works well for others.

Well, that's about all that's going on here, nothing very exciting...just taking every day a step at a time.

I may enter my favorite thrift store a bit too much. Today when the cashier saw me she said "you again, shopaholic." In all fairness the place has been shut down for a couple weeks and I've been going through withdrawal. I stopped in Wed & saw some cute horse book ends & walked away without them.
Went back today to get them & found a few other great finds: 2 cute frames that are hideous now but once painted white they'll look great....a crate & barrel ornament for Christmas (1$), a small silver vintage tray (1$) & this super cool artichoke looking object (I splurged with 7$). Sounds wierd I know, but I've seen the same ones @ TJ Maxx and HomeGoods for much more and it has a great little architectural interest.
Of course this is an early b-day present to myself because I have no excuse to spend anything, especially after my speeding ticket last week! My mom and dad always send money for my birthday and I've chosen this year to spend the majority of it before I even recieve the check :)
I couldn't wait & already sprayed my bookends gray (rustoleum has the best dark grey color - love it!) and I'm debating on what color for my artichoke little object (white?grey? sunny yellow?)

Anyone else out there love thrifting or am I the only crazy one? The hunt is almost as fun as finding that perfect little treasure...

You is kind, you is smart, you is important

Iris: This girl blows me away some days. We are still working on behavior issues, but when she's sweet - she's sweet.
Each night before they go to bed and we are getting them dressed after bathtime Iris usually finishes first. She used to grab her bottle I'd have waiting next to Blake's drink and come sit on her little pink chair and patiently sit while we finished getting Blake dressed. Now she grabs Blake's drink and brings it to him. Then goes back to the living room and takes her bottle. How many one year old's are that thoughtful without being asked? (or even being asked for that matter!)

When she sees a dirty diaper that needs to get thrown she does it half the time without being asked. If I'm cleaning up toys she'll try to help. This morning on our way out she had taken off her head wrap in a different room and I said Iris, too bad you took off your headband, it looked so cute. She left and came back out in a few seconds with it in on her head. Unbelievable!

Most days when I get her up from her nap she's already awake, just laying there waiting quietly to get picked up (not the story with Blake!)

She gives Blake toys even when she wants them, she gives him kisses when I say to be sweet & even when she's upset she comes running for a hug or kiss. I'm truly blessed!

An expensive lesson

I was driving home from a wonderful time at Sara Jone's today, talking on the phone & not paying attention to the speed limit....bad combo!
It's been quite a few years since I've been pulled over for speeding, actually has only happened once before I met Joe, but my "lucky" streak has ended. As soon as I saw the blinkers behind me I thought oh, they are going after someone else . Then I looked at my spedometer and realized nope, it's me.

Thinking I was on 59 instead of Barrington road I was driving 55 in a 40 mph zone. Oops. Now I've been told a thousand times by Joe I have a lead foot and to slow down. Do I listen to this wise man? No.
Thankfully it was a nice lady and she said "where are you headed in such a rush?"...I said home & that I was talking to my grandma on the phone and didn't realize how fast I was going. The saddest part was that she told me that she wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt and had been following me for a while. This was even sadder because usually I have my radar on and notice any cop cars and come to a much needed slower speed. It's also sad because since it was 15 over she wasn't going to think about me getting by with a warning. If I had only been doing 10 over perhaps it would have gone differently :)
$120.00 Later I learned my lesson. Slow down. It's painful to think of what I could buy with that money. It was really fun calling Joe and telling him. Atleast I held it together and didn't cry till I pulled away. That's progress. Oh and my poor grandma had to hear me say crap. Good times.

Um...yes that's your kid... so do something!

Yesterday while I was out during the kids naptime (yes Joe was home) I ran to two stores. In both of these stores came the screaming tantrums of a little one.
Now I tread lightly because I will be the first to admit Iris and Blake have had a scream or two when we've been out. How I handle that though is much different than what I saw.

In the first case I was at Goodwill. It is a good size store and I was far away from the tantrum scene, yet it went on and on. I couldn't even tell if the mom kept shopping or what. It just amazed me that for a solid 10-15 minutes the parent would let this child scream bloody murder and not do a thing about it. For the first few minutes I tuned it out, but soon it became impossible to ignore. I could feel others cheering this mom on to leave the store & did I hear applause when they walked out? Maybe I'm imagining things.

The second store was TJ Maxx. This child took it to the next level as she was on the floor screaming at the top of her lungs. I couldn't see the parent nearby. Did they just walk away from the scene hoping it would stop? It didn't! I continued to browse around and this volume just grew and I honestly began to feel bad for the child because the parent didn't care enough to deal with this behavior.

It just struck me how clueless so many parents are that they are indeed the parents who are responsible to train these children and help them to behave.  Yet they cower back in fear and do NOTHING...acting as though they have no authority over these kids and try to simply appease them. It will be a scary world when these kids become adults. Will they fall on the floor as grown ups, kicking and screaming because they want their way?

There are a million resources about discipline and training & I won't get into that here, but it served as a great reminder to work each day in training my children for godliness. Not so that they won't embarass me in public or so I look like I have it together (hello pride, I believe we've met before) but that they have a heart that wants to obey and please the Lord. What a huge responsibility it is to be a parent!

Random Thoughts & Happenings

I LOVE going to Trader Joe's lately. Not only are their flowers beautiful & cheap but everything I try is great. They also have super cute little carts for Blake's size and he looks too cute steering it around the store.

Joe's waiting to hear about a job possibility in Florida and I have to wait another week and a half before we know anything. It's so hard to not get my hopes up - one minute I want to start packing up the house and the next minute I think it's too good to be true and nothing will come of it. Time will tell.

I've been enjoying my tv strike the last couple of days. With the exception of one or two shows I have not watched anything in days and I really don't miss it. Not sure how much longer this can last though with new episodes coming back soon!

Listening to a John MacArthur sermon or a Steve Kreloff (my beloved dad) sermon during naptime is the best way I can use my time - loving it.

Blake has been healthy for a few weeks now and it's been wonderful. I feel like this health streak is coming to a close soon, but hoping not...

Iris giggled so much today - it was great. She loves to give her dolls their bottle & pretend she's feeding them. One is large and life like looking and a stranger commented to me today "for a minute I thought the baby was holding the baby". Funny.

Struggling with condo living lately - if it's not the loud tv downstairs it's the loud tv one door over. Between the smell of smoke, dogs barking & not having my kids play in a backyard it's really hard to be content in this kind of surrounding.

Having the worst back and neck pain in years - really need to bite the bullet and get a massage. My mom called my walk "crippled looking" - yep, it's time.

Verse for today: Phil 4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men , the Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.

New pictures of the Cotton crew

It was a great visit with my mom. Sad to see her go!

Two peas in a pod

Iris LOVES her new Ikea doll "Tucker" from her mommett

Daddy's girl

Mommett with Blake & Iris

Mom visits = my best days

Lots of cleaning today, lots of laundry & lots of excitement. Mom arrives tonight & I love everything to look perfect. Atleast for 10 minutes.
Can't wait to have Blake & Iris see their mommett tomorrow morning when they wake up. Thankful Joe can pick her up from the airport so I can do much needed last minute projects when the kids go down.
Hoping the rain doesn't cause delay, but so thankful for a rainy cooler day. I'm digging the gloomy vibe today.
Better run & get some more things done while the kiddos sleep!

Just a few new pics

Sorry for the blurr...she's rocking a cute denim jumper from her Aunt Donna and this is the only pic I got a good smile!

Going in a for a kiss!

Iris wondering if it is her stinky diaper that has Blake in a tizzy

The day at the fair before the balloon blew away...you can see the look of excitement on their faces :)

My mom arrives on Thursday. It's been 3 months and that's about as long we can stand to be apart. She needs to see the kids & I need her! So this week I will be busy getting ready for her arrival. I love getting everything in order & organized for a house guest ...especially my mom.

I've made a few changes in the living room (shocking!) and am so pleased with the results. After lowering the mirror I got the Ikea lack tables for 7.99  and couldn't be happier. I kind of hated my side tables that were nightstands from Target. I've painted them so many times they looked ragged and tired. Plus they were kind of bulky.

So, much to the chagrin of Joe, out with the old! I'm the opposite of a hoarder, I love to get rid of things and don't keep them nearly as long as I should :)  Along with the new side tables I found a great new old floor lamp at Goodwill the other week, moved a few things around and it feels like a new room.

Am I the only one who loves to change things around? I could do this on a monthly basis. Wait till I'm in a house that I can rearrange furniture...I'll be dangerous then!

Blake has been healthy now for a couple of weeks and I'm loving it. I think cutting out the dairy was a great idea to try and stop the ear infections. I've also kept him pretty limited with contact to the outside world, which will soon be done. I'm pretty tired of not going to church as a family. Pretty soon sweet little Iris is going to have to experience the whole church scene, been putting it off for a while because I KNOW it will be a disaster. The longer we wait though, the worse it will be I'm sure.

Favorite thing Blake does lately: Laugh like crazy, kisses me, hugs me & says hi to every car that passes by.

Favorite thing Iris does lately: comes running into my arms with a kiss, loves to hug and kiss Blake & dances to music.

This is how I feel every day! Although things aren't too quiet around here for long. Might have to go to the pediatrician for Iris as I think her antibiotics for 10 days (giardia & bacteria in stool) caused a yeast infection. Kept hoping it was just a diaper rash but 3 days later it's not looking any better & she is in so much pain poor thing. I feel clueless with a baby girl - so much to learn.
Staying up way too late watching the Olympics...looking forward to the weekend...wishing a moving truck was coming tomorrow...alas...my mom is coming for a visit in a week and that's something to celebrate!
Have a great weekend :)

A shout out to Joe Cotton

I don't think I've ever written a post dedicated to my sweet husband of almost 7 years. This guy is incredible.
He works so hard, commutes 2 hours a day total & is a terrific dad. The moment he gets home the kids are crazy to see him and he takes them for a walk, plays with them around the house, and then gives them a bath each night so I can have a little break.

Each weekend he welcomes me time to myself to get out and relax and any night in the week I'm losing it he is more than willing to put the kids down without my help.
He puts up with me changing the house a lot, loving girly stuff & lets me have total control of the TV.

He listens to me, rubs my feet if I ask, gives me a back rub when I'm hurting & always has a cold glass of water waiting when I get out of the tub. This kind of makes me sound high maintenance & lazy, but I'm not, I promise :)

I really appreciate you Joe and your love for me. I never have to worry that he will lie to me, be unfaithful or dishonest. He truly is a great man & the best part is he is working his butt off to try and get us to florida. If that's not love, what is?