Thursday, August 27, 2009

Slam

This morning my world has been shaken a bit. I feel like it is God telling me, "Don't get too comfortable Lindsay." Just when I start to sink into a nice comfortable state of being, God sends a reminder or two or three that He is ultimately in control. That I need not take things He gives for granted or just assume that I will always have the gifts He gives. Sometimes those reminders are subtle little nods. Other times they slam into me so hard it's difficult to breathe. This morning I got slammed. Twice.


Ty has been waking up around 6:30 these days and it works out perfectly to get MacKenzie up for school and feed him while she gets breakfast and gets dressed. This morning he woke at 5:45. So I grabbed him from the cradle next to my bed and put him next to me. I knew if I laid him next to me he would go right back to sleep and give me those precious 45 minutes more of sleep. He went right back to sleep and when my alarm went off at 6:30 he was still sleeping. So I propped some things around him to ensure he didn't fall off the bed and went to wake up MacKenzie. When I left my room, something told me to leave the door propped open and not close it all the way. I got MacKenzie up and got her breakfast. As I was standing in the kitchen, I thought I heard a noise. A noise I couldn't quite distinguish. It was so soft that I wasn't even sure I was hearing it. So I stopped and listened more intently. I heard it again. What was it? I still couldn't tell what was making the noise or where it was coming from. Suddenly, like a ton of bricks, it hit me. It was Ty. Marty & I ran into our room and found him face down on the bed. His face was buried in the mattress. He was swaddled so he had no use of his arms or legs to flip himself over or lift his head. He was screaming but even standing right next to him, you could barely hear it. Marty swooped him up and he proceeded to scream while trying to catch his breath. My heart was pounding out of my chest. All I could think was, "What if I hadn't heard that quiet, muffled noise?" If I had just closed my door all the way and not left it propped open, there is no way I would have heard him. I shudder to think of what would have happened. Slam.

At 8:30 this morning Marty calls me and says my little sister was in a wreck this morning. Like anyone else who receives a call like this, my immediate reaction was "Is she ok? Is she ok?" He tells me she is ok and gives me the details. She was driving down Kirby (a pretty busy street in Houston) when a giant oak tree came crashing down on top of her car. It hit the front hood of her car. Her windshield was completely blown out and it basically cut her car in half at the site of impact. She was able to walk away from the wreck and is sleeping at home now. What if she had been 6 inches further along the road than she was? I shudder to think. Slam.

Thank you God for the many, many blessings in my life. Thank you that you are in control. Please help me to never take anything you give for granted. And thank you for teaching me over & over that life is fragile. I promise to try and live it abundantly and according to your will.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Crock Pot Meals

I'm on a bit of a crock pot meal craze lately. I realized very quickly after baby #3 arrived that cooking dinner at dinner time was going to be pretty much impossible. Especially now that school has started and I have a 1st grader coming home from school in the afternoon with homework. And let's not forget that adorable, freckle-faced 4 year old who can be quite demanding of my time and attention. So I decided to make a menu of meals for a while all made in the crock pot. I have a cookbook called Fix It & Forget It and it's chock full of easy meals you can put in a crock pot early in the day and let it cook until dinner. I tried out the first one of these meals the other night and I thought it was super easy and delicious. So I thought I'd share. You're welcome. Now, if you're one who cooks only healthy meals, buys strictly organic, & gets your milk straight from the cow, you might want to skip this one. It's good. It's easy. It's not healthy or organic. But what meal that comes out of a crock pot really is? Anyway, back to the recipe. Here it is:


Ingredients:
  • 28 oz. Jar Spaghetti Sauce (I couldn't find 28 oz., only 26 oz but it still worked ok)
  • 12 oz Rigatoni, Cooked
  • 1 lb Ground Beef, Browned (I used Lean Ground Beef, since the recipe also calls for pepperoni. You could also use Ground Turkey)
  • 3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1/2 lb Pepperoni Slices (I cut these in half, so they wouldn't be so big.)
  • sliced mushrooms (optional) (I did not add these...not a mushroom fan)
  • sliced onions (optional) (I also did not add these...not a big onion fan either)
  1. In 4 quart crock pot layer half of each ingredient in order listed. Repeat.
  2. Cover. Cook on Low for 4-5 hours.
I mean, could it GET any easier than that? Love it. It really was very good. Bon Appetite!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

1st Grade

Oh MacKenzie,
You have GOT to stop growing so fast. This morning you left on a bus (your very first time to ride on one) that took you to a brand new school for your first day of 1st grade. And you didn't even seem afraid. You were happy & excited, looking forward to your day. It feels a little differently watching you ride off on the bus for your first time than it did the day I dropped you off for your first day of Kindergarten. This time, I know you're going to do great and be just fine without me. So it's bitter sweet. You are growing up. It's sad and it's wonderful. Have an amazing day. I can't wait to hear all about it this afternoon.

Cocoa Krispies for Breakfast (one of your fav's)

Getting your new tennis shoes ready



Your New Backpack

Ready to Go



Waiting for the Bus to Arrive



And, You're Off!



Sunday, August 23, 2009

Two Months

So a true miracle has occurred. I actually remembered AGAIN to take my baby boy's picture on his exact birthday. He is 2 months old today. We actually just returned from a quick, weekend getaway. I knew I had to get home before dark so I could take his picture in my white chair to see how much he has grown. So my helpful hubby unpacked the car while I frantically fed my boy & stuck his little tush in the white chair for his monthly picture while the light was still good. We barely made it in time! Luckily Ty performed like a champ and gave up lots of great smiles. So here's my "big" boy on his 2 Month Birthday.

What he's up to:
  • Lots of smiles
  • Cooing & "Agoo"ing
  • Still quite a bit of nursing
  • Not quite as much sleeping during the day
  • Great sleeping at night Yep, you read that right! He's sleeping through the night at 8 weeks! Go Ty! I hope I didn't just jinx myself for tonight...
  • He loves to stand up in your lap. He has very strong legs.
  • He smiles the most when someone is close to his face & talking to him.
If you want to compare, check out his last picture here. I think he's grown just a bit.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Rollin' on the River

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Sisterly Love








Thursday, August 13, 2009

06.23.09

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Ty 6 Weeks