Home alone...

Well we got back from our trip to Nashville in one piece. It was actually a really awesome trip this time! Last time we went, both babies were sick and did not sleep very good, which doesn't help. But this time, they did sooo awesome! I was so proud of them! They did really good on the trip up, only got a little fussy the last hour. Then they slept great at night, and even better at naptimes! And they were really well behaved the whole trip. It really helps me to relax and enjoy myself when my kids are good! So for thanksgiving, I was very thankful for them!

We also had a good visit with the rest of the family. We stayed with Denise and Jacob, and they are so similar to us that it's like we're at home! Denise got Hannah a cool tent and tunnel that they could play with. Here they are playing:




We had a good day on Thanksgiving as well. There was sooo much good food. I couldn't even begin to name it all. So we ate, then we sat around, then we went and played football. But it was THE coldest day up there, so it didn't last long. We all came back to Chris' house half frozen. But it was fun.

Then on Friday morning we went to the zoo. It was cool to let Elijah see all the animals that he has learned about. Sadly, I forgot my camera this day...so I don't have any pictures! Maybe someone in the family could give me some of theirs!?

Well, Friday night we all went to the Opryland Hotel. It is soo fantastic. It's huge, and has all kinds of stores and restaurants inside. And just trails and trails to walk through. And it was all decorated for Christmas, so it was really pretty! Here's our family pic:

Our last day there was Saturday, and we just had a big football get together at Denise's. We also played another round of family football, which was alot more enjoyable because it was like 70 degrees! It was alot of fun, and the best part for me was when I sacked the quarterback! Oh Yeah! Then we came back home and ate delicious ribs and pork tenderloin! The only sad part of the whole week was when Georgia Tech lost. :( But that's ok, we'll be back next week!

Well, that was the whole trip. And now we are home. But me and the kids are alone! Josh left on Tuesday to go to Panama City on a work trip. We do pretty good during the day without him, since that's the norm, but it's hard at night. He helps out alot with the babies, with dinner, baths, and bedtime. So we do miss him alot! And its hard to get in a bed all alone! But hopefully he'll be back tomorrow! OH, and I did get the house decorated for Christmas while he's been gone. So I feel like I am accomplishing something!

That's all for now!

A little stressed...

This time of year is always sooo busy for us! I love it, but sometimes I find myself stressing too. I mean, this weekend we have a big birthday party planned for Hannah on Saturday. So I need to do alot of preparation for that. With gifts and food and all that. And then we are leaving for Nashville for Thanksgiving on Sunday. So I also have to wash and pack enough clothes for a week. And pack everything you need for babies. By the way, with babies why does it always seem like we pack the whole entire house when we go out of town?? And we always need it all too!

Anyways, so I started thinking about all that needed to be done, and I find myself stressing. Because right around the corner is Christmas, and we haven't even begun to shop for that! So even more to do! But it'll be ok! I'm really excited to be going to Nashville! We are staying with Josh's sister Denise, and her husband Jacob. And I'll get to see my newest nephew, Malachi! And I think we are planning a trip to the zoo, so that'll be fun for my little ones! and it's always fun when the whole Folsom fam gets together.

So there's always alot of fun that comes with a little stress. You just have to power through, and get it all done! Which I will, I guess I just needed to vent for a minute there. :)

"The Big Wed Cah"

for those 3o Rock fans out there!

This translates to "big red car" which is what we now call the new van that we got!

I myself didn't think I would be driving a van, but it was really the only practical thing to do. We needed more room, not only for my children..but we sometimes need to haul other people too. But we also wanted something that was fuel efficient for all the trips to Thomasville. So it only made sense.

Well we came across this van, and I've always liked the Odysseys over any other. We weren't really looking for all the extra perks, just a plain van. But this one has leather seats, power sliding doors, DVD system. And we got it for an amazing price! I feel soooo blessed to have it!

Well, then I started driving it! And I absolutely LOVE it!!! It is soo incredibly smooth. And EXTREMELY convenient! I really have found myself looking for errands so I can drive it! And I don't even mind loading up the kids to take with me, because that's just as easy too! I push a button, the door opens for me, I stand without straining to buckle them in, then the door closes for me! Whoever designed this van, had a woman's needs in mind!

Mind you, I am coming from driving a 2 door car, where I literally had to get in the backseat to buckle a baby in. So, needless to say..I am very happy! Oh, and that reminds me. I was reading back on old blogs, and I just read that we sold my car at the beginning of August! That's almost 4 months without a car. Seems crazy that I went that long, but I definitely feel like God was orchestrating this vehicle to work out for us! So I'm very happy that we waited. Anyways, here's a few pictures.

Elijah's 2nd Birthday

Well, today we celebrated Elijah turning 2! So crazy to think that it's already been 2 years. I remember thinking when he was a baby that it would be soo long before he would be old enough to walk or talk, and now my baby is 2! And it's strange that we've been parents for 2 years already too!

Anyways, we had a small, last minute get together to celebrate his and Josh's birthdays today. (Josh turned 24 on Wednesday). We had a couple of friends and mostly family come over for some bar-b-que chicken. It was really alot of fun! The weather turned out perfect, after it stormed all night the night before. It was even a little warm in the sun!

So we ate, opened presents, ate cake, and just hung out. Very low key and relaxing. Here are some of the pictures.

The new do!

Well, my son Elijah's hair is can we say...umm..unrulely! It's thick and curly, and grows like crazy! I've already cut the child's hair twice, and it's already gotten long again. And I've honestly been wanting to cut it for a long time, but several people wouldn't let me. Mostly Josh, my husband! He loves the hair! Here's a picture!

I mean..there's just not much you can do with hair like this!

Anyways, it started getting out of hand! Like getting in his eyes, and taking a lot of water to rinse out the shampoo! Then the last straw came. Screaming fests, when Hannah would grab fistfuls of his hair and try to pull it all out! So...I cut it all off!!! I really was just going to do a little trim, but I ended up taking a lot more off! And I really like it! I had to get used to it, but I think it makes him look like more of a little boy. Are you ready? Cuz it's a shocker!!

Look at those eyes!! sooo pretty!

Well, Now alot of people are mad at me for cutting it! But you know, most of those people don't deal with it everyday! And I really like it! So, you can just be mad if you like!

Beach trip!!

Well, this weekend was full! Friday night, we went to our friends Gene and Steph's for Gene's birthday party! It was alot of fun! We had good pizza, and good ice cream cake, and we stayed out wayyy too late!! But it was worth it!

Then on Saturday I had to pack for our trip to the beach. My friend Caroline and her husband Cade, who live in Atlanta, came down for the weekend. And they were renting a condo down at St. George Island for the weekend, so they invited us to come down. So I spent Saturday getting everything ready. We also had a church picnic that night, so we decided to go to that and then drive down to the beach afterwards.

Our plan was to leave about 9, so that the babies would fall asleep and sleep on the way there. That part worked out perfectly! What we didn't plan on, was that they would wake up when we got there! So basically they had a 3 hour nap in the car and were wide awake when we got there! So that was kinda hard. So we stayed up for about an hour, and finally put them to bed. And it probably took them another hour to finally go to sleep! So..that was a LONG night!

But we woke up the next morning and I made some cinnamon rolls..Yummy! And then we headed to the beach. This was the first time that both of my babies have seen the beach, so I was really excited! And they LOVED it! I was so happy! Elijah just loved the waves coming up and hitting him on the back, and played in the sand forever! Hannah liked the water too! She's kind of my drama queen, so I never know how she will react. But she really enjoyed it. I took her out to where I was all the way in, and she just laughed! And Josh took Elijah out, and I could hear him laughing. Well until he went under a couple of times, and then I heard crying..followed my laughing! So I think he liked it for the most part too!

The beach was so incredibly pretty though! The water was crystal clear and you could see straight to the bottom! It was amazing! And while we were in the water..a few dolphins came up pretty close! They were jumping out of the water, and it was awesome!

Well, then Hannah started getting fussy, so I took her in and layed her down for a nap. And the rest of us got in the pool that was at the condo, which was also really nice! Elijah likes swimming alot! Then we made some delicious chicken parmesan, and cut up some fruit for lunch! It was soo yummy! Playing in the water all day always makes food soo good!!

So, then Josh watched the babies while I went out with Caroline and Cade to the beach again. We just swam and talked, and it was nice to have some time on my own without worrying about the babies. Josh was super sweet to allow me to do that! He doesn't really enjoy the beach anyways...

So, then we packed up, and both babies were asleep by the time we pulled out of the driveway, and they slept for most of the way home. So that was really nice. Josh and I had some really good conversations!

So..Overall..I would say this was really an awesome trip! We had a few hiccups, but you can only expect that with babies! And the only real downfall is that...I'm soooo sunburnt! I put on sunscreen, but I don't think I reapplied as much as I should. And Elijah has a few blotchy spots as well. Spray on sunscreen sounds amazing, but it doesn't provide very good coverage in my opinion. Anyways..that's about it for this post! It's a long one!

Crying it out...

Well, I have made a decision to let my littlest cry it out at night. I really had to consciously decide to do this this time around. With our first child, it kinda came naturally. I mean we got him to a good weight and age, and then started putting him to bed and letting him cry a little to get to sleep. Then if he woke up at night, we would check on him, etc. but let him go back to sleep on his own. It was hard, but it seemed to work well..and before long he became such a good sleeper! I'm still amazed at how well he goes to bed (most of the time!).

Well, the saying that no two babies are the same couldn't be more truer! Hannah is not a good sleeper. She is almost 9 months old and she still wakes up at night. She doesn't like her own bed, she likes to sleep with us, and she still wants to be fed at night. Well, I am probably to blame alot for her. But this time was soo different. Its hard to let your second one cry it out, when there's another baby sleeping in the room next door. And its even hard when the crying baby has a very high pitch, gut-wrenching scream as a cry! She is incredibly loud! So I've babied her. I've picked her up as soon as she even started to cry. Fed her at night to get her to be quiet. And even let her sleep in the bed with us still.

Well, the other night I decided it was time. Enough is enough! 9 months of not sleeping consistently is too much. So, the other night I fed her and as soon as she was done, I went a layed her down. She screamed for a while, but eventually went to sleep. Then she woke up several times and cried, but I held my ground! And she did eventually go back to sleep each time. And we did the same thing last night, which was alot better. So hopefully its working. And the crying doesn't seem to be bothering Elijah much at all, so we'll keep trying.

But, its so weird, because at night...I'm holding my breath hoping that she'll go to sleep, and she'll stay asleep....but at the same time, I'm also holding my breath waiting for her to make any sound so I know she's still breathing! Last night I layed there for so long debating whether I should go check on her, just touch her to make sure she was ok. Motherhood makes you feel such conflicting emotions sometimes!

One day at a time...the meaning behind the title.

Well, I have a problem. I'll just start by admitting it. My problem is this: I'm always trying to live in the future. I've always done it, all of my life. In middle school, I fantasized about high school. That's where all the great things would happen! I get to high school, and I fantasize about how life would be different in college. In college, I think about life and how it would be when I would be out of school all together. I could have a life, get married, have babies. I mean I'm not saying its bad to think about those things, but I would do it so much to the point where I wasn't living my life in the present. Just always thinking life would start in the next stage. Boy, was I ever wrong!

God has definitely been showing me the error of my ways lately. I mean, here I am, married with two babies, thinking about how when we can make a little more money, and we can get a bigger house, then my life would begin. It's really quite sad! I mean my life is really in its prime right now! There's a lot going on! I have two amazing children that surprise me every day in the things they learn and do. They are growing up so fast, that I'm really learning how to sit back and enjoy the stages they go through. My husband and I are almost to our 5th anniversary, and I love him more now than I ever have! We have great family and friends, and more to do than we even have time for. So life is happening! And I'm really just beginning to see that. God has really put it on my heart to just live one day at a time. To enjoy each day and what it brings. And to not worry about what life will throw at us next. (I'm a major worrier.)

So anways, just wanted to share the meaning behind my blog title!

The ongoing car search!

Well, for those of you who don't know, we sold my car last week! My car since I have had since high school! That was nine years ago. So I'm glad we sold it, but also very, very sad. It's like a part of my life is missing not seeing it outside. Well, anyways..now we have to find a new car. This is exciting, but also very nerve wracking! I mean, I have so many questions..what kind of car? which brand of car? Should we get something good on gas or something with more room? Should we get a van??? I mean, we only have 2 kids..but we want more. We've always heard that when you get a van, you never go back. So maybe we just want something smaller until we have more kids?? So many questions and thoughts and fears that I just want someone to tell me. "Here is the car, This is the perfect car for you!" That would be easier!

Well, today we went and drove a few cars that we have been thinking about, to get a better feel for them. I don't feel any closer. I mean..I liked them all. I think I'm pretty easy to please. Well, Josh doesn't think so. But I really liked them all. So..we drove a Jeep Liberty, a Toyota Highlander, a Honda Accord, and a Nissan Altima. They were all really nice. Maybe I'm just used to my old 1999 Pontiac or something. But I will admit. I did like the Honda Accord the best. But I didn't get to drive it because it was a stick. But it was very smooth and comfortable to ride in.

Well, that's about all. I guess we'll keep looking and praying. I hopefully the perfect car will be shown to us!

Fun, but tiring weekend!

We had a pretty good weekend, but I feel dead on my feet right about now! We went into the weekend with no plans at all, but ended up doing quite a bit! Friday night, Gene and Stephanie came over and we got some food and ate it at our house. We were planning on watching a movie, but ended up talking instead and never got around to it. We all decided that night that it would be fun to take the boat out the next day on a small lake here in Moultrie.

So Saturday morning they came over, and we went to the lake. We took the babies, and I was kinda thinking I might just end up sitting on the dock with the babies while everyone else got to go on the boat. But we put them in there and they did surprisingly well! Hannah did awesome! She was really happy and excited for most of the time, and then later she even fell asleep. Elijah was a little scared at first, but he got used to it and did really good too! Josh skiied and then I gave it a try...with no luck! This is the second time I've tried, and the next time..I'm gonna get it! It was really alot of fun though! The only thing is that I thought I wouldn't need sunscreen because we were only going to be out there for a couple of hours. Bad Idea! I'm sooo burnt!

So, anyways..we came back later that afternoon..the babies were pooped and needed naps and then we just hung out at home the rest of the night. I was really tired too, I think the sun took all my energy.

Well, then this morning Josh and Stewart led worship and I sang. That's not a big deal, but it always takes alot of energy out of me! I guess its because we have to get up early and get ready and then practice and then do the service. I'm always so tired afterwards. So we went and ate and then came back home. And of course the babies slept on the way home, so Hannah was wide awake when we got home. So no nap for me :(

Well, we just ate dinner and Josh is bathing the kids, and then bedtime! I'm so ready!

I'm pooped!

Well, I think the title speaks for itself! This is been one of the most exhausting and challenging weeks ever! Josh left for Texas, as I said in by last blog, on Tuesday. The week started out pretty good, I had convinced myself that I could handle it all alone! Then, things started getting bad. Hannah, for one, has stopped sleeping through the night. And she wakes up at different times at night, so I can't even prepare myself on when it might be. I think things are always worse when you haven't had sleep. And then Elijah has been on and off sick. I don't really know what's going on with him. One day, he had an awful rash all over his body. Then it was gone the next day. He's been running a fever too, and not eating. I think it might all just be teething, but he has not been happy! Maybe he was just missing his daddy a little too.

Everything came to a head Saturday night. Both babies were super fussy, I was sleep deprived, and then...I practically broke the nail on my big toe off by shutting a closet door on it! I just broke down and cried, we all cried. But then..bed time came! Blessed bed time. A time when the whole house is silent. I really love that time. So, I sat down in the silence and remembered that my husband would be home tomorrow. I couldn't wait! Another adult to help with the babies, an adult to have an adult conversation with! My best friend in the world would be back tomorrow, and things would be ok.

Sunday was alot better. We didn't go to church, but that's ok. I really don't think I could have handled getting everyone ready, and carrying everything into church. So we used that day to rest! We all took pretty long naps, and I felt alot better!

Josh flew in pretty late that night into Jacksonville, and then he had to drive the close to 3 hour drive home. So he got in about 1:30, so I stayed up to greet him! He really makes my world so much better. He keeps me calm, makes me laugh when I get hysterical, and just helps out more than I could ever ask. I will try to never take him for granted. Maybe that's what this week was for, to show me how much he does for us. I also decided that he was not going on any long trips without me again!

Good and Bad News

Well, I guess I'll start with the good news first. I finally got Hannah back to nursing! I say finally, but it had only been 4 days. But those days have been the most frustrating days ever! I had to pump which I really don't like doing since my first child. And not to mention, the feeling of rejection that came over me when she wouldn't have anything to do with me. I guess I just wasn't ready to give it up quite yet. So I just kept trying and trying every feeding. And then at her last feeding on Sunday, I tried and she just started like there had never been a problem at all! And she's been doing fine ever since. I got some good information from a few friends, and I really think she was teething and it may have just been painful for her. All I can say is that I'm glad we are back to normal!

Now, for the bad news. My husband left for Texas this morning for a week. His brother lives out there, and he's going to be working on his house to get it ready to sell. It's a good working opportunity, but I'm gonna be all alone with both babies! I haven't done this for such a long period of time, so I'm kinda nervous. I think this week will be all about surviving! He's probably flying out as we speak, so I'm nervous about the flying issue too. So anyone reading, please pray for traveling mercies as he goes and comes back.

Breastfeeding Difficulties

So, I have a baby girl named Hannah who is almost 8 months old, who just has been refusing to breastfeed for the last two days. I have no idea what's going on, but it is sooo frustrating! It seems like she just woke up yesterday, and decided she was done with me! She never nursed at all yesterday, and by that night she was so irritable. So we gave her some expressed milk through a syringe just to give her a little. She fell asleep, and then woke up this morning very hungry. So I tried and tried all morning, until we were both just beyond upset. I really felt like she might be getting dehydrated, so I got desperate. I had some formula on hand, so I made up a little and she sucked it right down! This is strange because we've never been able to get her to take a bottle. So she really must have been desperate for anything. And now she just took another bottle, after I tried nursing.

I really, really wanted to try and make it to a year, but I can't make her eat when she won't. I'm not giving up just yet. The only problem is I have to keep pumping or I won't be able to keep up with her. I really loathe pumping!

So, if anyone has any suggestions..I will definitely listen!

Giving it a try!

Well, I've tried to have blogs before but everytime it seems as I'm really good about it at the beginning, but then..I lose interest. Or life just happens and it seems like there is no way for me to possibly catch up.

I have a few friends on here that blog, so I thought I'd try again. This time, it may just be ramblings or life stories. Whatever I feel like writing, because then maybe I won't feel as much pressure to keep this thing up!

So, for those of you who happen to read..Beware, it may not make any sense at all! But happy reading!