Things on my heart

I've been struggling with some things here lately, mostly revolving around doing what's best for Hudson and not what I want....biscuits, eggs, yadda yadda yadda.... but there's been something else on my heart lately and I feel like God is telling me to share.  That's hard.  Really?  You want me to share what's on my heart??? Well, here goes....A few weeks ago Tim and I stayed up really late just talking.  We don't get to do that much anymore with three children around!  I told him what had been on my heart about my past and left it at that.  Back in January, I sold some cloth diapers on cragslist to who has now become a good friend.  We met, exchanged diapers/money, chatted for a bit and left thinking nothing would ever become of it.  We texted here and there and she invited me to a bible study that they have at her church twice a month.  I went, met some other awesome ladies and love going every other Thursday morning.  Our study yesterday morning was on John chapter 8.  It's about the adultress woman.  We read it, discussed it breifly, and let the kids play.  Tonight was their annual women's conference and since Tim was off tonight and could stay home with the kids, I decided to go!  I needed a break.  The speaker, who had no clue what we studied yesterday morning, talked about John chapter 8 tonight.....  I don't believe in coincidences so I know this is God talking to me!  And here's what's on my heart.  At 19 I got married.  It wasn't an "on the whim" type of marriage.  We dated for a while, was engaged for a while and got married.  I always felt like something was missing but wasn't sure what.  On the day I married him, I would have never guessed I would get divorced.  That wasn't an option.  A few years went by, I headed down a road of doing what I wanted instead of what God possibly wanted.  We really didn't have a marriage.  I went through the motions of being a Christian, but had lost that relationship I once had with Christ.  Things happened out of order during all of this time and I was living in a mess!  I held it all together (so I thought) , but I was a mess.  I am now happily married to the love of my life and we have three beautiful children who truely are huge blessings to us!  Tim and I haven't always had the best marriage, but by the Grace of God, we are still married, and more in love today than the day we married each other.  We have  a strong marriage, but it didn't come easy at all times.  There were so many times we both wanted to walk away from it.  But we didn't.  We held on tight and prayed like crazy!  I guess what I am trying to say is I made a  lot of mistakes...still do..... but God has made a beuatiful masterpiece out of some messy situations, called our family, and He's still working on it!  I've struggled with being forgiven but I feel Him ever so much right now shouting to me... YOU ARE FORGIVEN!!!  I died on that cross to save you!  thank you Heavenly Father for saving me.    Thank you for loving me just as I am...a failure at times and successful at times, somewhat of a control freak at times, hard to love and live with at times...THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  I know that I dragged myself out of bed yesterday morning to get to bible study... I know that I was there tonight to hear Him speak to me....Thank you for knowing exactly who we need in our lives and what we need when we don't always know!

In and out of the kitchen

ssooo, I haven't been cooking too much lately but here's what all I've been getting into in and out of the kitchen.  Outback has a gluten free menue, which is great, except I have to avoid more than just gluten and wheat.  They do make all of their salad dressings in house and they can tell you exactly what's in them!  I did make an allergy free coffee cake the other morning and it turned out DELICIOUS!  So much so, I ate the whole pan, except for 2 pieces...all before lunch =/

I've replaced mayonaise with avocados for the time being.  I tried a home ade mayo recipe and it was horrible!  I got risky this weekend when we ate at PF Changs and ate a lettuce wrap, which are amazing!  He didn't react to it that evening or night or the next morning.  That was Sunday.  On Monday, Brylee and me ate at a bd mongolian (I think that's the name) and it was DELICIOUS!  They also have a menue that tells you what every single sauce of theirs has in it!  Wonderful tool!  I decided to try a sweet and sour sauce that day soy beans in it.  Well, after lunch, he was cranky the rest of the day.  Hm, it's so hard to know whether it was the soybeans or just a cranky day.  So, we'll give soy one more try before we rule it either way.  I will say he had a wonderful day today!  He even took a 3.5 hour nap. I didn't know what to do with myself =)  Although soy  is in EVERYTHING, maybe he's just allergic to that and not to other things.... wishful thinking maybe, but I can hope =)

Weekend happenings

So I have been a little behind on blogging the last few days.  On Friday, we ended up in the ER with Darbie because she fell at school and hurt her knee.  Thankfully, it was just bruised.  After being there for sooo long, we decided to eat Outback =)  It was delicious, even though my mouth watered at the honey wheat rye bread =(  On Saturday we went to church and took the kids to Chuck E Cheese afterwards.  We have one 5 minutes from our house and believe it or not, that was our first visit of many I am sure!  I'll have to upload the sketch of all of us.  We had to get one being it was Hudson's first visit =)  On Sunday, we decided to enjoy the sunny but cold day and drive the 17 mile long Chesapeake bridge/tunnel.  We got to see the USS Enterprise leave for their last deployment ever.  It will be decomissioned once it gets back.  As I watched it go by it brought so many memories of watching the USS Maine leave for deployments and saying goodbye to my sweet husband.  It brought tears to my eyes because reality set in that Tim was supposed to be on that boat, but his orders got changed last minute.  Here are some pictures of that day!

Here is a picture of our happy, sweet Tim clone Hudson!

Here are a few pictures of us watching the USS Enterprise leave!  It was very cold and windy!

A very typical picture of the girls!



Mommy and Hud man!  I didnt bring him a hat and it was very very windy so we improvised with my sleepy wrap bag =)

The USS Enterprise

Painting pottery and duty day

Nothing much to blog about but I feel the need to have somewhat of an adult conversation....even if it's with blogger.com =/  Tim has duty for the next two days  and I always get lonely =( 

While getting ready for our day out today, this is what my two babies were doing....watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

Brylee painted pottery for the first time today!  We had a playdate with our group today at Starving Artist in Newport News and she loved it1  She loves playing with money (coins) so when we saw the piggy bank, we both got excited =)  She did a great job =)

It had very vivid and bright colors but then she put her paint brush in water and tried painting again and it smeared them all together....who knows but it looks like it may come out gray LOL  she couldn't understand why we couldn't take it home with us today.

A funny story while we were shopping today.... We were in a boutique and Brylee kept picking up things.  After several times of me telling her to stop I said, "Brylee, if you pick up one more thing, I am going to spank you."  She said, "Mom, when I get 29 I can pick up things then?"  I said, "yes".  She said, "But I am not 29.  I am 2 so I can't pick anything up.  But, I can when I am 29"  God love her!

Hudson had another amazing day today!  I think we can officially rule out nuts.... I have had almonds and today I ate chick fil a and they cook in peanut oil and he was fine...... I'm really hoping and praying that he outgrows these quickly.  Hopefully, we can continue to add things back into my diet in the coming weeks and see what it is other than milk that he has an allergy or sensitivity to.....We know its something and have a feeling it may be either wheat or eggs...those are two things that I ate A LOT of! 

Darbie...my sweet Darbie... I don't get many pictures of her because she's at school all day but I do have to say that I am very proud of her!  She brought her interim report home today and had all A's on it!  That makes this mama proud =)

I've downloaded tons of books onto my Kindle so now I guess it's time to retire to bed and get a little reading in!

Today's ventures in and out of the kitchen

Thankfully, Tim got home this morning from a 3 day duty and was oh so kind to stay up and get Darbie ready for school so I could sleep in.  It's the little things in life =)  Anyways, we have all had a great day!  Went out to eat lunch and ran some errands.  Hudson has had an awesome day once again, minus a little gas during lunch =/  I made some hot/cold rice packs today that turned out so cute and work extremely well!  I managed to make Tim one and Darbie two to go in her jacket pockets for the mornings... It's still cold here... We actually had some snow flakes today.  It made me think we were back in Washington getting snow in March!  While I was sewing the packs, Brylee came into my sewing room and asked what I was doing.  I told her I was making daddy a present and Darbie some hand warmers.  I told her I could make her a "boo boo" pack for when she gets an owie... She looked at me and said sooo sweetly "mom, that's a great idea!"  Oh she can melt your heart!  Darbie thanked God that I was her mom last night and that made me smile hugely =)  Hudson can melt your heart by just giving you his charming grin!  Tonight in the kitchen I made double pork stuffed chicken breast and they were DELICIOUS!!!  The recipe came from:  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/double-pork-stuffed-chicken-breasts/#axzz1nSOhT1jp

Here are some pictures!  Now, it's time to get the kiddos in bed and have some snuggle time on the couch with my amazing hubby!

Here are pictures of the rice packs I made today

Here is a picture of my sweet little man helping me cook dinner =)

And here is dinner!  YUMMY!

Adventures in the kitchen

Ok, so as you know I've gone/going to an "allergy free" diet that consists of no eggs, dairy, wheat, nuts, or soy.  It's hard.  If something is "dairy free" it has soy in it....and soy litichen is in EVERYTHING!  So there'll be very minimal eating out for me (which is good for the budget I guess) and when we do, I am sure it won't be cheap.....I can have steak and I sure do love Outback's ribeye =)  Anyways, a couple of days ago Tim and I were told about a huge helth food store from a worker at Trader Joe's.  (We've been looking for one every since we've been here.  something comparable to God's Green Acres would be nice.)  We don't have a Whole Foods either.  So, we fidn it on GPS and go and it's about 3x's the size of God's Green Acres.  YAY!  $50.00 later, we have several "ingredients" that I can use to cook and bake with at home.  We've been giving a few things a try and here are the results.

On the first attempt, I made allergy free pancakes from scratch.  (No big deal, I already make our pancakes from scratch, but with these, I just use different ingredients)  They were delicious! 

The recipe came from:  http://www.eatingwithfoodallergies.com/allergyfreepancakes.html

Next, I tried a recipe called creamy pasta.  The sauce is made up of avocado, olive oil, garlic, and a few other ingredients.  It's super fast and very yummy!  The only downfall is it's probably not too good heated back up being it's main ingredient being the avocado.
The recipe came from:  http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/31/15-minute-creamy-avocado-pasta/

And now for the epic fail.....We got up this morning and what I really wanted was about 3 eggs, homeade biscuits, and bacon.....So I thought I could live without the eggs but I really wanted bacon and biscuits.  I had found a recipe for mixing up your own "mixture" for allergy free "all purpose flour" so I made some up and used the same recipe I use for homeade biscuits...flour, oil, and milk... so I used allergy free all purpose flour, oil, and rice milk.....Let's just say it looked and tasted like you went to the beach and caked up some sand, baked it, and ate it.  YUCK!  I went to the freezer and got out some pancakes I had frozen from the other morning and had pancakes once again with bacon!  I'd say1 fail out of 3 tries isn't too bad.........btw, I still want some eggs =/

Here is what I had wanted thought they might turn out like

This is what they actually turned out like.....

I guess I'll go back to the grocery store and buy the gluten free baking mix already mixed up....from what I could tell, it was just like bisquick.....

So there you so friends...my first few adventures into this new diet!

Update on the girls

Here's an update on our girls.....

Darbie has done a fantastic job on adjusting to a new school here!  She has made friends, is continuing to make excellent grades, and is loving her new teachers!  She starts soccer and piano lessons soon!  She just turned 11 and is growing into a lovely young lady!

Brylee is about to be 3 and keeps us on our toes 24-7.... she is soo funny and sweet all at the same time.  She definitely misses her friends from SC and often asks to play with them =(  She is taking tap and ballet and loving it.  She has her first recital in June!  Who knows if she will actually dance or not, but she'll sure be cute in her costume =) 

Hudson loves both of his sisters and smiles at them all of the time!  He is smiling, laughing, and talking all of the time now!

Our Sweet Hudson

Hudson, Hudson, Hudson...we also call him Buddy, Hud Bud, Little Man, Boobie Monster =)  Hudson has kept us on our toes for the last 3 months!  It all started with him breaking all of our rules!  Yes, we let him sleep in the bed with us on several occasions because it was the only way we were going to get any sleep...and boy oh boy did he sleep deprive us!  In Alabama, we noticed he cried a lot but we just though it was because there was no routine or rhythym to our days.  We thought once we got to Virginia and settled in he wouldn't cry as much and he would sleep better.  At 7 weeks, we decided it wasn't normal for him to be crying that much, not to mention he still wasn't sleeping day or not =(  This mama needs her sleep!  So when he was 7 weeks ago, the doctor recommended putting him on formula, which went against everything in me.  He was gaining weight, but spitting up HUGE amounts, crying non stop and still not sleeping!  So I decided to stop dairy.  I am a huge dairy eater/drinker and when Brylee was little I noticed that when I cut back, she was a happier baby.  So, towards the end of Janurary I gave up all dairy!  He was a totally different baby!  He had happy moments, he started sleeping better at night, but he was still spitting up!  Finally, our doctor referred us to a pediatric GI and we saw him last week.  He did put him on Zantac, but also said the problem could be in food allergies... WHAT???? none of us have food allergies and I am a lover of foods!  So, once again, we were faced with the recommendation of putting him on a hypoallergenic formula... I sat in the doctor's office and cried.  I felt like a moron but I felt like I wasn't doing my job..... God has supplied me with plenty of milk and the joy of loving nursing and I felt like it was slipping out from under me......So we left the doctor's office that day and deicded I was going to try this wheat, egg, soy, nut, and dairy free diet.... I mean it can't be that hard right???? (Acutally, I knew it would be hard....)  In my mind I thought.... I can do this.... I know people who have done it before...And....if he doesnt outgrow it I am going to have to learn how to cook this way at some point anyways!  So, here it is Saturday and I am on my 3rd day of an allergy free diet!  It's not easy and I sooo want everything I can't have.  He has been on Allimentum formula for the past several days so  I could get my diet worked out and some ingredrients to be able to cook with.  I have had several thoughts and fears that once i go back to nursing he won't want it, but last night he was having a rough night so I went up for the I don't know how many times Tim and I had gone up trying to soothe him, and he latched right on and fell asleep!  What an amazing feeling!  This journey is scary but I know I can do anything with my God!

Getting Started

I signed up about a year ago and never went any further than that.  But, I have decided I want to blog our life for keepsakes!  Here's an update of our life.....Right before Thanksgiving we found out we were moving to Virginia right during Christmas and the birth of our 3rd child, Hudson.  So, December 5th I had Hudson.  December 7th and 8th our house got packed up and on the 9th was moved out!  We stayed with friends that weekend and on Sunday, Decemer 11th, we headed to Virginia to sign the lease on our house.  Hudson was an amazing rider!  We got into Virginia on the night of the 11th.  Got up on Monday, the 12th, signed the lease, did a walk through, and hit the rode once more headed to Alabama to reunite with our sweet girls and to make Hudson's debut to the rest of the family =)  We got to spend a wonderful Christmas in Alabama with our family and headed back to Virginia on December 26th to start a new journey!  It took FOREVER to get settled into a new house with three kids!  Not to mention Hudson wasn't sleeping day or night at the time.  But, Here we are in March all settled and liking the area!