On Father's Day this year we had a pretty exciting announcement for many of our friends. We're having a baby due on my birthday in January! The Lott household is really excited about the gift that God has chosen us to have.
We have constantly been back and forth about the practicality of having more children versus my real desire to have a house full. Like many others there are so many aspects to consider like finances, the crazy world they'd live in, the balance between the necessity of work, yada yada yada. Well, our Lord gave us our answer. HE has planned our little family.
Some people might find it dreadfully tacky that I openly admit that both our babies were not expected. What would our children think if we told them they were accidents? Well first off, that's absolutely not the case. There are no accidents here. God knew exactly what he was doing when he created our little babies. Because of that I choose to share our story as a testimony of how my Lord and Savior knows best and is all powerful despite any plans I may have. Although it's very likely we would have started "trying" as soon as I found a job with paid vacation time I am thrilled to know God has special plans for us even sooner. With that said it won't be easy, and there are some kinks to work out along the way like my maternity leave,but if God can form this meticulous, perfect image of Himself in me then I'm certain he can work out those small details! I praise Him for our children and the small amount of understanding He's shown me in this journey so far!
Instead of taking a big vacation this year we've decided to take a couple small ones, and Vacation Part 1 one was a hit. We had a great time, and Mark only had to use 1 vacation day. (No worries about them going to waste though. I'm sure I can find some work on the house to use them)
Our destination was St. Joe Beach. We loved it for it's simplicity. The area is comprised of mostly locals and vacation home owners and a couple of small restaurants. A friend of ours from that area described it as "Old Florida". It's not "touristy" dense with go cart tracks and malls. It's more like a little
Margaritaville. The people are so friendly, and it's super laid back there. Not ironing something (except the cow licks on my head) was a difficult concept for me at first, but I quickly got over it. We just vegged on the beach, enjoyed a wine and art festival, and ate great seafood.
It was the best Mother's Day I've had yet. I even got to enjoy breakfast at an open air restaurant on the beach Sunday morning.
With all that said I'm making a motion to make St Joe Beach at Mother's Day an annual event!...heck, I'll take Father's Day too if I can get it:)
Conquering his sensory issues with sand. I mean over. it! Hallelujah!
Playing hard
Getting "juice" from the ocean
Playing with Daddy. No oil here!
A very tired little boy saying goodbye to the beach. (taken on an iphone)
Bye, St Joe!
We finally got Asher's current stats. As of April 12th at 3 years and almost 1 month he was 37 1/4 inches tall (50th percentile) and 29 lbs (25th percentile). The doctor said he was perfect and doing great! Her "talking to" about his teeth brushing (per our request) along with a new electric toothbrush has done wonders. Thank heavens no more "pirate teeth" at the Lott House!
Asher turned THREE this month. Time really is a mother's enemy. It just steals your baby right from you.
As for the birthday festivities we had a great time. He had a party at Pump It Up complete with a Thomas cake. This was the first party where he invited his friends and not Daddy and Momma's. A lot of the Moms thanked me for wearing their children out and assuring afternoon naps...I'm happy to oblige.
We don't have his 3 year old stats yet because we had to cancel his well appointment and now he has the sniffles. We'll have them in the next week or two though. He's definitely gone through a growth spurt up but still not out. He's rockin' his too short 24 month sized pants! It's a guarentee if they are long enough then they will fall off. We just choose our battles. We prefer his bottom to be covered versus his ankles:)
Asher still loves Thomas, Dora, and Diego, and his new love is Chuggington on Disney. He's a picky eater, but will chow down on some pancakes, English peas, cheeseburgers (ketchup only), cereal bars, "Welcome to Moe's" bean burritos, Mac n Cheese, and any kind of sweets.
His favorite activities are playing trains, swinging, going to church, and drawing. He takes computer and gymnastic classes, and he starts swimming lessions tomorrow. We're hopeful he'll like that.
A church friend of ours is starting her own photography biz (Slatton Photography), and we were happy to be one of her first models. Here is our THREE year old cutie:
So I feel like sometimes that I'm possibly the busiest person on Earth. Mark kindly points out to me that EVERYone feels like that. Oh.
Well, I've started killing two birds with one stone in the area of time. I shop for groceries and household items. That's a must, right? Well, now I do it with wild enthusiasm because I am superhero "crazy coupon cutting CVS shopping saver girl". I get it done AND I get it done for a lot cheaper. It's such a game to me to see how much I can save each shopping trip. If my total saved is not at least 50% of my overall bill I'm distraut. Well, not really but I am replaying in my head how I could have done better. It's such an empowering feeling to accomplish such a fete and save our household major bucks. I'm a dork and can say it's kind of a hobby now. Mark jokes it's my new parttime job because I save so much. Besides the actual coupon clipping and sale chasing I'll share with you why I think extreme couponing works: 1. I NEVER go to Wal-Mark now so there is never a buggie full of junk that I didn't intend on buying 2. Our pantry, fridge, and freezer is well stocked so I feel less tempation to eat out which for a long time has been a huge money pit for us. 3. I stick pretty well to my list.
All you see here=$7 bucks, Baby! 3 Stacy's chips, 3 True North snacks, 2 Gatorades, 2 Dove Deoderants, 1 Toothpaste with free sample, and 1 Almay eyeshadow. That's CVS-ing my friends!
So we have not dropped off the planet. I've been working a lot lately. Hopefully that will be slowing down. Here are a few pics just to prove how busy we've been...or at least how busy Mark has been:) Our dining room is almost complete! One more room down!!!
Also, just so you can appreciate the work that goes into this Mark guts each room down to the studs to rewire and put up new sheet rock. This crosses the line from remodel to renovation in my mind! So THAT is why it can take months sometimes for us to complete a project. He just does it in his "spare time" cause he has so much of that ya know!
View of Dining Room from the living room when we bought the house
View of Dining Room from the kitchen during kitchen project this summer. There was a wall dividing the 2 rooms. You can see on the left side where the 2 types of flooring transition.
NOW!
(don't know what the wierd orbs are about)
View of our Dining Room today from the same view as above. It still needs moldings/trim and a LOT of decorating.
Our beautiful refinished floors. Love them!
I got tagged by Erin to answer five things.
Instructions:
1) Answer five questions with five answers.
2) Tag five people
1. Where were you ten years ago?
-I was in my sophomore year of college at Northeast Community College living in Mississippi Hall with Katy Flynn
-Biology/PreMed major with the intentions of going into Speech Language Pathology once transferred
-My best buds at Northeast were Katie, Katy, and Katie (No kidding). For fun we went to the BSU, coffee shop in Tupelo or the Supercenter in Corinth. Booneville wasn't a real happenin' place.
-Worked my first summer at Camp Lake Stephens
2. What is on your to-do list for today?
- put up and finish laundry
- do some couponing
-use the cold/wet weather as a great excuse to stay in and do nothing
-get the thawed ground beef in the fridge cooked
3. What five snacks do you enjoy?
-Ice Cream...not just regular ole vanilla either. I want something mixed in like a yummy Bruster's flavor or Marble Slab
-Muddie Buddy mix made out of Chex Mix. I could eat my weight in that.
-Finger foods (I totally second that, Erin)
-Cereal
- pretzels with honey mustard and sweet tea from McAllisters. That's just a combo I've loved for years. I've been known to stop there just for a "snack".
4. Where are five places you have lived?
Tupelo, MS
Alpine, MS
Booneville, MS
Columbus, MS
Chattanooga, TN
5. Name five things you would do if you were a billionaire.
-Tithe plus offering
-buy some land and build our dream house
-Hire a maid
-Have 2 more kids and adopt internationally
-Stop working!
And now I tag:
-Conner C.
-Katy A.
-Katie B.
-Amy S.
-Alyson H.
...Hat turned sideways...
Pants on the ground
Pants on the ground
Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground
Crock Pot Apple Butter
1/4 bushel (which I guess is about a 5lb bag) apples peeled and cored and chopped
4 cups sugar
5 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Cook in Crock Pot on high 4-6 hours (I actually did mine in a stock pot on the stove top.) Mash with potato masher. I even went through mine with a hand mixer. Pour hot apple butter in jars immediately to seal.
Asher's gingerbread house. Isn't it beautiful! He ate the chimney though...no kidding!
Let's face it. It's an unspoken truth that blogs are a sounding board for plain ole bragging. Well, I was pretty darn proud of my apple butter I made before Christmas. I thought they came out really cute. I don't usually get the chance to be as domesticated as I'd like so I'm bragging:)
*If you like these tags check out the Stationary Fairy.
I'm so happy that everyone had a great Christmas Holiday. I've really enjoyed looking at all the blogs and facebook pictures of the kids and decorations and such. At the same time it's really bizarre. I feel like "where was I"? It's as if the pictures are from several months back and not just last week. I have to admit I found myself being a little jealous, but then I knew that wasn't a feeling the Lord would want me to have. I've been learning and studying lately that the Lord wants our minds to change our emotions and not our hearts to lead our minds like the world teaches us. So, I've replaced that feeling and mindset of jealousy to one of gratitude and awe as the Lord has taken care of us this holiday.
Leading up to Christmas I worked a lot trying to get out of town since we weren't able to go to Mississippi for Thanksgiving. I even worked through the weekend. After seeing a couple of patients on Monday (21st) we left for our wonderful almost week long vacay to see family and friends. Monday night we met my sister and nephew for dinnner where Asher started to get really fussy. We actually had to leave earlier than we liked, but we figured he was over tired after the almost 6 hour drive.
He didn't sleep well that night which I thought was an ear infection (we're pros) coming. So, our wonderful pediatrician called us in an anitbiotic to avoid the ER. Still he became fussier and started a fever. By this point I figured it was strep which this particular anitbiotic would handle as well. It just needed time to work. After 2 more days of fever and Motrin and Tylenol around the clock we knew our little guy was sick. He even had little white bumps on his tongue. Again, we thought it was probably strep and the medicine hadn't kicked in yet.
Asher didn't care about the first present or playing or anything related to Christmas. He only wanted to be held by his Mommy. He even stopped eating and drinking on Christmas Eve. We left MS on Christmas to head to Chattanooga where we went straight to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital. That was where he and I stayed for the next 5 days. Poor Mark was the errand boy and even had to work 2 nights during the ordeal.
While there Asher was treated for a viral infection that left his lips, tongue, gums, and throat covered in blisters. He was unable to eat and drink and had terrible pain. It even worsened a great deal after going to the hospital. This was emotionally and physically exhausting to watch our baby feel so poorly. We won't even talk about the lousy bed and being woken up every hour.
Now, this is where the gratitude part comes. Asher's body is healed now. Thankfully, this was only a temporary illness. However, the even more amazing part was the love and support that was shown to us. We had countless visitors, phone calls, and text messages. (I even had to change my cell phone plan to accommodate it all.) Those people were our prayer warriors when we were simply too tired and even forgot to pray at times. (Sounds terrible I know, but it happened.)
By Wednesday I insisted we go home. I felt as if we were being counter productive because Asher was becoming very upset when the doctors and nurses entered the room. It took 3 people to hold him down for medicines. I guess my Momma instinct kicked in that this was enough. He was well enough that the rest of his recovery could happen at home.
We got home about 10 o'clock Wednesday night, and I have not had to cook yet because of the fabulous meals brought to us. It's been such a blessing since I had to start seeing my patients right away. Asher is back to his ole self (except his schedule) playing hard with all this new Christmas loot.
So, did I have the little green monster sneak up on me...Yes. However, I know that even though we missed the holiday we have Christmas in our hearts everyday. His grace that abides in our hearts and minds through that little baby Jesus carries us through some pretty tough times!
A couple of weeks ago Asher got to ride the Polar Express at the Tennesse Valley Railroad Museum. We sang carols, listened to stories, ate gingerbread, drank Yoohoo and of course visited with Santa all while traveling to the "North Pole".It was a great time and really got us in a festive mood.
"Climbing the world" with Mommy and Daddy
Our special guest Gran
Daddy
Santa is coming!!!
Totally starstruck
Best Buds
Thank you for making a stop in the Scenic City early! We woke up last Friday morning (pics on camcorder) to find that your elves had been working very hard on setting up my new Rainbow Playset. Mommy and Daddy said it's really hard for you to get it all done in one night so you started early with swing sets this year.
Inside the fort was a letter from you and an elf to put on our shelf. I will continue to brush my teeth regularly and go potty just like you asked. And yes, I agree. I have been a very good boy! I can't wait to see what other treats you have waiting for us Christmas morning! Thank you, thank you!
It could be very easy for me to whine about our actual Thanksgiving day since Mark was night shift and slept all day. He was then off to work again after dinner at friends'. However, I looked at the glass as half full. 1. He HAS a job to provide for us. 2. We have friends that care enough to offer us awesome food and fellowship.
As some of you know I can be Negative Nellie sometimes. So, I'm really proud of myself because I didn't even have to try too hard:) The Lord is definitely making some good changes in me lately.
Here is a small list of things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving Holiday. Unfortunately I can't take credit for this idea. I got it from a friend's blog.
A=Asher. My precious boy that I believe is the cutest thing on earth. He's a perfect display of mine and Mark's love.
B=Besties as Erin calls them. I just love my dear friends that no matter the time or distance that separates us know my heart. They know where I come from firsthand and why I'm the person I am.
C=Cody. Through the years has been more like a little brother than a nephew.
D=Disney Cruise. It was our awesome vacation this year!
E=Everlasting life. Through Jesus I've been offered the most incredible gift!
F=Family
G=God. People that don't have Him simply exist. They don't live. I'm glad I don't have to understand that!
H=Home. Although I complain about the structure itself a lot it's a place of faith, hard work, and love.
I=In-laws. I don't even like that term because they're simply family. They love me whole hearted and treat me as their own.
J=Jobs. So many people are without this year. I often wish I could be home with Asher more, but he knows he is loved and gets lots of attention regardless. I thank God for giving me skilled knowledge to provide for my family.
K=Kisses. Whether in the form of "kissy lips", "horsie kisses", or Eskimo kisses I love them all! It's a nightly ritual.
L=Life. God blesses me every morning with good health.
M=Mark. The love of my life, the man of my dreams.
N=Naps. Mmm. Need I say more:)
O=Offerings. Our time, talent, and money. When we finally let go of them we receive so many blessings in turn just for being faithful.
P=Pictures. Can you imagine life without them?
Q=Quiet time. The time I take to simply feel God's presence and hear Him. I don't do it nearly enough!
R=Railroads. Anything related is pure joy to Asher.
S=Sisi. She helped make me who I am today.
T=Tyner United Methodist Church. I love my church family.
U=University. My good ole alma mater the "W". I have nothing but wonderful memories of that place. I'm proud to be part of the long blue line!
V=Vacation. Since Asher was born Mark and I decided vacations whether big or small were vitally important. It's a chance to get away from the stressors of life and work to focus on nothing but our family.
W=Wilma. The best step mother a girl could have.
X=X-Rays. No kidding I'm not making this up because X is a hard letter. With X-Rays particularly videofluroscopy I can better help so many of my patients.
Y=Years. I have spent 3 very happy ones with Mark. We have lots more to go!
Z=Zoos. They're an instant memory maker. Going to the zoo is one of the activities Asher and I do on my days off. Such fun!
I could go on and on!
We went Sunday to take some Christmas Card pictures. Even though a 2 year old can be a difficult subject I think we got some cute ones! Here are some (before editing) that didn't make the cut, but I thought showed his personality...
Not sure what the leaf is for but what a cute face!
deciding a stick in his mouth makes a good prop
a whole body tremor as he shows off his massive muscles
WATCH OUT! his shirt is about to pop!!
just being himself
The Halloween season has been a load of fun for our household. It started with the annual Choate/Allen party which is unbelievable. This year it included inflatables, haunted hayride, sack races, football, bonfire complete with marshmallows and ghost stories, and of course plenty of food! Then, we had trunk or treat at church Wednesday night. We decided not to do a trunk this year since Asher is old enough to enjoy it. (I was a ding dong and forgot my camera!) Halloween night we went on a hayride while trick or treating in a friend's neighborhood.
Asher just enjoyed all of it so much.!I'm so looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. I think this was a sneak peak of the fun we have in store!
Asher and my "
pitty fowerz" for the season
Asher and Daddy sliding at the party. Asher said the other day that Daddy was his "favorite".
Thomas the Tank Engine
Just being cute
My graveyard cupcakes for Halloween night. As if there wasn't enough sugar with all the candy!
Asher and Mommy on the hayride
Getting the hang of this trick or treating biz!
Daddy's first Grandchild. That was almost 19 years ago, and that baby is 6'5'' now!
Cancun, Mexico
My grad school graduation
Family Dinner
My Wedding
Asher's Birth
Just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of Daddy. I miss him terribly!
“As a mother, my job is to take care of what is possible and trust God with the impossible.”--Ruth Bell Graham
