M.I.A...

Sorry! I know I've been MIA lately. A lot of things are going on in The Bowman household. My husband is a school bookstore manager so August is a REALLY crazy month. Also, I just got a job as a home health nurse and started on Monday. With both of us working the kids had to start daycare. Let me tell you...that was a hard day...and still is hard. Friday we did a trial run. David only works until 12 on most fridays (except for "rush" which starts tomorrow and ends in the beginning of September) so I went to work with him, helped him drop them off and get them settled and then hung out in the computer lab and went to Old Navy before picking him back up and going to lunch, a movie and more shopping! Let me tell you, it was so hard dropping them off, but we also had a lot of fun just the two of us. I had lobster and steak and then we went to watch G-force. I really didn't want to watch a kids movie on our first kid-free day in over 6 months...but it was the only one in our time slot that wasn't full of sex. We really try to see clean movies and use christiananswers.net to preview the movies before we see them. It actually was pretty good and cute. Then we went to Walmart (I'm so boring now...walmart excites me) and shopped just for ourselves. I'm sure I'm like a lot of parents when I say, "I don't spend money on myself." I really don't. Every time I put something in the cart for me, it comes back out because I'd rather spend that on the kids. PLUS, we haven't had an income that pays all the bills since January. David and I were both working in January in Houston when he lost his job. I then had to switch from working 1-2 days a week to 3 12 hour shifts just to get by. We were getting by with his severance and my job, but I stopped working in the middle of february because a precious little girl was on her way and I was just miserable. Then his severance ran out at the end of february so we didn't have income for about 2 months. Then after working April and May we moved here to Virginia on Memorial day weekend. So, long story short (holy rabbit trail!!) I haven't felt comfortable spending any money on myself. David and I both got some stuff we really needed and got something for a friend that she really needed and still made it out of there fairly reasonably. SO...lots has been going on. My orientation day was last monday and my first day in the office was this past monday. I now work friday and saturday this week and then its just going to be 2 days a week (friday and saturday) from here on out. The kids will go to daycare on fridays, and daddy will watch them saturdays. We may switch it up a bit in September and work Mondays and Saturdays so David and I can have some time together on fridays. We'll see. Hopefully I won't fall off the face of the earth again...SORRY!

Thankful Thursday...

So, I'm stealing...no BORROWING this idea from a friend of a friend. If I knew her or her blog I would credit her but I don't. The idea is you make a list of everything that you're thankful for from the last week and she is actually numbering them and trying to get to 1,000! So, here we go again...

22. I'm thankful that little Stellan did NOT have to fly to Boston again to have another heart ablation and that they were able to adjust his meds and he is now HOME in NSR!

23. I'm thankful for my adorable children (I know, I know, a weekly theme but come ON!) I look at both of them in AMAZEMENT every day. Eden is seriously the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

24. I'm thankful for getting to wake up every morning to my babies! Eden rolls over and just starts jabbering most of the time. I walk in and just say "Eeeedeeen" and she gets a HUGE smile on her face and starts contorting trying to find me. Noah, jumps up to his feet when he hears the door open and gets a cute little grin and throws down his blankets and pacifier (I know, I'm working on getting rid of it, but its just during nap and sleep!) and starts jumping up and down. THE. CUTEST. EVER.

25. I'm thankful for friends who are so solid in their faith. Mon, my friend from Toledo, is an amazing christian woman. Her and her family are going through a tough time right now with the stupid economy and she still is so positive and uplifting!

26. I'm thankful that I'll be getting a check on August 21st!!

27. I'm thankful we found a daycare for the kids and its nice and clean, and cheap! Their first day will be friday. Davids working from 8-12 and I'm going to just go with him to drop them off (the daycare is in wytheville, where he works, which is 30 min away from the house!) and then bum around until he's done. Then we're going to lunch and a movie. It will be our first time with no kids in 6-7 months!

28. I'm thankful I got a shower tonight. Still wondering when it will stop feeling like a luxury! I actually got to SHAVE too! *ooohhhooo*

29. I'm thankful for the amazing Dad that David is!

30. I'm thankful that I get to hear Noah talk every day. It is TOO cute. The way he says "BYYYEEE" and "ouside!" are PRICELESS!

Stellan...

I'm not doing a not me monday post this week. First of all, I didn't have internet all day due to a huge storm last night and our modem getting fried. Luckily it was comcast's modem and they replaced it. Secondly, I want all the attention (or the very little) that my blog gets to be directed towards little Stellan and his mom Jennifer. Stellan isn't doing well and my heart aches for Jennifer as a mom and a sister-in-Christ. I can not image how draining and gut wrenching it must be to watch your baby lay in the ICU struggling to live and not be able to help them. So please please please pray for little Stellan. He's so little and full of joy and I know his family isn't ready to let go, and neither am I for that matter. Pray Pray Pray!!

http://www.mycharmingkids.net for updates

Random thoughts...

So it was another lazy weekend at our house...as lazy as we can get with two under two. I just realized that I can only say that for another month. Yes, its true, my almost 2 year old will actually turn two on August 20th. It sounds surreal right now. Its been a long journey, but it seems like its gone really fast too. In those short two years we've moved three times, got pregnant by suprise with another one and enjoyed welcoming her to the world, and went through all those baby milestones. He's grown up so much and he really is a joy to have around (most of the time! :P).

I'm so blessed to have two beautiful, healthy children. Aside from both of them having reflux, they've been really healthy. If you look at my sidebar you'll see a button for little Stellan. MckMama over at mycharmingkids.net and Stellan and the whole family need your prayers right now. Stellan was found to have heart problems before birth and they were told that he wouldn't live. He's now an amazingly beautiful 8 month old but he's back in the hospital for the second time since his birth. The last hospitalization was several months long and they had to transfer him to boston. He had a heart operation but it doesn't seem to be working. I beg you to pray for this sweet sweet family. I don't personally know them, but I've followed her blog for some time now and my heart breaks as a mother for MckMama. So please, if you never do anything else for me...ever, please pray for them.

Children Call...I'll add more later if possible...

Thankful Thursday...

So, I'm stealing...no BORROWING this idea from a friend of a friend. If I knew her or her blog I would credit her but I don't. The idea is you make a list of everything that you're thankful for from the last week and she is actually numbering them and trying to get to 1,000! So, here we go again...

12. I'm thankful that my husband made it home from Chicago safe and sound.

13. I'm thankful I survived a week being a single parent, without too many frazzled nerves.

14. I'm thankful for the amazing, beautiful daughter that God decided to surprise us with (and bless us with.) I'm amazed every day that something that beautiful could come from my husband and I. She's breathtaking.

15. I'm thankful for my rambunctious, lively, energetic toddler that God has blessed us with. He's so smart and fun and funny. His giggle makes me laugh uncontrollably.

16. I'm thankful for the time I get to spend giggling with my toddler. Case in point: Last night I kept on putting the small blanket we keep on the back of the love seat BACK up on the love seat. Suddenly, it became a game to him and he was running around, dodging me, trying to get to the love seat to pull it back down. He HIGHLY prefers daddy right now, so moments like that are like gold to my soul.

17. I'm thankful for all the baby giggles Eden has been giving me lately. Her belly and her thighs are really ticklish and she's been giggling up a storm.

18. I'm thankful for the time I've gotten to spend with my husband lately. I've been making it a point to try to get the house cleaned up BEFORE the kids go to bed so that he and I can have some time together. We've been doing our Love Dares (great BOOK!) and then playing Civilization 4 on the computer together. This way we're not just watching TV and not talking. We get to talk, joke and work as a team!

19. I'm thankful that Eden's been sleeping well and getting settled into a good nap schedule.

20. I'm thankful for my friend Alexis in Ohio. I've kept up with a few friends from Ohio, all of which I'm thankful for (Julie, Nicole, Jess, etc) but Alexis and I have a very different bond. Noah was born on her birthday, and her youngest son is just a few days younger than Noah. She's a NICU nurse, an amazing mother, wife and christian. She never fails to call at least every week or two and we probably could talk for hours if children didn't need tending to. She's one of my very best friends and I love her to pieces.

21. I'm thankful that I'll be making income soon!

Alright...your turn!

Wordless Wednesday...

Things they never told you about parenting...

As you can already tell...I'm loving this themed day of the week stuff. I may just have to figure out more topics so that I can have a theme every day! I know not many people stop by here but I would love for anyone, and everyones input on this one.

Before you become a parent, it all seems like puppys and sunshine. Seriously, I don't think you have a CLUE about the rude (but amazing) awakening you're going to have. Then it hits you. You bring this cute, cuddly bundle of joy home and the, "WHAT IN THE HECK! They never told me about that!" moments begin.

What they don't tell you about children/parenting...

-Your precious baby can belch like a saylor, fart like a trucker and projectile any and every bodily fluid you have ever (and never wanted) to hear about.

-That the first few weeks (or months) you're so sleep deprived (and usually doped up on meds) that you walk around in a cloud, forget the day of the week and just struggle to get by.

-The crazy lengths that you will go through to make your baby smile or laugh.

-How much you can love something that just caused you a heck of a lot of pain and effort! (sounds cliche but its true)

-That when your baby starts sleeping in their own room, you'll pray that they'll sleep all night, but then when they start sleeping through the night you'll wake up in a panick. You'll then lie in bed for hours worrying if they're o.k. but don't want to risk waking them up to go check. Its a crazy circle!

-That every and anyone will have opinions about what and when you should be feeding your baby, putting the baby down to nap etc.

-You never seriously considered severly harming anyone before, but you know if anyone harmed your child, they would regret it until their very last breathe.

-How frustrating but ADORABLE toddlers can be.

Put your "They never told me that" in the comments!

And just because she's adorable:

Not my child monday....

So this is a little thing that McMama over at mycharmingkids.com does on mondays. Normally it's a Not Me Monday, but this week we have a twist. It's a Not my child monday, where we can simply confess the things our children did NOT do. *I'm mixing in the not me's as well this week since I've never done one, and its fun!*

-While eating this week Noah did NOT decide that everything on his tray should be smashed to bits and then some of it thrown on the floor, not my child, he's much more clean than that, and respectful.

-After being a very good boy this week, Noah did not get M&M's and did NOT then proceed to melt them in his hands and then spread them over his tray face and hands, not my child!

-Since David was gone this week, I most DEFINATELY did not stay in my pajamas most of the week, and only throw on a hoodie when I went outside or to the mailbox, not me! I'm much more organized and put together than that.

-After FINALLY getting my kids on a better schedule, they certainly did NOT end up waking up at 11:30 by the end of the week, despite going to bed around 9pm each night, not my children, I'm a much better parent than that.

-On thursday night I did NOT put Noah to bed at 9pm, doubting he would actually sleep, but just needing a little time out myself. I've got much more patience than that!

-I did NOT eat mostly carbs and junk this week while david was gone, when I did decide to eat once or twice a day. I eat three completely nutritionally balanced meals a day! I also did NOT eat all the chocolate in the house, that would be bad!

-Noah does NOT eat mostly carbs and some fruit. He ALWAYS eats vegetables, since I've been trying to get him to take them for the past YEAR.

O.k....Your turn! Link it in my comments or over at McMamma's site so we can all see what you or your children did NOT do this week! :)

Thankful Thursday (STOLEN!)....

So, I'm stealing...no BORROWING this idea from a friend of a friend. If I knew her or her blog I would credit her but I don't. The idea is you make a list of everything that you're thankful for from the last week and she is actually numbering them and trying to get to 1,000! So, here we go:
1. I'm thankful for God, and the fact that he's so amazing and still loves me despite all my flaws and continually doing stupid stuff!
2. I'm thankful for my husband and the two beautiful children he has given me.
3. I'm thankful for my parents
4. I'm thankful that the terrible twos have seemed to be on hold for the last two weeks and Noah has been a really good boy through the last couple of days and missing daddy.
5. I'm thankful that I got a job this week and its flexible to what our family needs.
6. I'm thankful that said job is so flexible that we can work my schedule around when David will be home and we won't have to pay for childcare.
7. I'm thankful that we successfully transitioned Eden to her own room and she's been sleeping fairly well.
8. I'm thankful that we've got Eden on a fairly good napping schedule for Eden.
9. I'm thankful that I have amazing friends in Ohio and Texas that still keep up with us.
10. I'm thankful that we've found some new friends here in Virginia (even if they are 35 min away!)
11. I'm thankful that we have health insurance again (even if it is costing us an arm and a leg, that peace of mind that we didn't have for 3 months is awesome!)

Your turn!

Boys will be boys...

Isn't she the cutest little thing?? :)
My husband has been out of town this week training in Chicago. Like every normal mom that isn't used to not having the husband home...I panicked. How in the world was I to function for 5 days always having to be "on". Honestly, its been fine though. Bedtime is a bit difficult because as I'm putting Noah to bed, Eden's downstairs voicing her demands loudly that she be fed and put to sleep. Noah's been in the terrible twos and tantrum stage for awhile now, and that was most of my concern when I heard David would be leaving. God must have had a good stern talking to him though because he has been such a good little boy (mostly) and hasn't thrown any major tantrums since we came home from Ohio July 5th! He was being SUCH a good boy and ate almost all his dinner (5 chicken nuggets, over a cup of grapes and some string cheese) so I decided I'd reward him with a few M&M's. Like all normal human being, he loved the chocolate, and like every normal boy, made a mess in the process.