Through all the hustle of the Christmas season, let us not forget why we celebrate it in the first place. It isn't about the gifts we get, the food we eat, or the places we get to go to... it is in celebration of our Savior's birth. God bless you all this Christmas Eve, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day with their loved ones.

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Luke 2:1-20 (KJV)

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Cuddle time...

One of Jake's new favorite things to do on my days off is cuddle. This all takes place just after he wakes up in the morning. He used to NEVER cuddle in the morning. When he was up, he was UP and going full force. However, lately when he wakes up, I take him from his crib and then he lies with me in bed for another good 10-20 minutes.

He will not lie next to me. He does not like to be just beside me.

He has touching me in some way, with his hand, his little toes, or with his head on my chest. Its melts my heart.

I am relishing this while it lasts, because I know that before too long, he will go back to being a

crazy, rambunctious toddler who will do what he wants, when he wants, how he wants, and lying with me for that time will not be an option to him anymore. Then, before I can blink, he will be in kindergarten. Then another blink and he is in high school. *gulp*

So for now, I will take the time to enjoy the little moments with him before (even if it makes me late for his doctors appointment that I thought was at 10:00am but was at 9:30am. Oops...)

Wordless Wednesday

(Brad loves his baby brother, and it appears the feeling is mutual!)

Jake (much smaller) + Turkey Baby Food

I thought this was just hilarious - I forgot that my husband had taken a video of this way back when Jacob was on baby food back in March-ish. Anywho, without further interruption, this is what happens when you give a nine-month-old baby food that he doesn't want!

The Fruit of the Spirit & Spiritual Gifts

Yesterday, I went to my weekly MOPS meeting and this week fell on our Bible study week. Last week, this week, and next week we have a guest speaker who is a Mentor Mom at our location, and her name is Christi Haag. Let me just tell you, she is an amazing, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Godly woman. I listen to her speak and I am immediately drawn in. She is married and has two boys, 14 and 15. Her oldest, Ben, recently confessed to her and her husband that he feels he is being led by the Lord to go into missions overseas, and is patiently waiting on God to let him know where. I mean, PRAISE THE LORD! I only hope and pray that my husband and I can be that kind of example to our children. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this lady is, and how much of a true blessing it has been to know her as the previous mentor mom for our table, and as a true teacher of the word. She speaks it with such clarity and conviction, she is just mesmerizing.

Last meeting, she spoke on "The Fruit of the Spirit" and the Spiritual Gifts that God gives to us. She let us know that without the Fruit and filtering each of our gifts through the Fruit, that our gifts are just like a loud noise to God and won't matter. Just think of that: How good would it be to have the gift of discertion without kindness? Or the gift of serving without love? Music without joy? It all makes sense and I have never seen it that way before.

She explained that the Bible teaches that each of us has at least one gift, and the Lord calls us to use that gift in our lives and in the church. She spoke on several passages, including Galatians 5:22, I Peter 4:10-11, I Corinthians 12, I Corinthians 13, and Ephesians 4:11-16, and Romans 12:1-8. If you have never studied these, I encourage you to do so, as I felt like I learned so much from these.

She then passed out four pages to us, where we took a quiz to find out what our main spiritual gifts were. It was 78 questions long and took about 20 minutes to complete, but when I was done - WOW! - I was surprised about a couple of the results. I knew that I would probably hold a gift for hospitality and giving, but exhortation and knowledge was an amazing discovery about myself, but it makes perfect sense. I scored lower on prophecy and teaching, but that's OK - God gave me the gifts that he did for a reason, and I can use THOSE to lift people up in my own way, and he will send those with the other gifts that he gave uniquely to them to help in their own way that someone like me may not excel at.

If you would also like to take this quiz, it was very neat and I even brought one home for my husband. The link is posted below (I uploaded it to Google Docs, if it doesn't work, post a comment with your email address and I would be more than happy to email it to you). Although he hasn't taken it yet, it will be neat to see what God has blessed him with and how we each compliment eachother in God's perfect plan! :)

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts

Fabulous Homemade Soaps!

Today was my weekly MOPS meeting, and there are about 8 women at my table plus our Mentor Mom. I always knew that one of my mommy friends there, Cathy, made homemade couture soaps and she would occasionally bring some for the door prizes that are given by raffle to the moms at the meeting.

Well, today she was so very thoughtful and brought a custom, all-natural soap for each of us ladies at the table! They were "Oatmeal & Pumpkin Spice" scented that she made for us, and Oh. My. Word. is it wonderful!

Let me just say that up until this point I have never used a homemade soap that I can ever recall in my life. I grew up on the basic bar soaps that mom & dad bought, like Lever 2000 and Dial. When I got older and bought my own, I switched to body wash and have been using Dove for a very long time, which I have no complaints about. But WOW! After trying the amazingness that is the soap that Cathy makes for her business, Classy Sudz, I may be a client for life! :)

If you have a moment, PLEASE check out her site, and if you see something that fancies your interests, try a bar. You won't be disappointed!

THANKS AGAIN, CATHY!

(This is a picture of her Cinnamon Butter Cookie scented soap from her site - uh, YUM!)

Pumpkin Pie Bites, by Bakerella!

Hi there, friends!
I came across this recipe the other day on bakerella's awesome site, and these just look absolutely fabulous! i want to make these - and soon!
enjoy!
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Pumpkin Pie Bites, by Bakerella

I’ve been in a mini-mood lately when it comes to baking and these bite-sized pies met my big craving.

They are really, really easy. Let me show ya.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that I used ready to roll refrigerated pie crust. It comes two to a box and if you roll each round pie crust a little bit thinner with a rolling pin, you can get 24 mini pumpkin-shaped pie crusts out of them. Make sure you use all the dough scraps and re-roll to maximize quantities.

Then, stuff each one in a mini muffin baking pan. This one holds 24.

Press the dough down, in and around the edge of each muffin cup. Make sure the stem for the pumpkin stays sticking out. You’ll notice I alternated cups above. I did this mainly to make sure the pie crusts didn’t touch each other. So I ended up baking these in two batches.

Fill each pie crust with pumpkin filling all the way to the top.

When they come out of the oven, they’ll be puffed up like this. Too bad they didn’t stay that way. That would be pretty darn cute.

But no, after they cool for a few, they’ll fall and be flush with the pie crust.

See… easy mini pumpkin pie bites. These would be really cute at Thanksgiving.

You can even drizzle them with melted chocolate to jazz them up a bit. Just melt some chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. You can also add a little bit of vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Then, transfer the chocolate to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off and drizzle away.

But wait… you say you don’t want to wait until Thanksgiving.

I don’t blame you.

So… pipe some chocolate faces on and make them in October.

Cute!

And I’ll say it again… easy!

Pumpkin Pie Bites

2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Optional
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
vegetable oil
re-sealable plastic bags

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.
Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)
Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle or draw faces on pies.

Note: The cutter I used was 3 3/4 inches wide, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Just use a round cutter around that size or slightly smaller to cut circle shapes out of the dough. Then make stems with the scraps. Press each stem over the edge and down the side of the dough before filling.

Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

Enjoy!

Question Time!

I love doing questionaires, and I "borrowed" this one from Lauren! ENJOY and please feel free to fill it out, too! :)

1. Where were you three hours ago? at home

2. Who are you in love with? Hans

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon? Not that I can recall, but I can’t be certain.<---Lauren's answer, but I think I can agree with that!

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? Yes, my desktop background, haha!

5. When was the last time you went to the mall? A couple weeks ago, and I actually didn't buy anything!

6. Are you wearing socks right now? No

7. Do you have a car worth over $2000? Yes

8. When was the last time you drove out of town? In July when we went to Fort Myers Beach

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days? No

10. Are you hot? Yes, it is 93*F outside! ;)

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? French Vanilla Coffee

12. What are you wearing right now? Jeans and a green/white striped shirt

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it? I let Hans wash it :)

14. Last food you ate? A slice of meat lovers pizza from Sam's Club

15. Where were you last week at this time? At home helping my hubby put film on the sun-room windows to make it cooler and more "energy efficient".

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? Yes, I bought a 0-3 month girls outfit for a friend who just had a baby <3

17. When was the last time you ran? Hopefully today! Otherwise, it has been several months.

18. What was the last sporting event you watched? Hmmmm... Dolphins/Colts game, last 2 minutes? Does that count?

19. Your favorite animal? Dog.

20. Your dream vacation? Israel, seeing all the sites from the Bible. That would be amazing.

21. Last person’s house you were in? Kim & Brian's

22. Worst injury you ever had? None -- sprained ankle maybe?

23. Have you been in love? Yessssss, in love with my wonderful husband Hans!!

24. Do you miss anyone right now? Not really

25. Last play you saw? Phantom of the Opera!

26. What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex? My presence alone is enough. HAHA! Just kidding. I don't know, dressing up nice for the hubbs? Ask him!

27. What are your plans for tonight? Relaxing at home, going for a run, eating dinner, get kids bathed and into bed, watch some TV, bed.

28. Who is the last person to send you a Facebook message or comment? Danielle

29. Next trip you are going to take? Not sure yet.

30. Ever go camping? Goodness no. I'd rather stay home or in a hotel!

31. Were you an honor student in school? Um, no.

32. What do you want to know about the future? Nothing, I am fairly content the way I am!

33. Are you wearing perfume or cologne? Perfume - Britney Spears "Curious" (DON'T LAUGH! I can't help that I like it! LOL)

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor’s visit? Nope

35. Where is your best friend? In Tampa

36. How is your best friend? Awesome, we're very much alike, except she is a lot less crazy and keeps me sane! :)

37. Do you have a tan? Sorta.

38. What are you listening to right now? The news on TV1 in the living room and Toy Story for the 100th time on TV2 in the back room.

39. Do you collect anything? Not that I can think of

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know? Notta clue

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over? May 2008 - 8 months pregnant on County Line Rd.

42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw? Yes

43. What does your last text message say? "Gracias! You're the best!" - to my hubby who said he'd watch the boys while I run.

44. Do you like hot sauce? Duh, I am from the South. <--- (I second Lauren's answer!)

45. Last time you took a shower? Today.

46. Do you need to do laundry? Always! It never ends. Ever.

47. What is your heritage? No clue. Scottish, something, Indian, something, Italian, something. I'm an AMERICAN! We'll just go with that.

48. Are you someone’s best friend? Yes

49. Are you rich? Nope, but happy!

50. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Rocking Jake back to sleep after a bad dream.

WooHoo! Premiere Week!

OK -- I regret to say, since Big Brother 11 ended last Tuesday, I have not quite known what to do with myself three evenings a week. I miss it desperately. I actually subscribed to the feeds and while I did not watch them 24/7, it was nice to occasionally pop in and see them scheming behind eachothers back before the episode actually aired.

Yes, my name is Kimberley, and I am a BB addict. *breathe*

ANYWHO, now that this is over, I can get back to my life. Sort of.

Just when I thought I may be OK, this week is FALL TV PREMIERE WEEK! Yesssssss!

Below are three shows that I am so excited are back, and my opinions on each (if you care)! :)

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First up is Big Bang Theory. Hans and I got into this show the end of season one, and after two or three episodes we were hooked! When I was home on maternity leave with Jakey, we watched all of season one that we missed. Online. In two days. It is THAT good. I love the characters and they have great one liners on that show! Sheldon is a riot, Leonard is a dorky sweetheart who's always chasing after Penny, and their friends Koothropali and Wolowitz are just hilarious. Especially Wolowitz. If you haven't caught an episode yet, check it out and just give it 30 minutes. You'll change your mind.

Next on the list is Heroes. We have been watching this one since Season one, 2nd episode. Last night was the premiere of Season Four. This show is more of an Action/Drama if I had to choose a genre to place it in. The title says it all - this show is centered around a cast of people who were ordinary until a solar eclipse occurred four years ago, and then several people in the human race developed super powers. One girl can never die, and when she is injured, even severely, she just heals. One man can fly. One can time-travel. One can read minds and control thoughts. The list goes on. Then of course to have a show there has to be a villan, the main one of which is Sylar. This guy is creepy - but you always end up feeling sorry for him somehow at moments! His power is that he can take other people's power... in his own way. You'd have to watch to know how. Kinda intense - but overall the hubby and I really like the show!

Then last but certainly not least -- there is The Mentalist. I love this show! OMGosh for so many reasons. First, the plot. This show just came on last season, and from the very first episode I was drawn into the storyline and the main character, Patrick Jane. Patrick is a consultant for the "CBI" (California Bureau of Investigation), and each episode centers upon a murder and then figuring out who did it. Some times I get it right and can tell. Others I am blown away! But in each scenario, he comes in and basically "reads between the lines" to help figure out cases that may otherwise go unsolved. Additionally, he has his own personal past that comes into several episodes. His wife & child were murdered many years ago by a serial killer named "Red John", and occasionally clues come forward as to who he/she might be, and then the chase begins for him all over again. (It also doesn't hurt that the main character, Patrick, is super cute and makes for fantastic eye candy for an hour, haha!)

If you don't get the plot I just described -- completely understandable, although I did try my best! :) This is another show that if you had just an hour to kill, give it review and maybe you will like it as much as we do!

Well, that is all for me for now. Thanks for listening to me babble on and on about my favorite shows!

Cute Lil' Cake Pops Recipe

ENJOY!!!

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Cute little Cake Pops

August 25, 2009 at 3:22 pm by Leslie Green

I had to jump on the Bakerella bandwagon and make some Cake Pops! I see them all over the Food Web World. They really are simple to make, but very time consuming. Of course, I made them even more difficult with all the different decorations. I love self induced torture!

And, I must say, they did have a very lengthy photo shoot. Probably about 80 pictures! My husband thinks I’ve lost my mind. But I constantly remind him that I didn’t lose it, my children have sucked every bit of brain from my skull. Just like he constantly reminds me that his gray hair is caused by me! Again, I blame that on the kids too!

Recipe after the break:

Here is what you need:
1 box cake mix
1 can cream cheese frosting
50 lollipop sticks
Melting chocolate of your choice

1. Bake a cake per the box directions (I used a yellow cake mix). Let cool completely. Crumble cake or place in food processor and pulse until completely ground up. Transfer crumbled cake to a large bowl.

2. Put a can of cream cheese frosting into the crumbled cake and mix until completely combined. Roll cake mixture into balls the size of about a quarter and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or other non-stick surface.

3. Melt your chocolate per package directions. Dip one end of your lollipop stick into the melted chocolate (works as a glue) and then place the chocolate end into the cake ball about half way. Place them in the freezer to they get nice and firm.

4. One they are nice and hard you can dip them in the melted chocolate. Push the stick into a block of Styrofoam and decorate them with whatever you have on hand, like sprinkles. Place them in the fridge — covered — or you can keep them at room temp for a couple of days if covered!

MOPS!

No, I am not talking about the squishy thing you clean a floor with. I am talking about the awesome thing that my friend Ashley has been talking about FOREVER that I am just now getting on the bandwagon with! It is Mothers Of PreSchoolers. Yes, I understand I do not have a preschooler, but it is basically for mommies with children ages birth - five years old.

From what I have come to understand, it is a wonderful gathering of strong, Christian mommies and they provide breakfast and childcare. After gathering and well, eating (YUM), you learn parenting lessons with a Christian emphesis, as well as do some crafts and have guest speakers, have Bible study, and other mommy friendly activities each week. Ashley once told me they had a pediatrician come in and the ladies just got to have a free-for-all asking them whatever question they could possibly think of! The group in my area meets on Tuesday mornings from 9:00am - 11:30am, and one of my neighbors attends as well. I am SO SO SO excited, and I haven't even been to a meeting yet! Just hearing about it from friends who have experienced it makes it sound like it is going to be such a blessing to my life. It starts back up again on September 1st, and I seriously cannot wait. Yippee!

So, do you go to MOPS or have you heard of it? If so, share with me your experiences!

I. Love. Shoes.

Yes, it's true. I love shoes - and shopping. Just ask my husband, he'll tell you!

Two days ago, I received a coupon in the mail from my favorite shoe store - Payless. Yes, I know. It's not exactly "Nike" or "Manolo Blahnik" by any stretch of the imagination, but I love being able to get several pairs of shoes if I want and not spending my entire paycheck! Plus, they have all sorts of styles for every occasion, and shoes for each of us in our family.

So anyway, back to my coupon. It was 20% off -- and can be used during their BOGO 1/2 off sale -- CHA CHING!

I took Bradley & Jacob with me, and we spent just about an hour there. There were a lot of shoes to sort through and try on! Jacob needed shoes desperately since he has been walking for about two weeks now, so I got him two pairs after much struggling with him to try them on, and for me to figure out what size he is! For the record, he is a chunky 4W. haha!

Brad was easy-- he found what he liked, I told him to find them in his size, tried them on, done.

Me, I ended up with three pairs! I needed new heels because my fantastic Golden Retriver(s) ate my last pair. Then, I saw these cute casual sneaker slip-ons for $10 on clearance. Then I just had to have the flip-flops for $4, which would be $2 when the discount is applied for the 1/2 off the 2nd pair! :)

We ended up leaving with six pairs total: Three for me, two for Jake, and one for Brad -- and I only spent $42.49. YESSSSS!

Fort Myers Beach Vacation

Hi there everyone - we are back! Here is a recap of our first family vacation...

Day One - Arriving and Relaxing

On Sunday after the morning service at church, the family and I ventured out for the 2.5 hour drive to Fort Myers Beach, FL. The drive was fairly uneventful. We stopped at Sam's Club by our church on the way out and got some hot dogs and drinks for lunch to eat on the way, and a

case of bottled water for the hotel, and we were gone! Jacob was a trooper, he napped most of the way and when he woke I just gave him a bottle and some Cheerios and he was happy. Hans drove and Brad read a book most of the way.

We arrived at the hotel around 3:00pm, and checked in. We got a ground floor room right off the beach. It was beautiful! The room was clean and on the quieter side of the hotel (basically NOT by the loud pool area, thank goodness), and there was a fridge where we could keep drinks, snacks, and most importantly, milk for Jacob!

We went to the beach for a short time, and then drove to Publix on Estero Island which was about 2 miles away to get some goodies and things for Jacob. We went back to the hotel and relaxed, swan in the pool, ate dinner at Pincher's Crab Shack onsite, and then settled down for an easy first night.

Day Two - Beach Day

On Monday, we all woke up at about 9:00am, and we made a decision long before the vacation that we refuse to use an alarm clock. Jacob was gracious enough to let us sleep in - it was fantastic! Unfortunately, we saw that it looked like it was about to begin pouring rain outside. So, we decided to go to the hotel restaurant and get some breakfast, and just see how the weather turns out. We all had a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, french toast, etc... and then we were seeing outside that the rain was coming: black coulds were rolling in. So, we went back to the hotel room to wait it out. It ended up raining most of the day!

We were getting really bored really quickly, and I had seen an ad for an outlet mall nearby, so I convinced Hans (much to his dismay) that we should so see what cool things they may have there. Turns out they didn't have a lot, but there was a Carter's outlet! We got Jacob 4 new outfits for $16 and change. Sweet!

At about 4:00pm it was clearing up so we decided to venture out and see the Pier at Fort Myers Beach on the north end of Estero Island. It was cute! We then grabbed some ice cream (I kind of persisted, I must admit) at a place right off the pier that had homemade ice cream. We got a fresh waffle cone of -- what else? -- "Fort Myers Beach Mud" flavoured ice cream. It was vanilla ice cream with speckles of chocolate and swirls of caramel. Even Jake enjoyed it!

When we got back to the hotel room, it had cleared up quite a bit and we decided to spend the rest of the evening on the beachfront off of our hotel room. Hans brought Brad out to the beach while I grabbed some subs to eat for dinner - on the beach. Yes, I did get $5 footlongs, from Subway. Only the best! :oP

While on the beach, we saw many interesting little creatures that were in the water or right off of the sand. We saw dolphins, a baby sting ray, hundreds of sand dollars, and crabs! Too much sea life for me... I stayed just off the shore, where I could see through the water! We all had a wonderful time. We watched the sunset, then we swam in the hotel pool for a bit, went back to the room and called it a night.

Day Three - Water Park Day

Once again, we woke up at about 9:00am - we could get used to this! When planning the vacation Hans found a water park in Cape Coral called "Sun Splash Family Water Park" and we decided it would be a fun activity for us to go do together. On our way there, I made a point that we must stop at a very small family owned restaurant I had read about online called, "The Heavenly Biscuit". They apparently have the best cinnamon rolls you'll ever eat, so I had to try it, also since it was about 4 miles from our hotel. I got a cinnamon roll and coffee, and the boys got a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. Let me just say - this was THE BEST cinnamon roll I have ever had. I consider myself a pretty good cook, but Oh. My. Goodness. This was "heavenly", as the name says! Not to mention it was as big as my two hands. Oh yeah, the regular biscuit sandwiches were good, too. :)

Now, back to the water park. It was sooooo much fun! The place was fairly big, and they had several regular slides, tube slides, scary slides, a tots area, and a general swimming area. We got there at about 11:00am and stayed until 2:30pm. I covered all of us with sun screen, but I guess I failed to read the instructions that you need to leave it on for 20 minutes before getting into the water. Brad tanned, Hans tanned, Jake tanned REALLY well, and well - I sizzled like bacon, like I always do! My shoulders, chest, and face were scorched when we got back to the hotel that night. Booooo! Oh well. Other than that small incident, it was great seeing Brad & Hans go on the tube slides, and of course I had to go on my crazy water slides, too... Hans and I took turns going on rides with Brad while one another watched and played with Jacob.

After we left the water park, we went to another place that Hans found, called "Greenwell's Family Fun Park". There, they had an arcade, go karts, mini golf, and batting cages. We did ALL of them. I hate to say it, but I think my favorite was the batting cages. Of course, I did slow pitch softball, but hey - I felt like an all-star when I hit almost every single one, haha!

We left Greenwell's at about 6:00pm, then went and ate dinner at Pincher's Crab Shack again. We had a 50% off your entire bill coupon, so that night we went all out. Hans had a King Crab dinner, I had 1.5 pounds of shrimp prepared three ways: Buffalo, Scampi, and Blackened. I felt like Bubba from "Forrest Gump" when ordering. Brad had spaghetti. Jake, he had bites of everything we had, of course! Only the best for my one year old - that and we didn't bring any baby food to the restaurant. Oops.

We went back to the hotel room at about 8:30pm, and watched some TV before getting the boys settled and into bed.

Day Four - Venice Beach, FL

Our last day in the hotel, we basically packed up and headed out at 11:00am. Of course, I did make Hans stop at "The Heavenly Biscuit" again so we could pick something up to eat on the way to Venice Beach... yes, another cinnamon roll for me. Hey, I did share, too!

We arrived at Venice Beach at around 1:00pm. Hans really wanted to stop by there because the beach has "the most shark teeth in Florida" or something along those lines. So, I stayed on the shore (since I was still burnt from the day before) with Jacob while Brad and Hans went snorkeling in the Gulf to look for teeth. They were in there about 30 minutes and they found three. Yikes! They dried off, packed up, and we were on our way home. We got home just before 3:30pm.

We had an amazing vacation, as I am sure you have read. We would definitely reccommend Holiday Inn - Fort Myers Beach, as well as all the other places we visited and dined at while down there. We will definitely be visiting there again!

Jacobs First Birthday Party

I realize this is long overdue - but here are some pictures from Jacobs 1st birthday party! It was held at our house on June 28, 2009 at 2:00pm. We did this because we felt it would be better to have him near his crib when he gets tired or cranky, and near the bathtub after the cake smashing! Luckilly he only got a little cranky, but just took a short nap before everyone got here so he was good to go!

He got lots of toys, and we were overjoyed that many of the people invited were able to make it. One thing is for sure, this little boy is very loved. We are so blessed that he is in our lives - that BOTH our boys were blessed to us. We love them both dearly...

Anyway, as promised, here are the pics!

Friends and Family

Jakers opening presents w/ mommy

The toys!

The cake - I loved this cake!

Jacob and his smash cake... YUM!

It's been a while!

Wow, I just got onto my blog and realized that it has been quite a while since I posted an update! Well, here goes...

Not a whole lot has been going on here. Working, days off, working, days off. My days off have been spent running errands or cleaning. Or relaxing. Mostly planning JAKE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY! I cannot believe my little guy is going to be a year old in five days. It's amazing. They do truly grow up so fast! We're planning on having close family and friends over on the 28th to celebrate, and of course for that famous first birthday cake smashing! The boy loves sweets and making messes, so this should be fantastic!

Bradley finished third grade on June 4th, and that day I came to his class and had lunch with him - it was a surprise and he loved it. His teacher was wonderful and gave me a hug when I thanked her for taking good care of my boy this year. Did I mention he got straight A's for every report card? I don't know where this kid got his intelligence and drive from, but I don't think it came from me... :)

I guess that is all from me for now. I promise I will update more often - cross my heart! <3

-Kim

Countdown to Vacation!

You see that picture below That is what my family and I are counting down to... approxmately 54 days from now, we well be putting our toes on the warm, white sand of Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Yes, I know, I live in Florida, but I have not been to the beach in about three years. 

I must be crazy!

So, the husband and I (well, mostly the husband) found this awesome deal online, and we booked three nights on the beach for an amazing deal. For the hotel room and several meals at the hotel restaurant included, we're still under $200!

I cannot wait! This will be the first family vacation we have taken together, just our family and no extended family coming. I cant wait to see Bradley playing in the water, and Jacob playing in the sand (and eating it, I'm sure). It will definitely be memorable. 

Huh?

The night before last in the middle of the night, Jacob had a low grade fever, so I gave him some Motrin and put him back to bed, and didn’t think too much of it - he is teething, so I just figured that came with the territory. Yesterday morning he was fine, so I went about my normal "day off" routine, and went to the mall and ran some other errands. However, yesterday afternoon he started to feel warm, so I took his temperature – and it was 103.1!

I called his DR and Jake was otherwise acting fine, but they wanted to see him. They checked him out and said his ears were clear, but that his throat was red so they wanted to do a flu test. By this point the second dose of Motrin had kicked in and his fever was down to 100.4. Well, even though he had his flu shot a couple months back, my little guy has the flu. Type A they said… WHAT?

Of course my next statement after that was - "But he had a flu shot. Isn't that supposed to prevent this?!" - and I already knew the answer, but I was a little upset... I mean, he got the stupid shot, shouldn't that have prevented my little guy from being all miserable?

The nurse informed me that it prevents most cases, and should have prevented Type A - but it didn't, so the only thing we could do is just treat the symptoms. The only real symptom he has is the rediculous fever... He isn't coughing, and his nose isn't runny or stuffy anymore. So, its Mortin every six hours until this fever breaks. Otherwise, he is the goofy, happy kid that he always is!

Please just keep Jake (and the rest of us Rellers!) in your thoughts and prayers that he recovers soon, and that the rest of us don't get sick!

-Kim

Sunday Afternoons

I think one of my favorite times of the week are Sunday afternoons. When we get home from church and after lunch. Bradley goes and plays with friends, and once Jacob is down for a nap, that is usually when Hans and I just lie back and catch a Marlins or Rays baseball game on TV, and just breathe and relax. Most of the time we catch a catnap while the kids are occupied or napping themselves.


There is just something about that time that is so peaceful - the space between the morning servce and the evening service. Maybe it is because it is the "end" of a long week, and we've been refreshed by the Holy Spirit at work in the morning service, that we know we can simply... rest.



Just an observation I have made - it's something we enjoy as a family. What is your favorite time of the week?



-Kim

Newborn Jacob

I came across this video today that we took of our youngest when he was only about four hours old, in the hospital. Now let me start off by saying when I was pregnant, this kid had the hiccups at least twice a day... as you can see, this did not stop right away!

I miss him being this tiny... he is going to be a year old in 33 days!



-Kim

Peace and Quiet...

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends out there! Today has been fantastic so far. Jacob only woke up one time last night to eat at 4:00am, the hubby let me sleep until 9:00am, and when I woke up he had eggs, bacon, and toast made for me along with flowers and cards for me from him and the kids. He even had Jacob scribble on the card and held his tiny hand so he could "sign" it... it was adorable.

Even with all that today, the best gift I could ask for is occuring right now... peace and quiet. Hans is asleep on the couch, Jake is asleep in his high chair (aka his "napping" chair), and Brad is at a friend's house playing until 5:30pm. I am thinking I might just join them for a nap soon!

(Nevermind, Jake just woke up. Gotta go!)

-Kim

"The Motions"

Today while I was out running errands, I was listening to a local radio station, called Spirit FM (90.5FM) which is based out of the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Their songs are wonderful, but there is one song in particular that caught my attention today. It is called "The Motions", and is sung by Matthew West. It gripped me during my drive, and when I came home and I searched online and found that there is a video as well. It had me in tears. It made me realize that I do have problems that I face in my everyday Christian walk of life, and I (like most humans) do tend to "put God in a box" and think to myself "this is petty, I can handle this, I can do this on my own" and not ask for even the little things from my Lord. Today, this day, I am committing to trusting HIM and not just going through "the motions" and thinking that I can handle life on my own. I can't. No way. If he is not 110% in it ... my life will never be what God intended it to be.

I really felt compelled to share this video and song with everyone today. Feel free to comment and add your thoughts...