Shaw Family

Yummy in my Tummy

2012-01-30T10:08:00.002-05:00

We had the yummiest dinner last night. It was a bit more involved than I prefer, but (unlike some other meals I've tried before) it was WELL worth the extra effort.

Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup flour

2 cups panko bread crumbs

2 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp salt

Vegetable oil

Sweet chili sauce

Prep:

1. Cut your chicken into strips. If you cut diagonally, you will not end up with really short end strips.

2. Mix eggs and coconut milk in first bowl.

3. Mix flour and salt in second bowl.

4. Mix panko and coconut in third bowl. (I put my coconut in a Magic Bullet first as the smaller pieces stick better to the chicken, but that isn't necessarily)

Heat Oil: I used a dutch oven for mine so that the oil wouldn't pop out. A frying pan will work too. You want enough oil to not just cover the pan, but have a little to fry the bottom of the chicken strips in. Heat it until right before it starts smoking. Smoking oil is too hot. You can sprinkle some flour in the oil and if it bubbles when you put it in, it is hot enough. I kept having to adjust my heat down as the oil temperature kept rising. When it smokes, turn the heat down a little. You'll need to add some more oil as you cook your batches of chicken (4 breasts too me 4 rounds in the pan) and you want to make sure the new oil gets heated up.

Note: I worked with about 6 strips of chicken at a time. You don't want to crowd your pan as your oil will get cold and not cook as well. Plus it was easier to do the dredging process with 6 strips at a time.

Time to cook:

1. Put chicken in flour mixture and coat completely.

2. Put chicken in egg mixture and coat completely.

3. Shake off excess liquid and put chicken in panko/coconut mixture and coat completely.

4. Place chicken in hot oil and cook about 2min per side. You are wanting to give the strips a light brown color.

5. Remove chicken and place on paper towel to soak up excess oil.

6. Repeat until all chicken is browned.

7. Place chicken on pan and put in a 350 degree oven for about 10min (depends on the thickness of the chicken).

The chicken: it is possible to cook the chicken completely in the oil, but I didn't want to burn the coating and my trips were a little thicker. I found it was just easier to pop it into the oven to finish it off. Once out of the oil, you can test the done-ness by pushing on the chicken. If it is firm then it is probably done, if it is bouncy then it isn't done.

Serve with a Sweet Chili dipping sauce (we used Frank's Red Hot). So yummy!!!

Total time to prepare and cook: took me about 45min, but I think as I make it more, I can get that down to 30min. It seems really complicated, but once I got into it, I found it really simple. Looking forward to the leftovers today and making this again soon!

Original recipe found here. I tweaked things a little. She claims that this costs only $1.15 per serving!

Family Pictures Winter 2011

2011-11-27T16:53:00.001-05:00

We got family pictures done in Winter Park by the oh-so-talented Christina MacPhie!!! They turned out soooooo good. I can't stop looking at them. I LOVE THEM!!!

Download the pics here

Photo Contest

2011-11-17T12:09:00.002-05:00

tinyprints.com is having a photo contest. The prize is $1000, a $500 tinyprints gift card and to be featured in their marketing campaign (I always marvel at the adorable pics they use when you are searching for their cards...I think my kids are cute enough to be on their cards!!!).

Hurry, the entry deadline is Nov 21! They are looking for Cutest Baby (0-2 years old), Cutest Kid (3-10 years old), Cutest Family, Cutest Couple, and Cutest Pet (Aunt Sue: you should enter ALL of your cats!).

Click here for more info!

**Although I do LOVE this site, in all fairness to anyone reading this, they are giving me 25 personalized thank you notes for posting about this contest. Compensation aside, this is a really fun way to send cards to people!**

fun, custom cards

2011-11-14T19:01:00.003-05:00

I love tinyprints.com! It is a card site where you can make custom cards with pictures. They can mail them for you or they can send them to you and then you can mail them out. I like for them to send them to me so I can look at them. It is so much fun to give a "professional" looking card with your pictures on them. There prices are really good, too. So, if you are looking for an extra-special card, check them out.

I haven't done Christmas cards before, but I'm thinking about doing them this year. There are way too many options to choose from, but I like these two:

http://www.tinyprints.com/product/27460/christmas_cards_traditional_wonder.html

http://www.tinyprints.com/product/19212/flat_holiday_photo_cards_festive_lyrics.html

DISNEY!!!

2011-11-08T09:29:00.011-05:00

We had so much fun at Disney Saturday! It is still a toss up if mommy or Jacob was more excited! We left Parker at home and stayed all day. The weather was beautiful. It was perfect! Can't wait to take Parker back when he is older. We spent the day at Magic Kingdom, but we parked at Epcot. When Jacob saw the Epcot ball, he told us that it was a baseball trophy. I loved seeing Disney through his eyes!

Shooting the "a-lee-lins" on the Buzz Lightyear ride

Kristin was terrified of the "a-lee-lins" and I was determined to protect her!

He was so excited to meet Pirate Goofy!

It was cold that night!

He fell asleep waiting for the parade to start.

Like father like son!

You have arrived at your destination...FALL!

2011-10-13T13:59:00.000-04:00

Jacob thinks that "fall" is a destination. "We went to Fall and got a pun-kin." It is easier for him to understand that rather than Fall being a "season" that we in Florida don't get to experience.

Fun Pictures

2011-10-12T13:53:00.000-04:00

my middle name is Silly

2011-10-11T13:46:00.000-04:00

a day at the beach

2011-10-10T13:41:00.003-04:00

Summer days

2011-10-09T13:25:00.004-04:00

Just broke up a fight between Jacob's hands

2011-09-21T10:43:00.001-04:00

I was getting ready in my bathroom and heard: "Mine! Give it to me. No it's mine." It is normal for Jacob to make his toys fight and I have to remind him that even his toys have to play nice, but I wasn't expecting this...

His right hand was fighting with his left hand for a sword. Really?

I reminded him that we aren't allowed to say "mine" and that even his hands have to play nice. I then went back in my room and laughed out loud!

Praying that God will give me the wisdom (and patience) to help direct and encourage his imagination. He is one amazing kid!!!

Cooking: quick chicken meals

2011-09-16T11:22:00.001-04:00

I don’t claim to be the world’s best cook nor do I claim to cook the healthiest meals, but I do have quite the arsenal of dishes that I make often. I have a list of over 30 dishes that I rotate through and often add to. I’m in the middle of planning a big freezer cooking day and those are all new dishes so if that goes well, I’ll be adding another 15+ dishes to the list. Needless to say, dinner doesn’t get boring at my house.

I good friend recently asked me for my quick chicken dishes. Thought I’d share them with everyone.

Chicken tips: I buy a big bag of skinless, boneless chicken breasts at Costco for $2.25/lb. You can find it cheaper on sale, but I find these cuts to be the perfect portion size and we don’t waste chicken. I also buy whole chickens at Costco for $0.89/lb (and occasionally I stock up at Albertsons when they go on sale for $0.49/lb, but they don’t run that sale often).

Quick meal tip: I don’t know about you, but we eat dinner at 6pm so that means I’m in the kitchen around 5:15/5:30 cooking. Guess what is the worst time of day for my kids? That would be 5:15/5:30. The best time of day for them is right when they get up from nap. What I will try to do, is do any dinner prep then. I chop veggies and put them in foil in the fridge or even get my chicken dish prepped so all I have to do is pull it out of the fridge and put it in the oven (if you work, this is something you can do once your kids go to bed the night before so that when you get home from work, dinner is already prepped and you just have to cook it). Anything I can do early lessens my cooking-stress.

Happy kids = happy mommy = happy house!

Below are my recipes for:
Teriyaki Chicken
Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken
Chicken Georgia (adapted from Paula Dean…wonder if I use more or less butter?!?)
Snow Chicken
Roasted Chicken
Lemon Italian Chicken
Bruschetta Chicken
Pasta Carrabba Shaw Style (more time-consuming to make, but worth it!)
Pantry Alfredo Pasta Chicken
**All dishes make about 4-5 servings**

Teriyaki Chicken

3 chicken breasts (or 4 depending on the size)
Teriyaki marinade (we use a pineapple teriyaki that goes BOGO at Publix often)
Linguine pasta
Butter

1. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinade (I use a 30min marinate, but I like to keep it in there as long as I can)
2. Once chicken is marinated, melt about 2tbl butter in skillet and cook the chicken. Transfer to bowl.
3. While chicken is cooking, cook pasta to package directions and drain.
4. Put pasta in skillet (leave all that yummy goodness from the chicken in there) with about 2tbl of butter and some of the marinade (you are flavoring the pasta). Cook on medium for less than 5min.
5. Serve chicken over pasta.

If you get your water boiling right away and your chicken is already marinated, this dish take just about 15-20min to cook.

Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken

3 chicken breasts (or 4 depending on the size)
Onion and green pepper (I like to use yellow or orange instead of green, but they are way more expensive)
Sweet ‘n sour sauce (my favorite is Ty Ling and you can get it in the ethnic part of your grocery store)
Salt & pepper
Garlic powder
Rice

1. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces and put in a bowl.
2. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to chicken. Start with a little and then add more as you prefer. If I have corn starch, I’ll add a little bit too (as they gives almost a light “breading” to the chicken, but it does make it harder to cook) and stir all together. Set aside.
3. Chop veggies. (I don’t always use the whole onion. I want as much onion as green pepper.)
4. Heat some butter in skillet (how much depends on how much you like!). Cook veggies in skillet until tender over medium heat. Transfer veggies to a bowl.
5. Cook chicken in butter in skillet over medium heat until done. Transfer to bowl with veggies.
6. Pour sweet n’ sour sauce over chicken and veggies (I try to use about 1/2 of the jar. You can always add more. You want it to have plenty of sauce to mix with the rice, but not too much).
7. Serve over rice.

Chicken Georgia

4 chicken breasts
12oz fresh mushrooms (if you don’t like mushrooms, then just leave them out)
Onion
1 stick of butter (you can use less if you want it more healthy, but it is yummy with a whole stick!)
Worcestershire sauce (this is if you use the mushrooms)
Mozzarella cheese
Salt & pepper

1. Prep: Chop onion. Wash mushrooms (and chop if they are too big). Salt & pepper both sides of chicken.
2. Melt stick of butter in skillet and put in onions. Cook onions about half-way and then add mushrooms and about 4-6 “shakes” of Worcestershire sauce.
3. Once onions and mushrooms are cooked, put the chicken in the skillet under the veggies (you kind of have to push them aside and then move them on top of the chicken.)
4. Cook over medium until the chicken is done.
5. About 2min before the chicken is done, sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese (serve once melted).

I serve this with rice and we normally mix the onions and mushrooms into the rice on our plate. Super yummy!

Roasted Chicken

Whole chicken
Stick butter
Salt and pepper
Rosemary
Optional: white wine

1. Put whole chicken in pan and rub 1-2 sticks of butter on outside.
2. Put salt, pepper and rosemary on chicken (as much or as little as you like). Optional: pour white wine in pan to coat the bottom.
3. Bake at 350° for about 2hrs and serve. (To have crispy skin, do not baste while baking.)

The prep for this should take just about 15min. Great meal as long as you plan ahead enough to give yourself time to thaw the whole chicken (takes about 24hrs in the fridge) and cooking time.

Lemon Italian Chicken

4 chicken breasts
Italian dressing (fat free works well; you can’t even tell!)
1 Lemon
Salt & pepper
Italian seasoning
1 Tomato

1. Put chicken in Pyrex dish. Pour Italian dressing over chicken. You want enough to cover the chicken about 1/3 of the way up.
2. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over chicken (cuts the tanginess of the dressing).
3. Sprinkle a little salt, pepper and Italian seasoning over chicken.
4. Cut up 1 tomato and put on top of chicken (can be left off if you don’t like tomatoes).
5. Bake at 350° for about 20-30min (depending on the thickness of your chicken)and serve.

Bruschetta Chicken

4 chicken breasts
Stick butter
Box of pasta (I like to use bowtie pasta)
About 3 Tomatoes
Basil
Salt and pepper
8oz Rondele Garlic and Herb Cheese Spread (this goes on sale BOGO and will freeze!)
½ cup of milk

1. Dice the tomatoes. Put in bowl and mix with a little salt and pepper. Add basil (as much as you would like), mix and set aside.
2. Boil water and cook pasta to package directions.
3. While the pasta is being prepared, salt & pepper chicken and cook your whole chicken breasts in a skillet with butter (as much or as little butter as you like). Set the chicken aside.
4. In the same skillet mix cheese spread (it will melt down), milk and tomato mixture (purpose: to heat the sauce).
5. Chop up chicken.
6. Drain pasta, pour in chicken and sauce. Mix and serve.

Pasta Carrabba

3 chicken breasts (or 4 depending on the size)
12oz fresh mushrooms (you can leave this out if you don’t like mushrooms)
Bag of frozen peas
Italian dressing
Garlic (I used the pre-chopped, buy in a jar, keep in your fridge kind)
Lemon
Butter (of course!)
Alfredo sauce (I stock up on the jars when they go BOGO at Publix)
Pasta (whatever you like, penne, bowtie, etc.)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

1. Prep: Cut up chicken into bite-sized piece and put in bowl. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder and a few shakes of the Italian dressing; mix and set aside. Wash mushrooms. Squeeze all juice out of lemon into small bowl. Get water on for pasta (use a large pot because you’ll mix everything together in pasta pot).
2. Cook chicken in skillet with butter, chopped garlic (as much or as little as you like)and a about 2-3 spoonfuls of lemon juice. Put cooked chicken in bowl and set aside (not the same bowl the raw chicken was in!)
3. Don’t forget to put your pasta into the water once boiled and cook to package directions. (I’ll put the rind of the lemon into the water while it boils and then fish out before adding in the pasta. Just flavors the pasta a bit more, but not necessary.)
4. Heat frozen peas in microwave to package directions and add to bowl with chicken and mushrooms.
5. Cook mushrooms in skillet with some butter and about 2 shakes of Italian dressing.
6. Once mushrooms are almost done (or if you are skipping the mushrooms, once chicken is cooked and out of skillet), add whole jar of Alfredo sauce, about 2 pats of butter and remaining lemon juice. Cook over medium until bubbling. Add to bowl with chicken and peas.
7. Once pasta is done, drain* and then pour the contents of the bowl over pasta, stir and serve.

*If you need to thin out the Alfredo sauce (or you need to stretch the sauce which I need to do when I make more for my brother and I’ve added a chicken breast and another third of a box of pasta), take some of the pasta water (before you drain it) and add it to the empty Alfredo jar. Mix well to get any leftover sauce mixed in with water and pour as much as you need over pasta dish. Good way to stretch the meal without adding cost with another jar of sauce.

Pantry Alfredo Pasta Chicken

This is a dish that I haven’t been successful in, but we loved the concept and I will find something to make it work for us!

I cut up chicken breasts and marinated the pieces in a jerk Caribbean marinade. It was too spicy for me, but I loved the concept of the finished product, I now just have to find the right marinade. We “create” this dish because I stock up on pasta and Alfredo sauce whenever it goes BOGO and so I wanted more meals to use it with.

1. Marinade your cut up chicken with a marinade of your choice.
2. Cook pasta of your choice to package directions.
3. Cook chicken in skillet with butter and then set aside in a bowl.
4. Heat Alfredo sauce in skillet.
5. Heat frozen veggie in microwave (I didn’t have any peas so I used green beans and really like that, but whatever you have would work. You could even put fresh Spinach in the skillet and cook that down some.)
6. Mix pasta, sauce, chicken and veggies together and serve.

On a recent episode of The Young and the Emotional...

2011-09-15T10:39:00.001-04:00

At youth one night, Jacob came running up to us all hysterical. He was really upset and tears were beginning to form in his eyes . . .

“Jacob, what is wrong? It is ok. Tell us what is wrong.”

{He says something that we can’t understand.}

“Take a deep breath and tell us what is wrong.”

“Hailey said she is leaving me!”

At this point I felt like I was watching so sort of little people soap opera.

“Yes? Jacob we are all leaving soon. It is ok. Why are you so upset?”

“But I’m leaving her!!!!”

I had to hide behind Adam as all I could do was laugh.

He then continues to cry and has to sit in a chair for a little while before he calms down.

And so continues another episode of The Young and Emotional . . .

God is Always

2011-09-14T14:17:00.002-04:00

A Jacob story...possibly the best yet:

We went to Maters and Taters (a local produce stand) to get some peaches today. Pumpkins where everywhere and prompted many questions...

Why are the pumpkins out?
Because it is almost fall.
When is fall?
Soon.
The pumpkins are out because it is almost fall?
Yes.
When it is fall, I'm going to going trick or treating.
No.
But it is almost fall...

I wasn't ready to have this discussion in public. First, I felt like the worst mother in that my son knew all about trick or treating (and that it took place in the fall), halloween, ghost, monsters...oh my!

Once in the car, I tried to explain to him that we don't go trick or treating or celebrate halloween because it doesn't honor God. We don't believe in ghosts and monsters are just pretend.

I asked Jacob to repeat back to me why we don't celebrate halloween...he instead asked if we could go trick or treating. I told him again that we don't do those things because it doesn't honor God.

Nothing could have prepared me for what came out of his mouth next...

"Mommy, when God is not here and Jesus is not here, then can we go halloween-ing? When is God going to go back in my Bible?"

I was at a loss for words. His logic was impressive. His ability to reason is amazing. I have to step up my game. My son understands so much. He is so smart. I need to teach him more about his God (and protect him more from learning things that aren't the Truth).

After I gathered my thoughts, we had a wonderful conversation about how God is always, He never leaves us, He gave us the Bible to learn about Him, He takes care of us, He created us...why?, Jacob asked. Because He loves us.

And so, I had another funny and heart warming conversation with my son. I'm sure many more will follow!

brother.foot.love

2011-09-13T09:30:00.003-04:00

Our life with Parker

2011-09-07T16:05:00.003-04:00

Parker had his milk in one hand and his paci in the other. He wanted to drink his milk but couldn’t because he couldn’t figure out where to put the paci. He was frozen and adorable. I took his paci and he happily drank his milk.

Parker loves my phone. I try not to give it to him often, but sometimes it is nice to be able to give him something to help occupy him at times. Today he wanted my phone. I told him instead that I would give him all of my love. He didn’t like that trade. I don’t know why an endless supply of kisses isn’t as much fun as an iPhone.

Parker wants to eat dinner at 5:30. We eat dinner at 6:00. Needless to say, that 30min as I’m trying to finish dinner is a bit stressful. Parker’s new favorite way to deal with that time is to stand at my feet, screaming, with tears running down his cheeks and pull at my shorts to try and climb up my leg. Lately I’ve been wearing basketball or volleyball shorts around the house (comfortable attire when I’m not going anywhere). This creates a problem because they have an elastic waist band. So now I don’t just get to finish dinner with a 1-year-old screaming around my ankles, but I also get to cook with my shorts almost around my ankles. We have a great time in our house!

Hospital

2011-08-29T11:18:00.001-04:00

Jacob: "What are those in the yard?"
Me: "Those are mushrooms but not the kind we eat. If you eat those, you'll get sick and have to go to the hospital."
Jacob: "But when you go to the hospital you get a baby!"

My happy birthday boy!

2011-07-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

View/download pics here: https://picasaweb.google.com/AdamAndAngela/ParkerTurns1?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Happy Birthday Parker

2011-07-20T10:36:00.005-04:00

Happy birthday to my Parker!!!

I can't believe that my baby is 1 today. I hope to finish his birth story soon (you would think that after a year it would be done) and post that.

I will never forget the sound of his cries when he was born...I had been on best rest for a week and wasn't feeling any better. Adam went with me to my doctor's appointment and we knew there was a good chance we would be heading to the hospital that day and could be meeting Parker. After going through the craziness of Jacob's birth, a baby coming only 5 weeks early seemed exciting. I wasn't nervous at all. We were excited when the doctor told me I had 2 options: #1 head to the hospital now or #2 go home, pack a bag and then head to the hospital. We were about to meet our baby boy.

I will never forget the sound of his cries...When I had Jacob, they took him out of my belly and put him through a window in the delivery room. I didn't see him, I didn't hear him cry. I was so sick that I barely remember it. Having Parker was like having my first one a second time.

I will never forget the sound of his cries...they pulled Parker out of my and he cried...and he cried...and he cried...and he cried. I then hear the next best thing, Adam told me that the NICU team had just left (they were there in case Parker needed them since he was only 34 weeks and 5 days) and Parker was still in the delivery room. He didn't have to go to the NICU. He kept crying and crying and I cried and cried. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

My Parker: the past year has been amazing. I thought that I had too much love for Jacob and that my love would just be divided between you two. I'm sorry, but my love just doubled. You are such a joy and a delight. I love watching how much you are just like your brother in some areas and how you are so different in others. I love how you are a busy little beaver, always on the go, but you love to stop and love on me. You amaze me and I cannot thank God enough that He trusted me and daddy with you. I LOVE YOU! Happy birthday, my monkey!!!

Blogging

2011-07-01T15:32:00.000-04:00

As if I don't already have enough on my plate, I'm trying my hand at writing. Don't get too excited. I'm not writing a book. I'm writing another blog. I have a ton racing through my head all throughout the day so I'm trying to be diligent to write it down and in today's technological age, why just write down on paper when you can publish it on the internet? I'm might be crazy, but we all knew that. Check it out: http://growupward.blogspot.com/

3 legs

2011-06-30T17:31:00.001-04:00

Jacob: "No. I don't got 2 legs because I'm not 2 years old."

Me: "No Honey. You only have 2 legs not 3 just because you are three."

Jacob: "I will have 3 legs when I get taller?"

Comparing my boys!

2011-06-17T13:02:00.002-04:00

Look how big he has gotten!

Sometimes it seems impossible to tell my boys apart . . .

. . . and other times they just look like brothers!

a glimpse at our May

2011-06-07T11:21:00.001-04:00

view slide show here: http://www.shaw-family.blogspot.com/

download pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/AdamAndAngela/AGlimpseAtOurMay?authkey=Gv1sRgCKej29-3sM_LxwE#

Some backyard excitment!

2011-06-04T13:55:00.000-04:00

my boys :: summer 2011

2011-06-03T09:11:00.003-04:00

View slideshow here
Download pictures here

My Days with Jacob Pt4

2011-06-01T15:54:00.001-04:00

Jacob: "Holy cow this is harder than I thought."
Mommy: "What are you doing?"
Jacob: "Trying to climb on the roof." (of a play tent he has)
Of course!

Daddy: "Ok Pumpkin"
Jacob: "Don't call me pumpkin"
Mommy: "What are you?"
Jacob: "I'm Jacob!"
Mommy: "Ok Cupcake"
Jacob: "I not a cupcake. Don't call me any desserts!"

Jacob: I have bows on.
Mommy: Boys don't wear bows.
Jacob: No. They are boy bows!

Jacob: "Hey. I'm a guitar player. Look, I don't have any pants on!"

Jacob: "I'm trying to get more poop in my booty. I'm just trying. It is empty so I'm trying to get more in my booty. See, Mommy? My booty is empty!"

Helping my Jacob understand life: Jacob was in the bathroom all distraught. He said "mommy, I don't want my pee-pee to come out when I poop!" I tried to explain to him that that is how God created our body to work...it didn't help him feel better. :)

My boys are famous!

2011-05-25T17:54:00.001-04:00

From the Apopka Art and Foliage Festival

Source: http://www.theapopkachief.com/

Mom vs Mommy

2011-05-24T15:09:00.002-04:00

Jacob: Are you my mom?

Me: Yes, but call me mommy.

Jacob: You're not my mom.

Me: Yes I am.

Jacob: No, you are my mommy. My mom is at my dad's house. I'm going to call her.

:: Should I be worried about this?!? ::

My days are full of hugs and kisses from my boys!

2011-04-28T16:23:00.000-04:00

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T16:03:00.006-04:00

Denver March 2011

2011-03-11T17:32:00.011-05:00

::pictures are at the very bottom of the post::

We had a blast in Denver! It was Adam and Parker's first time and it was so good to have the whole family there. Jacob was most excited about throwing snowballs, building a snowman and going to Mymo's adventure...that is what he calls My Gym. If you call it "My Gym", he says "no, it's not YOUR gym, it's MY gym!!!"

Friday: The boys did really good on the plane. Parker took 3 cat naps and Jacob watched movies, ate a tone and finally fell asleep at 10pm our time. It was a long flight, but uneventful and the boys did great. We went straight to bed once we got to the Hobby's house.

Saturday: We were so excited that Juli and Thomas had the weekend off and could play!!! We drove 1.5hrs to Winter Park. On the way, you get on this winding, mountain road that is 30min long with no exits. That was the longest part as I had to pee so badly...my pain provided great entertainment for the entire family.

Once there, we went snow tubing. That was so much fun! There is a "lift" that takes you to the top and there are different grades of hills you can go down. Jacob went down only once and that was because the only way back to the bottom was to go down the hill. He was just super excited to throw snowballs and build a snowman. I don't think I have ever seen him so excited. He had a blast playing in the snow and we had a blast going down the steep hills (we even went down riding on our belly on the tubes!).

Sunday: We went to church with the Hobbys. It was so fun to see where they go. Their church is part of the same group of churches that our church is a part of. We then went to Red Robin for lunch...it is everything the commercial and jingle promise and more. So yummy!

The guys went hiking in the Rocky Mountains and us girls took the boys home to nap and just relax. The guys had a blast. They hiked 6miles and were bummed to have to stop and come home (it was getting dark). Adam wants to have an entire day to hike next time we visit!

Monday: We took the boys to a class at My Gym. It was Adam's first time there. Jacob was super excited. He was so ready to play. I think he would be happy if we let him live at My Gym. Parker even seemed to enjoy all of the colors and excitement.

After the class, we left the boys with Aunt Juli and Uncle Thomas and we headed to Winter Park to go snowmobiling. We had so much fun! Our guide came out and said "I'm Rockin' Rob! I'm going to be your guide today, but first I'm going to go and throw back 3 or 4 chicken wings." When he came back, he had chicken wing sauce on his mouth and all over his fingers...we knew then that we were going to have a good ride!

It was just Adam and I on our tour. We were pretty excited about that. We had so much fun. It was beautiful. When we got to the top of the mountain, a storm was starting to roll in and it was really windy and cold. It was crazy to look around and see the side of the mountain on one side and a continuous sea of white snow on the other.

We went on an extra 8 miles of trails since we didn't have anyone else with us! We were on wider trails, narrow/steep trails, trails where on one side you had built up snow and on the other the mountain dropped off. We were able to go slow in parts and enjoy the scenery and then in other parts go really fast! We each had our own snowmobile.

We got to a big, open area and got to play. I followed a path Adam had made through the soft snow and I was having trouble making the turn so I slowed down...big mistake! Next thing I knew, I was tipping myself and my snowmobile over. It was a very slow roll and didn't hurt either of us. The snow was up to my knees! Another time, I had trouble turning again (it took me until about the end of the trip to get the hang of how hard you really had to crank the handle bars to turn hard) and I ran into a few tree branches. Fun stuff! We definitely will be snowmobiling again!

Tuesday: By Tuesday we were ready for a more relaxed day. After Parker's morning nap (the first real one he had gotten the entire trip!), Adam and I took the boys to the butterfly pavilion. Jacob loved seeing all of the bugs. He kept saying "cool!" I didn't care for the roaches at all and thought about throwing up!

There was a lobster tank and Adam told Jacob to watch out because the lobster was going to get him. Jacob freaked out! He wrapped his arms and legs around Adam so tightly and started crying. His reaction gave us a good laugh. Thankfully he relaxed quickly.

We went out into the butterfly part. It was really neat to have all of the butterflies flying around. One landed on my head and it tickled. After that, I really didn't want another one to land on me as it was just weird, but I tried to stay calm as to not freak Jacob out again. We all enjoyed watching and looking for all of the butterflies.

That night, we all went out to dinner. Jacob fell out of his chair backwards, but after that it was pretty uneventful!

Wednesday: The dreaded day! We were ready to get back to our normal schedule, but the thought of leaving Juli and Thomas was emotional. Juli was watching Analise, so we all headed to the Children's Museum. The kids seemed to enjoy it. The grocery store was a little crazy and the kids almost got run over. Jacob really like the firetruck and was afraid of the bubble room. It was good for him to be able to run around and play.

I have decided that there is nothing good about goodbyes. They just aren't fun at all! The kids did great, but you could tell both of them were ready to get home. I didn't cry too much saying goodbye, but when that plane took off, I couldn't keep the tears from falling.

The flight home was really rough. We had bad weather on the decent. Both Adam and I started to not feel well. Thankfully, Parker (who had pooped as soon as the plane took off and then cried when we couldn't change him right away because the turbulence was so bad) was perfectly calm. With about 10min left, Jacob started crying "I don't want to get on the plane!" and didn't really stop until we landed. We were all ready and glad to be back on steady land!

We had so much fun! We enjoyed it so much that Adam wants to vacation in the next year or two instead of the beach! We are so proud of Juli and Thomas and love visiting them in their beautiful state...just wish it was closer!!!

Jacob Stories:

"Is it snowing yet?"
::looks out window::
"No yet! It will when mommy wakes up."

It had just started snowing a little bit...
Jacob: "Is it gonna be big snow?"
Aunt Juli: "That's up to God."
Jacob: "It's up to OUR God!"

Aunt Juli was trying to give Parker a bottle while we were snowmobiling...
Jacob: "No, no, no! Parker doesn't want a bottle. My mommy will feed him when she gets home. You can't make milk for him, Aunt Juli, only mommy can."

Spring is in the air!

2011-02-23T14:50:00.001-05:00

http://shaw-family.blogspot.com/2011/02/spring-is-in-air.html

Where does he get this stuff???

2011-02-20T17:38:00.001-05:00

Daddy: "Ok Pumpkin"
Jacob: "Don't call me pumpkin"
Mommy: "What are you?"
Jacob: "I'm Jacob!"
Mommy: "Ok Cupcake"
Jacob: "I not a cupcake. Don't call me any desserts!"

I get to be a stay-at-home mommy!

2011-02-12T12:05:00.002-05:00

Why I quit school…

I still can’t believe it. I get to stop school and not work. Seriously, it doesn’t even seem really real!

I started this journey of going back to school to be a nurse January of 2010 and I never imagined then, that a year later I would be quitting school.

I went back to school so that I could one day work with women who were going through what I went through when I had Jacob. Giving birth to a baby at 30 weeks and going home from the hospital without him was a life-changing experience. I learned and grew so much during that time. You only know what that feels like when you go through it.

When Adam and I first got married, we decided that we wanted the lifestyle that me working part-time would afford. Nursing seemed like the perfect fit—it combined ministering and providing for my family.

The first semester went well. Then there was summer school and that was crazy. 4 days a week—long, long days and I was pregnant. Since Parker came 5 weeks early, I was unable to finish my last two classes. This January, I started those classes again.

The way that the nursing program works is that it is a very competitive program and they only have room for about 1/3 of the applicants. Since I didn’t get to finish my summer classes, it meant that I couldn’t get into nursing school until August 2012 and then would have 2.5 years before I was done. Wow!

In the meantime, Adam started a new work journey. When I first started back to school, he started looking for a Saturday job. As a physical therapist, it is easy for him to pick up extra work on the weekends or after work. He found a Saturday job at a nursing home and started working two Saturdays a month and then three Saturdays a month. We were making it work and that money was helping to make up for the money that we used to make when I worked.

He then got switched to a place on the East side of towns for his Saturday gigs. The drive got to be taxing and he started thinking about finding another Saturday job at a different place that was closer. He got a postcard in the mail from Sunbelt, a sub-acute place connected to Florida Hospital that was 10min from our house. He had done a clinical there when he was in PT school and decided to go in and see if they would hire him for Saturdays.

Only in a way that God could work out, the same lady that he worked for during his clinicals when he was in school was still there. He obviously impressed her then and now she was looking for a full-time PT. She pushed hard to get him to come work for her. After a lot of thinking and praying, he said he was interested. We knew there would be a pay increase, but we wanted to put that aside and make sure he would be happy in a different work environment. He decided that since he would no longer be managing and would be able to just focus on treating patience that the change of scenery and patient type would be nice. We went back and forth with offers and counter offers and after Christmas, he accepted the job.

I started wondering if I really was supposed to do this, go back to school and become a nurse. Yes, I want to minister to moms, but I could do that by volunteering, I didn’t have to be a nurse to do that. Financially, it seemed we were doing fine without my income.

I was nervous to even suggest such a crazy idea (going back to school was crazy enough), but I brought up my thoughts and feelings to Adam. Did we really feel that I should be a nurse? Did I really need to work? We really want Adam to have his own clinic one day and I would absolutely be working there, so how long would I really be a practicing nurse before I stopped that to work with Adam?

I would do anything to provide for my family. I want to contribute and take care of them, but if my income isn’t needed, then why go through 3.5 years of no work and school? I wanted to honor my husband and all of the sacrifices that he had made and how he had worked for me to be able to do this crazy thing.

Again, in a way that only God can orchestrate, my husband had had the same thoughts rolling around in his head. Financially we were doing fine without my income. God had blessed him with an amazing new job, he no longer had to work Saturdays and at the end of each month, every bill was paid.

We talked and talked. I’m not one that quits things. I desire to be a person of character, integrity, dependable. I want to do what I set out to do no matter what. I want to be consistent. And what about nursing fulfilling my desire to minister to moms who went through what I went through? Adam and I talked and he helped me see that I choose nursing under the premise of me having to work. If I didn’t need to work, I could accomplish that another way.

We talked and talked and weighed the pros and cons. The more we talked, the more it didn’t make sense for me to continue with nursing school (and if I wasn’t going to nursing school, then why finish this semester?). Adam called our pastor to run everything past him and get his wisdom (and make sure we hadn’t fallen off our rocker). He agreed with our thinking.

I wasn’t sure if what was happening was really happening. Were we really talking about me not only quitting school, but being a stay-at-home mommy? By the time we had the last conversation, I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face. Then Adam said the words “do you want to be a stay-at-home mom?” Yes, yes, yes! “Ok.”

That was that. I’m done with school. I’m done with work (until God opens the doors for Adam to have his own place, but that is different). I get to stay home with my boys. I get to be free to have more time for my family, for youth, for worship, for ministry. I still can’t get the smile off of my face.

God provided for us financially more than we ever imagined would be possible. We never doubted His provision, but we never guessed He would provide a way for me to not work.

Of course this was a desire of my heart, but I had pushed it down so much, never thinking that it would ever happen, that when asked by a friend a few months ago if I would ever stay at home, I quickly answered “no”. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would be happening, let alone happening now.

God is so good. He truly knows what will make us happy. He truly knows the deep desires of our heart. This week, He has “gone out of His way” to show me that He not only sees me, but loves me and cares for me. Amazing!

I’m still in shock. I get to stay home with my boys! God is so good, all of the time!!! I’m giddy!

My days with Jacob pt3

2011-01-30T15:51:00.001-05:00

I told Jacob that I was squeaky clean. He then squeezed my face to make me squeak. I love how his brain works!

Me: hey Buddy, you have some crazy hair.
Jacob: yes. I need a haircut. My hair popped out and can't go back in.

From spending a morning with Aunt Juli and Uncle Thomas: (Juli's account)
I have to tell you about our car ride to church this morning with your son. :) "Our God" by Chris Tomlin comes on the radio and Jacob goes, "This is church, Aunt Juli! That is momma and daddy singing. (next verse) That is Sean and Hailey... I mean Kim singing! (drum solo) That's Mr. Richie. He is playing the drums at church! (still drum solo) That's me playing the flute. I was at church all by myself and I played the flute. (chorus) Now Aunt Sheila is singing!! She is singing and playing the piano. (another song comes on) This is church, too, Juli!!" My goodness, your child is so smart and funny. I was laughing through the whole thing and he never lost his excitement about all the singers/musicians at church.

Jacob: "Do girls wear cow underwear? Oh wait. Sorry. They do!"

Jacob: No you don't say "arg", you say "ar"!

Jacob doesn't say "me too". He isn't two anymore so he says "me three"!

Jacob had some dry skin on his upper lip that was hanging off. I couldn't help myself and I started to pull it off. He screamed at me: "No! That's my mustache!!!" I can't stop laughing.

Jacob: "Mommy I'm smaller than a crayon."

Jacob to me: "Don't argue with Daddy because he's a boy!" What has Adam been teaching him while I'm at school?!?!?

More of My Family

2010-12-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

My Family

2010-12-13T13:54:00.000-05:00

My Jacob is 3!

2010-12-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

My days with Jacob pt2

2010-11-30T13:52:00.001-05:00

This falls under the category of "should I be worried about"...Jacob was just sword fighting with an imaginary person named Hundra. Then he lost him and went through the house calling his name and when he found him they started sword fighting again.

Jacob announces while sitting at the dinner table: "I have to go pee-pee...actually, I have to poop." Actually? That isn't really a word I use a lot. Where did that come from?!?

Jacob: "I'm going to turn 3."
::He turns around in 2 circles::
We then argue that he hasn't "turn" 3 yet.

It isn't "Tinker Bell", it's "Tinker Belt"!

While being tucked into bed..."I'm going to go pee-pee in my diaper...I pee-pee."

Jacob: "Mommy, do boys drink coffee?"

Mommy: Jacob. You know that you aren't allowed to do that. If you do that again, you will get a spanking.
Jacob: (said while hitting his leg with him hand) No, I'll do it by myself.
Mommy: Jacob, No mommy will spank you.
Jacob: I can do it myself. See?

My days with Jacob pt2

2010-11-30T12:36:00.001-05:00

Spelling

2010-11-29T13:47:00.000-05:00

My child can spell...well, he can spell one thing:

M I C ... K E Y...M O U S E

Mickey Mouse! (I think he might watch too much TV!!)

It's Christmas!

2010-11-27T13:44:00.002-05:00

Adam got the Christmas decorations down today and put the tree up. Jacob was so excited. He kept shouting, "It's Christmas! It's Christmas!"

I thought that Christmas last year was fun because he "got" it, but there is a new level of understanding and awareness this year. It will be interesting to see what he thinks tomorrow when it is still Christmas.

I can't wait to share with him the real meaning of Christmas and then to hear back his "version" of it. He is so smart and picks up so much stuff.

Christmas is going to be a blast this year with our family of 4!!!

It's Gone

2010-11-08T11:40:00.001-05:00

Jacob: What's this?
::He had just pulled something out of his nose::
Mommy: a bugger
Jacob: can I play with it?
Mommy: no. Hand it to me.
Jacob: I want to play with it.
::He says whining as he moves his hand away from me::
Mommy: Jacob let me have it.
::At this point I'm in denial about the grossness of what I just said::
::He throws his hand up in the air...
Jacob: it's gone

Gross. Gross. Gross. These are the kinds of things a mother of 2 boys must come to expect on a daily basis.

Mimic

2010-10-26T10:22:00.001-04:00

Jacob has a silly band that is a football player. He sat down in the couch next to me, put it under his shirt and said "I nursing my Parker too." He then put it in his pocket and started patting his pocket to burp him. Nice!

Question

2010-10-26T10:21:00.001-04:00

My life...

2010-10-19T09:06:00.001-04:00

...in a house with 3 boys: Parker's smelly gas woke me up this morning.

I think buying stock in air freshened might be a wise investment!

My Boys

2010-10-16T09:32:00.000-04:00

My boys are the most handsome boys ever!!!

Download these pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/AdamAndAngela/MyBoysOct2010?feat=directlink

My days with Jacob pt1

2010-10-14T08:47:00.001-04:00

Here is a collection of the crazy things my son has been saying:

He crashed his tricycle again:
"This booty (he was holding it) got crashed again!"

I was talking about a friend name Julianna when Jacob corrected me:
"That's not Julianna, it's Aunt Juli."

"It's not Booty and the Beast, it's Lady and the Beast!"

While watching Peter Pan: "Is Hook in the Bible?"

Jacob's chant one morning: "I'm the party!"

Playing with my old phone: "Mommy you beautiful. I'm going to take a picture of you. Say cheese. That was a good picture. See Mommy? I'm going to take a picture of both of us."

Jacob desperately wants to go to Colorado. I put his Colorado shirt on today and he is convinced we are going today. I have tried all day to convince him that we aren't going until March but he isn't buying it. I was trying to teach him to say "March" when I asked him "when are we going to Colorado?" So after practicing I asked him "what do you say when I ask you when are we going to Colorado?" He said: "Please. Please can we go to Colorado?"

Me: What do you think of your brother?
Jacob: ummmm, cool!

Church

2010-10-14T08:46:00.001-04:00

Jacob loves church. We told him we were all going to youth tonight and he ran laps around the kitchen table shouting:

"We're goin' to church! We're goin' to church!"

...and pumping his fists in the air!

Balloon

2010-09-28T11:29:00.002-04:00

About 3 weeks ago, Adam blew up a balloon for Jacob. He still is playing with that balloon. He has named him...balloony. It is adorable.

This is what happened this morning...

Jacob took his balloon and walked behind the couch. He said to me:

"I'm going to balloony church. You cannot come."

Really? Where does he get this stuff? =)

Pillow fight...a new definition

2010-09-13T10:23:00.001-04:00

Jacob is very disturbed by the apparent fight that is happening between the couch pillows.

He is almost in tears because one pillow hit the other.

I am not making this up!

Sleep

2010-09-10T07:05:00.001-04:00

I used to define a good nights sleep as 8+ hours. Now...a great nights sleep is 5 hours

I used to define sleeping in as staying in bed until 9am. Now...sleeping in is staying asleep until 645am.

I didn't get a good nights sleep last night or get to sleep in. Only three things make that ok:
1.) a very happy Jacob who is running around playing this morning and yelling "Bugs, where are you? Go back home!" (we had a few ants in the kitchen last night)
2.) a sweet baby who is snuggled in my arms and looking up at me with great big eyes before he falls asleep (he is exhausted from being up all night).
3.) coffee!

I think I need to fix me some of #3!

Nap time

2010-09-08T12:39:00.001-04:00

I was tucking Jacob in bed for nap...

Me: "You are my favorite Jacob!"

Jacob: "Daddy is my favorite boy and I am his favorite 2 year old!"

He's here...

2010-08-25T07:45:00.003-04:00

...well, he's been here (for 5 weeks to be exact)! Parker was born on July 20th. Apparently my children cannot be born without some drama as Parker came 5 weeks early.

I have lots of pictures to post and his birth story to share, but as all parents know...it is a little crazy around my house. My days are filled with nursing Parker, then giving Jacob attention and then getting things ready for me to nurse again...and so forth. I love it, but it is crazy.

I promise I'll post soon...I'm moving a lot slower these days (4-5 hours of sleep at night will do that to you) so soon might be a lot longer than normal. =)

I do love being a mommy of 2 boys and am having a blast. Now off to shower so that I can feed Parker, play with Jacob, feed Parker, feed Jacob, maybe nap, feed Parker, play with Jacob, feed Parker, feed myself, bathe boys, feed Parker.......

Crazy summer

2010-06-25T10:55:00.002-04:00

Our crazy summer is winding down and I'm so excited. I finished summer term A with an A in Developmental Psy (that was online, thank you Adam!) and a B in Anatomy 1 (I was very proud of that B, with all I'm doing I did well and it was a 6-week course)! I'm now taking Anatomy 2 (another 6-week course), Nutrition online and Micro Bio (both of which I have been taking all summer long).

It is busy and stressful and hard and difficult to be away from my family so much, but we are surviving well.

My schedule:
Mon: school 1pm-915pm
Tues: work 8am-5pm, school 6pm-915pm
Wed: school 1pm-915pm
Thurs: work 8am-5pm, school 6pm-915pm
Fri-Sun: study, study, study

It is really hard when I have a Wed or Thurs test as I don't have much time to study that.

I only have 5 more weeks of school left and only 3 more weeks of work. The last 2 weeks of school shall be crazy, but it will be nice not to have work too. Then, when I'm done with that, I'll have a few weeks to have some really good Mommy-Jacob time and get ready for the baby (wash and organize everything!).

This has been a crazy season, but we are pulling through with flying colors. God is a big God!!!

Conversation with Jacob

2010-06-25T10:10:00.001-04:00

Me: Jacob, are you my big boy?
Jacob: Noooooo, I a boy!

We have repeated this several times. No matter the day or what he is doing, his answer is always the same! =)

Baby's Name

2010-06-23T10:52:00.000-04:00

It was so hard to choose the baby's name. It was an overwhelming task. With Jacob we already had a name we liked before I got pregnant, but with this one, we had no boy names before. It was a big decision. He is stuck with his name for the rest of his life!

Parker Christian Shaw

Parker means spiritual light.

What really helped me settle on this name is that I was praying and asking God to give us something to help us narrow down the names as we were stuck on 2 or 3 at this point. Adam prays for us every night and he puts his hand on my belly. Most of the time, Parker always kicks or moves (even if he has been still before and he'll be still afterwards). I was thinking about that and thinking how he seems to "light up" when he is being prayed for. Hello confirmation! Since we chose the name, Parker has been prayed over a few times by different people and the same thing has happened each time. I can't wait to see what God has in store for this little one!!!

Jacob is 2-1/2 years old

2010-06-21T10:41:00.000-04:00

...well, he was on Saturday! He is growing so fast and so is his hair! He HATES hair cuts. I have trimmed it and tried to help buy us some time, but it is almost time to get it cut. I'm tempted to shave it off because it takes 2 of us to hold him down for it to be cut, but it is such nice hair that I can't do that!

He is a wonderful little boy! He is non-stop energy. A friend of mine, who has 4 children of her own, was commenting on how she wondered how we, parents of just 1, had enough energy to keep up with him all day. He is constant movement and constant talking, but he plays great by himself (he is playing in the other room right now and singing to his movie) and wears himself out.

He still sleeps great. He gets up a bit early, 630am normally, but he then naps for 2-2.5 hours and goes to bed right at 7pm. We really can't complain.

He is talking great and says such big words. As long as he isn't whining, you can understand everything he says. He knows what he wants and he knows how to tell you. He has a great memory, which he gets from his dad (I'm in big trouble with that one!) and he is stubborn, which Adam says he gets from me. I put his Woody toy down one day next to Buzz and he got mad at me because Woody goes on the other side of Buzz...my bad, I haven't read the toy handbook yet.

He likes to help and he is pretty good at cleaning up his toys. He is so much fun!

Friday night was emotional for me. We put him in his big boy room for the first time. He screamed in his bed and kept yelling "I want get out!", but after 10min he had calmed down and slept through the night. When Adam got him up Saturday he said, "Daddy, I did it!". Hopefully that attitude will stick.

I cleaned out his "baby" room Saturday. It was weird to shut the door. Jacob is growing up and done in there and soon Parker will be in there. Sad and happy emotions.

(He just interrupted me to help him find something and as he was running to the other room he said "Go Seminoles!" Why? I don't know. I can't figure out how things pop into that kid's head, but it is entertaining!!!)

Operation Big Boy:
Round 1: move into big boy room and bed...check!
Round 2: get rid of paci. We'll give him a few weeks to get used to the room and then since we tried the quitting the paci cold turkey, I'm going to just start cutting the nipple back little by little every few days. If he wants his paci, he can have it, but it will be my way. That is the plan at least!
Round 3: potty training, but not until after the baby is here and mommy isn't gone so much.

Big Day

2010-06-19T10:33:00.002-04:00

Today is a big day for me and full of emotions. One of the reasons I'll post about later, but the other is because I'm 30 weeks and 2 days pregnant and this is the longest I've ever been pregnant before. Here is a glimpse of my emotions this time and 2.5 years ago with Jacob:

30 weeks with Jacob: I got ready that morning completely unaware that by lunch time my world would never be the same. I went to work and then to my doctor's appointment, only to be sent to the hospital. Adam and I went to sleep that night (well, we tried) hoping that maybe my blood pressure would come down and if not that Jacob would be born that weekend (it was a Tuesday).

30 weeks with Parker: I got ready that morning, emotional about what 30 weeks with Jacob had been. I was so grateful that nothing in my world would change that day. I went to work, then studied and then went to school to take 2 tests.

30 weeks and 1 day with Jacob: We woke up that morning and were told that Jacob would be born that day. I was so sick and I think Adam was so focused on making me comfortable that neither of us completely understood what that meant...to have our child 10 weeks early! The c-section was scheduled for after lunch, but I got worst and they said they were taking him now and he was born about 30min later.

30 weeks and 1 day with Parker: I woke up realizing that by lunch time I would reach a point in my pregnancy that I had never hit with Jacob. Adam's GA family was in town and wanted to play with him, so I ran errands all day and then came home hoping to be productive, but rested instead. What a contrast to 2.5 years ago!

30 weeks and 2 days with Jacob: I never reached that point.

30 weeks and 2 days with Parker: big day for us. I have never been this pregnant before, but I'm super excited and can't wait to see what it is like!

God is so faithful to not only carry us through this point with flying colors, but to keep me healthy with all of the added stress of school and our crazy summer. I'm patiently waiting for my baby boy to be born and looking forward to holding him right after he is born (not several days later like with Jacob) and bringing him home from the hospital with us!

Conversation with Jacob...kindof

2010-06-14T09:49:00.002-04:00

Jacob: Where's Buzz?
Me: I don't know where he is.
Jacob: Mommy, I talking to Woody.
-He stares at Woody intently-
Jacob: Woody, where's Buzz?

I thought he was talking to me. Some days he likes his toys more than me. =)

iPhone

2010-06-09T17:20:00.001-04:00

I can blog from my phone (well I think I can. This is my first post.)! The iPhone can do almost everything (except replce my husband who really can do everything).

I figured since I'm either working, at school or studying for my 2-3 tests each week, I'd try and blog some on the go. We'll see if it works.

You'll have to forgive my spelling (no spell check) and typos.

Well, off to Anatomy class...

Future Soccer Player

2010-04-21T13:58:00.002-04:00

He's a kicking! The baby has been kicking me so much. I now feel him everyday and he is kicking harder and harder. For about a week now, as the kicks have gotten harder, I kept saying that any day Adam would be able to feel them.

Yesterday at work, I had my hand on my belly and I felt him kick! He doesn't kick enough in one spot for me to have time to get Adam, but last night when Adam was praying for him he felt him kick! How fun is that?!? Adam only felt Jacob kick a few times (how quickly I have forgotten how miserable I had started to get early on) and so I'm looking forward to Adam feeling this one kick more.

He still doesn't have a name. I have the name books and have started the process, but it overwhelms me and so then I stop. It is a major decision! I promise he will have a name before he is born, but it just might be the day before. =)

Family Pictures

2010-04-15T13:36:00.000-04:00

Download the pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/AdamAndAngela/Easter?feat=directlink

Potty Training

2010-04-14T10:01:00.003-04:00

A few months ago we tried potty training. I was fully committed and was going to make it work. My goal has always been to only have one child in diapers at a time and I was determined to make this happen....it didn't happen. Jacob wasn't ready. When he would pee on the potty, he wouldn't even realize what was happening. I figured it wasn't time and I would try again later.

Well it is later and I still haven't tried. If we had all wood or tile floors, I could just let him run around in underware and I know it would work better, but I just can't handle cleaning pee off my carpet all day long. School has been crazy and I have been putting potty training off. I have a week between semesters and I think I'm going to try again then.

In the meantime, I figured I should start putting him on his potty more, so he has sat on there twice now before bath. The following conversations took place...

Potty Time #1:

Jacob: It spray? (looking at his boy part)

Mommy: Yes Jacob, go pee-pee on the potty. Spray.

Jacob looks at himself very perplexed

(What happened next was encouraged, or rather not stopped, by me as I thought I knew where he would take it and I just had to find out)

Jacob: turn on?

And then he pushed himself. As if he were pushing an on button.

It didn't work, but I got a good laugh and then told him to stop.

No pee.

Potty Time #2:

Jacob: It spray.

Nothing comes out.

Jacob: Mommy, it broken?

Mommy: Jacob, go pee-pee in the potty.

Jacob: Fix it. It need batteries.

(Oh my goodness, I almost fell over laughing!)

No pee so we take a bath. After bath he asked to go on the potty again.

Jacob: It need batteries. Daddy fix it later.

Still no pee-pee.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

2010-03-13T10:29:00.002-05:00

We went on a Western Caribbean cruise for our 5th Anniversary and had a great time. We really missed our little boy (thank you, thank you, thank you to his Grama's for keeping him and emailing us what he was up to), but it was great to get away just the 2 of us.

Saturday: I had to go to school before we left (YUCK!), but our teacher let us out early (which she NEVER does) so that was a fun treat. When I got home, Sean and Kim came over and we loaded up the car and headed out. Our ship left out of Tampa, so it was a short drive. The first day we just got situated in our rooms and milled around the ship. We had the 8:30 dinner so we didn't have to hurry at all. It was spring break for most of the cruise so we were entertained by all of the people watching.

Sunday: This was a day at sea. It was so nice just to relax and to not have a schedule to follow. We enjoyed eating breakfast and lunch buffet. We tried to lay out, but all of the chairs were taken, so we got towels and just laid on the deck. The sun was out, but it was really windy and cold. I took a nap (I did that every afternoon) and we really didn't do anything too exciting. Adam went to the gym later and I had a spa treatment (a ginger and lime scrub with a half body massage...wonderful!). That night was the formal dinner so we all got dressed up, got our pictures taken and enjoyed dinner!

Monday: The boys had a zip line excursion to go on so Kim and I were going to go have a later breakfast, but the babies were hungry so we went ahead and got breakfast and went shopping. We were in Costa Mia and there wasn't too much shopping so after milling around and Kim strong arming a little man into giving her a $38 dress for $15 (she is good! and the man might have been crying when we left, but I can neither confirm nor deny this), we headed back to the ship to change into our suits. We then headed back out to the beach to relax and explore. I found Kim this really pretty shell, but then the crab in it tried to attack her (he was HUGE! His pincher's could have pinch the life out of your fingernail!), she screamed and he got thrown back into the water. When the guys were done, we just hung out on the deck of the ship and watched people dance and a belly flop competition. I managed to burn the outside AND inside of my belly button. I don't really know how I did that, but I have some really good talent!

Tuesday: We all got up and headed out to a cooking excursion in Cozumel. It was so much fun. It was at a beach park about 10min from the port. We cooked an appetizer, main dish (which was grouper, which I'm not supposed to eat because of the baby, so hopefully this child will only have 10 toes. I didn't think about studying up on what fish I could eat before we left) and a dessert and then we got to eat what we made. It was a lot of fun. After that, we had a little time left at the park to play. Adam and Sean went an climbed an ice burg and then slid down and then Adam and I went Kayaking. Once back at the port, we did a little more shopping. The shopping wasn't as good as it is on the Eastern Caribbean, but I did get Sapphire earrings (a really good deal! We just kept walking away and he kept dropping his price) and a new chain for my necklace (now I have a complete Sapphire set: earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring!). We also got Jacob a guitar which he hasn't stopped playing with. After that, we were pretty tired and just rested until dinner. Adam didn't eat a snack in time and he started to feel yuck and that lasted the rest of the evening. I kept giving him a hard time about the pregnant lady feeling great and the husband getting sick!

Wednesday: Another day at sea. The plan was the sit in the sun all day and just relax. Well, it was windy and the clouds started rolling in. We made it until about lunch time and then it was just too cloudy and cold. This is the only day I felt sick and it was because I ate lunch too late. After eating and wearing my Sea Bands for about 15min, I felt great! Adam and I spent most of the rest of the day just relaxing in our room (something that we don't get to do at home). I didn't get as much sun as I would have liked, but I was very relaxed!

Thursday: Time to go home. It was a sad day. We had stayed up late Wednesday night and then had to get up early so we were all pretty tired. We got off the boat quickly and easily and then came home. It was so good to see Jacob (although he wasn't too excited to see us) and be home. When I got home and went to the bathroom, I "fell" on the toilet. The cruise toilets were much higher than mine and I was caught off guard.

Being back home is nice. We had a GREAT time and can't wait to go again (hopefully for our 10 year!), but we were ready to get back to normal. Adam didn't work on Friday and I'm still on Spring break so our vacation is continuing. I'm all confused on my days and I'm still feeling the ship rocking. I feel more sea sick now that we are home than I ever did on the ship! It was great to just be a wife for almost a week, but I'm happy to be home and wearing my mommy hat again!

Our Pictures

Click here to download or see them better: http://picasaweb.google.com/AdamAndAngela/CruiseMarch2010?feat=directlink

Goodbye

2010-03-05T20:30:00.003-05:00

We are off. Just some packing and 3 more hours of school are between us and our cruise. We leave tomorrow afternoon for our 5 night cruise to the Western Caribbean. We can't wait! See you when we return...

Jacob Talks and Talks

2010-02-22T10:20:00.002-05:00

The best things he has said/done this morning...

Jacob: "I want baby."
So I lift up my shirt to show him my belly.
Jacob: "I shoot baby."
And he shoots my belly with a wooden spoon.
Oh my!

Me: "Jacob are you pooping?"
He bents and grunts some more and then walks over to me and turns around so that his butt is facing me...
Jacob: "Mommy check!"
I checked. He pooped!

Crazy Busy

2010-01-29T15:32:00.002-05:00

Oh my...it has been forever since I have posted! So much has happened in the Shaw house in the last few months. I'll try and do a short re-cap:

Disney: we took Jacob to Disney before Christmas. He had a blast! He did so good and we had so much fun and got to share the experience with our friends Matt, Stephanie and their little man Isaac.

Christmas: Crazy busy, but so much fun. We ate too much, didn't spend much time at home, but got to see lots of family.

Surprise: We are pregnant! I am 10 weeks along and get to hear the heartbeat next Wednesday (Jacob and Adam are going with us). We are so excited. Jacob is so cute and asks for the baby and will either put his hand on my belly or tell the baby something. I love it. He got very concerned a few weeks ago when I was in the shower and said "oh no, baby in water!" I love how he is comprehending this.

Jacob's bday: It was oh so cold at his party in the park. He had more fun playing than opening presents. I can't believe that my baby is 2! He got some good "older" presents that I have put away until the summer. He is growing so fast (25% in weight and 30% in height) and talking so much. He likes to jumble his words (like Yoda), but most of the time we know exactly what he is saying.

Surprise: No, it's not twins. I've gone back to school. I'm studying nursing. I'm working on my pre-reqs and hope to start the nursing program Jan. 2011. Big changes. Working part-time, being pregnant, doing all we do with church, being a full-time mommy and now adding Biology and Psy classes to the list is hard. I still don't have it balanced yet (and I have yet to do any psy homework!). It is worth it. I'll work until the baby comes and then will just be able to focus on school when I go full-time next Jan. I'm excited, but really overwhelmed.

I'll try and do better about updating this...I need to figure out how to do it from my iPhone because as Adam is so quick to point out, I'm on it all of the time! =)

Thanksgiving in Denver

2009-12-09T11:48:00.003-05:00

We had a GREAT time in Denver! It was so good to see Juli & Thomas and to spend so much time with them. By the end of the trip Jacob was calling both of them Thomas.

The flight there: about an hour into the flight Jacob decided to scream for 45min. It was horrible. I teared up a few times. He finally fell asleep and slept for about an hour.

What we did: Wednesday was just a recoop day. It was nice. J&T worked so Jacob and I unpacked, played at the gym a bit and cooked dinner. Thursday we went sledding. There wasn't much snow on the ground, but the drive there is beautiful and we had a blast. We had a picnic lunch and then headed home for naps. Juli and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner and it was yummy! Friday Juli and I went shopping for just about all day. It was great to have my shopping buddy again! We then went over to the family's house that they babysit for and had dinner. Saturday we did some more shopping, painted pottery and went out to dinner. Sunday was a slow day...packed, played at the gym some more and then they left us at the airport.

The flight home: Jacob did much better. He didn't sleep at all, but he had no breakdowns. It was heaven! He was super hyper, but we had our own row (we had that on the flight out there too) and he sat in his seat and played and watch movies. The worst part was when he pooped. I had to change a dirty diaper on an airplane! That is a mile-high club that I NEVER want to visit again!

We had a great time and miss J&T. Hopefully next time we go we can take Adam with us (plus I'm never flying with a child again by myself so Adam kind of has no choice!).

Here is the link to the album where you can download the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/AdamAndAngela/DenverThanksgiving2009#

Denver

2009-11-24T11:25:00.002-05:00

Today is the day I get to see my sister and brother-in-law!

Jacob and I have a 4pm flight (Adam has to stay home and work) and we will be back on Sunday. I cannot wait. I'm nervous about flying with Jacob alone, but I have his favorite stuffed animals, dvd's, food, blanket...so hopefully it will go well.

I'll have TONS of pictures to post when I get back.

Did I mention I'm excited?!?!?!?

Conversations with an almost 2 year old

2009-11-12T15:32:00.003-05:00

My conversation with Jacob at the breakfast table this morning went something like this:

Jacob: I want Talin. I want Talin. I want Bek-ta (Rebekah). I want Daddy. I want Charlie.

Me: Charlie?

Jacob: I want Charlie.

Me: Evie? (Charlie's sister)

Jacob: Evie

Me: Luke? (Charlie's brother)

Jacob: Wook (Luke). Nice. Hailey Nice.
(And as he said that he swatted his arm across his chest as if to show me that he hit her)

Me: Jacob, where you nice to Hailey?

Jacob: I nice. Hailey nice.
(And he hugged himself.)

Fall Festival 2009

2009-11-01T17:05:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we had our Fall Festival at church. It was a blast! We had a great turn out. We had kids' games, face painting, moonwalks, dunk tank, cotton candy, snow cones and a funny "show" after dinner. It was a really good time. I helped with a lot so I'm exhausted, but can I do it any other way?

Jacob had fun. My mom was with him most of the time as I was running around and Adam was manning the dunk tank (no, he didn't get in it!). It was 90 degrees outside so Jacob just wore his costume long enough to get pictures in it. He was the cute dinosaur that God ever created!

More Dino Pics (Click here to download: http://picasaweb.google.com/AdamAndAngela/TheCutestDinoEver#)

Fall Festival Pics

We are still here...

2009-10-10T09:48:00.002-04:00

We are still here. Jacob keeps me busy. He wakes up going 60mph. He is so much fun. I keep his toys in a basket in the family room. I have been on the computer in the living room and just watched him dump his toys, load the basket up with different toys, push it across the house to the living room and empty it again. Now to teach him how to clean up his mess....

Jacob is doing good. He is still a GREAT sleeper. If we have him up past his bedtime (7pm) he constantly asks to go "night-night".

We took him to his first football game last night. It was Apopka High School's homecoming. We lasted to half-way through the second quarter before we had to leave. I was hoping to make it till half-time, but oh well. Cheap night out!

We are busy, busy busy. I'm sure I have some pictures I need to put up. I keep posting videos on my facebook, but they never seem to make it on here so here they are (I put the link in case the video has trouble playing):

Jacob on the phone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izCD0Ji7aVU

Jacob loves shoes
This is why we can't leave our shoes out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv7-uonm0Xw

Jacob being silly
Silly car time. The videographer was not driving during filming but was attacked by toes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLvDA76NdmM

First skinned knee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iitXx_JBczA

Sword fighting
I don't know where he learned this but he is obessed with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDKo94_GGwA

Drinking out of the hose
Jacob was playing in the water while Adam was washing the Jeep and he got thirsty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLWsfcLfREI

Drinking out of the hose, part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onPg-DS78zo

Work and Blog

2009-09-22T15:09:00.001-04:00

I have been busy, busy, busy with work lately. Now that my HUGE project is done, I find myself at a loss of what to do. I have lots to do that I had to put off, but it is odd to have so much time.

I have been hard at work at the redo of our publishing website. Check it out: http://www.NewBookPublishing.com

I am also writing a blog for work. We are hosting it on blogger and then feeding it into a page on our NBP site. Check it out: http://growupward.blogspot.com/

dear daddy

2009-08-31T17:04:00.003-04:00

dear daddy,

i had the best day with my mommy today. i started the day with lots of coughing in my bed, but once I got up I had no more coughs.

I was so excited to spend the day with mommy. she wanted to get some work done, but i wanted to be with her. she would take a break from work and we would play with my cars. she would then sneak away and work some more. eventually i convinced her to stop working and play with me.

we played with blocks and then she read me 4 books. she made me fish sticks for lunch that were really yummy and then put me down for a nap. i thought that if i slept good that maybe she would play with me more when i got up.

when i got up, i worked really hard to be nice so she wouldn't put me in time out. i haven't been in since i got up, which is good because i spent a lot of time in there this morning, but i think i was just extra tired and cranky.

after my nap, she took me on a walk. it was really hot so we only walked for 30min. i did good. i ate goldfish and drank my water.

when we got home she left me in my stroller and started messing with something. i didn't know what she was doing so i just kept eating my fish.

she pulled out this funny looking thing and attached the hose to it! she took off my shorts and put me in it. it sprayed water on me. i didn't know what to think at first, but then i got brave and started playing in it. i liked it a lot.

i kept getting mommy wet. i got totally soaked, but i didn't mind. then she got out my pool and put water in that. i liked that a lot. then she put the funny looking thing in there and it sprayed me with more water and i liked that more.

i was very brave today. you know how i am with water. i had so much fun. we played outside for a long time.

then mommy took me in and let me shower with her. i didn't know what to think. i was a little upset cause she made me walk through the house with my soaked diaper on and that bothered me. i kept saying "diaper" until she took it off (don't worry, i got her back and went pee on her in the shower).

i got brave in the shower and mommy sat on the floor and played with me. i kept walking into the water and wasn't scared at all!

thank you so much for working so hard so that i can have fun days like this with my mommy. i love you!

-jacob

The things I say...

2009-08-24T11:15:00.002-04:00

This is Jacob. My mommy has been posting a lot, but she forgot a few stories.

Last night my Gramma put me to bed (mommy and daddy were playing at Aunt Sheila's house with the young marrieds). Gramma asked me if I wanted her to rub my back when she put me in my crib. I said "want to go night-night". I love night-night!

I told my mommy and mommy (lately all I call daddy is mommy) at a restaurant that "I want to co-co" which means "I want to color". It was my first complete sentence!

When I cry or have something in my eyes, I say "eyes, eyes" so that my mommy wipes them. When my nose runs, I say "nose" and my mommy wipes that. I like to be clean.

When my mommy puts me in time out (which I'm spending a lot of time in lately) she lets me sit there a few minutes and then comes and talks to me about what I did to get put there. She always tells me to say "sorry" and I say "please" instead. She tells me to say "please" all of the time so I think it is perfectly applicable in this situation. She can't get everything she wants (just don't tell her I said that)!

I'm not completely sure yet, but I might be teething. That would make mommy so happy because that would give somewhat of a reason for all of my bad attitudes. I'll keep you posted on what happens in my mouth. For now I have to go because my nose is running...

Even more videos of Jacob

2009-08-23T14:07:00.000-04:00

You can tell I'm really playing catch up...

I love how he says "hello".

Jacob has started pretending. It is so much fun to watch him. His favorite thing to pretend is that he is eating or drinking. During one of his more fussy days (and what I mean by fussy days is that he basically pitched a fit all day), I gave him a spoon and bowl to "cook" while I was cooking and couldn't hold him. He was too cute with it!

This kid loves to dance!

Random Jacob Pictures

2009-08-22T14:41:00.000-04:00

He likes to get into the pantry and get the raisins out. He sits down, takes the lid off and eats them. I guess he is concerned about being regular (and trust me, he has nothing to be concerned about!).

This is his praying face. It is too funny. I think he makes it because I half-away close my eyes so that I can watch him when we pray (because he is a funny kid) and I think he is just mimicking what he sees.

That is one way to play with a dump truck...sit on it!

He loves dinosaurs!

He went to bed with wet hair one night, and greeted me like this in the morning.

We've been attacked!

2009-08-21T13:41:00.000-04:00

Man your battle stations. We have been attacked!

It is a sneak attack from the front that only experience could have predicted.

The terrible twos have hit early and they have hit hard!

It started around 18 months and Jacob was teething. Teething is tough and I had grace for him, but then the teething was over the attitude stayed.

Oh my, where did this come from? Why did no one warn me? Where was this covered in the manual...oh wait, there is no manual.

What happened to my happy child? Where did my Jacob go? Who is this fussy, fit-throwing expert that has come to live at my house?

In the Shaw house, we are learning valuable lessons. I'm trying (and failing more than succeeding) at finding the balance between truth and grace. When he is tired do I let him have his way? How hard should I be on him? If I put him in time out every time he pitched a fit he would be there all day!

We are surviving, but barely. Some days are better than others. The other day was bad. He was in time out twice and he had only been up 30min! I'm learning to be consistent. Figuring out what is acceptable behavior, what he understands (which is so much) and how to communicate with him is much harder than I thought. It makes me glad for the days that I go to work, just to have a break, but then makes me glad that I have so much time with him so that we can work on his attitude.

We'll get there. In the meantime, Jacob is learning tons! He has learned that pitching a fit and running is hazardous to one's health. He has learned that I want him to say "please" after he demands something. He has learned that hitting mommy is not a good idea. He has also learned (after only 1 week) how to sit in time out without getting up (I don't even have to gate him in).

Hopefully he will survive this new learning season for his Mommy and Daddy!

Videos of Jacob (hopefully with the right videos this time!)

2009-08-20T11:53:00.000-04:00

Here are some cute videos of Jacob (I LOVE my new iPhone!!!)

This is Jacob running at the beach!

Playing with Daddy

He LOVES Micki Mous Clubhouse on Disney. He LOVES saying "oh toddles" and it is just too cute. Now when he watches the shows, he shouts "oh toodles" at all of the right times!

Sea World

2009-08-19T17:56:00.001-04:00

We went to Sea World with Juli and Thomas when they were here last month. It was Jacob's first time and he did GREAT! We got to meet Shamu and Juli & Thomas had a friend that arranged a meeting with Elmo. Jacob loved that as long as we didn't get too close.

The park is so much fun. We have season passes now and I can't wait to go back. He like the shows and did pretty good in the exhibits. We didn't get to play in the kids' place. He is really going to like that next time.

We fed the dolphins and he LOVED that (and so did I). They have changed everything and you are only allowed in if you are going to feed the dolphins. It was much nicer. Next time, Adam will have to join us as it was hard to hold Jacob, feed and pet the dolphin all at the same time (all the while Jacob was desperately wanting to just jump in with the dolphins).

We saw the dolphin show, the sea lion and otter show (my favorite) and the elmo show. I think Jacob's favorite part was dancing to all of the music (videos below).

The funniest part of the day had to be when we were walking into the Sea Lion and Otter show and the mime scared me half to death. I saw him, thought "I shouldn't be startled by this", jumped and screamed. Of course everyone was watching and got a good laugh out of it!

We rod Manta (by we I mean myself, Adam and Juli; Thomas and Jacob stayed behind to take pictures). It was the best! It is my new favorite ride!

It was a great day. It was hot, but TONS of fun. We stayed until 3pm (Jacob normally naps at 1pm)! I can't wait to go back!

Here are 2 videos of Jacob dancing. He loves to dance!

The Things Jacob Says...

2009-08-19T13:12:00.004-04:00

My kid is the funniest kid in the world, not that I'm bias or anything!

The things that come out of his mouth are some of the funniest.

The other night, Adam and I went to peek in on him before we went to bed. Adam covered him with a blanket and he stirred. He rubbed his leg where the blanket was, smiled and said "thanks". In his sleep he has good manners...how to get that to translate to when he is awake is beyond me.

He is calling everyone Mommy. This started while we were at the beach (pictures and stories to come soon). It started as just a word used in desperation and then quickly it became what he called Adam and my mom. He has yet to call Adam "daddy" since we have been home. My favorite was when we were in the car and I was explaining to him (after he said "mommy" none stop for several minutes) that we had discussed before vacation that he was supposed to be a daddy's boy this week. Jacob quickly said "oh no no no no no, Mommy". That settled that. He was and still is a mommy's boy.

He repeats everything and is talking so well. We still have conversation where I have no clue what he is talking about, but I can see more and more he is trying to communicate with me something specific.

Yesterday morning he woke up and said "book". I told him that I had to change his diaper first. Then he said "oatmeal". I told him I had to change his diaper first. Then he said "cars". That boy knew what he wanted to do.

I have TONS to catch up on blogging. I'm going to try and knock that out today. So be prepared to be bombarded with blog posts!

My Baby is Sick

2009-07-28T11:48:00.002-04:00

My baby boy is sick. He asked to go to bed last night about 6:30 (which isn't too weird for him) and he didn't get up until 8am (which is really weird for him). He felt warm on his cheeks, but not his forehead so I thought it was just from him sleeping.

I gave him breakfast, but he was so cranky and fussy and would only eat about half. I got him down and tried to play with him, but he was still fussy and felt warmer than before.

I checked his temperature twice (he didn't like that and told me "nice, nice" which is what we say to him when he is being ugly) and it was 100 degrees. I wanted to stay home from the gym, but I wish it was for a better reason.

I gave him some medicine and his fever went down. He only takes one nap at 1pm these days, but today he went down for a nap at 1015 and is still sleeping. I just went in and check on him and he is on his belly with his arms tucked under and his knees tucked under and his feet crossed and he is whimpering. Poor thing.

We'll see how he does today and I might take him to the doctor tomorrow. Now off to motivate myself to workout at home while he sleeps...good luck to me!

Youth Retreat Pictures

2009-07-22T15:54:00.002-04:00

Here are the pictures from the whitewater rafting that we did while on the youth retreat.

Dancing Maching

2009-07-14T14:29:00.000-04:00

Jacob tried out for this. They said he had GREAT dancing skills, but he couldn't roller skate. They are going to do another one just like this one, but without the skates and they told us just to skip the first and second rounds of additions and come straight to the finals. We have our fingers crossed!

Jacob Cuteness

2009-07-13T08:42:00.003-04:00

Cuteness #1

I took this picture yesterday (with my new iPhone!) after he got up from his nap. He was cranky and had crazy hair. Adam and I got a good laugh at the way he looked and the way he was acting.

Cuteness #2

Adam and I peaked in on him before we went to bed Saturday night and he was laying in his crib and had both feet stuck out between the rails. It was so adorable. I had to use great self control not to go get my camera to record his cuteness.

Cuteness #3

I got him ready for bed last night and set him down on the floor and told him to go tell daddy night-night (he really likes telling us night-night). I figured he would run out in the living room and find Adam, but nope...he walked over to his bed and "tried" to climb in it (whining because he couldn't get in). He loves his bed time!

Jacob Talks...

2009-07-07T08:59:00.002-04:00

...and talks and talks. He is also very opinionated.

I'll give you a moment to let that sink in as I know it is a shocker!

This morning I was getting ready and he was playing in my room. I was singing and curling my hair and he walked up to me and said "no singing". I wasn't sure I heard him right so I kept singing and he said "noooo, nooooo". I asked him if he wanted me to sing and he said "no" and walked away.

So, I waited a little while and then started singing again and he walked over to me and said "no singing, no singing". I asked him to sing and he said "no" and then started singing so I started singing the alphabet and that was ok with him, but when I started singing a different song he told me "no" again.

I need to teach that boy how to say "yes"!

We are home...

2009-06-29T10:42:00.003-04:00

...from the youth retreat. We had a great time in NC. I'm exhausted. Adam had to go back to work today and I work tomorrow. I'll post pictures and stories later.

Jacob did great staying behind with Adam's mom and my mom. He is cranky today. He must have more teeth coming in. He just holds his mouth and cries. He was up in the night. I got him up twice and Adam woke me up twice because he was crying, but I fell back asleep before I could figure out if I was going to get up and get him or not.

I'm off to be productive...laundry, shower, grocery store...back to everyday life!

Jacob Graduated

2009-06-18T10:58:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we took Jacob to an appointment with his developmental doctor. Adam was able to go with us (which Jacob was VERY excited when we pulled up to his work) and that was nice to have him join us for the afternoon.

Even though it was past his nap time, Jacob did very well. She asked us a TON of questions like does he do 2-word commands? (you mean "come here and give me a kiss"? yes) and can he kick a ball? (yes). We answered yes to probably 98% of the questions.

Next she put him in a high-chair and had him do a puzzle, put pegs in holes (he was really cute when he put all of the pegs in the holes and have one peg left and no hole...he kept looking for it). She then pulled out a book about animals and went through each one and asked him what the animal was and what sound it made.

Before I tell you what he did, I have to back up a little. When he was just playing in the room he found a dinosaur. As soon as he picked it up he started growling (at one point he did notice the dinosaur's long neck and made an "s" sound, like he was trying to say "snake"). So, when she pulled out the animal book, he growled at every animal. He growled so much that he choked.

(I'm taking him to the farm tomorrow and I can't wait to see what he does when the animals make noise. I'm guessing he will growl. Where did he learn this behavior?!?)

Jacob is 18-months old and 15.5-months old (the age he should have been if he could have "baked" longer). So he needed to test between that age range. He talking tested at 18.5 months and his motor skills tested at 17.5 months! She said that he still had a little tightness in his right leg/ankle, but it is nothing to be concerned about.

When we were all done, she said that he had graduated and didn't have to come back! I'm so excited and so proud of my little boy. We have one last appointment because he was born early (a check up at the eye doctor when he is 2) and then we should be done.

He is such a miracle baby. I love him so much. I am having so much fun with him lately, but I'll blog more about that later...

Funny Video

2009-06-16T14:19:00.002-04:00

Our Beloved and HUGE Garnet

2009-06-12T07:53:00.002-04:00

Today is a new day in the Shaw house and an odd one at that. I keep looking for my dog. I looked for him when I got home from work yesterday, I looked for him when I went to go out the door, I looked for him before I went to bed and I looked for him when I walked out of my room this morning, but I never found him.

Adam took Garnet to a wonderful family in Sanford yesterday. We made the hard decision to give him a better life and started the hunt for a new home about 2 weeks ago. We just don't have the time and attention that he needs. He is a wonderful dog, but he needs more from us and we can't give it. He doesn't play in the backyard like he did at our old house (there aren't any squirrels or rats or cats to chase or tangerines to eat). He just wonders around the house all day bored and depressed. He deserves a better home.

We found a family in Sanford who live on 6 acres and have a pond. They are a great Christian family. They have 3 kids left at home and their youngest is 10 years old. He and Garnet are going to be best friends. Their house is the hang out house for all of the kids. When they came to meet him on Tuesday, they were here for about 45min and even brought tennis balls to play with him. Garnet is going to be so happy there! They are going camping this weekend and taking him with them. In fact, when Adam called them to tell them that he got off work early and so was bring Garnet early, the mom screamed in his ear because she was so excited!

How I'm feeling: I'm giddy and sad at the same time. My kitchen looks weird with all of the space since his crate is gone. I was mostly giddy when Adam first told me he was thinking about getting rid of him and that giddiness has stayed as I would look at my kitchen floor covered in dog hair and realize that soon the only hair on the floor would be mine! Surprisingly I emotional about it now. The tears started Wednesday night. Every time I thought about it Thursday I teared up. I teared up several times last night and I'm even tearing up now.

He was a part of our family for 3 1/2 years! Although I didn't like having a horse living in my house and I couldn't really play with him (because every time I touched him too much, my skin started to crawl and I had to take a shower 'cause of allergies), I think I loved that dog more than I understood.

Garnet will be much happier. I'll be much happier and less annoyed. I'll miss my protector dog that made people think he could eat them (when all he wanted to do is rub on their leg like a cat!) when they came to the door. Jacob is too young to miss him (another reason why we wanted to get rid of him now). Adam says he is doing ok. We know that Garnet will be so loved and so happy and have so much attention that he will not have a second to miss us. One day we might get another dog--a smaller breed and maybe one that doesn't shed. When we're done having kids. And this time...I'm picking out the runt of the litter instead of Adam picking out the stud!

One day I'll update this with pictures and starting blogging again, but until then I leave you with this story...

2009-05-30T16:44:00.002-04:00

We went to Babies R Us today (because Jacob was wearing the last diaper that we owned!) and then Target.

While in Target, Adam was looking for a water filter for our fridge and I was getting Jacob baby food. I was only supposed to get baby food, but I also got him pj's (because he runs out before it is time to do laundry), swimming diapers (because it is summer and I only have 2 left!) and more cups (because the I only have 4 of the kind that he likes and in about a week his bottles are getting packed away!)-all for GREAT reasons, but I looked at Jacob and said "we better find your daddy because the longer mommy stays here the more money she spends".

Jacob listened and then YELLed out "Aaaaaadum, Aaaaaadum, Aaaaaaaaadum"!

He called his father by his first name. I laughed and then tried to get him to yell "dada" instead and he wouldn't.

Funny Things

2009-05-20T13:37:00.002-04:00

Jacob is doing some great, random, funny things lately:

He says "I get it"

He saw a blue van today and said "Hi Stacy" (Stacy drives a blue van).

He growls at dogs.

He growls at thunder.

He blows on command.

He gives hugs and kisses.

He dances with his arms (I have to get a video of that).

He sat on the couch for 1.5 hours yesterday playing and watching TV perfectly happy (which meant I got to work without interruption).

He covers his face when he walks by Garnet as to not get hit by his tail.

He sat at the kitchen table, in a chair by himself and looked at the paper on Saturday while Adam did the same thing.

We have a floor fan in the living room (our carpet got wet when we left the window open during the rain) and all day he has taken his Handy Manny tools and tried to "fix" it (it was on first thing this morning and then I unplugged it).

He sat on his potty chair and grunted (where did he learn that?!?!?).

Couch Drama

2009-05-13T17:11:00.002-04:00

We are going to return the couch for a khaki one. I know that that is a dangerous color with a kid and a dog, but our other one (with the help of Scotch Guard) has survived and this one will be used less.

I love the red and I love it against my blue wall, but it has too much purple in it and the curtains have more orange in them. The red in the pillows that came with the couch match the curtains and not the couch...odd!

Oh well. I was really excited to finally have a couch in the living room. I wonder how long it will take for the new one to come?

Red Couch: To Keep or Not to Keep, that is the daunting question!

2009-05-13T14:26:00.002-04:00

Busy Days at the Shaw House

2009-05-06T14:37:00.002-04:00

We have been super busy at the Shaw house. Just when I though I was finally getting a handle on this whole work part-time, mommy full-time, full-time house cleaner and youth pastor, I went and added 2 more things.

#1: I am going to school again! It isn't as crazy as it seems. At church, we are having seminary classes through the International College of Ministry. They are accredited with the state of Florida. Each class counts as 3 credit hours and is only 8 weeks long. The classes are on Monday nights (mine is from 7:40-9:10). I am going to get a masters in Christian Psychology. I'm really excited. I am so interested in this. It should only take a year, but I'm going slower. I don't know if I'll take back-to-back classes (right now I'm taking Prophetic Counseling and LOVING it!) and it isn't the cheapest thing in the world. So with each "semester" we'll evaluate the time and money and go from there. I'm really enjoying it!

#2: I'm going to the gym. We signed up for a membership at Lifestyles (ok, I have to interrupt myself...Jacob is supposed to be napping and he is spitting and I can hardly concentrate to type as I'm distracted and amused by my son!). The best part is that they have classes and child care! I'm going 3 days a week. I have done good so far (2.5 weeks). I'm trying to cut my calories and lose some major weight. It is not fun, but it is worth it. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing.

Adding both of those has definitely complicated my schedule. It is an adjustment to get everything done, but I'm really happy to make it.

No pictures up today, sorry. Part of that adjustment thing. Just don't have time to get it all in (today not only did I go to the gym, but I'm playing piano and singing for youth worship tonight so I have to leave early for that - I have cut my at home time almost in half from what it is normally).

Jacob is doing GREAT. He is walking all of the time. I'm told he is talking more. He constantly makes noise and I tend to not really listen to what he is saying. How do I know when he can say a new word? Somebody else tells me. How awful is that? Sometimes I wonder if there is going to be permanent damage from me treating him like he is my 3rd kid instead of my 1st.

Well, I need to go and start dinner. 2 hours before I have to leave for youth and I have dinner to make, dish up, clean up, a house to pick up (it looks like a land mine went off in Jacob's toys), a child to convince that it is nap time, laundry to fold and 2 bathrooms that really need to be cleaned, but we'll see if those bathrooms get fit in. =)

Oh, and I have a dog that hasn't pottyed all day . . .

Naked Baby

2009-05-05T15:22:00.002-04:00

Last week I went to get Jacob out of bed. He had woken up around 6am, but had played quietly in his bed and at 7am was finally yelling for me to come get him (not yelling with words, just yelling with noise).

I opened his door and was surprised to see a naked baby standing in his crib staring back at me. Jacob had managed to take off his pj's and his diaper and throw that and his blankets onto the ground. I had a "I'm not mad, that's amazing" moment. His diaper was still fastened together. It was like he just stepped right out of it.

I wanted to take a picture, but I was afraid of him peeing and it getting on the carpet. Thankfully his diaper was just wet!

It was such a funny sight. He has an up-side-down, pare-shaped body. He has no booty and his legs are skinny, but he has a belly, chest and head. He keeps me laughing!

We are Alive!

2009-05-04T08:44:00.002-04:00

We are still alive! We didn't go anywhere. We just got really busy and I got lazy about updating the blog. I have TONS of pictures (over 400 on my camera). I'm hoping to do a big update on Wednesday.

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you about our visitor that we had last night. Adam brought the dog in from outside. It was late and we were heading to bed. He came in our room and told me to come and look. I thought the dog might be doing something cute. Nope. There was a frog on the top of my curtain rod! Adam tried to catch him and he jumped off into Jacob's toys, then jumped onto the piano and then jumped towards me...that is when I jump onto the bed where I stayed until Adam got him outside. It was a lot of excitement right before bed!

Neti Pot Journal

2009-04-15T09:26:00.004-04:00

Day 1 (Monday): I did my Neti Pot before bed and just drops came out the other side

Day 2 (Tuesday): I did my Neti Pot before bed and a few more drops came out than the night before, but it hurt worst.

I love my Neti Pot.

I hate my Neti Pot.

I'm going to write a poem about my Neti Pot.

What is a Neti Pot you ask? It is the most wonderful thing! I first heard of it when I was pregnant with Jacob and had a sinus infection. I fell in love with it when we were in Denver and I was miserable with a sinus infection and I used it and the infection was gone by the time we got home. Even Oprah did a show about it!

It is a water pot looking thing that you put this salt solution and water in. Then you hold it up to one side of your nose and pour and it is supposed to come out the other side. It feels really weird, but it cleans out your sinuses. Some people use it everyday!

I'm not feeling well. Thankfully it is all in my sinuses, so I'm not contagious. I don't feel pressure at all, I just have a scratchy, sore throat and I can feel the drainage going down my throat into my stomach (ewww, gross, too many details!).

I'll keep you up-to-date on my Neti Pot Journal and I'll share my poem when I'm done with it.

Shaw Family

Yummy in my Tummy

Family Pictures Winter 2011

Photo Contest

fun, custom cards

DISNEY!!!

You have arrived at your destination...FALL!

Fun Pictures

my middle name is Silly

a day at the beach

Summer days

Just broke up a fight between Jacob's hands

Cooking: quick chicken meals

On a recent episode of The Young and the Emotional...

God is Always

brother.foot.love

Our life with Parker

Hospital

My happy birthday boy!

Happy Birthday Parker

Blogging

3 legs

Comparing my boys!

a glimpse at our May

Some backyard excitment!

my boys :: summer 2011

My Days with Jacob Pt4

My boys are famous!

Mom vs Mommy

My days are full of hugs and kisses from my boys!

Easter 2011

Denver March 2011

Spring is in the air!

Where does he get this stuff???

I get to be a stay-at-home mommy!

My days with Jacob pt3

More of My Family

My Family

My Jacob is 3!

My days with Jacob pt2

My days with Jacob pt2

Spelling

It's Christmas!

It's Gone

Mimic

Question

My life...

My Boys

My days with Jacob pt1

Church

Balloon

Pillow fight...a new definition

Sleep

Nap time

He's here...

Crazy summer

Conversation with Jacob

Baby's Name

Jacob is 2-1/2 years old

Big Day

Conversation with Jacob...kindof

iPhone

Future Soccer Player

Family Pictures

Potty Training

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Goodbye

Jacob Talks and Talks

Crazy Busy

Thanksgiving in Denver

Denver

Conversations with an almost 2 year old

Fall Festival 2009

We are still here...

Work and Blog

dear daddy

The things I say...

Even more videos of Jacob

Random Jacob Pictures

More videos of Jacob