A - Apple

Key Phrase: If I stay in Jesus, I will have much fruit
Verse: Galatians 5:22

This week we learned all about apples, the letter A and the fruit of the spirit.

We read an Apple A Day: from orchard to you and looked up lots of information about apples.

We taste tested several different kinds of apples and then cut them up and discussed 1/2 and 1/4.

Gavin made a fruits and veggies poster and separated them into the two categories.

We read 10 apples up on top and made a picture of Gavin and glued apples numbered 1-10 on top of his head. Gavin had to put them in numerical order.

Gavin painted a picture of a tree and once it dried, he pasted apples on it labeled with the fruits of the spirit.

We read about Johnny Appleseed, which was quite fun! Gavin is still talking about him.

We made apple crisp - yummo!

We took all the seeds out of the apples, counted them, sorted them, did some addition and subtraction with them and then pasted them to a piece of paper in the shape of the letter A.

I made up a pattern page with apples for him to color.


We read A new House and then Gavin illustrated the story and retold it to me.

Unrelated to our theme, we did some math worksheets from mathisfun.com, we are continuing with our reading lessons (we are now on lesson 50 - half way done!), we are following the "reading plan" in our curriculum, as well. We also are still memorizing catechisms, working through our calendar each day and learning to count to by 5's, 10's etc.

Library Day

On the first day of our unit studies we go to the library. I usually place the books I need/want on hold and have the librarian pull them for me. That way I can just waltz right in, grab my books and head out. Well, for whatever reason, I decided to locate the books myself this week. NIGHTMARE with three kids. Charlotte was all over the place ripping books off of the shelf. I was lugging Chase around in the car seat and sweating my brains out b/c I didn't want to take off my coat and have something else to carry. I'm not sure I'll ever do that again. The worst part is that I never even found the books that I needed. They were NOT on the shelf where they should have been.

How does one successfully visit the library with three kids under five?

Gavin

This week Gavin is learning John 14:2. I asked him if he knew what it meant as we were going through it, phrase by phrase. He interrupted me to inform me that "prepared" means (and I quote) " I peed in my pair of pants, so I need to get a new pair."

Where on earth does he come up with these things?

Alive and Well

We are here! and we are doing quite well. Life with three is busy. Chase Matthew has transitioned into our family well and we are enjoying him thoroughly. He is a sweet little guy who just seems to fit right it!

I had a dr.'s appointment on Nov. 5th. They did an ultrasound to check my fluid and promptly sent me directly to the hospital. Do not go home, do not pass go, etc. I got there around 12:30, they started the pitocin around 2:00, at 5:30 my nurse checked me and then ran out of the room. Ryan and I looked at each other and stared to laugh. Then we heard he yell down the hall, "DR. TYLER, DR. TYLER - YOU COME CATCH BABY!" We didn't believe her. My previous deliveries lasted around 18 hours. When Woo (our nurse :) ) came back into the room Ryan asked her when she thought the baby would be born. Her response was "BEFORE 6:00!!!!" Again, we looked at each other and laughed. We still didn't believe her. The next thing I knew, Dr. Tyler was in my room and baby Chase was flying out of me! It was seriously that fast. We were just cracking up the entire time b/c we couldn't believe it was happening. As soon as he was born the doctor was saying, "That's a big baby, he's at least 9 lbs!" 9lbs, 9 oz., to be exact! The poor guy came out so quickly that he was a little beat up. His face and head were bruised and the whites of his eyes were blood red. His bruising went away after a few days but he's still hanging on to the red eyes a bit. He's feeding and sleeping pretty well. We've had a few rough nights but overall I couldn't ask for an easier baby.

Gavin is over the moon and so in love with "Chaser Bean". He asks to hold him all the time and really wants to know when he can feed him a bottle! He watches him for me when I do the laundry or hop in the shower.

Charlotte had a rough week and half. She wasn't quite sure what to think. We've dealt with temper tantrums, waking up in the night, lots of mischief and have heard the word "NO!" a lot. Towards the end of last week she started calming down again and seems to be used to our new life with Chase. She loves him so much. She's never taken her frustration out on him. She loves to kiss him and wants to share everything with him - including suckers, chocolate chip cookies and sippy cups. She seems to think that he should share everything of his with her, too! I've seen her in his car seat and his bouncy chair. I've caught her with his passy in her mouth quite often and she even climbed up on my lap and tried to have a go at nursing. Yeah, I don't think so, Charlotte!

I am loving our new family of five. God is giving me lots of grace and patience during these busy days. I am trying to soak it all in and enjoy each moment - even getting pee'd on (Gavin thinks that is a HOOT!). Gavin has been learning Galatians 5:22-23 this week. "But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Hmmm, I think I needed that verse more than he did this week! I love how the Lord works these things out for us!

Well, this is way too long as it is. I'm sure you didn't make it to the end! Hopefully soon we'll get into a routine and blogging will be a part of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

L is for Leaf

"I will live and grow in Jesus"

This week (okay, week and a half) we learned all about the letter L and Leaves. Who knew there was so much to learn about leaves! We learned the different names of them, what their function is, how they can not live apart from the tree (just like we can not live and flourish apart from God) and many more things.

We made a chart and charted the different colors of leaves that we collected. We also sorted our leaves by sizes and shapes.



We did leaf rubbing. That was fun because while we were doing it Gavin said,
"This is awesome, MOM!" I loved that moment.

We made a book of leaves that we traced and named.

We painted leaf outlines.

We made a stained glass leaf picture - also very cool!

We read the book "A tree is nice" and Gavin made his own book retelling the story.

We also ramped up our math this week. I had Gavin doing some worksheets from mathisfun.com. He seems to really enjoy math and learning about numbers.

We preserved some leaves.

We had a great object lesson all week with a plant that we took care of. We ripped one leaf off of the plant to demonstrate how it can not live apart from the plant, just as we can not live apart from God. We sang, "Read your Bible pray every day". Charlotte and Gavin have been singing it together a lot this week. It's been SO CUTE to watch them.

We also did our letter worksheets, practiced penmanship (it's getting better) and played lots of games with the alphabet.

We've also been working on our phonics and reading. Reading with Gavin has been a long drawn out process. I feel like we've stopped and started so many times b/c he was just getting so frustrated with it. I was so afraid he was going to hate reading so I never really pushed it. Once we started homeschooling, I started all over again with our book "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons." I think we've started and stopped this two or three times. The part that kills me is that the book really works, he just wasn't all that into it. This time around has been different, though. He loves it, he's flying through it and reading GREAT! He is reading the stories in the book pretty quickly, without even having to sound out each letter. He has even started reading street signs and really anything he can figure out. It's cute and SO FUN! I finally feel like he's getting it! YAY!!!

Well, that was pretty much our lesson on the letter L and Leaves. I think it was my favorite one so far. Probably because I added so much to the curriculum this week. I felt like I was going a better job of teaching him and he was having more fun, too.

Our next lesson is A, Apple - "If I stay in Jesus, I will have much fruit". I'm not sure when we will be starting it, though. I think we'll be taking a week off after baby gets here!

40 weeks and 3 days . . .

Well, I am half way through my master plan. It doesn't really feel like nesting because I really have no desire to be doing these tasks. However, the thought of coming home to a clean and organized house after having the baby is forcing me to continue. I am just plugging away doing what I can each day. It is exhausting but at least I am sleeping better because of it. At the end of a long day I sit down and think, "I really hope I don't have this baby tonight, I don't have the energy!!"

My doc set the induction date for Tuesday, November 9th. It looks like we will be going all the way again. The funny part is that I am totally okay with that this time around. I was mentally prepared this time. I wouldn't even know what to do if I went into labor. I guess my body just doesn't get it. This will be my third induction.

The good news is that I think we've picked a name! I'm not ready tell what it will be, just in case we change our minds, though. You'll just have to wait and see . . .

My Master Plan

Tomorrow is the big due date - not that I put much stock in that. I've never gone on or before my due date. I'm okay with that this time around. I am feeling pretty good. Not sleeping well because my lovely husband has taken to snoring so loud I feel like the house is shaking. Not sure why he has decided to do that now . . . He's impossible to wake up, too. Last night I was literally cracking up laughing because it was so loud and almost unreal! I'm going to try and get it on video tonight, just to show him how ridiculous it is.

Anyway, I have this master plan this week to clean (CLEAN) every room in the house. I started today with the kids room. I cleaned out their closet and drawers and swapped the last of the winter clothes in and the summer clothes out. I got rid of stuff we don't want or need and I even vacuumed under the bed! It feels good. Now, I just need to keep the kids out of there the rest of the week!

Tomorrow, I am hoping to organize our craft shelves and bins. The kids really did a number on them the other day when I was talking on the phone. They were so quiet, I knew something must have been up!

Well, I hope to have a post about a baby boy soon, but if not, I'll figure something to post about!

M is for Moon

In a little of my spare time I've been searching for blogs specifically about homeschooling. I haven't really found one that I want to keep following. Let me know if you have any suggestions for me.

I have enjoyed reading YOUR blogs about your home school adventures so I decided to start documenting ours!

I am going to skip our first two weeks. I'm not too excited about back tracking and I didn't take too many pictures those weeks. AND, I didn't really add too many extras to it, so it was a little boring. This past week, I really ramped it up and we had more fun!

Our curriculum (My Father's World) focus' on one letter and one main theme per week. This week was the letter M and we learned LOADS about the Moon. We also learned that "I am the light of the world." Just as the moon reflects the sun's light, we reflect the light of Jesus. This has been a fun lesson for us!

This week we:
Made a Space Ship in the living room and read books in it about the moon. We read about Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11.

We measured how high Gavin can jump and then multiplied it by six to see how high he could jump on the moon.

We learned the phases of the moon, made a chart of what of the moon looks like each night (this will continue for another week), we made a book of the phases of the moon and we baked sugar cookies in the shapes of moons.

We made a Space Mobile to hang in the kids room and we made a moon out of marshmallows (we ate quite a few, too!).

We read the book "Little Bear" and made a space helmet to travel to the moon just like a chapter in the book.

We made a get well card for someone we knew was sick so that we could be "the light of the world."

We did three experiments to demonstrate 1.how the moon reflects the suns light 2. to see the distance from the earth to the moon and 3. to see why the moon seems to change shape. For these experiments we used a mirror, a flashlight and playdough. It was pretty fun to see Gavin start to understand how it all works.

I would have loved to plan a trip to the Adler Planetarium here in Chicago, but it didn't quite work out this week. I hope to get there soon, before Gavin forgets we even studied this!

In addition to all of that we also followed our reading plan, did our letter worksheets and worked on our handwriting (Gavin's WORST subject!!!).

Here are some pictures of our cool school - week three! I wish I would have taken more!
I Can't wait to post about week 4!

Homeschool!

Throw me some culottes and throw out the t.v. - We are a homeschool family!

We've got two weeks of homeschooling under our belts and we feel great. Our family is thriving, Gavin is learning and we are doing life together. Every day I love it more and more.

I ordered the curriculum My Father's World. I like it for the most part, but am finding that I need to supplement quite a bit - especially in Math and Reading. I love that it is centered around God's Word and how it applies to the world around us.

I am doing TONS of research on curricula for next year. I've ordered lot's of brochures and catalogs. I placed "The Well Trained Mind" on hold at the library and can't wait to pick it up. Has anyone read Cathy Duffys "100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum"? I am looking into purchasing it on Amazon. It looks like a good resource.

Here is a picture of our school nook in the house. I need to work on getting a desk for Charlotte - she feels very left out sometimes.



I hope to blog more about our home school adventures, but we're having so much fun we don't have a lot of time! The next time I blog it will probably be about our new baby brother - only two weeks left!

September = worst month ever!

September was such a hard month for the Dobbertin's. We were way too busy and our family life was in shambles. Ryan has BIG THINGS happening at work, we had two major ministry commitments that were kicking off (each at a different church campus), Gavin started school, I am VERY pregnant and we were all sick at one point. One day it all came crashing down around me. I had a major break down and was sobbing uncontrollably. My poor husband wasn't sure what to do with me. I'm usually not so emotional. He did the best thing, though - went and got a pizza for dinner!

We spent the next few days in prayer and evaluating our priorities (family first!). We had some meetings with our pastor and are scaling back on our ministry responsibilities. I also pulled Gavin out of school. We started homeschooling this week. I love homeschooling. It just fits our family so well. This week I've felt enormous amounts of peace and I've started to enjoy our life again.

Baby boy is coming in just three short weeks. THREE WEEKS! I am beyond excited to meet this little guy. I really have not had much time to think about it until this week. He still has no name, although we are narrowing our list. I think we'll just have to see him before we attach a name to him.

Well, that's what's been going on with us in a nutshell. I hope to be more active in the blogging world, but no promises! I am just enjoying our life and soaking it all in these days. I hope your lives are all going well and your focus is where you want it to be! Life can be so much better when your head is on straight and you are doing what you love!

I am

I am . . .

* tired of cleaning up vomit - going on day three now.

* missing my boy while he's at school BUT

* getting a lot done while he's away.

* unable to believe how quickly the hours pass while he is gone.

* drinking coke like I never stopped.

* ready for the weekend.

* excited for AWANA to begin next week!

* exhausted from a long, emotional week, busy week.

* enjoying my clean house - cleaner than it's been in a LONG time.

* hoping Gavin doesn't have too much homework tonight.

* looking forward to a mini date with my hubbs on Saturday night - If sissy cooperates

* not sure how I am going to make it through next week with even MORE to do than I had this week.

* on my knees more than ever these days!!!

Overwhelmed

I had an overwhelming day, to say the least. I can't believe it is finally over.

First, you get the long version for my venting purposes. If you would like to read the condensed, bullet point version please scroll down to the end.

It all started by getting up early and getting Gavin ready for school. I was so organized. I had his lunch made, the backpack packed and I even had every one's clothes laid out. I even had time to throw a load of laundry in, empty the dishwasher and make my bed before we walked over to school. Just as we were leaving, Charlotte thew up on the floor. My first thought was, "Typical middle child - had to get some attention in there somewhere on Gavin's big day!" I thought her breakfast was just too sweet on her tummy. So, I cleaned up the mess and off we went. I did great until Gavin started walking into school. He looked SO NERVOUS. I was sobbing hysterically. As soon as he was inside I was booking it home b/c I was so embarrassed. I was literally crying my eyes out. Pathetic, I know. But Gavin is such a mama's boy and he's been my best bud for the last 5 and 1/2 years! It was tough. So, I spent the next hour crying off and on and doing laundry and clinging to sissy (who wanted nothing to do with me - she was thrilled to have the toys all to herself. She went straight for Gav's Lego's the moment we stepped back into the house. It was like she had been waiting for this moment all summer long.)

Next, I was out of the house headed up to church to prepare for our big AWANA leader training tonight. I've spent weeks prepping for this. I've made power points, a 10 page handout, team binders, missionary hand outs for special sections and the list goes on. I'm not telling you this so you'll be impressed. I'm telling you so you can grasp the enormous disappointment that is coming towards the end of this post. Anyhow, I spent the morning w/ a friend making copies, assembling the packets and setting up the room. Charlotte was being SO GOOD this whole time. She is usually into all kinds of mischief at church. I kept on commenting on how good she was being. I figured that there was no one to compete for attention with b/c Gavin wasn't there. So, we left church and headed to Target to get some snacks for the meeting. By the time I got home, sis had fallen asleep in the car. I tried to transition her into her crib, but she just sat in there and talked for awhile. After a bit, she started yelling at me. I finally went in there and she was tucked away in the corner of her crib and she points to a big pile of puke on the other side. Nice. At this point, I figured she must be sick or something. I called the babysitter I had scheduled for the meeting tonight and told her not to come. It looks like I will be staying home. Weeks of prepping for this meeting and I don't even get to go.

I get Charlotte all cleaned up, do another load of laundry and then go and pick Gavin up. As soon as I see him, I start crying again. He had a great day, though. I thought he would be sad and would have had a rough time being gone so long. Not so much. He actually liked it. He had lots of stories for me. He was laughing at me b/c I was crying. When we got home I was hugging him and crying and he said, "Why are you crying now? I'M HOME!!" I thought that was funny. By this time, I was laughing too. I realized that all my tears were for nothing. He enjoyed himself. Whew. Then, I crashed. I felt the weight of the day. I tried to lay on the couch while the kids played, but I still had so much to do. Ryan came home and I started making dinner (while on the phone with some gals from church giving them some of my jobs that I wanted to do tonight). I was also prepping the snacks for the meeting. Dinner was almost ready, I was going to sit down and give Ryan on the low down on the meeting - something I thought I was going to get to do on the way. Then, Charlotte pukes ALL OVER THE KITCHEN. It was awful. I threw her in the bath, we ate our dinner in the living room. I threw the flash drive at Ryan with the power point on it and told him to call me on the way. Charlotte cried the whole time in the bath. Gavin was trying to make her happy, but he was only making it worse. I had ANOTHER load of laundry to do and puke all over the kitchen to clean up. It was ridiculous. After I calmed down a bit, I walked up to Walgreens to get some pedialite (and a coke!). Charlotte fell asleep on the way back which was heavenly. She is still sleeping. Ryan called me three times in the middle of all of this to ask questions. Then, I had to start on homework with Gavin. Are you kidding me? We finally finished, I played with him a little bit and then put him to bed. Then I had to clean up the kitchen, call my friend and cancel our play date for tomorrow and finish up the laundry (which still isn't done). I am pooped! Once I get Gavin to school tomorrow, I am coming home to CRASH!

Okay, here's the bullet point version (still kind of long, sorry!):

- get up early.
- as we are leaving to take Gav to school, Charlotte throws up. NICE.
- clean it up, rush to school.
- sob hysterically as I watch my eldest nervously enter kindergarten
- run home b/c I am so embarrassed at my lack of emotional restraint (I AM 33 weeks pregnant)
- spend an hour crying over Gavin and trying to clean up the house
- leave for church to prep for big AWANA training tonight (I've spent weeks preparing for this!)
- spend the a.m. with a friend setting up and assembling the training packets (while crying intermittently over Gavin.
- go to Target to pick up snacks for meeting (call my Dad on the way b/c I realized I missed his bday last week)
- head home, put Sis in bed
- she does not sleep. I go in after awhile and she is sitting next to a pile of puke.
- more laundry
- cancel baby sitter for tonight
- answer some e mails, fill out some forms for Gavin's school
- pick up Gavin, blubber all over him again, realize I am ridiculous and he had a great day!
- head home and try to crash - the day is getting to me - but the kids are ready to play
- go through Gavin's back pack and realize there are more forms for me to fill out and homework for Gavin.
- start making dinner, trying to make phone calls and pass some of my responsibilities off from the meeting, also prepping the snacks for the meeting
- sit down to dinner to give Ryan the low down on the meeting (he's running it). I thought we'd have time on the way to the meeting, but since I am not going, there is no such time.
- about to take one bite of my dinner and Charlotte pukes ALL OVER THE KITCHEN
- throw both kids in bath
- eat dinner with Ryan in living room while kids are in bath
- throw flash drive at Ryan with his power point on it and tell him to call me on the way
- more laundry
- more cleaning puke up
- more phone calls about the meeting
- cancel play date scheduled for tomorrow
- walk to walgreens to get some pedialite for Charlotte and COKE for me ( I am desperate)
- come home, Charlotte finally asleep, start Gavin's homework
- put Gavin to bed, clean kitchen, make lunches for tomorrow, fill out crazy forms

Now I am waiting for Ryan to come home to tell me the meeting was a success (hopefully!). I may not be able to keep my eyes open that long, though. Seriously, I can't believe this day did not kill me - God's grace. I am going to NAP tomorrow! Woo Hoo! I can confidently say that his has been one of the worst days of my adult life. I sure hope Sissy sleeps all night. I'm glad tomorrow is another day!

Has anybody seen August?

Where on earth did the month of August go? It was the fastest and busiest month of my life.

On the church front, AWANA is about to start. I have been crazy busy prepping for that. Also, our church campus is moving locations which has meant a lot of work for Children's Ministry. We are expecting to have a lot more kids. We are also able to move to a morning service, something we have greatly missed. We are praising the Lord for his working out all of these details. Did I mention that I can see the new location from my front door?

I finally tackled the garage sale. It was fun, fast and I got rid of LOTS of stuff I did not need. Ryan and I are getting into this "minimalist" mindset. Life seems so much simpler and easier with less stuff. AND, I made some pretty quick cash that went right into our vacation fund!

Getting Gavin ready for school was more complicated than I realized. We spent months agonizing over where to send him. We finally settled on the public school right down the street (where our church is going to be meeting). I've attended orientations, teacher meet and greets, budget meetings, it's been busy. It's a great school, probably the best public school in the city. However, the last few weeks I've been freaking out. When we moved here, I planned on homeschooling. I would have to give up my church ministries if I tackled homeschooling right now. After lots of prayer, we decided that this was the best position for our family.

So, he starts tomorrow. It's actually just a few hours and we stay with him the whole time. I've been so busy I haven't really had time to think about it. Now that it's here, I am so sad. I am going to miss my boy!! He will be going from 8:30 - 2:30 every day! What a long day without my bud! I'll let you know how it goes!

Sneak Peak

I've been working on a project for our sissy girl. She will be moving into her big girl bed within a few months of the unborn being born and I want her to have a nice snuggly blanket for the occasion! It's slow progress, but I love how it is turning out. I got the idea for these granny stripes over at Attic 24 - one of my favorite crochet blogs! I can't wait to show you the finished product in the next few weeks. Okay, maybe months . . .

The Unborn

Sadly, that is what we call baby #3. The Unborn. I have never been at this point in my pregnancy with no name before. It is driving my crazy. In all reality, I have 12 weeks or so but it is still bugging me. We just can't pick a name that we love. It used to be we just couldn't agree. Now, I just haven't heard anything that speaks to me. I expect to hear the name and just KNOW that that will be his name. I've never felt such pressure before. Help me out, folks and give me some GOOD suggestions. We like names that are not common, but not too uncommon. Cool, but not celebrity cool. Old fashioned, but possibly making a come back. Wow, no wonder this is so hard for us ...

The Kiddo's

Just a little update on my two lovelies . . .

Gavin 5 1/2 years:



Wants to be a knight when he grows up
Favorite color - green
Loves to wrestle with his sister and has "body slammed" her several times
Favorite outfit - Loves hanging out at home in his "unders"
Is nervous about Kindergarten
Still loves broccoli and most all veggies
Is Mama's Boy
Has THE BEST imagination
Is a Lego master
Hates milk
Loves to play board games, but is a sore loser
Has lots of friends at church but
Could play by himself all day long
Is learning to read
Loves to be read to




Charlotte 18 months:



Constantly looks like a ragamuffin
Loves to talk even though you can't understand her
Says, "YEAH" to every question you ask her
Knows lots of animal sounds
Favorite outfit - a onesie paired with her crocs, no shorts or pants please!
Walks around the house with her blankie at all times
Drinks LOTS of milk
Favorite thing to play with - STICKERS!
My meat and potatoes girl
Is Daddy's girl
Is freaked out by Baby Einstein movies and anything like it
Loves to go outside
Puts her shoes on first thing every morning
Defends herself quite nicely
Likes to sit on the potty like a big girl, even though she doesn't go
Loves to climb on EVERYTHING
Has 12 teeth

Down in the Dumps

I've hit the bottom this week. We came off of VBS week with Charlotte being sick. Then Gavin started showing sympotms and now I have jointed the crew. Charlotte is still sick. It's been eight days. She is MUCH better than the rest of us and on the mend, but it seems that I am looking down a long week of recovery. This is the second week I have had to stay home from church. BOO HOO to that. I despise missing church. My sciatica is ruling my body this week as well. So. Much. Pain. I can't wait till this little guy is on the outside!

On the up side, I have had lots of time to sit and start updating my Etsy site. I'm happy to say I've sold three hats and seven hair clips this week. Yay for that. It is going straight to the vacation fund.

If you don't see me much in next week, know that I am rotting on the couch blowing my nose till it's red and feeling miserable. Oh and I will also be feeling guilty for all the t.v. my kids are watching and how I am not reading to them because I can barely breathe.

I do have to say, I love my husband. He totally took charge this weekend and let me sleep whenever I wanted/needed. He fed the kids, took them outside, went grocery shopping, vacuumed the house, did all the laundry, made a special trip to CVS just to buy me some coke ( I know, I broke down and drank coke: just add it to my list of things I'm feeling guilty about), he washed and vacuumed the car, he cleaned out our storage area and sorted things out for the upcoming garage sale . . . I could go on and on about how awesome he is, but I'll just leave it here. I'm running out of steam and my kids don't seem to be occupied by the boob tube anymore. Great.

Hope you have a better week than mine!!

Baby Wipes

I posted awhile ago that I was thinking of making my own wipes. I was able to get the good Bounty paper towels at a REALLY GOOD PRICE due to couponing, sales, and CVS. So, I decided to give it a go. Turns out, I LOVE my homemade wipes. I think they are really great. They have no chemicals in them, they are sturdy, and they clean up my babe's bum very nicely!

Here's a picture of my happy wipes sitting on my changing table just waiting to be used!



1 T baby soap
1 T baby lotion
1 T baby oil
Bounty Paper Towel Roll cut in half
Round tupperware container

Budget

This might be a bit personal, so I won't blame you if you chose not to comment. However, I am very interested in what you all spend on groceries per month. Ever since Ryan and I read Dave Ramsey's book - Total Money Makeover - we are on this mission to save, save, save!!!! We are a little on the extreme side right now, as we've just started. I have found lots of ways to save money in our budget over the last month or so, but our grocery budget is a hard one for me. We do the cash envelope system, but I always feel like my grocery envelope is empty towards the last week of the month. I just am not sure if our budget is realistic or not. It doesn't help that here in IL we have to pay sales tax on food. We did not in Michigan. Also, groceries are just more expensive here, too. So, if you don't mind sharing, what do you spend on groceries and how do you plan it all out from week to week?

Happy Hump Day

My kids are dirty - really dirty

We've been couped up all week b/c it's TOO HOT to go outside

I'm out of coffee creamer

I can barely walk at times because of my sciatic nerve pain

BUT . . .

my kids have been sleeping in

our air conditioning is heavenly

the construction going on RIGHT OUTSIDE our window has occupied my kids for hours

my house is CLEAN!

and I have Starbucks new iced Via to drink!

Happy Hump Day! Hope your week is going well!

Birthday Fun!

My birthday always seems to stretch out over an entire weekend because of the Holiday. No complaints here!

The kids had fun helping me make the cake . . .






And we all had fun EATING the cake! I ended up using this recipe. I switched the devils food cake mix for a chocolate one, though. It was DELISH!


On Saturday we headed out to Ryan's grandparents house for some rest and relaxation. It's hard to believe they will be turning 81 this year. Ryan's grandpa is as active as ever. He LOVES to paint pictures of landscapes and he even sent us home with one this time! I'll have to take a picture of it and post it. It is really amazing! Sadly, I did not get a picture of the grandparents this trip. I guess I'll have to wait till next time!

Sunday, we headed to the beach in the a.m. One of the perks of having an evening service at church is that we have most of the day to spend together. The beach was heavenly. Definitely my favorite activity of the weekend.

I thought this was so funny - she did not fall out of the chair.

Hope your fourth of July was as much fun and relaxing as ours was!

I can't believe . . .

I am turning 29 tomorrow!!!

Gavin can blow bubbles with his gum!

I gained SEVEN pounds this month . . .

What a challenge it is to parent my second child.

How UNbelievably tired I am ALL. THE. TIME.

That my five year old son noticed and commented on the fact that my chest is growing as well as my belly . . . yeah . . .

Gavin tells me I'm fat almost every day. Thanks, buddy.

The amazingly exciting thing/things that could possibly may be happening with our family in the next few weeks (more to come!!!!)

VBS is right around the corner!!

How hard it is to sleep despite the extreme exhaustion.

We haven't been to the beach one time yet this summer! Hopefully, this will change this weekend.

How much stuff I've cleared out of the house for the big garage sale. Date to be determined!

We still have no names picked out for baby boy.

Calling ALL chocolate lovers!!!!

I need your help! My birthday is coming up and all I want is the most delicious chocolate cake/dessert that I have ever tasted. AND, I want to make it myself. I really like baking and I would enjoy the dessert even more if I knew I made it. Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave me comment with a recipe or a link to the most delicious chocolate dessert you have ever had or made. You have three days, give your best shot!!!!!

Family Photos!

Here are a few shots of our Dobbertin Family Photo Session. The pictures were taken by Trisha Priebe.

Our pretty little girl who will not smile.

My niece, Jayne. I love this little girl - tears and all!

Jayne and her mama, Kate

The Ryan Dobbertin Family

The WHOLE crew

Ryan's mom and dad, his three brothers, their wives and all 11 (soon to be 12) grandchildren

I loved this pic. Not a great smile of Gav, but it captures him perfectly!

My adorable Nephew Liam - Love this picture!

Will - what a cutie!

Baby Wipes!

I am seriously considering making my own baby wipes and was curious to see if any of you have ventured into this before. A friend of mine gave me this "recipe":

1 T baby wash/shampoo
1 T baby oil
1 T baby lotion
2 cups water
Bounty paper towel roll, cut in half
Round tupperware container

Have you tried this or something similar that worked well for you? What are your thoughts?

Whirlwind

The last two weeks have been quite the whirlwind! We . . .

Had Ryan's brother, wife and two kids here for the weekend

Headed to Michigan for a week - went to two different pools, had a fish fry, celebrated my mom's birthday and Father's Day, visited the Detroit Zoo, took lot's of naps

Dealt with Charlotte being sick throing up for the first time

Measured Gavin, who grew almost TWO inches in the last two months

(Ryan) got an award at work - because he's AWESOME

Had a Dobbertin family photo session (pics to come later)

(I) Have not had any time (okay, energy) to crochet lately

Have watched my belly doubled in size!

Have been couponing like crazy - Ryan is even into it

Are reading Dave Ramsey's book "Total Money Makeover"

whew! I feel like that is only half of it, but you get the idea. We've been having a blast, but are now catching up on our sleep! Hope your summer is shaping up to be as fun as ours is!

Fun Day!

We had such a fun day today! Ryan took the day off of work and we headed to our big ultrasound! When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I didn't have any caffeine or sugar on the day of my ultrasound. She was sound asleep with her legs closed shut when they were trying to determine her gender. This time around, I made sure to drink a little caffeinated beverage before we left! BOY did it work! This babe was dancing all around and showing us HIS stuff. That's right. It's a BOY! We are thrilled, especially Gavin. He got his brother! Now, we are busy playing the name game. Boy names are SO HARD for us to pick out. We can hardly agree on anything. Got any suggestions for us?

Coupon Adventures

Just came back from a few couponing adventures! This stuff can get pretty addicting! I'll spare you the details since most of you already know how to score great deals. Long story short, I walked out of CVS with six Dove deodorants and paid $.86 out of my pocket. Then I headed across the street to Target and scored a scrubbing bubbles power sprayer kit and refill for FREE. The cashier had to adjust the coupon so I wasn't making money off of the deal. It was great! I found these two deals listed at moneysavingmom.com and hip2save.com (thanks, Kelly!).

So, what are your favorite coupon websites? I would love to get some more input. I am keeping close track of everything I spend this month to compare it to what I used to spend on various products. I can't wait to see the savings add up!

Deal!

I snagged these crocs for Gavin at a garage sale the past weekend. They were a little dirty so I ran them through the dish washer. They still had a few spots on them when they came out, but Ryan cleaned them up with the magic eraser. They look good to me (especially since I know they will be dirty again in about two days!)! I'd say it was $1 well spent!

K.I.S.S.

One of Ryan's most commonly used phrases over the last several years has been, "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" I assure you, this is not directed at me. He is not calling me stupid. We just look at some families around us and see how over scheduled they are, how much "stuff" they have, how many sports their kids are involved in and so on. I realized that some families just work well that way, but we are not one of them. We strongly feel that the simpler you life it, the better and happier you will be. We always try to keep our "things" down to a minimum and our schedules at an appropriate (for us!) level. As we've been reevaluation several aspects of our lives, we came to to conclusion that we have somehow lost our minimalist attitude when it comes to the kids toys. Admittedly, buying toys for our kids is our biggest weakness. Combine that with out of control grandparents (you know who you are!) and we've landed ourselves in what looks like a day care center on some days! I went on a rampage this weekend clearing out toys we don't use and/or don't need. Gavin was so awesome during the whole process. He was willing to give up so much with little to no complaining about it. This mama was proud! I feel like the decluttering felt so good that I am moving to other areas of our house this week to see what else I can pare down! So, that's what we've been up to. We're tryin' to "keep it simple" over here!

I emptied out this entire bin full of toys - Charlotte isn't quite sure what is going on!

Here's a load of stuff that I am going to either sell on Craigslist or in a garage sale

I don't feel even the least bit bad for getting rid of toys because this is what my kids end up doing all day anyway!

That's almost 9 feet up!

Brother or Sister?

Gavin really wants a brother. He says, "I already have a sister, so now I need a brother." We find out this Friday what the gender of babe 3 is, so I have been trying to prepare Gavin just in case it is a girl. Today I said, "So, are you going to be upset if we get a sister instead of a brother?" He replied, ever so sweetly, "No, I will love a sister just as much!" How sweet is my boy! I told him I hope it is a girl so that I can always say he's my favorite boy in the whole world!

Coupons!!

My brother and sister were here over Memorial weekend (we had a blast) and my sis gave me a short tutorial in coupons and how to get her oh so fabulous grocery deals. I know I'm probably a little late jumping in on the coupon thing. But the other day, I went to CVS and purchased a pack of clearanced diapers for $2.12 and then got $2.00 in cvs extra care bucks. So, after the $2 ECB, I pretty much paid .12 for a pack of diapers. I will be using them when we go to Michigan in a few weeks. Normally, I would have just bought a back of diapers at target for $7.99. I'd say I got a pretty good deal! Yay! for coupons and yay! for sister in laws!

I Can't Believe . . .

I can't believe . . .

Gavin is now training wheel free!

I have to pee five minutes after I just peed.

I am still getting sick if I don't take my med's.

How good I feel at 18 weeks pregnant (when I'm not throwing up, that is). I never knew pregnancy could be anything but miserable!

How grown up I felt after attending a Parent's meeting at Gavin's school for next year.

The great deal I got on cloth diapers! I am now equipped to cloth not one, but TWO kids! Yay!

We get to find out the gender of babe #3 in a week and a half (hopefully, that is!)

How tough Charlotte is - she'll smack her head on something, flash a dirty look and just say "OWWWW!" and then get on with life.

Gavin can count to 100 (with a few helps)

Flowers!

I spent about an hour using up all the little bits of leftover yarn I had to make a bunch of flowers for various crochet items. It's such fast and rewarding work! These little blooms are oh so cute! I hope you are enjoying some spring flowers in one way or another these days!

Growing, Growing, Growing

Not talking about my belly here, folks. Although, that is growing. It's my boy that is out of control these days. He's gone from a 10 - 10 1/2 hr. sleep schedule to a full 12 hours and sometimes even takes a nap! He is a sleeping machine lately. I caught him snuggled up on the couch with my favorite blanket the other day. I thought it was just too cute not to share with you!

Andrea's Project

My friend Andrea had a birthday last month. She loves to write, so I knew she would enjoy this lovely journal. Then, I just had to stitch her up a little case for it. I loved this project and was sorry to see it get boxed up and leave my house. At least I know it went to a good home! My favorite thing about it is the leaf button.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This little one climbed up on my bed while I was folding laundry. She immediately went for my yarn and hook. I think she was pretending to stitch herself up some pinky goodness! Possibly wanting to be like mama? Probably just enjoying the mess she made with the yarn. Ah well, it kept her busy while I folded!

Simple Things

I'm pregnant, that's no surprise anymore. It's getting to be quite obvious. I can no longer squeeze into my pre pregnancy pants, but am not quite ready for full blown maternity clothes. I don't know about you, but I don't exactly feel my best when I am pregnant. I mean, how can you feel great when you are dealing with constant nausea, heartburn, weight gain, sciatica, constipation (yeah, I said it), frequent trips to the bathroom, and the list goes on and on. I have found some simple things that make me feel WAY better about myself and my appearance. It's not really much, but it makes a difference to me. I've been accessorizing more! I have been wearing my favorite ring, a necklace and earrings everyday AND I've been taking the time to even put on eye liner! Today, I may even paint my fingernails (if time and Charlotte permit)! Here's a shot of me wearing my ring this a.m. while patiently awaiting my freshly brewed Starbucks coffee. I'm drinking Verona these days, in case you were wondering.



You can also catch a small glimpse of my perfectly wonderful Mother's Day bouquet. It's still going strong 8 days later! They make my kitchen so cheery!

Surprise!

Ryan informed Gavin and I last night that we should be getting a surprise in the mail in a few days! He wouldn't tell us what it is (although I think I know!), but he did give us a few hints.
1. It's black and white and red (read) all over.
2. It's something I will have to help Gavin with.

We are bursting with anticipation! I can't wait to find out if my suspicions are right!

I'm dreaming of . . .

YARN!!!


I am recently readdicted (word? I'm not sure) to crocheting. It consumes my thoughts these days. This blog has delivered an immense wealth of inspiration. Too much in fact that I am having a hard time deciding what to make! I keep thinking of projects and sketching them out. I am really waiting to find out the gender of #3 to really decide on what to do. . .

In the mean time, to satisfy my crochet hunger I have set a goal for myself and my etsy shop. I am taking this summer to really beef up my inventory so I am ready to sell in the fall! I have been feverishly crafting oh so cute hats in the evenings when my sweet things are all snuggled in bed. Here's some of my progress from the last week or so. I have been using up most of the yarn that I have. I only have one bin for yarn and I need to empty some out before new can come in! I've been saving up my JoAnn's coupons for a colorful trip of yarn purchasing! Hopefully it will come in my near future!



What crafty things are YOU addicted to these days?

Bath Paints

As I was perusing crafty blogs the other day, I came across this site. It had this simple reciepe (if you can even call it that) for bath paints. I gave it a shot and it was a HIT with Gavin. Sissy didn't enjoy it so much, though. She wasn't feeling well in the first place, so maybe that had something to do with it. Anyway, the best part was the clean up - SUPER EASY!

Third Party

Ryan is doing this District Management internship with Starbucks. It lasts 10 weeks and we are in the middle of it. I'm not going lie, the pay increase has been great! HOWEVER, we now have this third party in our marriage. THE WORK PHONE. I rarely complain about it, as I know this is an incredible opportunity for Ryan (he was chosen over 150 other managers or something like that). I seriously can't wait till the internship is over and this phone goes away.

It interrupts me mid conversation

It buzzes in the middle of the night (because you know reports about Frappucinos are oh so important)

It rings every night as I am making dinner and trying to coral the kids at the same time.

It CAN'T BE IGNORED

It goes everywhere with us

It has e mail capabilities so it's like carting the computer around everywhere we go, too!

Okay, I got it out of my system. Thanks for listening. I'm over it now! I am SO thankful that Ryan has a job, a really good job, and that he is moving up within his company.

Quote of the week

Ryan, referring to Charlotte: "She's kind of like a dog. She's so mischievous, she does things behind your back and she eats off the floor."

Inspriational words

by Pastor Gavin -

I'm pretty sure Gavin will be a pastor when he grows up. He loves the Bible, he loves to follow rules, sees everything in black and white and has no problem confronting people when they are doing wrong.

Here are some things Gavin said and did today -

While using the bathroom he opens the door to inform me that he is singing "Jesus Loves Me" and he is singing it to God, because that's worship and God loves that!

I handed him a bowl of gold fish to snack on while he and Charlotte were playing and he looked at me and said, "MOM! We have to pray for this snack before we eat it!"

He brought me his Storybook Bible and asked me to read to him about "John the Cactus". I asked who John the Cactus was and he said, "You know, the guy who ate locusts!"

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a fabulous mother's day. I did. It was relaxing and I really felt the love. I was overwhelmed with joy and the privilege it is to be a mommy to some really great kids!
Today is pajama Monday! I am ready to go on a cleaning rampage. I've already made my chore list!
Here's some pics from our day yesterday! Happy Monday!