Simply Sara

In an effort to get out of Anderson and save my shins, Matt and I took the kids to Greenville for a morning of shopping and lunch. Since we both have been working out pretty heavily at the Y , we need to update our running shoes. I've been wearing the same pair for over 4 years! Yikes! We first stopped at Run-In ; a great shop located on Augusta Road. I carried in my shamefully dingy tennies, and was asked roll up my jeans, stand on one foot, and walk in my bare feet. The examination was quite thorough. I tried on several pairs of shoes and was told to run around outside to see how they feel. Seriously, Lucas and I ran through the parking lot at least 5 times. I ended up with a pair of Nikes that feel like I'm walking on marshmellows. Really sturdy marshmellows. Our great experiences at Run-In and Fleet Feet (Matt got his shoes there), led to a discussion about quality customer service. Call me high maintenance (I dare you), but if I'm going to spend my money, I want to ...

Because everyone needs a little time to "air out"! As Ava has grown, she is developing her own little look. But this profile picture is competely her Mommy! Bless her heart, she has my nose! No hair, just like Lucas as a baby, her Daddy's blue eyes, and her Mama's thighs, oops I mean nose! Just beautiful.

Here are some conversations recently overheard in our house: Last Sunday, we're on our way to church when we see a couple of police cars. "Mommy, where are those police men going?" - Lucas "To tell the cars where to go, buddy" - Mommy "But who is going to get the bad guys?" - L Fast forward 10 minutes, we're inside the church getting the kids checked in when Lucas sees a policeman nearby. Running up to him, Lucas says "Hi Mr. Policeman! What are you doing here? Do you get rid of the bad guys?" The nice man, says that yes he does, and Lucas says, "Good, because there's a bad guy in there (pointing to a nearby room) and you need to go get him!" ********************************************************** At Outback that night, we're celebrating Matt's Dad and brother's birthdays. Matt takes Lucas to the potty and Lucas runs back to the table saying "I did it! I teeteed in the stand up potty! The one on the wall!...

So I'm giving up my morning at the gym just so I can catch up on the blog! Because I'm just so dedicated! HA! - actually I'm enjoying some quiet in the house as Matt and Lucas are at the Y and Ava is napping. I know I could be working up a sweat right now, burning some calories that need to go, but I'm rather enjoying this precious time. Oh the sacrifices we make as moms...... I woke up at 3:30 this morning to "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" coming from Lucas's room. I stumbled out of bed expecting to hear a request to find Frog, his beloved orange, scraggley, friend or to provide comfort after a nightmare. Instead, my bright eyed, bead headed boy said rather cheerfully, "I need to go tee-tee!" Rather surprised at this request, I followed L down the hall and watched him through almost closed eyes, go teetee with a huge grin on his face. As if waking up Mommy in the middle of the night was a reason to be praised. Once the task was complete, Lucas asked fro...

There are still days when I forget that I'm not breastfeeding anymore. Oh, my body is pretty clear about the fact, but my heart can play tricks on me. I still use my boppy to feed Ava since my arms tend to get tired holding my growing little girl. Ava takes a bottle 5 times a day and cereal two times a day. I've got my plans together to start making Ava's first babyfood - sweet potatoes and carrots - which I hope to share with her next week! I think Ava misses the comfort of nursing too; she has learned to hold her bottle and will continue holding on tight, sucking every last drop out until she finally looks up at me with those big baby blues the look of utter disappointment on her face. Bless her heart.... She's currently sucking on the side of the bottle while laying in my lap. Potty training has picked up steam again and Lucas has been dry for a few days now! He even went to school in his underwear!!!! Don't worry - I put pants on him too since it was only in t...

It seems like for every step forward we take in the potty training, there are two steps backwards. Lucas has been doing so great lately with going in the potty; he even put number 2 in there on Monday! We were so happy we took him out for ice cream! But today, he's wet his pants twice and just now I walked down the hall and spotted a puddle right outside of his door. When I asked him what it was (praying that he had dripped water from the bathtub) Lucas tells me that it's "t-t". I gave him a very serious look and then asked him where the "tt" had come from. He replied "from my tenis". It was really hard to not laugh when he said that. But the kid has on a pull-up (it's nap time), which means that he had to pull it down in order to leave his puddle in the hallway. I was not amused anymore. So is this day of setbacks a fluke? I am so ready to have this stage completed for him. One kid in diapers is enough! I know he gets discouraged, but at the s...

I'm soon to be off this morning to a beginners jogging class at the Y. It's my first class and I'm dreading it. Running in 30 degree weather does not sound like much fun to me. But it's a necessary evil, at least that is what I'm telling myself. I'm smack in the middle of the most frustrating place I've ever been in my weight loss journey. Frankly, I'm feeling a little bitter. So please do not leave me any encouragement or advice. I'd prefer to take care of myself on this one. Here's to hoping I don't freeze my butt off.... or hoping that I will

I think these two photos accurately sum up Ava's feelings as I tried forcing the rice cereal a few more times. I can think of a couple captions for this photo, but I'm curious as to what you think. How would you describe the look on my sassy girl's face?

Ava tried rice cereal today. And the girl did not like it. The second bite was no better than the first. "If Mommy thinks I'm going to take one more bite, she's got another thing coming!" - Ava "What is she doing to me? Help me Daddy!" - Ava

Lucas is a few months over 3 and caught in between two worlds; the world of independence and the world of needing Mommy and Daddy to do everything. The poor kid is floundering. Many days, this unbalanced state comes out in fits of frustration and a pouty lip. He can't seem to decide if he wants to be a "big boy" or not. This predicament put us in a state of peril regarding potty training last week. After a couple weeks of smooth sailing (at least with number 1), we put the pressure on and started pushing Lucas to put number 2 in the potty. You probably already know what happened right? Mr. independent decided that he wouldn't go at all and found himself in a rather uncomfortable situation. I won't go into the details of what happened, but let's just say that prune juice was involved. We've decided to stick with pull-ups for a while. I know that having a baby sister doesn't help Lucas in his quest for independence. Soon after Ava was born, Lucas's ...

I'm so happy to say that school is back in session. For all of you moms of preschoolers, you know how I feel! Lucas has missed his friends and missed the routine offered by going to school every Tuesday and Thursday mornings. So today while Lucas was busy catching up with friends, learning songs about cars and eating snack, I went to the mall with Kathryn and Ava to return a few items and hit some sales. I just love the after Christmas sales. I know that I'm a few days late or maybe even a week late, but the stores are just as desperate now as ever to move merchandise and I was happy to oblige with my gift cards. Kohls had some great prices including clearance 60-80% off! I found a couple things for Ava at amazing prices! My hands are now berry sweet, compliments of soap at Bath and Body Works that cost me $2.50!! So while we were leaving the mall, a sweet older man, probably in his 80s, stopped to talk to Ava. I've gotten used to the attention my kids get when we go out...

I'm following the crowd and playing along. You should too! It's fun to reflect and realize all that you still want to do! Thanks Meg and Vanessa ! 1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band (NEVER gonna happen) 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World) 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo (yes, yes I have - long ago at our church Christmas pageant) 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. ...

Hello blogging friends. I hope you've had a good holiday. I've been avoiding the blog, rather intentionally. It was nice to be "disconnected" for a while. A quick update, David is doing great, Praise Jesus, our Healer! His road to recovery has been so challenging, but our sweet nephew is being moved out of the NICU and into a regular hospital room! He should be going home is just a few days. Let's take a moment to thank our Creator, Savior and Friend for His love and care. Yes, thank you Jesus. We are in awe of your compassion. Our kids are recovering from their coughs and sniffles. It was a taxing Christmas with both kids not feeling great, but there were definitely some tender moments I can't get enough of this . Seriously, it is the theme of my day, I'm saturated with these songs. And the DVD , holy crap. Talk about being a tiny part of a powerful move of God.