14 Months: My little monkeys

Yes, I do call these little ones my monkeys because they want to climb anything... even the heater under the front window even though they can see out without needing to be up on it...

Hope

So yes, at 14 months these girls are very mobile.  I'm quite glad we have the baby wall so they are contained at home because while they do like to be together a lot I would not be able to keep track of both of them in my house all the time!

Joy

There are no words being said yet although we may be getting there with Mama. They will sometimes do a few signs, but mostly it's a little pointing and a LOT of yelling!  But my girls are sharp cookies and know what they want.  When I sit down on the couch and it's "that time" they will bring me the nursing pillow! (I don't think they're going to give that up easily)

Hope

The other day I was sitting with them while Noah was finishing watching a morning show and when it was done and kicked back to Netflix Joy got up and walked over to where the Wii remote was and tried to grab it because she wanted to watch some more!

Joy

Also, the other night talking to Grandma on Facetime and Grandma was blowing kisses.  Joy started blowing them back to her even thought that's not something I've ever showed her how to do.

Joy

Joy has become the shrieker and we're not quite sure what to do about that... it's LOUD.

Hope - all the ones below too

So, this pink bucket was supposed to be for the toys, but as you can see it's actually one of the best toys.  They dump all the toys out and then play in the bucket.  Hope is my little ham.  She was grinning and playing for me while I took pictures this morning.  She's very social and will be the first to smile at a stranger (from the safety of her car seat or my arms), but Joy is more daring.

We went to Great Wolf Lodge last weekend and Hope actually climbed me to stay out of the water at the edge of the wave pool while Joy got down from Grandma's lap after not too long and was walking around.  They both did enjoy the water the next day.

Basic stats: Hope finally got the matching tooth on the bottom so they each have eight.  They weigh 20 pounds and Hope has just a half pound more than Joy.  She feels more solid so I think Joy may be just a bit taller, but it's hard to measure babies...
Still wearing their 12 month clothes, but probably not for too much longer.  The pants yes, since they are skinny, but they need 18 months for tops and length in pajamas.  I think they'll be moving up in shoe size too.

Both girls LOVE books and will come and sit on my lap if I have one to read.  Unfortunately we can't just leave them out for their perusal anymore because they also love to EAT the books.  Neither of the boys did that, but the girls will chew on the corners and we got a couple almost ruined before I took them away.  But before I did that they would bring me books to read.  Our favorite (of all my kids) is Baby Talk and we have motions that we do for every page.

My girls are super sweet and for the most part get along.  I can't wait to see their personalities come through more!


And if you would please vote for the photo of Hope in her Tea Collection dress so we can win some more!  You can vote once a day until the end of the month.

Book: Pastor's Wives

What's it like when the man you married is already married to God? asks Pastors' Wives, an often surprising yet always emotionally true first novel set in a world most of us know only from the outside.

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen's debut novel Pastors' Wives follows three women whose lives converge and intertwine at a Southern evangelical megachurch. Ruthie follows her Wall Street husband from New York to Magnolia, a fictional suburb of Atlanta, when he hears a calling to serve at a megachurch called Greenleaf. Reeling from the death of her mother, Ruthie suffers a crisis of faith---in God, in her marriage, and in herself. Candace is Greenleaf's "First Lady," a force of nature who'll stop at nothing to protect her church and her superstar husband. Ginger, married to Candace's son, struggles to play dutiful wife and mother while burying her calamitous past. All their roads collide in one chaotic event that exposes their true selves. Inspired by Cullen's reporting as a staff writer for Time magazine, Pastors' Wives is a dramatic portrayal of the private lives of pastors' wives, caught between the demands of faith, marriage, duty, and love.

***

Real. That was the first word that came to mind when I finished this book.  And actually when I was only about a quarter of the way through.  Because it's based on real interviews with pastor's wives, this book reads equal parts expose and fully human.  Each of the three main characters tells the story from her point of view (with the help of flashback scenes) so you feel like you get inside their heads and understand why they would make the choices they do.

Having grown up in the church I can imagine some of the stress placed on the pastor's wife, being a very visible figure in the church, but I definitely can't imagine having to be in that position.  I think perhaps this book, while a fascinating read, will also help us have a little more empathy for the fact that they are people just like us, with hopes, dreams, expectations, and the extra burden of a husband who might at times seem to have a first wife, and it's not you.

 Read other reviewers thoughts.

***

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was a longtime staff writer for TIME magazine. She now develops TV pilots for production companies and recently sold her first pilot for "The Ordained" to CBS. Born in Japan, Cullen lives in New Jersey with family.

I received this book from LitFuse in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Wordless Wednesday: Mechanical Minds

My old printer (from college!) finally died and the boys got to take it apart...

Book: It Happened At The Fair

A transporting historical novel about a promising young inventor, his struggle with loss, and the attractive teacher who changes his life, all set against the razzle-dazzle of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. 

Gambling everything, including the family farm, Cullen McNamara travels to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with his most recent invention. But the noise in the Fair's Machinery Palace makes it impossible to communicate with potential buyers. In an act of desperation, he hires Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to tutor him in the art of lip-reading. The young teacher is reluctant to participate, and Cullen has trouble keeping his mind on his lessons while intently watching her lips. Like the newly invented Ferris Wheel, he is caught in a whirl between his girl back home, his dreams as an inventor, and his unexpected attraction to his new tutor. Can he keep his feet on the ground, or will he be carried away?

***

Cullen and Della are participants in the Columbian Exposition of 1893.  Each goes with certain expectations only to find that they will be changed by the fair, and each other.

I loved the history wound into this book.  I visited the World's Fair in Vancouver in '86, but being only 6 years old I don't think I fully understood the meaning behind it.  Deeanne Gist has done her research and provides glimpses of the grounds, the buildings, and the feelings of fair-goers from rural America who had never seen things like this before.

The book is long, but it gives you a chance to really appreciate things from both Cullen and Della's perspective.  Sign language was frowned upon at the time, with the thinking being that it would set apart those who used it.  And Cullen faces some major discrimination because he is losing his hearing.  Della believes that using sign language is a hindrance to the deaf, this she teaches lip reading, but even her beliefs are challenged by her experiences.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book for a glimpse into a different time and a famous event in history.

***

Read other's reviews or purchase your own copy here: http://ow.ly/komrd

Deeanne Gist---known to her family, friends, and fans as Dee---has rocketed up bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere with her very fun, very original historicals. She has received numerous RITA nominations, two consecutive Christy Awards, and rave reviews. Deeanne has a background in education and journalism and a degree from Texas A&M. She has written for People, Parents, and Parenting. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and has four grown children. She has a very active online community on her website at IWantHerBook.com and at Facebook.com/DeesFriends.  


I received this book from LitFuse in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Wordless Wednesday: Dandelion Control

While it might not seem like it we do actually try to control the dandelions in our yard... just not with chemicals!

And look we actually half have a fence now, not the crazy blue tarps of last year or the pink flamingos and toilet growing strawberries we could see the year before!

Dandelion Wishes!

While we don't actually wish for more dandelions in our yard, I did get some cute pictures of the girls last night!  Hope doesn't like the grass yet so she'll just sit where you put her, but Joy has gotten over it and will just push herself up and walk around.  A little harder to get pictures that way! 

So I didn't get very many good ones of Joy as she kept walking away from me.  But I did get Cory to hand her one dandelion, albeit she was more interested in the stem!

Taking pictures of babies together? Not easy!  They also tripped each other right after this photo.

Hope did NOT know what to think of the dandelions at first...

Where did it go?

She discovered she could wave her arms and make the fluff disappear (yes, we are seeding our yard...)

And both of them tried to eat it!

Both of these adorable dresses are from Tea Collection and I entered one of Hope in a contest to win some more.  So if you have a minute would you please hop over to Facebook and vote for our photo?  Thanks!

Wordless Wednesday: Morning Reading

This is how my kids entertain themselves before school... new Lego magazine for all!

This is Our Life: Food Allergies

Last week I was making dinner while my oldest was coloring at the table.  All was quiet since he was the only one awake at the time.

After awhile he said, "Look Mom" and held up his paper for me to see what he'd drawn.  I couldn't tell from across the kitchen so I asked him what it was.

"It's a gluten free sign."

He'd drawn, in black crayon, the sign we see on the shelves where we buy our gluten free products.  An ear of wheat with a circle around it and a line across it.

I didn't say much, other than maybe "good job", but it struck me, deep in my heart, just how much he has to go through with this gluten allergy.  We don't realize how much of our life revolves around food until much of that food is no longer available for us to eat.

A little while later he asked me, "When do you think I'll grow out of this?" and contrary to what the naturopath told us 2 years ago, I've come to believe through my research that most likely he will never "grow out of it", especially given the hereditary nature of it in our family.

***

After 18 months there isn't a lot of gluten left in our house.  A few things in the freezer that never got eaten, a few boxes of regular pasta for when we have spaghetti with guests (because a: gluten free pasta is expensive - really anything GF is and b: not everyone has the "acquired" taste it requires to enjoy it), and a few items that we parents squirrel away as snacks for after the kids are in bed.

But 99% of the time we all eat the same thing in this house.  I've adapted various recipes to make them gluten free and found some new ones (hello oatmeal banana muffins!) so we definitely don't go without.  It's helped us eat a lot healthier too.  I don't mind so much spending a lot on fresh produce when I know the GF snacks cost even more (as opposed to regular packaged snacks that cost about the equivalent of their nutritional value).  I'm lucky that my kids will eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

I waver between being grateful that he's so young, and sadness that it will always be this way.  I'm grateful that it will be "normal" for him and he's adapted amazingly well.  It will get easier as awareness and labeling grows. 

I'm sad because so much of life revolves around food and it makes people uncomfortable when it's not easy to feed you.  When you have to ask exactly how something was made to be sure there is no sneaky cross-contamination (never intentional, but gluten hides in crazy places). 

Most of the time when there are "snacks" it's baked goods like cookies or donuts.  We'd be fine if it was fresh fruit, veggies, or cheese, but anything else is suspect unless we can check the original container for the ingredients.

I try really hard to be sure we always have treats when we'll be someplace I know there are snacks.  The kids will see other people eating and want some too so it helps to have our own.  It's become almost second nature to never leave the house without them, but it still makes us stand out as different.

Most days I don't think too hard anymore about what we can and can't eat.  This is our life, our new normal, and we do it pretty easily.  But now I know, and hopefully can be even more aware, that this affects my son in ways I will never know completely.  Because I, I can still eat anything I want.

Book: Sweet Sanctuary

Sweet Sanctuary: A Story of Hope and Love Set Against the Backdrop of World War II

Lydia Eldredge longs to provide sanctuary for her young son, Nicky. But a constant threat comes from Nicky's drug-addicted father, who wants the boy and seems willing to do whatever it takes to get him.

Dr. Micah Hatcher faithfully serves the immigrant population of Queens, New York. But under cover of darkness, he has a secret mission that challenges everything he thought he wanted out of life.

Lydia and Micah's paths cross, they are suddenly wrapped up in each other's callings. Together, they seek a refuge of safety-for Nicky, for themselves, and for the needy people God puts into their lives. Amid turmoil and discord, can hope and love prevail?

***

A lot has been written about World War II from the perspective of those in Europe, but not as much - at least that I've come across - is written in America.  Sweet Sanctuary weaves together a doctor and nurse who served together in Hawaii and are now civilians.

I was actually surprised by how suspenseful the first half of the book was, not usually my choice of reading.  And just when I thought it was going to turn out the way I'd anticipated everything changed.

I really enjoyed this book - once I got past the suspense - for it's perspective on war time America and the reminder of just how little control we have over our lives, but God has the master plan.

***

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of twenty-one novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and nine grandchildren.

For more reviews of Sweet Sanctuary you can check out the LitFuse headquarters.

Book: When the Morning Glory Blooms

When The Morning Glory Blooms

 
Becky rocks a baby that rocked her world. Sixty years earlier, with her fiancé Drew in the middle of the Korean Conflict, Ivy throws herself into her work at a nursing home to keep her sanity and provide for the child Drew doesn't know is coming. Ivy cares for Anna, an elderly patient who taxes Ivy's listening ear until the day she suspects Anna's tall tales are not the ramblings of dementia. They're fragments of Anna's disjointed memories of a remarkable life. Finding a faint thread of hope she can't resist tugging, Ivy records Anna's memoir, scribbling furiously after hours to keep up with the woman's emotion-packed, grace-hemmed stories. Is Ivy's answer buried in Anna's past? Becky, Ivy, Anna--three women fight a tangled vine of deception in search of the blossoming simplicity of truth.

If you would like to read the first chapter of When The Morning Glory Blooms, go HERE.

***

Unfortunately this book only arrived a little over a week ago and I just haven't had time to read it yet.  It looks really good though!



Cynthia Ruchti writes stories of hope that glows in the dark, merging her love for storytelling with inextinguishable hope for inexpressible hurts.
Cynthia spends her days diving into words, worship, and wonder and celebrating 40 years of marriage, three grown children, and five outrageously adorable grandchildren. One of her greatest joys is helping other writers grow in their craft. To that end, she served as the assistant director and a faculty member of the Quad Cities Christian Writers Conference, has served as worship and devotions staff for the Write-to-Publish conference, and teaches at other conferences as opportunities arise. She speaks to women’s groups, at mother-daughter banquets, and for women’s refresher days and retreats. It is her delight to serve on her church’s worship team. Rather than “busy,” she likes the term “active.”
For 33 years, Cynthia wrote and produced the radio broadcast The Heartbeat of the Home. The scripted radio drama/devotional broadcast aired on as many as 50 radio stations and two cable/digital television stations over the years. Cynthia was the editor of the ministry’s Backyard Friends magazine, a twenty-page, twice annual publication that reached 5,000 homes, churches, and parachurch outreaches.

Wordless Wednesday: What Six Looks Like

Sometimes he wants me to take his picture... and I like the non-smiling ones best.

PROBAR Review and Giveaway

A couple weeks ago I sent my husband and oldest son off to Oregon to visit his grandfather.  It was spring break, we had frequent flyer miles, and his parents were coming up for the girls' party so they only had to fly one way.  It worked out perfectly!

The only catch (besides having to get up at 4am!) was sending food for them to eat that would be easy.  Lucky for me, I'd just been sent a couple boxes of some new PROBAR flavors to try out.

Last year we tried their Fruition bars (now called Fuel) and seriously loved them so I was curious to try a different line.

Let me say right up front, I definitely have strong preferences so anything I didn't like you might, but overall I thought they were pretty good.  Worth buying, especially for trips where you need pre-packaged food.

We tried both the PROBAR Meal and the PROBAR Core.  They are two separate products so I'll give you a short list of the pros and cons of each.

My favorite was definitely the PROBAR Meal.  When something is touted as a meal, most times I come away thinking it was barely an appetizer.  Not so with these.  At 3oz each they feel heavy and with 10g of protein they last longer than a granola bar.

There are 4 new flavors that we tried and while normally I will instantly pick anything chocolate mint I was not a fan of their mint (nor in the Core bar below).  I did like the other three flavors quite well though: Chocolate Coconut, Oatmeal Raisin, and Superberry & Greens (this last one was my son's favorite).



Pros:
Gluten Free*
Non-GMO
I can read all the ingredients on the label!
No soy

Cons:
Can't buy them locally
Price - $3 per bar means they aren't for everyday snacks (see below for a discount code!)

The other PROBAR we tried was the Core and while I wanted to like them... I just didn't. I think the main reason was after eating a couple all the flavors just started to taste the same, like the soy that was the main ingredient.  My husband really liked these though, so different tastes for different people.

Pros:
Gluten Free*
Chocolate covered protein bar: 20g
All natural ingredients

Cons:
First ingredient is soy (personally I try to stay away from too much soy)
Price - still almost $3 per bar

Try Them!

PROBAR would like to offer all my readers a 40% discount on your first time order.  You must shop through this link and enter the code BLOGGER at checkout to get the discount. 

OR

Win a box of the Meal bars in your choice of flavor (or a mixed box)!  Just enter below by telling me which flavor you'd like to try!

Don't forget to follow THE PROBAR on Facebook for news and updates!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received these products for review purposes only.  I was not compensated in any way other than the product I received to facilitate my review.  All opinions are my own!

*For my gluten free friends.  The label is misleading as it does state that it was produced on equipment that processes wheat, however they are certified and it was checked with the quality assurance manager that all equipment is 3rd party certified as gluten free before production of these bars begins.

Wordless Wednesday: Robot Hands

Temporary tattoos make fun play time! Thanks for the cool birthday gift Grandma!

A Twin First Birthday Party!

So, we're having a blog party and we were having a real party this weekend! Due to various timing issues we didn't hold the girls' first birthday party until Saturday.

This is how they felt about being trapped in their car seats while I decorated...

Looky! I'm so proud of the banner I made!  Special thanks to my friend Candi who was over on Friday to motivate me... and run to the store for more paper when I screwed up!  My mother in law made the fruit rainbow! (you really should click on the picture and see it full size)

Singing to the birthday girls!  Our friend Alex loves these babies!

Oh, look Mama, I like cupcakes! (as Daddy moves the flamage a bit more out of reach!)

Joy is the serious one... inspecting the frosting!

Yum!  We know how this works!

Hope - all of it in at once!

Those cupcakes didn't last long and most of it was in the mouth not on them.  Of course it probably helped that I make all muffins in wrappers and they love them so they knew what to do!

All the kids wanted to sit with the birthday girls, so cute!

Birthday presents! This card came from my grandmother's stash so it's very retro and cool!

Joy figured out the wrapping paper thing, Hope needed a little help from brother.

Of course they were more interested in the paper and bows and tags than the actual presents!

I didn't count, but there were definitely more kids than parents there... and all super interested in the presents!

We like balloons for parties, they make good party favors.  Except we over estimated and came home with a balloon forest at our house too!

Hope - I think I like this birthday thing!

Thanks to everyone who came, for the cute clothes and books!

Welcome to my Blog!

My friend Heidi took this picture of me the other day and I think it sums me up just about perfectly... I'm always the one behind the camera!  If you want the rest of the nitty gritty you can read my About Me page.

I've been doing this blogging thing for over 7 years now and just cracked 1000 posts.  I guess you might call me an old-timer!

We are just wrapping up Birthday Season as my four children just turned 6, 3, and 1 respectively... oh, actually I have two one year olds, we got a bonus!

Even though my blog is called Welcome to Married Life, since I'm a stay at home mom, most of it is centered around my children with the odd product review/giveaway thrown in.  And books, I'm a certified bookworm!

My number one hobby though is photography and while most of my photos are of my children eventually I'd like to make it more than a hobby.  You know, in all my free time!

So happy to meet you and if you'd like to stay in the loop please hop on over and like my page on facebook or join me on twitter.

Please leave a comment so I can visit your online home.

Happy Blog Partying!

Book: Unrivaled

Lucy Kendall returns from a tour of the Continent, her luggage filled with the latest fashions and a mind fired by inspiration. After tasting Europe’s best confections, she’s sure she’ll come up with a recipe that will save her father’s struggling candy business and reverse their fortunes. But she soon discovers that their biggest competitor, the cheat who swindled her father out of his prize recipe, has now hired a promotions manager–a cocky, handsome out-of-towner who gets under Lucy’s skin.

Charlie Clarke’s new role at Standard Manufacturing is the chance of a lifetime. He can put some rough times behind him and reconnect with the father he’s never known. The one thing he never counted on, however, was tenacious Lucy Kendall. She’s making his work life miserable…and making herself impossible for him to forget.

***

When Lucy comes home from Europe and discovers her father is ill she throws herself into saving their company.  It's all she's ever wanted to do.  But society has other ideas of how a young lady should act, namely as the Queen of Love and Beauty she should be focused on looking pretty and getting married rather than getting her hands dirty in the kitchen and trying to run a business.

Lucy is trying her hardest to come up with a new candy recipe, but it seems that some unseen - and some seen - forces are at work to thwart her at every turn.  From flopped candy to the eye candy belonging to her rival, Lucy can't seem to catch a break.  It isn't until she befriends a girl she thought was horrid that she starts to see that maybe her life isn't exactly the way she pictures it.

This is the first of Siri Mitchell's novels that I've read.  I appreciate the way she brings you along with the character as she discovers things about herself.  It's definitely not a preachy novel, which gets under my skin.  

There's a bit of a mystery that keeps you guessing along the way, but it's also a straight up romance novel.  My only criticism is that it seems to wrap up a little too nicely in the end for all the lessons Lucy's learned along the way.

***

You can read others reviews on the LitFuse campaign page or purchase your own copy.


Siri Mitchell is the author of nearly a dozen novels, among them the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists "Chateau of Echoes" and "The Cubicle Next Door". A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business, she has worked in many different levels of government. As military spouse, she has lived in places as varied as Tokyo and Paris. Siri currently lives in the DC-metro area.

Six!

Six. Somehow this is harder to believe than 3, or even 1.  All my children are growing up, this one most of all.  Growing up and taking an adventure with Daddy this morning at 4am to go visit Great Grandpa in Oregon.

Six is being self aware enough to "try" to smile for the camera. 

Six is noticing the bumps when we drive over bridges and asking about expansion joints on the way home from Nana's house.  And then falling asleep in the car five minutes later.

Six is old enough to roam the neighborhood looking for new playmates, especially on spring break!

But six still likes to be tucked in at night with hugs and kisses and songs.

Six loves ice cream for dinner and playing with Legos, in bed!

And six is old enough to realize that sometimes we don't spend all our money on ourselves, we give it away to help others.

Six, Cory.  I think you'll grow up to be wonderful man, just like you're a wonderful boy now.

Spring Break!

And just in time!  So many people have been talking about spring break for the past 2 weeks and then complaining when it's over... honestly I'm thankful ours is this week because it was 80 degrees today and 2 weeks ago it was snowing!

I'm also thankful for the fact that we all finally seem to be over the flu.  Almost two weeks of that in our house and Brian is the only one who didn't get sick.

I'm thankful that all my stitches, on my head and my nether regions, are healing.  Not the greatest timing for those... One is hereditary, the other compliments of birthing 4 children, I'll let you guess which one was which.

I'm thankful that because of the gorgeous weather I could clean out my house today with all the windows open!  Washing windows... because some of them happen to be at baby height!

I won't guarantee they'll still be clean even if you come visit me tomorrow, but at least I feel like I accomplished something!

I'm thankful that we were all well enough to celebrate Easter with my parents on Saturday.  It was a lovely day!

So, what have you been up to these past 2 weeks and how was your Easter?