New Camera!

Just a quick note to say that I have a new camera now, and you can imagine I have taken about a kazillion pictures already. I will be posting new ones this week. Okay, off to do bills!

Hair at last.

Big Upate: Mariah is finally growing hair! Yeah!!! All the beautiful hair she was born with fell out after about a week of living. But finally, my darling munchkin is slowly but surely starting to rapidly grow dark brown peach fuzz on the top of her sweet little head. So maybe by the time she is in college her dumbo ears (from her father) will not be noticable anymore!! She didn't get my green eyes, but I think she is going to have beautiful brown hair. And yes, I am going to grow her hair out from the get go, no bangs (and no "wings" either Abby!!!).

Dog, Dog, Dog, Dog!!!!

Well, the new topic around the Binder household is a dog. Jordan wants to get me a dog so I will feel safe at the house when we return (or this is perfect timing and a great excuse for him to get one for himself). Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but I don't want one now.

Jordan's argument for a dog is: he wants one.

My argument: I have two kids to clean up poop after, why do I want to add cleaning up dog poop. I don't want my house to smell. I don't want to vacuum my house everyday (in all my spare time!!!!). I don't have time to take care of a dog during the day, I can barely wash the dishes and take a shower! Where is the money for a dog going to come from, vet bills, meds, grooming and, oh, a dogs got to eat!!!! Plus, I am not going to get up at 5 in the morning to walk a dog in the rain. I don't want my one year old carpet to smell like dog pee, and I don't really have time to train a dog. And lastly, I don't want a dog in the house all day, and I don't think it is fair for a dog to be stuck in the garage or outside all the time.

Well, now that I am done venting, I feel better. I am still considering it, but Jordan said that it is up to me. He doesn't want to get one unless I am okay with it, but the begging will probably stick around. I told Jordan that this dog will be his responsibility because I don't have time to devote to the dog. If I give in, I don't really want a German Shepherd because we have lots of kids going in an out of our house a lot. German Shepherds are very protective an territorial. By the way, Jordan is getting Chase to walk around the house all day asking for a dog!!! Cute, Jordan, cute. Feel free to comment on your opinions!

Christmas Cards!

As you know, I am quite busy with the kids and staying in another house, and I have forgotten all about sending out Christmas cards. I still may try to get them out, but as time gets closer to Christmas, what is the point. So I am wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a blessed start to the new year. So don't anyone think I left them out and didn't send you a card and be mad at me!!!!!!

Vacation at Grammys!

Staying somewhere else is fun for a while, but is hard on kids day to day routines. Mariah is doing fine, but Chase has gotten back into his temper tantrum routine, which you all know I hate and will not stand for. The problem is that it is easier to let your child scream it out in your own home, and not so much with over loving grandparents nearby!!Chase loves his GaMama and his GanDaddy lots, but desires their constant attention. It has been frustrating, but I am so thankful that we have a safe place to stay, and not to mention mom owns every child and baby necessity that I do so we didn't have to bring much with us. Chase and Mariah have also enjoyed spending quality time with Pop (my grandfather) and Uncle Dave (my brother). Pop especially is great at seeing my frustration with the kids and helping out with one or both of them. I am so thankful that I still have at least one grandparent left. Please pray for me as I am dealing with a lot of fear and anxiety about living in our house again, and pray that Jordan can be put on days at work.

Prayers and Pictures

My camera was stollen when our house was robbed, but I have been taking some pics with my parents camera. I will be posting more pictures in the next couple of days. I will be getting another camera soon, as those who know me know I cannot live without a camera. Thank you for all of your prayers and concerns. May God continue to bless all of you as he is doing faithfully to me. Happy Holidays!!!!

Prayer

Our house was robbed this weekend and I would ask for as much prayer for our family as you can lift up. This will take some time to heal, but through prayer and petition I know we will heal. Thank you everyone for all of your prayers and concerns. Thank you God for my kids and my safety.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am thankful to God most of all for this wonderful life he has allowed me to live. I am thankful for a wonderful husband who loves his children and his wife with all his heart, and two amazing children that bring me hours of joy and laughter. I am also thankful for my family and friends who bring continuous love and support. Thank you God for all your many blessing and may we be thankful everyday!!!!

Goodnight Mom Poem!

I found this poem and it just made me crack up laughing. Sometimes this sums up my day!! It is to the tune of the book Goodnight Moon. By Sarah Jio


In the messy green family room
There was a telemarketer ringing the telephone
And a crying toddler because his sister just popped his red balloon
And a picture of-

The cow jumping over the moon (which someone colored on with permanent marker)
And there was a missing teddy bear, and a girl with gum in her hair

And one to be scolded
And laundry to be folded
And a very hungry spouse
And something stinky in the house
(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and a colicky baby who just won't shush
And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room
Goodnight scribbled-on moon
Goodnight cow getting out while she can
Goodnight telemarketers and the popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear
Goodnight cereal bar smeared all over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup
And goodnight leaky sippy cup
Goodnight much-too-little house and goodnight grumpy spouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush and goodnight to a certain 2-year-old who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo
Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow, or the next day
Hello chardonnay and TiVo- "me" time finally.

Our kids could have been twins!!

Growing Boy!

I have been teaching Chase his colors for a while now, but he is finally starting to master it. Just about 100% of the time he gets it right. Well, Chase's sippy cups change colors when they are cold. His cup has a purple top and a blue cup bottom when room temp, and filled with drink it is all purple. The other day it was filled with apple juice (of course) and I asked him what color it was. He said the top was purple but the bottom was blue. I corrected him, but he insisted that he was right and I said forget it. Later he came to me with the room temp cup (now blue) and said "See mama, its blue." Well I stand corrected!!!!!

Saturday night I was trying to get Chase to bed while Mariah was screaming her lungs out. I was trying to rush the bedtime routine and I told him that if he hurried up and went to bed he would see Grammy and Grandaddy(my parents) in the moring at church. The next morning he woke up and the first thing he said was "Church mama, see Grammy and Grandaddy." What a memory, so much for bribing him at bedtime, he will surely remember.

As Mariah is growing I am seeing how big Chase is getting. I miss my little baby boy, but I am enjoying every new experience of preschoolhood with him. This picture reminds me of my baby munchkin.

Mariah laughs

This video was taken the beginning of October. Mariah was just starting to laugh and make sounds.

Brother and Sister

Mariah is starting to react and respond to Chase. She watches and follows him with her eyes, and she is starting to laugh and giggle at the things he does. It is so cute to watch the two of them interact. Chase really loves his baby sister, and that is such a blessing. He says all the time, "Oh yaya, I love you." In other news, Chase's tantrums are getting better, I think. Please continue to pray for peace and patience for Chase and I.

Mariah Pics

As all of you know I love to take pictures, maybe to much. Here are some new ones of Mariah! Enjoy!!

Special Memories

While searching through stuff this morning, I came across a camera memory card from my old camera. And thank you Jesus, I found some pictures of Chase. (Our computer crashed a couple months ago and I lost every single picture of chase up to 2 years old - no I did not have them backed up). I am so thankful that now I have some of his baby pictures back. Jordan had erased the memory cards, but for some reason that one still had pic on it, a God thing. Well here is a video I found of Chase as a baby. I love these old baby memories.

All Smiles!!

I do have to admit, I am very thankful that I have a girl now. Mariah is all smiles all the time, and I just love her squishy little face. God knew I needed a boy first and God knew I needed a girl next, despite my complaints. I think with the next kid I will try not to desire one way or the other and let God give me what he wants. Jordan is still not convinced that we need another baby yet, but I just keep this verse in mind "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. (Psalm 127:4-5)" I still think we need at least 4 arrows in our quiver!!!!!!

To cute not to post!

My little man is growing up!!!!!!

Chase loves fall.

2 Months Old

Mariah is two months old and growing like crazy. She is starting to play more and develop a nap schedule, thank you Jesus!!! I still feel like my days are whirlwinds, over in a blink with nothing accomplished. I hate the house being left messy, but I do realize my children are more important than a swept floor. I know eventually I will learn to multitask with two kids as I did with one.

Healing prayer!

Yes God heals and answers prayers. Thank you to everyone who was praying for Mariah's ears, she PASSED. For those who dont't know, Mariah failed her hearing test twice. We had an appt to check once again this morning, if she failed this time they would have had to sedate her and test in another method. But Jesus healed them, thank you God!!!! In his timing as always, I am still learning this.

Shots!!

Mariah had her 2 month well visit today, which went very well. She weighed in at 9.4 pounds and is 21.24 inches long. She is growing, but she is petite. She is in the 15th percentile, which means 85% of girls her age are bigger than she is. Apparently Jordan and I just create small babies, look at Chase!! Her doctor was very impressed with her strength in holding her head up, being able to push up on her hands and to roll. She is cooing and smiling like crazy, and she makes funny faces all the time. Unfortunately she did have to get shots today, but she did well. Instead of getting the normal 5-6 shots, they now combine them. She ended up getting 2 shots and one oral dose, of which she later threw-up in the car. The doctor said her sniffles and cough were just the average cold, and that we would probably see a lot more of them because of brother. Oh well, I can handle a little sniffle from the both of them as long as I don't get it.

Why boys are great!

Why you ask, because when your back is hurting (darn that sciatic nerve) they don't mind helping. Chase sits on my back and drives his cars up and down. Feels wonderful, well except for the occasional jumping and leaping onto my back! Tip- They do things much longer if they think they are not supposed to be doing it, to bad that only works with 2-year-olds and not husbands!!!!

StoryTime!

What a day!

Today was a stressful day, filled with tears, tantrums, and boo boo's. But, I did manage to take a few pictures!

Update

Praise the Lord, Jordan was able to switch from the midnight shift to the evening shift. Yeah!!!! In other news, we are still working on getting Mariah to sleep through the night. In fact, we would be happy if she would sleep at all. She is doing a lot of screaming between the hours of 2 and 6 am. We are starting to give her formula at the midnight feed to see if that will help her sleep, pray that it will work. I am slowly adjusting to having two kids by myself, it is hard for me, but I know God will help me through it. I just want to be a good mom to both kids at the same time.

Chase is starting to act up a little now. I don't know if it is lack of attention or not being able to play outside as much. I hope he does not feel left out. Of course, we are still in the terrible 2's. He still loves his sister, but we have to watch him more carefully with her now. When her tries to give her the bink (pacifier), it is more like shoving it down her throat! He is trying to be helpful though. I try to let him help with fetching diapers, wipes and binks (a safer choice).

Mariah is changing everyday, and she is starting to make faces now, no smiles yet. I am enjoying every minute of her, but I think I will wait a little bit longer to have a third!!!!

The first two pictures are of Mariah (on right) and our friends Steve and Hannah's third girl Julianna, born in July (on Left). Good to know you can get two kids in a swing if necessary.

Pee Pee in the potty!

We have started potty training Chase, finally!! We started after he had a bad rash, and I think he was ready to get rid of the diapers and wipes. Let me tell you our secret, M&Ms and a pee pee dance. So, to any of you who visit our house and our potty, you get two M&Ms when you use the potty!! We ask him every couple of hours if he has to go and sometimes he tells us. It is just a start, but how wonderful would it be to only have one in diaper (and how much money we would have). Hope this picture doesn't offend anyone, but I think it is cute.

Train show

As most of you know, Chase loves trains. No, Chase LOVES TRAINS!!! My child is obsessed with them. This kid could spot a train from a mile away, or hear one a mile away. This afternoon, Jordan and I, along with Grammy and Grandaddy, took Chase to a train show at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The show is mostly for train collectors, but appeals to train lovers as well. There was Thomas the train stuff everywhere. Chase had a blast, and even got to sit in small train engine and blow the whistle. Seeing Chase's face light up makes me the happiest parent in the world. I just love doing things for my kids that I know they love and enjoy! Being a parent now makes me even more thankful for the things my parents did for me when I was a kid. Thank you Grammy and Grandaddy for being great parents and grandparents.

One Month Old!

I cannot believe that Mariah is already one month old. I feel like Jordan and I just brought her home yesterday. She has definitely brought even more laughter, fun and sunshine into the Binder household. She is such a joy and I cannot wait to watch her grow. She is more awake during the day now, and listens to all of Chase's funny noises as she makes some of her own. So far she is still very mellow and peaceful, hopefully that will stay!! Jordan loves his little girl and snuggles with her every chance he gets. I am glad we chose Jordan as her middle name, because she is destined to be "daddy's little girl."