Alright, I finally finished The Deathly Hallows on Thursday. What a bad HP fan I must be to take 6 whole days to read it! I'm not going to put my thoughts in too much detail because I wouldn't want to spoil it for anybody, and because my husband will read this and I won't tell him what happens. All I will say is, I loved it. It took awhile for it all to sink in, but it is a great book. I can't wait to see what else she writes. She says that nothing will ever be like Harry Potter and she is probably right, but she is still a great author and I'm sure that whatever she writes will be great.

I'm going to try some new Italian recipes this week. I got a cook book from the library and I really want to keep it! I am really excited about trying them. I was a little overwhelmed, looking through it and trying to pick one to try so I let Chris pick a couple. He picked about 4 and I went with two of them that seemed pretty simple. I am really happy with the ones that he picked, too, because they were some of the ones that seemed the best to me. I need to find a good garden vegetable sauce recipe to try too so I can trick my daughter (and my husband) into eating more vegetables. I am really excited to try some of the soup recipes, but I think I will wait until cooler weather for the soup. I am just going to have to get this book or one like it. Ya to trying new things!

My daughter has been playing restaurant lately and yesterday she served me cherry pie for dinner, something called cacalou- which is cooked fish with a cherry inside- for desert along with chocolate soup. After I 'ate' the fish, though, she told me it had gone bad so I didn't give her any money.

Growing up

My husband, who is the greatest ever, has taken down the bassinet. I feel like this is such a big move for my baby, going from a baby bassinet to a crib. The bassinet was right next to our bed and the crib is about two feet away, still in our bedroom because there just isn't enough room in Lillians room for the both of them and I don't want them waking each other up in the middle of the night. I just walked in the house about 10 minutes ago and went to check it all out and it made me feel really weepy. It was my daughters bed and I love it. It is a beautiful crib. Plain, but beautiful. I took him to it and put him in it to show it to him. Chris put his tiny dog in that he likes to sleep with so I showed him that it would still be in there with him. My baby is growing up. And I want to know who stretched my daughter!

My Harry Potter book arrived just as I was walking out the door this morning. The mailman made sure that I knew it was here because he knew I was probably waiting for it. I thought that was sweet. I haven't opened the box yet. I am afraid. Once I open that box a few things will happen. One is that I will not want to spend any time with my family until I am finished and the other thing is that I will never get to read a Harry Potter book for the first time again. My goodness! That sounds so melodramatic!

Also going on in my life right now, we are looking into buying a minivan. We really like the Dodge Grand Caravan. I am so proud of my husband for wanting to take this step because he never wanted one and now his is all about the soccer-mobile. My husband is growing up!

Nearly there!

Just about 2 hours and 15 minutes until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released. And am I going to a release party? No. Am I waiting in line for 30 hours for a book? Nope. I ordered my book a few weeks ago from Amazon to be delivered Saturday- only after I read all the fine print in the guarantee that it will be on my doorstep the day it comes out or it's free. Am I staying up all day and night reading it? Probably not. I am doing a (4th) re-read of the series and I'm not even half way finished with the Order of the Phoenix yet. WAY miscalculated how much time I would need. The plan is to go ahead and plow through them in order. Any bets that when it ends up on my doorstep tomorrow I will forget about all 6 previous books and dive right in?

Dinner a la toilet

I recently saw a signature, I think it was on the baby center chat room, that said something like I breastfeed in public, but feel free to take your meal to the restroom. I just loved it. I wanted to have it for myself. I remember when Lillian was nursing and I was a new mom I was so scared of people seeing me nurse. I had never noticed women nursing in public and I always felt like there was a big spotlight on me. In hindsight, I see now that the fact that I had never notice any nursing mothers should have shown me that no one would probably notice me either. But I was too scared and timid and my husband was uncomfortable so I was uncomfortable. So I hid in bathrooms and dressing rooms or in my car. Then, I tried it. I think we were at a restaurant and we were a little secluded and no one said anything and my husband (bless him) didn't feel like everyone in the whole restaurant was thinking about my boobs or something like he was afraid of. Now, it is no big deal. It is so much not a big deal that I can't believe it ever was a big deal. There is a lady at my church and she nursed everywhere. I met her while I was pregnant with my baby, Isaac, and she really was/is an inspiration to me. In the middle of church she would nurse and she didn't feel like she needed to sit in the back and hide. I saw her walking around while she was nursing, which to me is like a miracle because I just can't figure that out. So after I had the baby I just went for it. I just nursed where ever I was and didn't act embarrassed and now, people tell me that I am so good at it- that they don't even notice that I am nursing. I still feel a bit, something- self-conscious?, but that is just me. I am very timid about my body, about people really noticing me or anything that draws attention to me or my body and I will just always be this way but something has changed in me. I asked my husband why he feels comfortable now with me nursing in public and he said, "I don't know. I guess I grew up." Maybe that is it with me, too. I view myself as a woman now. An actual card-carrying adult and if you have a problem with my son eating, go ahead and take your meal into the toilet.

Fun weekend

This weekend was such a nice, relaxing one. I went out with a friend for coffee on Saturday and then just sat around the house with my family the rest of the day. I don't know what it is about going out with a friend with out (most) of my family that recharges me so much. I pretty much have to bring Isaac along with me where ever I go since he is nursing ALL THE TIME. Even though while we were out we were pretty much talking about our families, the time away makes it so nice to go home and see them again. It's like taking a nice deep breath of fresh air.

Then on Sunday, we went to church. Lillian was so happy to see her Sunday School teacher after going out of town last week and not getting to see her. She was so excited and I have to admit, I was too. I miss my church when we are gone. Also, this Sunday was the first in our brand new sanctuary. It was so pretty and light and roomy. I think the best thing about it, though (besides the better air conditioning), was that it was almost full. I think that really is special, to open a new building and the first week be able to fill it up. We had a nice dinner after the service and I ate some wonderful peach cobbler because as everyone knows, church dinners are always the absolute best! After church, we all went home and took a nap. Lillian in her bed and the rest of us on the couch cuddled together. Then, we went to the splash park so that Lillian could run around but when we got there, she decided it would be better to run to the park and then back to us on the bench so that she was back about every 30 seconds. My husband had to actually go out and get her wet before she would play.

So now, it's Monday and my husband is back at work and I have to catch up on all of the house work that I neglected over the weekend which now that I look around isn't too much, really. Mostly my nemesis, laundry. My daughter decided she wanted to take a shower and my son is napping. I think I will take advantage of the quiet and be lazy a little more while I wait for the dryer and try to catch up on my reading.

Summer blues

So, we have had a pretty relaxing week. I am a little bummed that my husbands leave is almost over. He has to be back to work on Monday. I just really like having him around the house. We have had a lot of fun the last week, hanging out and being lazy, going to the park and the swimming pool. I had so many more plans for his leave, I just don't know how time goes by so fast. I guess it is just like summer. I feel like it just started but really it is about half over. While we do not have any school age children yet, everything closes down when school starts. I feel like I have a case of summer time blues. Who sings that song? Alan Jackson? Anyway, I just feel sort of melancholy today and I am trying really hard to shake this funk. Anyone have any suggestions?

On a different note, my son is rolling over onto his tummy all the time now. It makes him so mad, which is just funny. He loves his toys in a way that my daughter never did. He rolls to try and get them and eat them. I think that is what is going through his head pretty much all the time. "I want to eat it." I say this out loud for him in a Dracula sort of voice. Or maybe an Igor sort of voice. I don't think it really amuses anyone but me, but I find it hilarious.

Happy Friday the 13th. Watch some scary movies.

Average Day

So, today started out as an average day. My husband is on leave and so we decided to go to the water park for the afternoon. It was a lot of fun- we floated around the river, walked under the rain and went down some really fast water slides. The best part of the day, though, was when my daughter showed me how she can go under the rope- and she swam under it! My little girl just figured out how to swim today. I guess my husband showed her and now she can swim. Of course, she doesn't know that it works in other parts of the pool besides under the rope and it is only for a couple of feet, but I was amazed! That is a major accomplishment, if you ask me, and a great part of my day.

Ok, wow, I have a blog! I really am excited for the chance to branch out and write. So first maybe just a little about myself. I love to read blogs and I never (hardly) leave a comment because somehow I feel like I am intruding. I am a wife to my great husband, Chris, who is in the Army. I am also a mommy to two little cuties, ages 3 and a half and 4 months. I am very involved in our church and also my local MOPS group. Uh, wow! Who knew that I could sum my life up in just a few short sentences. So how about a cute quote from my daughter- "I love you, Mommy. Your the best mommy I ever had. Now tell me that I am the best daugther you ever had."