Well, it's official...

...There is a brother and sister in the house. This morning Athan was repeatedly tugging on one of Ellie's pigtails and laughing. Ellie was enthralled in the captivating Spot Goes to School, and finally screeched out, Alphie, stop! Being almost 10 months old, he does not know what that means yet.


And Mommy is wondering where has the sunshine gone? :) I think I need like ten more house plants and fresh coats of paint in every room. Honey, are you reading this from work?? :) I know I am going to be the crazy old lady that has the 30 year old fern which is included in her will.
Well, we will persevere with hide and seek inside, dance time after lunch (this is our new favorite dancing song!) Ellie loves it, I just put it on repeat and we dance as long as Mommy can make it! I think Ellie has this incredible, unearthly energy and desire to spin, a lot.

Well, if the sun in shining where you are please send it the Midwest way. Mrs. Pearlstein would really appreciate it! :) Enjoy your day and Christ!


Oh, I almost forgot...have any of you mothers received your baby's birth certificate and they misspelled his name? We did! But I guess that is what get for naming him Athanasius. That problem has been fixed and then I called the SS office to inform them of the change, they never received a request for AthanasiNs....mmmmm...after being on hold for a long time I was told I have to fill out a form, come into the office and present two forms of id for him. Even though the office of health and senior services said I did select to have a SS # for him. And as soon as you mention you had your baby at home no one knows what is going on. What patriotism I had is on the line here. :)

What Happens when Ellie Babysit's :)

Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl and a determined baby boy. They were brother and sister and they loved each other very much. This one day Momma was finishing some baking and asked little girl to baby sit for a minute. Two toys were put on the rug and there they should have stayed contentedly and happily playing.
Momma put the cookies in the oven, looked to check on her babies and this is what she found. Only the two toys...where could they be? :)



Determined baby boy started crawling to one of his favorite places, the tent in big sister's room. A couple pillows and blankets made for a fun place to hang out. Big sister knows she is not suppose to carry baby brother so she followed him, to protect him of course.





Momma found them laughing and hugging. Big sister did turn out to be a good babysitter even though baby brother changed plans on her. And Momma took pictures to remember this special memory and thought...how undeserving she is to be Momma to these two joyful, beautiful, and mischievous littles.



"It was his idea Momma." :)

Ellie Speaks~

Eleanor has been saying some beautiful and lovely things lately...

~I asked Eleanor if she wanted to be a Mommy and get married someday. "Yes! I do! And I want to be a totagrapher!" (A "photographer" you get the idea) Most evenings her and Clay will look through his photography books and just talk about them. She loves them! Even though I am a little unsure when there is a picture of a Polar bear ripping the insides out of a penguin and Ellie ask, "where is his head?" We just tell her, that God made some animals to eat other animals and that is how they survive?? She seems to accept that.

~Clay also asked Ellie the other day if she wanted to get married. Her reply melted me! "Yes! I want to marry you Daddy." :)

~When I put Ellie to bed I will ask things like, "What did you like about the day, or what was your favorite part?" or "What are you thankful for?" She is almost three so sometimes I have to help her along. But we are trying to nuture grateful and joyful hearts, we want our children at a young age to think about and acknowledge these things in their lives. Well, one night I was telling her all kinds of things that I love about her --- why? Because I want her to know! I asked, "Do you know that Mommy loves you?" Her reply, "Yeh, because God gave me to you. And you to me! God gave Daddy to me, and Papa, and Uncle Matthew and Nana. Nana is your Mommy and my Grandma, right?" What a sweetie!

~Just this morning when I was preparing breakfast, with my little helper by my side (more like life commentator of the Pearlstein's!) she asked, " Mommy, were you a pirate when you were a little kid?" "No (where did this come from??) But I was a ballerina." (Ellie loves ballerinas) "Yeh, I was a ballerina too when I was a little kid!" What a nut we have!

Have a joyful day with your kiddos --- fight for the joy!

Go Clay!!

I have to brag on Clay for a second and share something that encouraged both of us. After the kiddos were in bed last night Clay came downstairs, I could tell he was excited. I thought maybe he just figured some new trick out on photo shop, he tell's me these things quite often. He said, "Chris Orwig has commented on one of my images on Flickr!" (He is the author of this book!!!) Isn't that neat!! Here is the flickr page to prove it to ya. His comment is closer to the bottom, scroll down some. I am so proud of Clay, he is constantly studying and reading about photo shop and photography along with being a faithful husband and Daddy, and third grade teacher. Great job Babe, I am your biggest fan.

Quick Frugal Idea~

Here is a frugal idea when it comes to books. We enjoy books but sometimes they do not always fit into the budget. (Why? Because Mama wants a mini van :) Instead of buying books lately, my smart husband requests our public library system to purchase them. They have done this three times! And guess what? If you are the one to request it you are first on the list. My husband just checked this book out that he requested. And I am reading this book. My book is not that expensive but still it adds up. :)

Also, my husband got us each our own library cards so when we get a great book like this that probably will rack up the holds he immediately checks it out on the other account. It might seem a little sneaky but I'm glad I know have six weeks with it.

Athan is Growing...And one of our dinners. :)

This is his favorite place, the basket where the dvd player and remotes stay.



He achieved his goal. We are trying to teach him "no touch" when it comes to this basket and the remotes. But...for the sake of a cute picture and history I wanted the picture! He is so cute!


~FOOD~

I really enjoy it when others blog about recipes, food, and their family menu. So here is one of our meals. It is a simple one, but healthy and delicious. It is an open face sandwich, hamburger on a slice of my homemade wheat bread, topped with onions and sweet peppers. I ate my burger with salsa and Clay enjoyed his with bbq sauce, and Ellie, beloved ketchup. On the side we have rice with butter and two peeled navel oranges in the bowl. We eat a lot of fruit. My husband loves fruit, I think I have eaten more fruit in the past 3 1/2 years we have been married than ever before. A lot of times I will cut up some apples and an orange, pineapple, grapes, or whatever I have and put the cutting board on the table. Not only can everyone get their fill but it looks lovely as well. We really liked the onions and sweet peppers on top the hamburgers. I doubt this meal cost over $3. Navel oranges are $.99 for a four pound bag.

On a side note, Clay and I watched "Julie and Julia" last night. Some friends from church recommended it. To tell you in one sentence, it is about Julia Child and the beauty and blessing of food. We loved it! It was a very well told story, fun and creative, and inspiring. It will make you want to wear some pearls, a pretty apron and cook, cook, cook! :) I really loved it because I remember as a little girl watching her on Saturdays on PBS. Tonight, go to Red Box and rent it. :)

Enjoy your night and Lord's Day tomorrow!

What Have I been up too in the Little Yellow House?

Well, for starter's I apologize that this blog has sunk down in to the abandoned, uninterested vastness of the blog world ocean. But please, oh please do not give up on it. :) I have several ideas for new posts. But have had my hands full.

The kiddos got sick, again. Their third cold for the season. I am not sure why they have been so sick, but my husband tells me that it has been a rough season for his students as well. So I am not alone. I sure have learned a lot about natural ways to help with a cold. And on the bright side they handled and kicked this cold away much faster than the first two. And Mommy started treating it quicker too. :)

Also, we had a house guest! Clay's Dad came to visit for a week. He stayed with Clay's brother for a couple days, but the others with us. It was a fun visit. The kids loved him! Ellie was sad to see him leave. But, like any company it is just plain hard work. :) It does make me clean things that otherwise would continue to be put off.

I have been sewing, sewing, and sewing! I have made several things lately, nothing too big, just some small projects. One reason I have been sewing so much is because I created a "sewing area" (future post...) in our bedroom! I love it. And because I am ready to go at any time (really just nap time and an evening here and there) I get much more accomplished. Because I think I could craft and sew all day long it is a good thing I have two adorable, smiling kiddos to care and shepherd. Because really, what profit would that be? Sewing and crafting ALL day? Instead it is only a small part of the day and the rest is soul work! Soul work: loving, teaching, playing, and shepherding our kids in Christ. What a better way to spend the majority of my time.

I have also been busy organizing our home. This, I am learning, is a constant must. So, the days I feel I can I will try to organize a drawer or a cabinet. Not too much at a time because I do not have a big chunk of time to do it. You might be thinking, "you could do it during the kids afternoon nap" And I say "No" --- Because I am up in sewland. :) Ok, back to organizing. Yesterday I made a "Craft Drawer" there was this one drawer in our kitchen full of junk...tea lights, high lighters, my checks, and the lists goes on. Anyhow I found the homes all that stuff belonged in and then I put some of Ellie's craft things in. Now, for fast and easy access, it contains her pencil box with markers and crayons, water paints, and paper! I love it, it is great having it there and NOT on the counter. I am a minimalists when it comes to things on the counter. I also reorganized our closet! I do this quite often. There are two reasons: I usually wear the tenth outfit I try on, but do not hang the discarded clothes back up, and the second reason is my husband appreciates it. He has never once asked me to clean it, or even complained about how bad it gets. But, he ALWAYS raves about it when I do organize it. Things like..."Wow! this looks great!" or " I can get to this section again". I know, poor thing. Getting to his sock drawer should not be as special as it is!

I have also been busy day dreaming/planning all the things I want to do outside in the spring! Yes, I am ready for Spring. Today the sun shined, I cannot tell you the last day it shined before this. I have our whole garden planned out, and several other ideas. I haven't told Clay about those yet. :)

Anyhow, the last couple of weeks have felt a little busy. But I promise, guarantee (of pigtails and dinosaur info commercial...) that there will be interesting and fun posts soon to come! And with that have a peaceful and restful evening with your family.