9 months already

It is hard to believe that my baby girl is already 9 months old! We have had fun getting use to 2 kids under 2 and watching them play together. It's amazing to see their interactions and love for one another starting so young. These two crack me up everyday! All Isaiah has to do is shake his head and laugh and soon enough you hear Naomi giggling right along with him. I enjoy taking pictures and videos of my kids all the time. But when Naomi was 3 months old, I started taking over the photo shoots as well. The photos and "professional" experience was starting to get too expensive so thanks to pinterest and other photographers who love to share their work, I have been learning A LOT. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the kids sessions:

Naomi 3 months July 2013

Isaiah 2 years September 2013

 (he did this pose all on his own)

 Naomi 6 months October 2013

 (had to take a few ohio state shots for grandpa)

Christmas Card 2013

 Naomi 9 months January 2014

I love learning more and more about my camera and photoshop. I still have a long way to go, but it is saving me money, and I'm having tons of fun!!

If you are interested in knowing more about the editing options or want any tutorials, leave a comment and I will get back to you!
Hope you all have a safe and warm week (it has been in the negatives here with negative 48 degree wind chills)!!
And remember... IF I CAN YOU, YOU CAN TOO!

                                                                        Leah

Fast Days, Fast Nights

Sometimes I sit back and wonder "where did the day go?" Time seems to fly by during the day (of course, not the last hour til daddy gets home, that seems like an eternity!) and just as quickly at night. I think ok the kids are down, I can work on Bible Study or clean up the house, but I'm tired too, and I want to sleep! I got very behind on the housework, paperwork, and Bible Study this week. It has been a hectic week and a half around here that's for sure! Did I mention that on top of all of our events, outings, and day to day life... MY WASHER AND DRYER broke?!!! So now I am behind on laundry too. Luckily with the help of my husband, while I was at a wedding shower, the house was put back in order, and my loving sister-in-law has helped with my laundry! Now to find the time to take a few loads to mom and dads too! Our new machines were supposed to be here yesterday, but they got delayed, not a day or two, but a WHOLE WEEK! uhhhh!!!

Anyways, I'm not one to rant in my posts, but I just needed a place to vent! My 7 month old (who has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months old) has decided for 2 weeks now that she needs to get up every 2-3 hours in the middle of the night. Sometimes to nurse (if only for a minute, literally!) and sometimes to just cry for awhile til she falls back asleep in my arms. Pretty sure we are going to be getting our first few teeth soon. Poor Baby!! By the way, she shouldn't be hungry, she eats baby food at least 2 times a day! By the way, My mom was in the middle of that LAX airport mess which screwed up my Saturday as well. It meant a lot more driving around and passing kids back and forth!

So Monday night rolled around and OOPS Bible Study is NOT done for Tuesday morning! I know it's ok to not fill in every answer on every page, but that's NOT me. I AM A PERFECTIONIST!!! Then as I sat in church waiting for the speaker to start, I felt so guilty, I shouldn't be here participating if I don't have my work done!! But wouldn't you know it, she spoke to us about our HEART not our DUTY! And guess what?!?!! SHE HAD THE SAME KIND OF CRAZY WEEK THAT I DID! So as I look at my calender and realize I have a pretty simple week (obviously if I actually have time to blog), I am ready to get back into our routine. The one where God is the focus of my days, and I am doing my study to grow closer to Him not to look good during our group discussion. I am grateful for the busyness in our lives, it means we are loved by others and put into positions to lead others, but I am more grateful for weeks like this where I can slow down and focus on God. Thank you Betty Jo for pointing that out to me this week. I hope you too have a slower week! In the end, I survived our crazy weeks with a 2 year old and a 7 month old. Remember, IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN TOO!!!

Isaiah's 2nd Birthday

I can't believe my little man is already 2! (and my baby is almost 6 months, yikes!) I felt like when he turned 1 it was no big deal; he was still a "baby" and smaller and needed me A LOT and not a big boy yet so I was fine with it. But as his birthday was approaching I kept thinking back on the past year we had together. He has changed so much! He is no longer a baby, but a potty trained big boy! He is not small at all! AT LEAST HE STILL NEEDS ME A LOT!! Let me be honest for a second, sometimes he needs me WAY TOO MUCH but I deal with it because I know one day he wont need or want me to help him with anything! So as  I was thinking about all these changes and tear forming thoughts, the light bulb started shining above my head. OK, I think it would be totally awesome if that actually happened because then everyone could see all the GREAT ideas I get! lol Anyways, back to my idea. I started a Birthday Binder for Isaiah (and I went ahead and started one for Naomi too so I don't get behind). Every year until he graduates from high school (but I hope he'll ask me to keep doing it), I will be writing him a letter. It will be all about who Isaiah was and what he did/liked over the past year. I opened the letter with an explanation of what this was he was reading and then did 2 years worth of writing for my little man. I wish I would've had the idea last year because trying to sort out 2 years of information in my head was CRAZY hard! I loved remembering all we did together and thinking about how much Isaiah has grown up. I loved it so much I wrote 10 pages! haha I have his letter in individual page protectors in a 3 ring binder. Now it's time to make a cute cover and jazz it up! He's gonna hate me, I know! ;)
For Isaiah's birthday this year, we went with a dump truck theme. Had Isaiah developed his love for trains or "gege" as he calls them, a few weeks sooner, we would've had a Thomas party. Maybe next year! Last year was Mickey Mouse, and you can find that blog post here Birthday Fun . I had a great time searching Pinterest for dump truck cakes and getting ideas for decorations. I was hoping to have his party out on the deck by our pool, but Indiana weather in September (or anytime for that matter) is unpredictable! We were all set up outside and just as the first guests were arriving, it started to rain, so we had to move inside. It ended up working out fine because we didn't have to worry about my niece or nephew falling in the pool. My niece is fearless so she would've walked right in! And the kids were able to play with the inside toys and stay entertained. Once again, I made his cake and that's what this post is really supposed to be about. But I get rambly and love my little guy so much, so it's hard to stay focused! Here is the cake and a how to if you will:

IT IS EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY!!!
Ingredients:
2 boxes of chocolate cake (any kind you like)
crunch bars (I used 1 giant pack)
1 bag of gummy worms
1 chocolate frosting container (the rich & creamy was perfect)

Directions:
Cook the cake according to the package. It doesn't matter what size or shape pan you use because you are cutting the cake up anyways! Once the cake is cooled (completely or mostly because messy is good in this case), cut it up into squares and load up that dump truck. I washed my trucks and lined them just so our guests wouldn't be worried about the real dirt from the trucks. Then chop up the crunch bars and add them to the pile of cake pieces.

Before I forget, if I were doing it again, I would probably make this a 2 layer cake. It was good the way I did it, but it would've been better if the cake in the middle and bottom had all that delicious frosting too. Anyways, then add your gummy worms. Microwave the frosting (be sure you remove the lid and that sealed piece under the lid) for 30 seconds. It should be nice and runny! Drizzle the frosting all over the cake and TA DA! You have an easy, delicious, and attention grabbing cake!

I add too much cake to fit in the dump truck, so I made another pile of cake in the clear glass bowl. I also fastened my dump truck down with twisty ties so that it wouldn't actually dump! I did not need a disaster on my hands! I also cleaned up a little shovel from the sand box and added it to the truck.

We served hot dogs, hamburgers, fruit, and chips as well. I used the trucks for some of those items too.

                    Thanks to my sister-in-law, Laura, for being my model!!

                                      Pretzels & Cheetos

                                        Ready to dig in!

Not happy about us singing to him, but he did love blowing out the candles; my husband had to relight them 3 times!

                        How cute is this photo of Ben & Naomi?!

Yes, my son was busy with his other gifts, so Ben thought I needed to pose with the tractors I was holding for Isaiah, thanks babe! ;)

Potty Training

Potty Training? Yes, POTTY TRAINING!!!! We have been in the midst of potty training for a week now and so far so good. This is like the 3rd time I have attempted to potty train Isaiah, but this is the 1st time I had a plan and stuck to it!!! After reading a great book "Potty Training in 3 Days," I knew we were both ready for the task ahead. When Isaiah woke up from his 4 hour nap last Wednesday with a dry pull-up, I knew he was ready! The first day went great. He was excited and going on the potty most of the day. By Sunday he hadn't pooped (even in his pants) since before his nap Wednesday!! We still have not conquered the pooping on the potty part YET, but peeing has gone pretty well! Earlier this week it was one accident after another, and I was ready to give up! Of course this is exactly what the book says will happen, then all of a sudden it clicks. (So far we haven't reached that full click, but we are almost there.) :) All in all, I am very impressed by Isaiah's efforts and attempts! Remember, he is not even 2 yet!!!! So, how did I do it?

1.) Make a plan before you even attempt to do it!
2.) Make sure you and your child are ready!
3.) Commit to staying home 3 days with your child (OK we didn't do this part perfectly, but oh well!)
4.) Get rid of the diapers and pull-up and DO NOT LOOK BACK (this part was huge for us, when Isaiah woke up, we told him the plan, he went and threw away his pull-up, was on board, and ready to go! Now, I'm cheap so I didn't trash the diapers like the book instructs (I do have another kid remember) but I did make a conscience effort to never put one back on him.
5.) Pick out a potty seat with your child. We already had one from the baby shower so we skipped this fun step, but I do recommend looking for one with a very high front scoop for little boys! :)
6.) Let your big kid pick out their new undies. Again, the book recommends no training undies either so they can feel the wetness on them, but we already had some and with doing constant laundry, we needed them frequently! Also, I found some at a garage sale this summer for 50 cents for a 3 pack, I thought it would be perfect for training, and so what if they are used!!
7.) Watch their signs and signals; for a few days, Isaiah would run up to me say mom, then run to the potty; then he denied having to go; now I know when he needs to and we run to the potty. In order to help you with this step, I recommend lost of juice!!! We usually don't do much straight juice, so this was a special treat for Isaiah. Once you have them figured out, you can go back to your normal drink routine.
8.) Praise, Praise, Praise!!! When they do go on the potty praise like crazy! We even used small rewards like m&m candies. (my cousins will be happy to know the m&m system is back, they want to be rewarded when they pee even though they are in their 20s!) The toughest part about all the praise, is not scolding when they have an accident! We (dare I say it) SPANK when a child is out of line, so remembering to talk through the accidents and praise him for trying to get to the potty was not easy!!!!
9.) Keep at it, as I said before, when you are ready to give up, don't they will get it!!! Yesterday was the 1st accident free day (other than poop, but we will get there)!
10.) Scream it out! WHAT!?!?!!? Yes, I have to admit that on our accident only day, I had to walk out of the bathroom (with Isaiah attempting to go on it) and head out for a loud scream at the top of my lungs!! Honestly, this is something I NEVER do (unless I am at a sporting event and the refs are terrible hehe) but it felt good! I was calmed down and ready to start over with my little pee pants boy!

In the end, this week will be quickly forgotten and all I will remember is how well he potty trained at such a young age! Besides, he just looks so much cuter in his big boy undies!!!

I'M BACK!!!!!

After MONTHS away, I felt it was time to dust off the computer and head back to the blog. It is amazing how laziness can totally take over if you let it! A lot has happened since my last post (go figure it was in February). First of all, for the most exciting news... we had our 2nd child in April. Naomi Rae was born in a quick 3 hours! She was 7 lbs 3 oz and 19 inches long. A big difference from her brother Isaiah who was 9 lbs 5 oz and 22 inches! In September we bought our house, and we are now finally all done with the painting, siding issues, finishing the baseboards, and finishing the kids' bathroom. It was a long few months, but we all survived!

Naomi has been growing like crazy and doing new things all the time. She is now almost 4 months old. She has found her toes, almost rolled over from her back, loves sitting up (in the swing, in the bumbo, or when she's being held), she loves to "talk" to us all the time (must be a girl thing) ;), and she LOVES attention. My husband and I laugh about our little attention hog. Before church a few weeks back, she was loaded in her car seat ready to go while the rest of us were finishing up. She stated to fuss so Ben walked up to her to check on her. As soon as she saw him she turned it off, then he walked back into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth, and you guessed it, she started to fuss again!! All we can do is laugh about it because otherwise it would drive us insane! She is a great baby so far. She sleeps 7-8 hours through the night (she spoiled me and started that at 2 months old!) occasionally she will go 10, she is a great nurser and will take the bottle on the few rare occasions when I pump, and she loves people. It makes it easy taking her places and putting her in the church nursery when she doesn't care who holds her, as long as she is being held! Isaiah was like that too. So far I am surviving as a mother of 2 under 2! In fact, that is something I HATE hearing when I am out and about! It is nice to hear "your kids are so cute", or "they are so well behaved", but I cannot stand the age comments "they are so close in age, you must have your hands full!" After thinking about it for awhile and letting it bother me enough, I have decided I am going to start saying "yes, full of blessings!" I can't wait to see their faces then!

OK, I am done with my rant now! Back to the kids. Isaiah is my good helper!!!! He likes to put the dirty diapers in the diaper genie (which I love especially because we have a dog!), he gets me a new one for her, he turns on her music for her when it goes off on the swing and play gym, and he is the PACI KING! Anytime that paci is out, even if she doesn't need/want it, he runs over and puts it in for her! I just love watching their interactions! Isaiah is almost 23 months now! WOW! It seems like just yesterday he was my little baby needing me all the time! Now he is the big boy helping mommy! He loves to swim in our pool, play with his trucks, play catch (this boy can sure whip the ball), and he is very into hooking up his tractors and implements, and trucks and trailers! He is a little OCD about it to be honest. ;)

Another thing that has happened since my last post... I TURNED 25 THIS SUMMER! YIKES! Sometimes it seems so unreal, and then there are times when I could really careless how old I am! I have all 4 grandparents still alive, my parents and in-laws live just around the corner which is always a huge blessing, and we have so many family and friends that love us to pieces. God has richly blessed us so it makes it easier to deal with the aging process! Oh, that reminds me, we are now up to Goetz Grand baby #20!!! Isaiah is #16, Naomi #19, and number 20 was born in early July. Thanel Richard evened us back up with 10 boys and 10 girls! On the Oman side, Naomi put us up to #4; Isaiah is # 2 and the only boy! But he loves it! :) 

We have also been so busy with everything around here that I almost thought about deleting the blog all together, then as I was reading a fellow blogger's post, I was reminded that sometimes we need to share our hearts or simply be heard!!! Lucky for you right!?! ;) Anyways, the business has been growing like crazy, Praise the Lord, and that means everyone has to work together. Ben has to pull longer hours meaning that the kids and I have to work around that; there is constant paperwork and invoicing that I have to do on top of bill paying, which trickles down to the kids needing to learn how to play alone for a while. Actually, that is a great skill for them to develop anyways! We just made it through another fair season as well. I am a local club leader, and Ben and I are both project superintendents. Sometimes we wonder why, but we really do love it! :) We leave for vacation tomorrow (the annual Goetz camping trip), and you all know how getting ready for vacation is---- not relaxing!!!  Other than that, we will finish out our summer playing around the house and hopefully getting back in the swimming pool (it has been so chilly we haven't swam for 2 weeks!). Ben and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary on the 9th!!! I love that man with all my heart! He is such a blessing to us and a great father! Thank you Lord for my Benjamin Samuel!!! I am looking forward to Bible Study starting back up in September, and I joined MOPS this year as well! I am really excited about connecting with other Christian moms closer to my age!
Well, it is time to finish up a few things around the house while the babies are sleeping! Until next time (which hopefully won't be too long),  remember, that if I can do it, You can too!!!