Blogging question

I have plenty of posts to share with you....but I am unable to upload pictures right now. AAARRRGGG!!! Which brings me to my question for you all.

Has anyone been told by blogger that you have reached your limit with pictures? I was told that I have to purchase more space from picasa web (which is blogger/google's web photo service) in order to continue posting pictures.
Has anyone else had this happen? Anyone have any other ideas for me?

I promise to figure this out soon.

Fall fun

We went to a local farm today and had a blast! The weather is absolutely gorgeous today which made it that much better. This particular farm is about 20 minutes away from our house but we had never been there before. Hannah loved it.

They had rubber duck races with these long troughs and water pumps. There were about 15 of them and the kids could race their ducks to the end.
Hannah was very excited about this cow train. She rode the last one in the back and loved the VERY bumpy ride. Me, not so much!

Hanah was chillin out on the hay ride.

They also had bounce houses, a corn maze (which we didn't venture into) and other things. I was so pleased that it was not expensive to get in and they sold food that was seriously cheap. It was a nice change to feel like you were not ripped off to enjoy this place. I can't wait for next year when we can go back.

Belly Pen

The other day Hannah and I were working on making a birthday card for a birthday we were going to. When I grabbed a black marker for her to use, she quickly told me that we had to use a different marker because that one was "the belly pen." After some laughter on my part, I had to tell her that the pen was indeed a regular pen even though she associated it with being a "belly pen." The reason why she called it that was entirely Jason's fault. One day, he got the smart idea to let her write on his belly. So, now that black pen will forever be known as "the belly pen."

Hannah's blank canvas on the before shot.
Jason doesn't have any "mom" tattoos, but this is pretty close. So, Mimi, you are now inked on Jason...at least until the marker washes off.

Hannah said this was a drawing of herself.

The finished product thanks to the "belly pen" and a willing 3 year old artist.

Invigorated

Fall is finally here! I am LOVING the fact that it is cooling off significantly here and we are enjoying open windows and lots of time outdoors. In so many ways, the fall weather has left me feeling invigorated. I don't know what it is about changing seasons, but it has done my heart good. I love decorating for the fall and feeling the cool breezes in the morning. All of these things have left me feeling refreshed. I feel renewed to tackle parenting (which has been better lately since behavior has improved) and to get out and do more things outside. The TX heat is so awful here that we spend much of the summer indoors...bummer! So, it has been great to get outside again. I think Hannah can tell the difference too. The change in attitude in me and the renewal she gets from being outdoors.

I am so thankful to God for this time of renewal that has come from the changing seasons. Man, I love the fall!

While we won't be swimming much outdoors anymore I thought these pictures of Hannah were cute.

We have spent a lot of time on the swings in the backyard. Hannah is getting the hang of using her legs to swing herself. It is a slow learning process, but we are working on it.

We also had a week full of grandparents, which was awesome! My grandmother (Hannah's great-grandmother) came down on Friday to see us. It was a great visit and Hannah loved showing Grandmother all of her toys and basically talked her ear off. Thanks for visiting grandmother, it was wonderful!

We also got to see Papaw and Granny twice this week which was awesome! Since they live 2.5 hours away, seeing them twice in one week is a treat for us. Hannah, of course, enjoyed seeing them as well and had much to share with them. Thanks for visiting Papaw and Granny, we loved seeing you!

So, all in all, this season has been delightful! God is so good!

Turning a corner

It has been almost a week and a half since my last post, and we seem to be doing *a bit* better in the discipline/behavior department. I just know this is going to take some time. It got worse before it got any better, but we seem to be on the right path. I have had some really good conversations this past week with people I really look up to in parenting, and the encouragement I have received has been wonderful. So, I am thankful to God for all of these things.
On top of all of this, Hannah has some sort of little mouth virus which she caught from some friends at church. She has not really been sick in months, so this has been fairly miserable for her. So, once you throw that on top of the behavior/discipline stuff, then you can come to understand how I have spent my last week.
Anyway, I have to post some pictures of our sweet Hannah soon. She has learned how to swing all by herself by using her legs and body...it's actually pretty comical, but it saves me from having to push her endlessly on the swing.

A singular focus

I just realized that I have not posted in over a week! Between work (my part-time 12 hours a week), multiple house repairs, and family life I have not had time to do much else the past week. Other than these things our singular focus this past week has been dealing with behavior and heart issues in Hannah. In our family, the twos were not terrible at all, but the threes, they have been REALLY TOUGH!!! I have been shocked by all the stops that Hannah will pull out to get her way. So, it has been trying to say the least. So, most of our days are spent explaining, disciplining, reexplaining, praying, talking, more disciplining, and while I am by myself...pulling my hair out! Not really, but I have thought about it.
Anyway, I know this is a phase, but it is a hard one that I would love to get through soon! Some of the issue is mine. I need to know when to pick battles. I realize they don't all need to be battles, but it is hard when the attitude of a three year old comes in. I also realize there is my pride involved. It is one thing when Hannah acts up here at home for us, but when she acts up at church for others, it cuts me deep. I need to realize that is just my pride that wants my child to be perceived a certain way by others. So, yes, I pray that God would let those things die in me so I can focus on the real heart issues that Hannah is dealing with.
Most of our days are good, but man-oh-man, when it is bad, it is BAD!!! So, we are slowly (and patiently, by God's grace) learning to discipline Hannah so that she realizes the reasons behind the discipline.
So, that has been our last week (or really month). I'm praying that it eases up soon....any hope for that?!?!

Spaghetti Night

We had speghetti night a while back and after spilling one to many noodles on her shirt, I asked Hannah to remove her shirt for the rest of dinner. I guess I should have asked her to do this from the beginning because this was a delightful way for her to finish her dinner. In fact, she then requested that both Jason and I do the same. As you can tell, Jason happily obliged. However, I can assure you, I did not.

These 2 are so fun together!

Playhouse project

I found an awesome idea in a family fun magazine a few weeks ago. It was for a fabric playhouse. I jumped at the idea and Hannah has had a blast with it. I actually had enough left over fabric to make it, so the cost was free!!! It was a hodgepodge of colors though...thankfully, Hannah didn't care in the slightest.
We set out to cutting the fabric to cover the top of the table and down all 4 sides.

We chose to use our dining room table since it is our biggest one. It is counter height which was perfect for this project. It allows Hannah to have plenty of room to play under it.

I sewed the fabric to exactly cover the top of the table and down all 4 sides. I plan on sewing some ties about half way down the fabric sides so I can tie them together while it is on the table.

We cut a window that can be rolled up and tied into place.

And of course (according to Hannah) every house needs a door. So, we cut a door that can also be tied into place.

And voila, we have ourselves a great little playhouse that can be used and then put up when necessary. Hannah has loved taking her babies in it and making phone calls to "Mama's house" to see if she can come over and visit. And, of course, the answer is a resounding "YES!"

A much needed family fun night

As some of you may know, we have had a hard few weeks around our house. I felt like we needed a night away as a family of 3. So, last Saturday we did something that we don't normally do. We drove to Dallas for the night and took Hannah to Medieval Times. It was just what we needed. It was really nice to do something out of the ordinary and enjoy time with just us. We had a blast too. Both Jason and I have been to Medieval Times before but since we had Hannah with us this time, it made it that much more special. Hannah was a bit overwhelmed at first with all the people and with the opening sword fight. But, once the horses came out, she was captivated the rest of the time.

She LOVED being able to eat with just her fingers too. They serve you a full dinner of soup, chicken, ribs, bread, potatoes, and dessert with no utensils. That might have been her favorite part...well, that and the pepsi that they gave her.

Depending on where you sit in the arena, you cheer for a certain color knight. Ours was the blue knight. If your knight wins competitions, they throw flowers out into the crowd. Our Hannah was thrown a flower and she loved it.

Jason on the other hand had a different opinion about a knight throwing his daughter a flower! I love this picture of the 2 of them though...classic!

Anyway, this night away was a great time for us as a family. While Medieval Times (or any other place for that matter) does not provide us the grace and peace which come from God alone in hard times, I am thankful for these sweet memories that are made as a family.

Getting the hang of it

Hannah is quickly getting the hang of writing letters. Since I stay at home with her and do not teach in a school right now, it is a joy to spend time teaching her things like writing letters. It sure does this teacher's heart good!

One of the first words that she was able to put together was hat. We worked on that for awhile and attempted to change the "t" to an "n" so she could then spell Hannah.

We finally got the "n" down, but she has NO interest in spelling her own name.
So, for now, we we will just stick with having fun with letters.

It is so cool to me to watch kids as they learn. This will truly never get old!!!

The other night at dinner, Hannah got some food on her clothes. She insisted that she go upstairs and change clothes...all by herself. She has actually gotten really good at getting clothes out and putting them on correctly, so it didn't seem like a problem to us. Well, little did we know what she was about to put on and parade around in downstairs.

She came down in what should be worn as a halter top. However, she couldn't figure out how to put it over her head, so she improvised and showed up like this...

HELLO TARZAN!!! All I have to say is that if I ever see her wearing an outfit like this past the age of 4 (I'm really thinking 14-18 years old!) I might keel over with a heart attack. But, not before I tell her (in kind words of course) to change clothes and burn said outfit.

We quickly remidied the outfit situation and put it on correctly. Oh man, I don't know what I will do with the teen years!

I'm flattered (or something)

Hannah drew this lovely picture of me yesterday. She showed me how in the picture I had glasses, eyebrows, and my tongue sticking out. Well, I guess I am flattered! It's lovely coming from my sweet 3 year old (even if I look a bit like an ogre)!

This is one of the true blessings of being a mom...the sheer joy and pride I feel in a small picture that my child drew of me. I am thankful to God today!

Happy Anniversary!!!

This picture was taken 9 years ago today!!!

Happy Anniversary Jason! I love you so much and I am so thankful for all that God has blessed me with in you!

It was only a matter of time...

This week Hannah has pulled out 2 phrases that I was hoping not to hear from her (at least not at 3 years old!). In one week she has said "shut up" and "crap." I handled these swiftly so thankfully these phrases have not come up since. Man oh man, where has my "only say sweet things" child gone? The scary thing is that most movies we watch with Hannah (kids movies, mind you) say "shut up" multiple times in the movie. I guess we have become desentized to these things. I have to admit that I certainly have been...well, at least until my 3 year old said them.
I actually feel kind of bad for the situation. She hears these phrases in movies and in every day life (OK, OK, I admit that I say "crap" pretty often, but I TRY not to say it around her). But when she says it she gets in trouble. It is hard to explain to a 3 year old why these phrases are in movies but unacceptable for her to say. It's as much of a message that needs to be preached to me as her, since I shouldn't say them either.
I guess parenting is all about learning too. Sometimes, these lessons sting though!

Things certainly have changed

I know that I am not entirely old enough to talk about "how different things were when I was young" but I sometimes catch myself thinking about it. Yesterday Jason started working with Hannah on how to use the computer. I was kind of shocked that at 3 years old she figured out pretty quickly how to use the mouse. I can remember not really having to use the computer for school until high school, and our 3 year old will likely know how to do basic computer functions by the end of this year. Scary!

Anyway, here is Hannah in her computer training with Jason.