It's that wonderful time of year again - Christmas card time! I am really excited about our cards this year. We are getting our pictures done tomorrow down at the Levee, and have a photographer coming to us! SO fun! Not only that, but I am so excited about making our photo cards this year using Shutterfly. Prior to having children, I handmade all my cards and stamped them and such. We always included a photo of course. But now that bye boys are here, I simply don't have the time to make 80 plus cards!
In comes Shutterfly! They have some amazing designs, from traditional to modern to fun and quirky. The right design is out there for you. I have my favorites of course! Here they are, in no specific order:
THIS one I love the colors and the layout.
I really like the simplicity of THIS card:
And THIS one is darling! I really like that you can put information on there about the ages of the kids, especially since Christmas cards are sometimes the only yearly communication between family and friends. This gives people a great visual of how the kids are growing!
And one of the great things about Shutterfly is that they don't just do Christmas cards! When Ethan was born in January, I did his birth announcements through Shutterfly. They were adorable! Not only that, but they shipped so fast!
I also made a scrapbook page with Ethan's pictures and all his birth "stats" included. It was SO easy and came out pretty cute if I do say so myself!
When my cousin got engaged, I made her a photo book with pictures of her and her fiance' from when they were dating. I even wrote a poem for them and included it in the book. She loved it and it was such a great personalized gift. And, it was SO fun making the book, and picking out the fonts and colors and background pages.
You might be asking why I'm going on about Shutterfly and everything they have to offer! Well, because of their generosity, I am getting 50 Christmas Cards for taking time to talk about Shutterfly. I am so excited about making my cards and sending them out to everyone.
So, if you love making personalized cards and gifts for your friends and family, and not just at Christmas, Shutterfly is definitely the way to go! Check them out. I promise you won't be disappointed!!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Friday, December 03, 2010
Christmas Cards Done EASY!!
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Impromptu Family Get Together
Back at the end of September, I got an email from my cousin letting me know that my other cousin who is in the army and stationed in Korea was going to be in the nearby area, and a ton of family was going to be getting together. We made sure that our calendar was open and we made the plans to go about 2 hours away to Connersville, IN to see everyone. I had told my mom and grandmother of the get together, and they decided last minute to book a flight and come down and surprise everyone! It was great and everyone was pleasantly surprised. Here are some of the pictures from the day. All of them can be found HERE.
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Whirlwind of Activity
Well, it's been a while since I updated my blog. There's a good reason for that! We have all been sick for a while. About a month of sickness in the Turner household - ugh! We've all survived, barely it seems :-)
I got hit the worst of it. I was on an antibiotic for an upper respiratory infection, and it was not liking me. I got put on another antibiotic, and it was awful! I ended up being really, really sick. I was severely dehydrated, to the extent, that if I had waited another day before I had gone to the hospital, I might not be updating this blog today! God definitely had his hand over me and protected me. I was in the hospital almost 3 days. Boy was it awful being away from my boys! Thankful that God saw fit to heal me and bring me back home to my family.
Anyway, I'm going to attempt over the next week to catch up with all the happenings in our family. It will be a whirlwind of activity to say the least!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Long Lost Blog
So, it's been 3 whole months since I've blogged!! WOW! And the part that gets to me? No one has mentioned to me that they miss the blog, or that I haven't posted, etc. Is anyone out there? Do you actually read this blog? Granted, I haven't done well keeping up with the blog in generally. Adding another child to the mix really takes any time you THOUGHT you had away. It's crazy! But, I wouldn't have it any other way either.
So, here's my question. Do you read this blog? I also ask because I rarely get comments on this blog. Once in a blue moon. Is it even worth while to keep this blog up if you all aren't reading it or even commenting on it. Maybe it's because I don't have anything good to say :-)
Here's my proposal. I will do my very best to keep up with this blog on a daily, yes daily basis. I will attempt to have a theme each day, and that will help me to keep up with things going on in our house. There will also be the sporadic posts here and there, but still. I do much better with lists. I'm the list queen dontcha know?! Sooooo, here we go:
Monday - Monday Madness - Recap of the Weekend's Festivies
Tuesday - Tuesday's Treats - Recipes, Websites for goodies, Etc.
Wednesday - Wordless Wednesday - Just pictures
Thursday - Think About It Thursday - Things my kids say that make you think!
Friday - Friday Favorites - Some of my favorite things from the week
So, what do you think? Help me be successful in this and comment away!!
Oh, and here's a picture of the boys for those of you that only care about that :-)
Monday, August 09, 2010
Elijah Vincent Turner - 3 Years
It's REALLY hard to believe that Eli is already 3 years old! He's getting so big, and is really coming into himself. He has his the "terrible threes" (which by the way is SO much worse than the terrible twos)! We are learning to address these issues and learning day by day. Here's what he's up to these days:
He's 32 pounds, 37 inches tall
He's still a picky eater, but among his favorites are:
Yogurt
Cheese
Pizza
Chicken Nuggets
Hot Dogs
Cheese Quesadillas
Grapes
Strawberries
Apples
Carrot Sticks
Jello
Grilled Cheese
Bananas
Chocolate & Lollipops :-)
He's a sneaky boy too! He's figured out a spot where he can't be seen in the dining room and will sneak a lollipop out of the candy dish, and go to his hiding spot to eat them! We've figured out his tactics though, and we can pretty much find him before he devours the sweet treat! Although, the other day when I was cleaning in the dining room, I found 3 lollipop wrappers in his spot. Sneaky guy!
Eli is still potty training. It's a never-ending process I think! He knows what to do, and does it successfully just about all the time. He'll get there. I'm not going to stress over it, because that will just stress him out more.
He LOVES singing and dancing. He is always asking to get down from his bench and dance. It's SO cute! He's got some good rhythm too!
Eli is a great big brother and constantly hugs and kisses Ethan. I am thankful that he loves his brother so much.
Eli will start preschool on September 7. He will be going on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-12. He got a spot in my first choice preschool, which I am THRILLED about! I really think this will be something great for him, especially in the interaction with other kids area. He doesn't have much interaction with other kids his age, so this will be a great thing. He has started interacting with kids his age at his new babysitter's, and is doing really well with it. I've already requested the day off from work because I know I'll be a basket case sending him to preschool for the first time!
He loves being in his pool. I'm hoping that he does well on vacation. He's been afraid of the ocean every year that we've gone, but I'm praying this year he's better. We'll see!
He loves playing outside and going down his slide. He also loves playing with his bubbles. I think we had 4 bottles and toys out the other day playing with bubbles. Needless to say, he was wearing a lot of the bubble solution by the time we went inside.
Here's some of his newest Elijahisms:
"I like Grasshoppers singing." Translation - "I like Bluegrass music."
Elijah - "Mom, I have to talk to you about something (said very seriously).
Me - "Ok, what about?"
Elijah - "About Twizzlers."
I accidentally poked him in the eye the other day when he was pulling my arm around his neck. I apologized, and then he looked at me and said, "I have a black eye!"
He constantly asks, "Will that make you happy?" And if we answer yes, then he'll do what he's supposed to (mostly when we're trying to get him to use the potty)!
The other night I asked him what he wanted for dinner. He told me, "Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs." I asked how many, and he answered kind of indignantly, "2 Hot Dogs!" Like I should have known that already :-)
We started packing his bag for the ocean, and then we had to run to Kroger to get a few things. When we were getting back to the van, he was getting out of the cart, and he asked, "Now are we going to the ocean?" He was so broken-hearted that we still had a week before we were going!
This is the conversation most times that he calls during the day when I'm at work:
Me - "Hi Buddy."
Eli - "Whatcha doing?"
Me - "I'm working."
Eli - "Where you working at?"
Me - "At the hospital."
Eli - "Aw, you sick?"
Me - "No, I work with sick people."
Eli - "Oh, whatcha do at the hospital?"
Me - "I work in my office on the computer."
Eli - "You work on the puter?"
Me - "Yes."
Eli - "Whatcha doing?"
Me - "I'm working."
Eli - "Where you working at?"
It goes on and on. At least he knows that a hospital is where sick people go! I guess he learned that quick, seeing that both his parents work at hospitals!
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Eli is definitely tender hearted, and asks a lot of questions about Jesus. I love that he asks so many questions, and is already seeking. He's so much like Vince, it's amazing! Eli is a great boy, and I am so thankful for him. Just seeing him run down the hallway to me when I get home from work and giving me a big hug and kiss makes my day. What a blessing!
Ethan Michael Turner - 6 Months
So, Ethan is such a big boy! I can't believe that he's already 6 months old! Here's what he's doing these days:
He's 19 lbs 9 oz, 27" long
He's sitting up all by himself.
He's attempting to figure out crawling - he'll get up on all fours, and rock back and forth. He is great at doing the "snake" and getting to his toys when he wants to!
He's definitely a mama's boy!
He LOVES playing Peek-A-Boo with his big brother, and actually, Eli is the only one that can make him laugh really hard playing it.
He's still not sleeping all that well. He did have 2 nights where he slept 8 hours straight, but I'm pretty sure it was a fluke :-)
He's doing really well eating baby food. So far, he's had:
Peaches
Mangoes
Bananas
Apples
Peas
Carrots
Sweet Potatoes
Avacado (which he didn't like - yet)
Chicken & Dumplings
Chicken w/ rice and apples
Vanilla Yogurt
I've made all his babyfood with the exception of the yogurt, although I do have a recipe for that, and I will attempt to make that after vacation. He's still breastfeeding which I am thrilled about, even at 3am when he's hungry :-)
Ethan makes us laugh all the time, and puts a big smile on my face. He loves to give kisses and he's definitely a cuddle bug. What a wonderful life I have with both my boys!
Hilton Head Here We Come!
This Friday, at midnight, we will be rolling out and heading to Hilton Head Island for a week's vacation! I am SO ready to be on vacation and just get away from the busyness of life and just relax! The beach is calling my name, and it's calling it loud! I'm also excited because my mom will be flying into Savannah on Tuesday late afternoon and spending Tuesday - Saturday with us! What a fun time - there's even talk that Vince and I will get a date! WHOO HOO! Yay Nanna! I'm also trying to meet up with a high school friend of mine, who I haven't seen in AGES! Praying that works out too!
I'm hoping that when I get back from vacation, I'll have a renewed energy and will be ready to tackle each day with only the strength that God can give me! I'm also hoping that this blog will get back to a regular schedule and I'll be able to keep up with it. We'll see how that works, but I'm praying that I can!
So, with thoughts of the ocean, and sunsets on the beach, watching dolphins swim, I wish you all a great week!! Can't wait to come back and show all the pictures from our trip!
How He Loves Me
This song has been running through my head all week. How powerful to know that God loves us SO much, no matter what! I've really needed that this week!
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we?re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don?t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way?
Here's a video/audio of the song. This is what I'll be meditating on today. What will you be meditating on?
