Hiatus

Well, readers, it seems I've taken a longer hiatus than before. I am finding that the time I spend with my little ones is just too precious and not frequent enough since I have begun working more outside the home. When I am home, the busyness of keeping a household somewhat organized and my kids' love tanks nearly full is taking a toll on me...not to mention not lack of sleep lately.The toll is not too great and not at all overwhelming; it's just a different pace. Chris is over half way through the baseball season (whoop whoop!) and is pretty tired the little bit of time that he spends at home. He is doing a GREAT job making an impact on these young men and he loves the game of baseball. G cried today at lunch because he "wants daddy to not teach and not coach." He misses him so much, but did get to spend a lot of time yesterday at the field. We are thankful for each moment we get to spend time with him!
We did enjoy a wonderful Easter celebrating our Savior Jesus Christ with our family in Tupelo.I'll write more about that later. For now, a sleepy Garrett is begging for me to hold him....nap time for all three!
For now, have a wonderful day.
Love to each of you!

The Clarks

A Winner!

For years I've entered the occasional contest and give-away, but THIS TIME I actually won! When I got home from teaching this morning, our sitter informed me that I had received a package from UPS. Really? That's odd...I didn't order anything. Maybe some sweetheart out there thought of me. Secret admirer? Hmm. Curious, I picked up the package and read the return address label "Tropical Traditions." Yes, that sounds familiar, but I am certain that I haven't ordered anything recently. I open the package only to see a 5 lb. bag of Certified Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat and invoice that says, "Congratulations, Winner!"  Sweet!! 

So, here I now sit with a handful of wheat berries wondering how I should eat these whole grain goodies! Maybe I'll try the first recipe I read from miss organic's blog.  Thanks, Jen, for giving me the opportunity to try something new and healthy....and to feel like a winner! 

If you are new to Tropical Traditions as I am, be sure to check out their website for some organic goodness! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the owner of this wonderful company is also a believer in the one true Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! See here. 
 

hand talk

G at breakfast while eating pancakes strikes up a conversation with his hands:

right hand (rh): "do you want pancakes?"
left hand (lh): yes, do you?
rh: yes, I do.
lh: ok. 

Then, G sneezes on both his hands and apologizes to them for getting them dirty. He asks me for a towel. I get him a cloth napkin and he politely says "thank-you." Then looks at his hands and begins to clean them while saying, "There you go; you're clean now." 

He eats a little more and is back to conversation with his hands:
lh: ding, ding, ding. are you done?
rh: no, i'm not done.
lh: ding, ding, ding, are you done?
rh: takes a drink of water
rh: i'm done.

switching gears again. lh is making the pancake vvvvvroooom like a race car around in the syrup.
I pour more "syrup" (Agave Nectar) onto his plate and he says, "hey, mommy, it looks like a dinosaur."

Oh, when and how do we loose this active imagination?! I appreciate his joy in the little things, which are big things to him! 

THANK YOU , G, FOR GIVING ME JOY IN EATING  BREAKFAST!

10 months

Our little belle is now 10 months! It's hard to believe that in just a little 2 months she'll be diving into her first birthday cake. I don't mean to sound cliche', but really, TIME FLIES!!!

Eme is such a fun loving baby with a wonderfully strong personality! In the past month, she has continued to amaze us with her cognitive skills, physical milestones and growth. As she still adores her big brother and he adores her, they are playing together more and more. It is such a sweet bond! As I type, G and E are splashing and playing a tag game with the bath cloths in the tub. She just giggles when he initiates a fun game like this one. And now, I think she might just drink a bath full of water as she is now sucking profusely on the wet cloth in her hand. Yikes!

says "utt-oh," when she drops something (loves to play this game with an adult who will keep dropping the item!) Lady Di got to see E playing this game yesterday! * still loves to bounce to music (she and G make music together as they each hold a different instrument) * has been cruising around the furniture for a couple of months, but doesn't seem as interesting in walking * stands and holds onto furniture with one hand * wrinkles her nose and breaths through it quickly (snorting) * climbs the stool * shakes her head "no" when she doesn't want another bite of a new food * signs "all-done," "milk," "more" * let's you know if she is frustrated by making a face and crying (although, sometimes, I think she is "crying wolfe" when G is just getting on her nerves!) * strong-willed * does not like here nose wiped one bit * loves the bath-tub - splashing, laughing, playing w G * takes out ALL hair bowS * LOVES being outside - makes the wrinkle nose face when the wind blows her face; crawls all over the yard! * crawls extremely fast....did I mention, I don't think she'll be walking anytime soon * when-ever she can and we aren't watching, she likes to crawl to the hall bathroom and play beside the toilet, in the trash, and pull all the toilet paper down!* likes to throw the toys and anything else that might be in the bathroom into the tub when we are in the shower * threw a temper tantrum on the floor with her entire body last week when we can in from playing outside. she came to the back door; looked and me and cried to go back out. when i explained that is was dinner time, she threw herself down on the kitchen floor, cried, and flung her legs around! * still HAS NO TEETH....but has all the right symptoms..crying out in pain, staying up til MIDNIGHT!, gumming things, licking her lips * crawls quickly to her "da-da" when he comes in the door and offers him kisses (open mouth) * cuddles her babysitter, Katy Mc * waves "bye-bye" at the door whenever anyone leaves * says "ba-ba" in reference to Garrett (started this at 6 m.) * says "ma-ma" only when she's really tired and wants mommy * plays chase on the floor with Garrett (this started at Christmas time) and giggles when she chases you * plays pat-a-cake * claps often * sings when G is playing music * plays with all of G's toys....when he lets her * she is a joyous baby and very girly!

brilliance

Conversations with my precious 3 yr. old amaze me!

Garrett: "Do you remember Jimmy?"
Mommy: "Yes."
Garrett: "He was at the restaurant."
Mommy: "Yes, he was at the restaurant."
Garrett: "And 'Tott' (Scott) was there."
Mommy: "Oh, yes, you are right." (I just now get what he is talking about!....this past summer in Chattanooga!)
What in the world?! I wish all those folks who are in the line of thought that babies and toddlers have little to no memory would hang out with my little guy for just a short while! It is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G what G is able to recall. This is such a wonderful asset.....as long as the event is not traumatic. Wow!

G also reminds me how big he is getting when he calls me by name:

Garrett: "Yook (Look), Jill. I have chill bumps."
Mommy (Jill): "Yes, I see."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DELANEY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET DELANEY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
WE LOVE YOU AND PRAY GOD'S BLESSINGS UPON YOU THIS DAY! THANK YOU FOR BEING A BLESSING TO US!!!

SNOW and CREAM

Jackson had our second snow day of the season with 5 inches of snow! 
It was only sleeting on my way to the gym to train my boot camp folks at 5:15am, but by the time I returned home at 10:15am, we had a steady fall of snow which lasted all day! The snowflakes were some of the biggest I've seen. For us folks here in the South, this is our winter wonderland. G really enjoyed being able to watch the snow fall and he kept talking about Christmas Eve - interesting for a southern boy to equate Christmas with snow; guess it's the trips to Indiana!
G and daddy walked in the snow some, but not for long as the sleet was getting in G's eyes. Today, the snow and sleet have ceased so it looks like we'll have some fun in the snow today. E touched the snow that fell from their boots and played in it. We'll see how she'll fare the cold today - I'm sure she'll let us know what she thinks!

We DID make SNOW CREAM for dessert last night.....of course, G enjoyed it!!!

Yummy Avocado

E has been interested in food for a while now. But not wanting to add food to her diet for several reasons (the risk of lowering her tolerance to allergies, prematurely developing digestion/intestinal problems, taking away an opportunity for breastmilk), we've waited.
For the last month, she has enjoyed chewing on raw cantaloupe, carrot, celery, apple, and oranges during our dinner time. Tonight we decided to try pureed fresh avocado....and we have a winner!!!  She even fed herself! How fun. G helped too by getting her a fresh spoon and spoonful of avocado every time she dropped her spoon (3 times). What a sweet brother he is! Oh, and the funny thing was that she'd let G feed her, but not daddy.

Happy Birthday, Drew!!

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DREWSER!!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND ARE SO GRATEFUL TO KNOW YOU.
YOU BLESS OUR LIVES WITH JOY....AND TRACTORS! WE PRAY THAT YOU HAVE A BLESSED DAY BEING CELEBRATED! KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED!

Mimi's Gumbo

Daniel's done the ultimate.....published one of Mimi's recipes!! How fun! I'm sure she is so proud. By the sound of this well written article, it seems that Daniel and Heidi had a wonderfully relaxing weekend in beautiful Breckenridge.
Read this article to live vicariously through them and to learn Mimi's secret gumbo recipe!!
And yes, for the record,  I do have an opinion concerning "writing"yet I am FAR from becoming a sound writer myself....if only I could get my husband to blog!!! He is too much of an accomplished writer for that! ;)

Hope you enjoy some gumbo before the warmer weather!

Still Green

Many of you hear me talk about our attempts to include more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables in our diets. One of my favorite ways is drinking green drinks, which consist of a very easy process...blending a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils and liquids in your blender!!! No Juicer necessary!  I've compiled a list of online sources to help you in your endeavors as you seek to make your perfect green drink!! Have fun and remember to be creative!!!! Develop your own recipe to your taste buds!

Dr. Oz's green drink recipe & MORE
The Ultimate Green drink website with step by step instructions!
Detox Drinks and more!
Green with Alfalfa & wheat grass
Cleansing Green Drink
Random recipes ...did I tell you that G's favorite word to use right now is "random"....sometimes he even uses it in context. hee.hee.
Jill's favorite

Hope you all enjoy!!! 
Cheers to each of you as you become healthier in 2010!

2010

I can't believe it, but we are already 13 days into the NEW YEAR!!!!! WOW!!! There is so much to tell you !! We had a wonderful holiday season with friends and family traveling over 1500 miles in 7 days....roughly 28 hours on the road!!! Whew!! Let's just say that our kids are troopers! We enjoyed every minute of our time spent visiting with our loved ones but don't necessarily want to repeat all of the hours on the road. We are starting to think we should invest in a private plane and pilot license....David, are you game for teaching us?!

With all that said, I do want to blog more, but, unfortunately,working more hours at the gym requires more time planning childcare, pumping bottles, cooking meals earlier - it may just take me a few months to get the hang of it. Within a few months,  baseball season will be in full swing! This is CHRIS' FIRST SEASON TO BE THE HEAD COACH!!! Then we'll be off to Sewanee for Chris' last summer of classes! Wow!!! Life happens at a very busy pace these days.....I'm sure it will NEVER SLOW DOWN, the tasks will just change! With all that said, thank you for being patient with me as I seek to inform you of our lives.

Highlights in the lives of G & E:
G is still talking up a storm and telling lively stories....usually consisting of Jason Fitts (our good friend & worship leader at church with whom he is obsessed). ....new teeth....still enjoys cookies or anything sweet (the most at our house is a glass of 2/3 water 1/3 juice) and the occasional cookie (home-made or organic)....unbuttons shirts and can dress himself.....potty training (2nd wk and is doing great!!)....plays well by himself but have noticed with more patterns, like putting all the animals on the dots of the rug....kicks a mean soccer goal....still hits and throw the baseball very well....enjoys daddy "rocking" him to sleep (mommy has no clue of the right rhythm), but he does ask for mommy to hold him bf bed which consists of the spoon hold with my hand in between both of his hands....enjoys playing with play-dough & creating all sorts of new things....very creative with food too....watching Little People videos(would watch all day, but we don't want that!! he gets his fill when I have to take him to the gym daycare)....he just told me he likes cookies, cakes, and pies (do we foresee an obsession here?)...dressing up (thank you, Nana, for the conductor's outfit!!)....playing with Little People...trains...Lightning McQueen...puzzles (the more advanced the better)...all things musical

 
E is growing like a weed....has been crawling well for the last 8 weeks....bf that, she army crawled since before 6 months of age....lets G know when she is frustrated....adores G and really likes to wrestle him....enjoys biting on foods like carrots, cucumbers(her fav.), cantaloupe, celery, apples, oranges....splashing in the bath tub....being chased....playing with her big brother who is usually very gracious to her....signs "milk" and waves....sit ups well on her own, but this started only 2 wks ago - much later than crawling...has been pulling up on furniture since early December...say "da-da" for daddy and "ba-ba" for G...gives the sweetest open mouth kisses....pats your back when she gets up from a nap...enjoys music and has great rhythym...plays G's percussion instruments well.

Look for more blogs soon!