Setting Goals....

I know its not the new year, but I am trying to be more productive.....so far I have been failing miserably this week. However, new recipes, money saving techniques, organizing ideas, teaching opportunities with Garyn, and money-making ideas are all fluttering around my head as of late. Not to mention, staying on top of my devotion time. Friends are inspiring me and also just knowing that Garyn is growing up fast and I need to focus on making these days great for him and us, not to put any pressure on myself though, right!? I made a "To do" list a week or so ago....a loooong one...and I have done ok with it so far. I am giving myself some slack because it is a hefty list.

One website I have really been checking out lately, and growing more in love with is moneysavingmom. There are lots of great budgeting, freebies, and coupon ideas on there that I have been looking into. You know how I am about coupons, remember this. Tyler noticed the other day that we have been getting a lot of samples in the mail......I spent maybe 45 minutes the other day during Garyn's nap filling out every free offer she has on that site. It has been fun getting them in the mail!

Anyway, no real theme to this post. Just wanted to feel you in on my doings!

For some Garyn updates...........

We have had a much better time at night the last few days. I stopped putting him completely to sleep once we had 3-4 good nights of rest and chanced laying him down partially awake. He did cry and get up out of the bed, but I would put him straight back to bed with little to say. Within no more than an hour, he has been going to sleep after being put back to bed! We have had a couple of times that he has come in around 2 am, but I would put him back in bed. He would cry a little, stomp even, but didn't keep coming to our room. I hope this sticks!

Last Friday was the football Jamboree at Finley Stadium and Garyn, as always, heard music to dance to! FYI there is a part where I thought for sure he was going to fall, just brace yourself......

Sorry it is so long, I didn't realize how much I talked in it either.

Goodbye for now!

Switching Gears....

Summer is pretty much over so now we are switching gears into new routines....


Tyler is back at work, not sure he ever left, but now he must be there all day everyday.


Football season is in full swing. I love the games and Garyn seems to, as well. Every Friday will be spent at football games for awhile. We haven't missed a game yet! After every game, we always go down and see Daddy, that's Garyn's favorite part! Here is a pic of Garyn his first football season. Daddy couldn't wait to get him down on the field.







Here is a video of him dancing last year.....he loves to dance (sorry for the sideways view, note to you moms: you can't flip the image around when you turn your camera to take a video vertically)

Other changes in our routine is that I am working 2 nights in a row, in order to go to the football games. This makes it harder for me in that I don't see Tyler at all from Sunday lunch time until Tuesday after football practice. And I only see Garyn for a couple of hours on Monday before going back to work. I dread working now, but like having 4 full days off in between.

I have to admit, I was craving routine again. I love the summers when Tyler is around more and we get to go on vacations. However, things like cleaning, sticking to the budget, devotion time, and eating at home tend to get pushed aside. I am trying to bring all of those things back in focus now.

Garyn is switching gears, too, as he is forever growing and changing. Sleeping patterns are at the top of the list as of late. We are still having nighttime troubles and now naps are getting shorter and harder. He is talking like crazy; singing a ton; loving puzzles and his trains; and constantly trying to get his way!

I love the fall season because of these changes and because it means Thanksgiving/Christmas is around the corner! YIKES!

Big Brother??

We have been wondering what Garyn will be like when he is a big brother.......

WAIT!! .............................................................

I am not pregnant! Gotcha, huh?

Garyn is around some little babies but not much and not when I am taking care of them, so I always wonder what he will be like.....jealous, loving, helpful? Yesterday we got a little trial run you could say......

Little Miss Virginia Grace came to stay with us yesterday......she is precious! She is a great baby, too! Her mom said she fights sleep.......well Garyn must have killed sleep because he was screaming, crying, kicking 30 min into getting him to take a nap. Virginia Grace went to sleep 5 minutes into rocking her......ahhh...maybe the next one will be easy. Actually, he was a good baby, I just probably stressed too much about him going to sleep on his own. After last night, I wish I had stressed a little more or maybe a little less because he still doesn't know how! I'll get back to that in a minute.

But we had fun yesterday. Garyn was not jealous and was helpful. He threw away diapers, got her toys, knew to be quite when she was asleep. I was very pleased. She really liked him and would follow his every move. Once, I told him to get his guitar for her ( a leap frog one ) and he pressed the buttons for the music to play, handed it to her, and then would dance in front of her. It was so cute!!

Here he is tickling her.......

So maybe it will be easy for him to have a baby in the house....or maybe Virginia Grace's 7 hours here were not realistic! Oh well, I was just glad he didn't pitch fits and try to step on her or anything!

He did want to do everything she did though, I got out this Boppy pillow for her and as soon as she would get out of it, he wanted to sit in it. He also wanted to play with all of her toys....

Back to Garyn and sleeping.........

The last week and a half or so he has been doing pretty good in his bed. I have been able to put him down slightly awake, very droggy though, around 9:30 and then he might get up around 6ish and come to our bed. I am fine with that, I am not strict about him not being in our bed but just not every night! Well Tuesday he had a short nap, feel asleep in the car around 8 and then woke up when we tried to go ahead and put him in bed.

WELL.......that sums up to a disaster in parent world, most often! And ringing true to that, he didn't want to go to sleep at 10 , 11, or 12! I finanlly gave up and put him in our bed since I had worked the 2 nights prior and was very tired. The last 2 nights since then we have had trouble again about him not wanting to go to bed at all and getting out of his bed and into ours. Last night, at 3 I got into bed with him after numerous times of him coming to our room and me putting him back in his! UGH! I was so frustrated. At those moments, I wish I had been better about not rocking or nursing him to sleep. But I also wonder if he really would still do this no matter what?

Any suggestions out there?! I don't want to make habits, but I know this may be over with soon just like it was when we first put him into a twin bed. So should I lay down with him till he goes to sleep or keep putting him back in his bed?