Getaway
22 Jul 2008 Leave a Comment
Rich and I were actually able to get away for 5 whole days by ourselves. I know! How rare is that?! We had an absolute blast too. =) We stayed at our favorite bed and breakfast at the Jersey shore and just relaxed and rested our butts off. It was awesome. If you and yours are looking for a great getaway… I reccomend the Sea Gypsy Inn in Wildwood as a good place to stay. They’ve been there for at least 10 years and have a really nice old place. It feels like stepping back in time and going to “gramma’s” house. I did a lot of research a few years ago on b&b’s and this was the nicest and fairly priced place that I found that is also not far from the beach. We walked there everyday and enjoyed the best beach weather ever! We plan on taking a day trip to the shore with the girls later on in the summer. It will most likely be our last family of 4 trip before Noah is born. Wow. Time is flying by.
In pregnancy news… all is good. My belly seems to be getting larger by the minute – but I guess that’s a good thing. It’s amazing how my shirts are starting to creep up more and more. I have a few shirts that I wore at the very end of my pregnancy with Becca that are now fitting perfectly. It’s crazy to think that I can get bigger and will get bigger… watch out though. When October rolls around and you see me, I may need help standing up because I think my belly will be that big. Yikes! But Noah has a great heartbeat and is a super active baby. My blood pressure and weight all seem to be normal and healthy, which is good. I’m getting really excited to meet him. He is going to change our family dramatically and I know it will be for the best. I just can’t imagine life with a son yet. Soon. Very soon. Only 13 more weeks to go! Yay! =)
Labor Day weekend
04 Sep 2007 1 Comment
in Family
This weekend was a fun and busy one. Saturday we went out as a family to grocery shop and run a few errands. We have started taking out a specific amount of money at the beginning of each week for groceries and eating out. It’s been a bit tough for me to stick to it but it’s working and will hopefully save us money in the long run. So the errand running around took ALL day and we were all rather tired by the late afternoon so we had a nice low-key evening at home.
Sunday we were up bright and early for church. It was great. I met a few new people, saw some friends that haven’t been around for a while, and saw happy college students who have returned from the summer break. After church Rich and I were busy preparing for a neighborhood bbq. FUN! I love hosting these sort of events. There were a few folks from the block who joined us and it was fun to chat with them for a bit. We were up late cleaning up – in the dark! Fun times….seriously. 
Monday morning we were all up bright and early once again to get ready for a day at the beach! My in-laws came and met us at our place so that we could all ride together to Ocean City, NJ. We had such a great time and came back home with a bit of color, sand in places you don’t think sand can go, and absolutely exhausted! The girls loved playing in the sand too. Grace and I buried Rich in the sand and Becca climbed all over him while we did that. So cute!
So since we had such a long weekend and busy day yesterday out in the sun, today will be a low- key day for the Andrews ladies. Rich sadly, had to return to work today…but I’m sure he’ll be ready to take a nap when he gets home.
Trader Joe’s Fave
29 Aug 2007 Leave a Comment
It’s that time again…. my favorite Trader Joe’s item of the week! This week I must share about turkey jerky. It’s delicious! It’s moist, and tasty and filling. I love it and so do my husband and kids. Mmmm…turkey jerky.
It’s a first
29 Aug 2007 1 Comment
in Family, health and fitness, parenting
Wow. I had to take Becca to the doctor tonight. *sigh* Becca has been following Grace everywhere around our apartment these days – and being the big sister that she is, Grace doesn’t like having a shadow all the time. While I was in my room sweeping I heard a door slam followed by Becca crying hysterically. Oh boy. Grace slammed the door and Becca was flat on the floor. I disciplined Grace once I managed to see that there was no blood anywhere near Becca and then I went and picked Becca up to comfort her. She would not calm down. I decided to look her over to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on with her. It was about 2 seconds later that I saw her pinky on her right hand. It was dented with the yuckiest bruise on it. I thought for sure it was broken because it just looked so gross! I immediately prayed and asked God to heal it if it was broken and then called Rich to have him come home. I took Her to the dr’s and they were pleased that I had brought her in because “you never know for sure if it’s broken because they are so little, blah blah blah”. Thankfully it’s just severly bruised. Praise God! I know it’s just a finger and just a bruise, but knowing for that hour that I had to wait, that my little girl could be broken even minimally was so emotionally traumatizing! This is my BABY and I can’t protect her all the time. Our lives are so fragile and so are our bodies. I’m so thankful to have my two precious girls be so healthy and full of life.
Thanks God. I definitely can’t do this parenting thing without you. Or life for that matter.
Summer Fun
23 Aug 2007 Leave a Comment
in Every Day Life, Family
I have a hard time writing on here these days. Not because I don’t want to but because I forget to I suppose. This summer has been packed full of travelling and lots of family time because Rich has the summer’s off. Now that the summer is coming to an end and Rich is back to work I’m sure that I’ll be posting more but I can’t guarantee that either because it seems as if life is still and will continue to be busy.
So, I drive a mini van now. Yes, I know, it’s a very mom thing to do….but guess what? I’m a MOM! We needed a second vehicle because Rich has to drive to work now (he used to take the train) and I will have to take Grace to preschool twice a week. We did lots of research on different vehicles and prayed A LOT and decided on a 2004 Toyota Sienna. We decided that it was the best choice for us size wise, especially since we hope to have more children, and we would like to carpool places with friends and family. I am so thankful for my van. I love it. A little strange? Maybe. A little sappy? Perhaps. But it’s a vehicle that defines who we are. A family.
Rich and I had a lovely time at the shore. We were gone for 2 nights and stayed at a lovely B&B. This is the second time we’ve gone there. If anyone wants a little getaway that is reasonably priced let me know and I’ll give you the details. We rode bikes on the boardwalk, walked along the beach, enjoyed lemonade during the hot days and a glass of wine each night. We also sat on the beach for a good portion of a day and enjoyed classic boardwalk food….mmmm…..bloomin onions. But I do have to say that one of my favorite things was soaking in a hot bubble bath one night. My muscles were aching a bit and it was just so soothing to have a no interruption bath. Absolutely L.O.V.E.L.Y. If you have a great bath tup at home – take advantage of it and use it!
To sum it all up: Life is good. God is good. He has blessed us over and over and over and over again. Wow! Thanks God.
Family
06 Aug 2007 Leave a Comment
in Family
I love having pretty feet! My Gramma took me out on Friday for a lovely and relaxing pedicure (except for the fact that my feet are super ticklish!!!) and the result is soft callous free feet with a feminine look of red toenails. We then went to Applebee’s for lunch and enjoyed boneless honey bbq wings and a nacho platter. There was so much food that the two of couldn’t finish it! We then went to the Coventry Mall and my Gramma bought me a new purse. I love it! I’ll have to take a picture of it so you can see how awesome it is.
Saturday after Rich came back from a meeting in the late morning, we headed over to my Gramma’s house once again (my aunt and uncle live there too) because my Grampa and his sweet wife Esther were visiting all the way from Arizona. I haven’t seen them in a couple years so it was great to spend time with them again. The girls and I ended up sleeping over Saturday night so that we could spend more time with them on Sunday as well. Rich went home Saturday night though because he had to be at church in the morning – but he came back in the late afternoon. I love my family so much. I do have a couple pictures to share but again they will have to wait. The program that I have for downloading pictures from my camera and then editing them to publish on here really is annoying and frustrating to use – which is why I rarely post them here. We’ll see what I can do though because I know you are all waiting to see our family in action =)
Another year gone by
18 Jun 2007 Leave a Comment
in Family
My little girl turns 3 today. I have so many warm and fuzzy thoughts about her as a baby…although right now I’m mostly thinking about the labor I was in 3 years ago today. The contractions were beginning to get intense. Grace was born at 2:57 pm (I actually have to double check that time though). When I first saw Grace all I could think was wow, this is my baby! I think I was just so excited and so relieved that the whole birthing process was over with that I kept saying “hi grace. you’re my grace.” Grace was born relatively quiet. She didn’t cry at all and was wide eyed until daddy took her picture and the flash went off in her face…then we all got a little taste of the mega lungs this girl has. haha =)
Yesterday I made Grace a castle cake – pics to come later- and she just loved it. My mommy heart has been so warm, happy and emotional! Last night we went to her grandparents for a dinner and little gift giving time for Grace and her aunt and uncle. She was so cute and posed in her princess dress up stuff. What a lovely little girl! Today we are meeting friends at a local place for a lunch and cupcakes. She is so excited to have her very own birthday party. When I told her what we were doing today she couldn’t keep the smile off her face! =)
I promise to post pictures later.
TGIF
18 May 2007 Leave a Comment
in Every Day Life, Family
Well our first week back home has been full of good times with friends and just trying to get back into the daily routines. Sunday I actually showed up at church…our flight landed in philly at 6am and I was at church at 12:00….so tired! And if you are really curious why I went I had to drop something off. We had playgroup, visits with friends, time with family, and some good play time outside. I’ve been trying to get the whole laundry thing under control too – so hard to do after traveling for a week! We have so many clothes. I’m seriously thinking of getting rid of most of it. The girls are slowly getting back to their normal routines too. Grace was up super early this morning so it’s obvious her internal clock is set back to normal haha. She was up at 6 am. But get this, she fell asleep on the couch at 8 am. She NEVER does that. I wonder what’s up with her. Anyway, life around here is slowly getting back to normal. Rich is going to sleep as long as he can tomorrow. The poor guy has been getting up early and going to bed late – never really adjusting 100% to eastern time. Today I’m going to finally unpack our suitcase. I HATE unpacking after trips! It’s just so annoying to do… but first, I’m going to finish my cup of java and enjoy the peace and quiet while my precious girls are napping.
We Are Back
14 May 2007 Leave a Comment
in Family
California was amazing. Rich and I fell in love with the area and it was really hard to leave, at least for me anyway. The weather was hot and sunny with no humidity – just the way I like it The girls adjusted well by the middle of the week and they seemed to really enjoy the new environment as well. So we were there for a conference which took place for most of the week. It was fantastic. I really can’t say enough about how incredible it was. I’m not going to talk too much about it though because I was asked to be vague to protect our family’s privacy Anyway, after the conference ended on Thursday we went to DisneyLand on Friday. It was So Much Fun! It was really surprising all of the rides that we were able to go on as a family. It literally took all day to go on everything. Such a fun time! This was our first family trip anywhere and it was just perfect. On Saturday we went to a place called Aquarium of the Pacific. There are so many awesome fish out there. My favorite was the dragon horse fish. Super cool. We had a red eye flight coming home Saturday night. There was a lay over in Vegas though. Man, the airport there even has slot machines! We didn’t get home until early early Sunday morning and are still adjusting to being 3 hours ahead of what we were. Grace is still sleeping and it’s 10:20 but her little body is telling her it’s 7:20. I hope we get adjusted back to normal soon! Well, that’s all I can say at the moment because I need to go do a couple things now. Pictures will come later.
Thoughts
03 May 2007 Leave a Comment
in Family
So I’ve been looking over some of my recent entries and I’ve noticed that I’m rather pessimistic or super grouchy. The impatient and frustrated mom that I’m portraying myself to be really is not who I am. I guess I often use this blog as an outlet for expressing the difficult aspects of my day. So, let me start over and explain to you who I am.
Ahem. My name is Jess and I am a wife and mommy. I love my husband. I love my two sweet little girls. But most of all I love Jesus with everything that I am. I have been incredibly blessed with a life that I never thought possible. Every day I seek to be the wife for my husband that God has made me to be. And every day I wake up to the incredible task of training up two girls to one day be Godly women serving the Lord. It isn’t always easy. As you’ve read you can see the obvious hard stuff that I’ve experienced. It probably seems like little stuff that gets to me, but it’s often an accumulation of “build up”. For instance, Grace just woke up Becca from her nap after she had been sleeping for 15 minutes. She wakes her up with her unnecessary crying every. single. day. It’s one of my hardest struggles right now. How do I get a 3 year old to stop crying over everything? She’s been like this since she was a baby and I’ve done my best to not cater to it because I don’t like it. Well, that didn’t work. Ok, so see what I’m doing here? I just started “complaining” once more. I really need to stop doing that. So where was I? Oh yes, I was explaining that life around here really isn’t as difficult and horrible as I make it out to be. There are so many moments during the day that make me just stop and praise God. Grace is such a big girl now! She isn’t in diapers anymore. She is talking so well, and she is my little helper. She loves to help me clean and cook. And Becca is crawling! I mean nine months ago she was just a week old and now she is crawling and teething and just the cutest little baby. I am such a blessed mommy. I would never ever ever trade being home with my girls for anything. Thanks God for such an amazing job! I also want to say that I love being a wife to my sweet husband. Rich is incredible. He loves the Lord with such amazing passion. He loves me more than I ever expected my husband to. He is the best leader for our family and we are all blessed by that. He is a fantastically easy going fun loving daddy to our girls as well. The look on their faces when he walks in the door at the end of the day is just priceless. I love it! Being married to Rich is the second best thing that’s ever happened to me. So, all of this is me saying that I love my family. I love my job. I love where God has placed me and I am so honored that He picked ME to do the job. If I write any more before our trip to CA (yay we are going to California! I’m sososososososo excited about this trip!) I’m going to do my best to highlight the positive rather than the negative.
