The Zimmerman Family

Catch up!

2012-01-16T18:48:00.001-08:00

This is a mish-mash of pictures from before and after Christmas

Cheers! Abs on nye

Kate drank so much sparkling grape juice she puked the next day!

Kids eat free on the weekends!

Love a good starbucks

Strike!!!

She looks so old here

Cousins!

Visiting Grandpa Vern at St Francis

Locked up

Daddy day spa

Someone got into some makeup

mmmmm cupcakes

goofball

Party!

Spare!

Hair cut

Abbey thought he needed a blanket

My parents with all of their grandkids

Little Jessica, my Aunt Julie and Uncle Greg's little girl

Bye bye hair

Happy Birthday Daddy

Growing up too fast

These could come in handy

Gorgeous girl

Preach it!

2012-01-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

This is how we kill time waiting on the rest of our small group to arrive at church! :)

Wii

2011-12-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Candy

2011-12-27T17:35:00.001-08:00

For Dad and Ginger- welcome back to the internet!

Funny pics

2011-12-27T17:28:00.001-08:00

These were taken using the photo booth app on Shane's iPad

The reason for the season

2011-12-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hello Family and Friends-

It is that time of year again that the extended Zimmerman family reachs out to a less fortunate family in need. If you remember earlier this year I stepped out of my "own little world" and started to help a family in need that I drove past almost every day for the last 2 and a half years now. Below is the link if you would like to read about my initial contact with the family.

http://zimmermanbaby.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-own-little-world.html

The Zimmerman family has been helping them for the last few months with getting day to day groceries, prescriptions and gas. We have also contacted our church, The Creek, and there is a ministry there that is also reaching out to them.

Normally we pick a name from a giving tree, the Lords Pantry or some other organization that assists families in need during the Christmas season, this year we know the family personally and it means a lot more to us. We have each helped other families this year through work, daycares, etc but we would like to pour our hearts into this family this year. We would like to ask for any one who wants to contribute to do so. I know that we were OVERLY blessed with everyones response last year and we would love to have that response again. What a joy it is to know that your money is going to someone that really needs things. This family does not only need Christmas gifts this year but they need day to day items, personal hygiene items, food, help with bills to keep the electric, water and gas on.

I ask that if you are interested in helping by sending money that you address that to me and mail to my home: 5429 Armstrong Ct Indianapolis, IN 46237. If you would like for it to go towards a specific need please write that in the memo- I will then call the electric company, water or gas company and pre pay their account. Or if you would like it to buy Christmas dinner or just for gifts please let me know and I will accommodate that to the best of my ability. I am lucky to have my small group of Beth and Kristy my sisters in law and best friend Sherry helping me coordinate this. We really want to show Christs love to this family so any thing you can do would be greatly appreciated. If you do not feel that you can contribute financially please pray for the cause and for those that are able to give that they are blessed this Christmas season!

Here are the sizes and requests from the family- I know some are a little extravagant but I told them to tell us what their big wishes were- it would be awesome if we could get them! If you have anything used that you would like to donate we will totally accept that as well. Also they are open to homemade meals- just keep in mind that they do not have a stove/oven right now. Only a microwave, crockpot, electric skillet, and toaster oven.

Wish lists:

Teenage Daughter age 14-15

Nintendo DS 3D

CD Player

Anything Lady Gaga

Jogging Suits-

socks underwear

crafts

Sizes 18w pants

xl shirts

size 9 panties

8 shoe

40 d bra

The teenage son 16-17

wrestling stuff (wwe or whatever it is now!)

Greenbay's QB stuff Aaron Rogers

socks

Game system

sizes- 36x30

xl shirt

11 shoe

The mother- pine scented candles

PJ's

sweats

socks

Colts stuff

Lotions and body sprays

sizes- 20-22

xxl

46 dd

9-10 shoe wide width needs to be the orthopedic type i think.

Again thank you for taking the time to read this and please pray about your decision to help and do what you feel you can- anything is appreciated!

2011-11-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

Day 14- I am thankful for having a hobby! I love being crafty and making things for people and preserving my family memories! I just need to find more time to do it!

Day 15- I am thankful for a family with a sense of humor. You can't get through the tough times without a little humor here and there...let me tell you we have that covered! Luckily my girls have picked up on it too!!!

Day 16- I am thankful for a wonderful childcare provider. I have no worries dropping my girls off (ok Shane does that most of the time- I get pick up duty mostly) I know that they will be loved and well taken care of. Amy does an amazing job with the girls and they always bring super awesome projects home! The girls love going and have made new friends!

Day 17- I am thankful for Netflix streaming- I know it is trivial but on a sick day with a little one who does not feel well Dora on Netflix with no commercials is awesome!!!

Day 13

2011-11-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for forgiveness. I yelled at the girls tonight and made them cry- not like I can't have my way cry like my mom is crazy cry. There may or may not have also been some throwing of clothes from a laundry basket that someone has yet to fold, oh ok fine there are two laundry baskets, in an effort to find a rainbow shirt that Kate had to wear to bed. Anyway I lost my temper and yelled to loudly and scared them both, they started crying then tears welled up in my eyes and it went down hill quickly. We recovered nicely and I got them to bed with little to no tears. I did take time after we all settled down and sat down and prayed for patience for them and for me outloud with them. I also told them that I should not have yelled but neither should they. Ay, Ay, Ay why does parenting have to be so darn trying sometimes. I try to remind myself that these days are rare and we have WAY more good days than bad but boy these days really get you down.

I also sat down and look up some parenting verses in the Bible and asked that God help me parent when I started to spiral out of control. This is something I am working on and obviously need more help. So pray for my sanity and patience.

Time got away from me!

2011-11-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

Day 9- I am thankful for my job! I know what unemployment feels like and it is not fun. I love my company and my co-workers are wonderful. It is a great fit. I am very blessed.

Day 10- I am thankful for KLOVE radio- it is basically the only station I listen to and it is such an awesome way to get God's word in daily! I am truly inspired by each and every song that comes on.

Day 11- I am thankful for my family members and friends who have served in the military. Thank you for allowing me to raise my family in this country and have all of the blessings that we have in regards to religious freedom. Thank you for your tremendous sacrifice.

Day 12- I am thankful for my small group of ladies who meet every other Saturday either in our homes or at Panera. We have read many books and had lots of great discussion of the Bible and each and every one of us have a deeper and stronger faith. We have been meeting for over a year now or close to it and I look forward to getting up at 6:30 on a Saturday every time I do it! :)

Day 8

2011-11-10T13:52:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for technology that allows me to keep in touch with family and friends

Day 7

2011-11-07T19:12:00.001-08:00

I am thankful that I have a passion, and it happens to be something others can enjoy as well! Cooking! I love to be in the kitchen it is a stress reliever for sure. I think it is also rubbing off on the girls, they love to help! Here is one of my recent creations!

Day 6

2011-11-06T18:36:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for Sundays, they mean church and lots of rest and family time!

Day 5

2011-11-06T18:15:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for my kindle! I love reading and it has really for some reason made it easier to read! Great gift idea for the holidays!

Day 4

2011-11-04T19:39:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for my new ceo phone! I was about to start twitching with a phone that only half worked!

We ate your candy

2011-11-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

So Jimmy Kimmel asked parents to tell their kids that they ate all of their Halloween candy and video tape it- here is where we got the idea and below is the video of the girls- so funny! Abbey really tries hard to make an excuse for her tears and she almost loses it but recovers really well!

Day 3

2011-11-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for short prayers. God does not want us to always spend an hour in prayer, although sometimes that appropriate. I am thankful that God listens to any of our prayers no matter how long of short they are! I am thankful that the Bible stresses that prayer is so important and like my pastor Gary Johnson says "If it is repeated, it is important".

I have to also say that I am thankful for Proverbs31 Ministries www.proverbs31.org I signed up for their daily devotional and as a mom and a woman it hits home every single day! The particular devotion I am drawing on here pointed out something I am TOTALLY guilty of- saying to someone "I will pray for you" and I mean it with all my heart and then life gets busy and before I know it I have forgotten to pray! So I have started keeping a small prayer journal in my purse and when someone asks me to pray or I say I will I try my hardest to write it in there but I also try to pause right there and pray- mainly to myself but I want to get to the point where it is natural for me to just say the prayer out loud with them!

Here are a few verses that proves this is important.

“Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

“When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask” Matthew 6:7-8

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

Day 2

2011-11-03T11:42:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for good customer service. Recently HTC pushed an update that I didn't know about to my phone causing massive chaos. At first it looked like I would have to buy a new phone but after Shane did some sweet talking we will be getting a Droid2 Friday and then I will be getting the new iPhone4s! Being nice still counts!

Day 1

2011-11-01T20:11:00.001-07:00

Day one of what I am thankful for...the marvels of modern medicine. From cancer treatment to hospice care...we live in an awesome time where amazing minds develop amazing things.

Birthday Party

2011-08-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Abbey's first party that she was able to invite her friends to and it was a HUGE hit! She had so much fun, and I think her friends did too!

Ava, Abbey, and Kate unwrapping gifts

This is Mimi, she is the daughter of my college roommate Kara

BFF's

Cake!

This was the game of the day

Helping Kate across the bridge

Abbey and Amirah

This playground was nice

The set up

We also made the delivery to the lady we are helping out. Thank you to all of you who donated items! We plan on working with her more and I did send a letter to the ministry at The Creek who maybe able to help her out with her medical needs. God is good.

Birthday prep

2011-08-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

Well today is the first birthday party for my 4 year old- oh my gosh did I just say I had a 4 year old?! Insane! This is also her first party that she was able to invite friends to! She is SO excited. I made my first doll cake- it is almost finished I just need to put one more color over her name and attach the fairy wings to Silvermist! I made treat bags for the kids and we will be attempting to play one game. More to come later!

2011-08-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

My own little world

2011-08-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hello! I want to share something that has been weighing on my mind for 2 years now. When I first started working at OneAmerica my sister in law and I rode together and we would see a woman on the corner of a large intersection day after day, well that turned into week after week, month after month and you guessed it year after year. Can you imagine being on the corner for over 2 years? Now I know that some people do not like to give to the homeless for fear of what they are really doing with the money- I kind of feel that way too.

But I knew that I was being called to DO something. Long story short a number of events in my life- church sermons, Bible verses, books I have read, stories I have heard have all reinforced this feeling. I have started reading a book by Francis Chan called Forgotten God which is all about the Holy Spirit. The good old Holy Ghost is a really, really hard concept for me to grasp. Even after reading the Shack! But what I have found is that when I hear a "voice" or continue to have the same thoughts, or things happen that constantly remind me of something it is really the HS! Crazy huh? Five years ago if you would have told me I would be blogging about the Holy Spirit talking to me I would have said you were off your stinkin rocker! Basically I thought people who claimed to hear the voice of God were lunatics! But what I have come to realize is that hearing the voice of God is NOT having a sparkly vision of a winged angel or hearing a booming voice coming from heaven.

Hearing the voice of God comes through reading the Bible and then randomly a verse or story pops in your mind. Hearing God speak to you comes in the form of a simple conversation with a friend at just the right time. Hearing God is listening to your 2 and 3 year old children talk about their faith. Hearing God's voice is letting the lyrics of a song on KLOVE really sink in and apply to your life.

So for 2 years I have ignored the voice I have heard, until about 6 months ago. I decided to step out in faith and write this woman a letter! That is right I was going to make contact with her! So I typed up a letter and tucked it in a hand made card and included a self addressed stamped envelope for her to mail me a letter back. Well, well, well darned if I didn't slap an expired stamp on that self addressed envelope. So there I sat waiting for a letter, only to realize one day when I went to mail a letter that my stamps were not forever stamps!

Talk about feeling awful- I had gotten this womans hopes up and then totally slammed her to the ground if she had tried write me back! So this past week I wrote another letter and I got a letter back!!! As I said earlier I am not a huge fan of just giving out money to the needy because you just don't know what they will do with it right? So in my letter I asked her to tell me what they needed. In her letter she stated that it would probably be easier to talk on the phone with her as her disabilities can make it hard for her to write. Oh my gosh did this woman just tell me I had to call her! Yes she did. So I actually took a night to say a few prayers about it and make sure it was the right thing to do and last night I made the call. Talk about being nervous, silly though to be nervous to help someone right!? The first phone call with her was just short of one hour!

Well as it turns out she is in need of some basic everyday items like soap, toothbrushes/paste, toilet paper, feminine products, lotion etc and clothes. So I gathered the sizes of her family (she is a single mother of a daughter and son both in high school) and I am working on getting some of the everyday items for her. The Bible study I am in will be working to gather these items. We can't do it alone so we are asking those who can help to do so. This woman does have a house that she and her children are living in and she has a car- so gas cards would also be a great thing to donate. There is a Speedway really close to the house that she lives in. If you are interested in donating please contact me- if you would like to give a monetary donation I would welcome that as well and please know that we will use that money to buy a gas card or some of the items needed above or clothing.

We are called to love one another join me in showing this woman the love that Christ showed to us by dying on the cross.

I would like to leave you with a few Bible verses that have led me to this journey

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Matthew 25:45 "And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'

James 2 14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Also this song from Matthew West speaks deeply to my soul every time I hear it reaffirming that I know that I have been called to do this.

My Own Little World

In my own little world it hardly ever rains
I've never gone hungry, always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world, population: me

I try to stay awake during Sunday morning church
I throw a twenty in the plate but I never give 'til it hurts
And I turn off the news when I don't like what I see
Yeah, it's easy to do when it's population: me

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world

Stopped at a red light looked out my window
I saw a cardboard sign said, "help this homeless widow"
And just above that sign was the face of a human
I thought to myself, God, what have I been doing?
So I rolled down the window and I looked her in the eye
Oh, how many times have I just passed her by?
I gave her some money than I drove on through
And my own little world reached population: two

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world
My own little world

Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours
Give me open hands and open doors
Put Your light in my eyes and let me see
That my own little world is not about me

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
That I could be living right now
I don't want to miss what matters
I wanna be reaching out
Show me the greater purpose
So I can start living right now

Outside my own little world
My own little world
My own little world

Yum Yum Yum

2011-08-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made a fantastic dinner- it had Gruyere, spinach, zucchini and some other yummy stuff and the girls ate every bit of their dinner!

Here is the link in case you want the recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spring-shells-and-cheese-recipe/index.html- I did have to make a few changes- I did not have whole milk so I subbed some half and half and heavy cream and then about 3 cups 1 percent milk. I also did not get shallots, actually I have never cooked with shallots- I need to, but I just used a red onion. Then I could not find Gruyere for under $17 for about 8 oz- I dug my heels in and said "oh heck no" to that price- it was even at stinking Walmarts! I left the cheese cooler shaking my head in utter disgust and drove on over to Kroger where I found a smoked variety. It was superb and the dish was a hit!

I also made my own herb and oil dipping concoction- the kind you get at Carrabbas but I think mine was a step up. Very very good. I sure am glad we all like garlic in the Zimmerman household!

I am still battling something in my throat/sinuses. I went to my family doctor Friday and she gave me a steroid shot because she thinks it is all related to allergies. It was kind of comical because I asked where I would be getting the shot, so I could mentally prepare myself you know, and she informed me it would be best to get in in the hip/butt area. Her reason was that since it is a steroid shot it can potentially "melt" the fat around the entry point and cause a divet I promptly said "Oh yes let's go with the butt area, there are enough divet's back there no one will ever be able to tell" ha! She just kind of giggled and did not know exactly what to say. I laughed. So I still have a sore throat- but I do not have mono, an abscessed tonsil, or strep.

I went to see The Help with my lovely sister in law Friday night and it was as great as I thought it was. I will say that I am an oddball when it comes to movies that are made from books. I typically do not get mad that the characters are not at all what I pictured or that the story kind of strays or puts in additional stuff that wasn't in the book- so with that being said I am pretty easy to please! Also if at all possible I wait until the cast of characters is final before I read a book being made into a movie so then I already have the characters in my head! So to summarize this movie was worth my $22 last night!

Today has been very productive- I made our fantastically yummy dinner, some dipped pretzels, homemade salsa, chopped some extra basil I had laying around and made basil cubes (put it in ice cube trays, froze and will use in soups/sauces later), and finally some french onion soup. Oh I lie, I also boiled some corn that I got for a dollar at the fruit stander (Abs calls it that) and cut if off the ear and froze it. I love to be in the kitchen cooking it is a stress reliever.

Shane just looked over and asked what I was typing about and I told him and he asked if I was about to type that I have the best husband ever, so yes I guess I will type that- I have the best husband ever.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Hey Stranger!

2011-08-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Well well well I actually decided to try and start blogging again- I know shocking! I was thinking I would do a long detailed reason for my hiatus but I decided to spare you all of the boring deets and just summarize!

Since December I had been in a funk of sorts- I say funk because I would not really classify it as a depression but I just had a lot of "stuff" pile up all at once and it knocked me on by behind in a quick minute. So I had to work with my doctor and do something about it- luckily we have it under control and life is trying to get back to what we would call normal!

Then there has also been the fact that I have been sick quite a bit this year with sinus infections, ear aches, headaches etc. I think we are finally getting somewhere with all of this because my doctor ordered a nasal CT on Monday and then the clinic at work tested me for Mono because I guess I am presenting with all of the symptoms- who knew kissing all of those random people would come back to bite me!? I am hoping to have results this week or early next week. To top this week off Kate puked at daycare and could not go back for 24 hours so I guess it was kind of nice because this week has been so hard for me at work- I am just exhausted! So I have stayed home with Kate today.

I have found that I can't be still. I have to be doing something when I stay home during the day- so today I have scrubbed the bathroom, did two loads of dishes, cleaned out my summer clothes and organized my closet, washed my sheets, and started another load of laundry!

Oh I also have a new cooking obsession- roasting veggies! It brings out so much of the flavor! Earlier this week I made a great pot of roasted tomato soup- wait back up- this was the 2nd pot because the first pot I made I accidentally left out on the stove all night so I had to toss it. I think I shed a tear or two over that one. So this time around I made sure to put it in the fridge! But I had two red peppers to roast to put in the soup so I also did that today. If you have never roasted a red pepper for goodness sakes stop what you are doing and run out to the store or your garden, grab yourself the prettiest red pepper you have ever seen and go roast him! The result will be just short of heaven I promise you! I then pureed them up and put them in the tomato soup that will be dinner tonight! Yum-o cream of roasted tomato and red pepper soup and BLT's!

So there you go- in a nutshell life was just crazy, I got sick maybe a little lazy too! During the course of all of this one of the people I held dearest to my heart passed away as well. My Grandma Stewart passed away on April 19th so that was a really sad time for me. I know where she is now and I know she is in no pain so that makes my heart happy. I know she used to love to read this blog and see the pictures of the girls.

So I hope to be more regular with my postings and updates/photos of the family. I will try to get some updated pictures of the girls on here- they are SO big now! I will also try to update as to what has been going on in their lives- they are crazy and smart and beautiful!

2011-06-11T18:02:00.001-07:00

Kate growling2

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2011-06-11T18:00:00.001-07:00

Kate growling

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Update on my Grandma Stewart

2011-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

For those who do not know my Grandma (Betty Stewart) has been in the Columbus Regional Hospital for the last few weeks battling an infection on her lungs- the family got news today that there wasn't anymore the doctors could do for her and the family decided that it would be best to move her over to hospice care. At this time we do not know much but on behalf of my family I am asking for prayers. Pray for my Grandma that she is in no pain and receives the best possible care while at Hospice. Pray for my Grandpa- after spending your life with someone, raising a family and a lifetime of memories I can't imagine the heartache he is going through. Pray also for my Dad (Bryan Stewart) and my Uncle Donnie (Ellerbrook) and their spouses that they can find comfort and some refuge in Christ. Pray for the rest of my family to be strong during this time and lean on one another and draw close to Christ during this time.

My Grandma is a great woman she has been a huge part of my life from the time I was born and I am so thankful that she has been able to meet and enjoy my family. I think the biggest life lesson I have learned from her is unconditional love- she has been a true example of what Christ calls us to do when it comes to loving others. She doesn't judge a person based on their choices but chooses to love the person regardless of their faults. She has taught me that people will make mistakes (some over and over again!) but that we are called to love them- especially family. I am grateful to have had such a strong example of this in my life because it is one of the hardest things to do but she did it with grace and showed ones around her the importance of loving people no matter what choices they may have made in the past. She believes that the the past is the past yet also part of who we are and if it were not for the mistakes we make along the way we would never be the people we are today. I have had the honor of talking with her about the amazing act of love that Christ poured out on us by giving His life so that we could be washed of our sins- Grandma and I both struggle with decisions we have made in our past but I talked with her about how we have to not only ask God to forgive us of our sins we also have to forgive ourselves. It puts peace in my heart to know where my Grandma's faith lies, the exact same place as mine.

Thank you for holding our family in your thoughts and prayers during this time. I will try to update as much as I can.

John 13 34-35
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Photo update

2011-04-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

Photos from my phone

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So Gross, but I still kiss her face!

2011-03-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Kate has an obsession with baby spoons, she can't reach the drawer where they are in the kitchen so she stands there and says "baby 'poon, baby 'poon" until we give her 2 of them. She likes to carry them around and pretend to feed her babies and herself. Well Shane found her walking out of the bathroom this weekend, 'poons in hand and one was in her mouth...so Shane went in and found a trail of water from the toilet to the hallway. She had been dipping her 'poons in the toliet and then to her mouth!!! Gross. I still kiss her mouth everyday :)

Abbey has been doing really well with learning her letters, she can even write her name! She did this all by herself, I did not even have to tell her how to spell it- she knew all of the letters!

It's been awhile...

2011-03-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! It has been a busy first part of the year for us! The girls are growing and changing so much it is crazy! Kate is such a big girl now- she sleeps in a big girl bed and she has started potty training and talking up a storm! Abbey is getting funnier by the day- she really has a good mix of both Shane and I's personality.

Today is a sick day for us actually, we are waiting on a call back from the doctor to see if we need to go in. Both girls have had a pretty nasty cough for the last week and a half or so and now Abbey has a bit of a fever. So we wait for the doctor to call us back.

Work is going really well for me and Shane has picked up a job selling laser tag equipment as well as being employed at the warehouse, lots of work from home for Shane.

I will try to post a few pictures from over the last few months.

We took the girls to Disney's Toy Story on ice, they had a lot of fun!

We rarely get family shots, this one is pretty good!

Kate being silly
Abbey got to go to the movies and see Tangled

The girls love watching movies in our bed

Slacker

2011-01-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

Wow its been a while! Sorry about that!

Quick updates- We are going to Disney Toy Story on Ice this Saturday so we should have pictures! Abbey keeps asking if it is Saturday yet. Abbey has taken to eating whole apples- the entire apple- we have to monitor her very closely or else she will make it all vanish- very quickly!

Kate- growing like a weed (well both girls Abs is now in a 5t, and Kate is borderline 2t/3t)! She has also peed in the potty quite a bit at Kallies, not so much here b/c she is afraid of our big toilet! We are getting a seat this weekend for her.

Here is a "conversation" Abbey and I had in the car today-

Abs: Do you know what a conversation is
Me: Yes, do you
Abs: Its what people do
Me: Yes, you and I are having a conversation, we are talking- it means to talk iwth someone
Abs: Do you know what talk back means
...Me: Yes, do you
Abs: Yes it is not nice
Me: You do not talk back to Mommy do you?
Abs: NO Mommy we are just having a conversation.....
Priceless moments!!

The pictures below are of the clothes my supervisor at work gave me- 4/5 clothes for Abbey! Yay she has pants that fit now- but my supervisors daughter said she wanted to meet the girl who was getting her old clothes- so the closest I could get was taking pictures so she could see Abbey LOVING her new clothes. She was very excited and kept saying everything I pulled out of the bag was beautiful, or cool, or pretty!

A Lesson in Tattle-ing

2010-12-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

So we have been working with Abbey on being a tattle tale when it comes to Kate. She is very quick to point out when Kate does something she is not supposed to, so we have been having the tattleing discussion a lot. Well tonight as Abbey was getting ready for bed she had to go to the bathroom so bad she was holding herself and dancing around and for some reason darting in and out of the bathroom instead of just going. Well she peed all over her hand and all over the floor and her panties, and she was embarrassed. I went in and she was talking very quietly and saying "mommy I peed on my hand, and the floor and my panties" She then looked at me with huge pleading eyes saying Mommy please don't tell Daddy. She then told me if I did tell Daddy that I would be a tattle tale ! Also that it is not nice to tell on people!

So then we went in the living room and Shane was watching a show about the plagues in Biblical times and Abbey got all excited to watch a Jesus show. Apparently the other day Shane was watching a "Jesus" show and Abbey said that she did not want to watch it because Jesus was going to die. Then a few days later she came to Shane and said she not afraid to watch a Jesus show and that she knew he was going to die. Doesn't this just make you wonder what really goes on in their little minds? Amazing.

Also a big thank you to those of you who pray for our family each day I truly feel your prayers and I love it. Keep on praying!

Snow Day

2010-12-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day that we were able to go out and play in the snow. Last weekend the girls both had a small fever so we stayed in. Then Kate had another MRSA outbreak on her bottom so this week was pretty low key for us. Kate is doing much better she is on antibiotics, and actually Shane is too because he had a spot on his arm that the doctor thought may be MRSA too- he was not tested only treated and he seems to be healing well too. But today we got to play! Enjoy the pics!

All bundled up

Snow angel!

Snot face

She mainly ate the snow

They would NOT cooperate for a picture with me!

Even the baby dog played

MMMM holiday bark- I love baking and cooking

Popcorn and Toy Story!

One of my favorite cookies

And finally, Abbey drew this and said that it was Kate and that she was angry. Pretty good for a 3 year old don't you think?

Christmas Card Designs!

2010-12-15T11:51:00.001-08:00

I love using the digital scrapbooking program from Stampin' Up!! These are the photos that will be coming to some of you in the mail! I wanted to post so you could see the ones you did not get and for those who read the blog who do not get a Christmas card from me! Keep in mind if you would like a handmade card just email me your address!

Backseat Chronicles I

2010-12-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

Ok so tonight Abbey and I were going to meet up with my sister in law and her daughter to decorate at a retirement home but I got hung up at work so instead I took Abbey out to eat at Panera and then to Starbucks. On the way there we were discussing if she was on Santa's naughty list, I asked her about her day because I knew what had happened at Kallies. She said she was good and did not do anything bad, then I asked her if she tipped a chair over and had to go to time out. She got really quiet and said "well yes, that happened" she said she went to time out and was better. I said well do you think that you should be on the naughty list then if you had to go to time out? She says "hmmmm, well no, because you know why Mommy?" I said no and she said "well Mommy sometimes mistakes happen" and that was the end of the conversation! She was very serious.

On the way home we were at a stop sign and she said to the other car "hey dude watch out" then she said haha I just said "dude"! She is hilarious!

The following is Abbey telling us stories in the truck on the way home from Florida- I had my laptop out looking up traffic maps because we had hit a dead stop in Georgia so I started just typing word for work what she was saying, please enjoy! I know we did!!

***Straight from the backseat, right out of Abbey's mouth****

Sleeping beauty came in to my room and told the dwarfs they could not come in. And Belle came in and Snow White came in and told the dwarfs no don’t come in. Belle let the beast come in and finally Princess and the frog came to our house because she was so beautiful. She was dancing and singing with me, we were playing hide and go seek. The frog was playing with the girl frogs. Then princess and the pauper came in our house with the cat and the dog. Princess and the pauper danced with me and she went to sleep in your room b/c they were tired, but the Beast didn’t. He just falled asleep out in the other room. In the living room. Where all the couches is. And on the floor. He didn’t eat Zeke, he just ate my horse. Don’t laugh. He woke up and played candyland, and all the princesses played candyland and I did not like the Beast. The beast and the princesses all danced with me and princess and the pauper danced with me. Sleeping Beauty and snow white and the dwarfs did not dance with me bc they were too little, too small to dance with me and they were too small to pick me up. They were too small I could not pick them up they were kind of big. The dwarfs ate our dinner. They shared my dinner with me, we ate fish. The beast ate crab because he likes crabs. He goes to the beach to find seashells to eat them. Then he jumps on the waves like I do. Then Cinderella danced and played hide and seek with me. Belle dances with me, Belle ate crabs with the beast. I shared my crayons with Belle, crayons are to write with. I am sharing my bracelets with everyone.

Favorite thing about FL was NOT driving and playing with the princesses. The real princess came with me today and tomorrow. We went to Walmart, all the princesses got some gas for us to drive. Sleeping beauty drives and Cinderella sits down and not drive. The beast stayed home with Zekey, he did not go somewhere. He went somewhere with Zekey- they went to walmart with us. They were buying food. And the beast farted.

I was scared of the real dinosaur. Here come the pretend spiders, hide!!! Cause here they come. They are coming to eat us, Daddy eat them hurry hurry, eat all of them. Here they come again.

Once upon a time there was a princess and all of the princesses ate dinner with me. They had a snack and lived happily ever after.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful snow white lived in the forest and the mean grumpy one lived with the prince. Two dwarfs went up the stairs and gave snow white the lamp. A white lamp. Snow white said thank you. The dwarfs gave her a diamond, the prince said snow white lives happily ever after the end.

Day 30

2010-11-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that I stuck with this challenge for 30 days! I hope that I continue to post regularly!

I am also thankful that we teach Abbey and Kate funny stuff- for instance this weekend we taught Abbey "ice ice baby, too cold". One night Abbey was at the dinner table about to eat her dinner and she randomly sang "hot pockets". Kate does not just give you dogs (fist bumps) she blows it up! Tonight I taught Abbey to tell Shane "you can't handle the truth" when Shane was asking her if she was telling the truth or fibbing, it was hilarious. Before I had kids I used to give other people kids a really hard time, now I have some of my own and it is glorious. :)

Day 29

2010-11-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that for the most part my tolerance level is pretty high.

Here are some examples-

When Abbey cries about being cold for over 30 minutes because we took away 3 of her 7 blankets.
In busy times at work I seem to focus more and thrive on getting tasks done rather than stressing out.
Traffic- I can deal with a traffic jam my husband almost looses his mind.
At the doctors office when some parents are almost cussing out the poor women who work the front desk. By the way if my sister in law Jenny reads this please know this is NOT directed at you for losing your cool at your doctor's office- everyone knows meat should be ordered at home :)

NOW that being said I have on more than one occasion lost my temper when Abbey was throwing a fit sure.
I have vented to a coworker more than I should have or fed into a conversation that was not appropriate, sure.
I have called other drivers every name in the book- probably more often than not when they want to switch lanes but won't use their turn signal to let me know rather they just cut me off. I am a nice person if I see your blinker I will normally let you in, if the car in front of me has not just cut me off, but you cut me off and I will be right up on your bumper speaking with my hands a lot. Not throwing up the bird just in general throwin up my hands asking if you are indeed the stupidest on the road.
I have also possibly given the woman behind the counter the look of death when she told me I could not place Kate's MRSA culture on the counter that was sealed in a test tube, in a plastic bag inside a brown paper bag.
But what I will say that for each of those instances it took a lot to get to me.

In general I have a lot of patience, and for that I am thankful.

Day 28

2010-11-28T18:18:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for yet another family Thanksgiving dinner! We went to church this morning and then we drove down to my hometown of North Vernon to see my Grandma and Grandpa Stewart and then to see my Dad and Ginger! We had deep fried turkey and it was delicious!

Front of my Dad's house

Admiring baby Jesus
Looking at the reindeer

Side of the house

And the back- my Dad did a great job and wanted to let the girls see the lights before we left- they loved them!

Day 27

2010-11-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that we could gather with the Gootee (my Mom's side) clan. All of my Mom's siblings were able to be there and all of my immediate family. It was nice. We met at my Mom and Dad's church and had a soup fest! There was a lot of good food and lots of kids running around and playing.

Day 26

2010-11-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful we put up our Christmas Tree!! The girls loved it and I caved and let them use colored lights and crazy ornaments, they are still cute. If we move and have a bigger house we will have 2 trees and one will be a colored light tree and one will be all white lights and my pick of ornaments! Until then Shane and the kids win!

Quick Abbey story- This morning she as singing her "Ariel" song and she came in the kitchen with a scrap of paper she had scribbled on and said Mommy I have a message for you!! It says "if you throw fits, God help us". Now here is the story behind that- each night we pray and ask Jesus to be with Abbey and help her to be a good girl and help her to not throw fits and to help Mommy and Daddy to be good parents- so I guess at least she is listening, and yes when she throws fits- God help all of us!!

Kate and I on Thanksgiving

The manger that my father in law made
The tree

Tree and mantle

I could not get Kate to look, oh well

Abbey helping put the tree together

She was hiding behind the top of the tree

Trying to say cheese!

I told them not to touch this stuff...then I showed Abbey the mouse and she looked right at me and said "no touching Mommy"- thank you Abbey, I should have known!

Kate Jammin

2010-11-26T09:35:00.000-08:00

Day 25

2010-11-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the Zimmerman Thanksgiving gathering we went to today. I am so lucky to have awesome inlaws! I know many who do not or do not appreciate them, I do each and every one of them!

Abbey and Kate had a blast playing upstairs like big girls with their cousins. Normally Kate has to stay downstairs but she was allowed to venture upstairs with the big kids because her cousin Dani does a great job watching her. She was utterly exhausted and fell fast asleep on the way home. Playing with the big kids tuckers her out!

I am also thankful that we get to travel to North Vernon this weekend to have even more family celebrations!

I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving.

Day 24

2010-11-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for a short work week! We came back from vacation and then only had to work 3 days. Yay. Can't wait for the next few days and seeing family! Oh and eating yummy food.

Day 23

2010-11-23T20:40:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for the fact that that our girls are only nineteen months apart. Most days are good, sure we have some off or stressful days but in the big picture I love seeing their bond grow and develop. I pray that they will always stay close and have a lifelong best friend in each other.

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Day 22

2010-11-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for magazines! I love magazines. I read them all of the time. Here are a few that I always buy or have a subscription to-

Food Network Magazine- this is my all time favorite
Everyday with Rachael Ray
Parenting
Redbook (they recently revamped the design/content and it is way good!!)
Weight Watchers
Disney Magazine- I recently discovered this one and it is fantastic!

Those are the ones I make sure I buy all of the time

Some others that I enjoy
Cooking Light
People
Better Homes and Garden
Woman's Day
Creating Keepsakes
Scrapbooks Etc
Paper Crafts

What magazines do you read?

Day 21

2010-11-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that we decided to start volunteering at the church nursery. We have used it so much the last 3 years and we have finally started repaying them by helping out!! It has been fun and nice getting to know people in the church and their children. Abbey gets very excited to "help" with the babies. Shane works in the room where Kate is and Abbey is able to come in and "help" after she goes to her class while we are in church. It feels good to help!

Day 20

2010-11-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

I am thankful to be HOME!!! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed. This is funny, last night we stayed at what I thought was going to be a crappy hotel and it turned out to be super nice and it had the best bed we had slept in all week! It made us happy!

Day 19

2010-11-20T08:48:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for being blessed with such great friends! Some I have known since kindergarten and some only within the last year, some are even family! Some I see daily and some I am lucky to see maybe once a year. Thank you all for being such good friends!

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Day 18

2010-11-18T15:01:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that I have been able to enjoy so much quality time with my girls this week, much of it was spent just being lazy at the villa but that was fine by me!! We had fun playing together and going places, just the 3 of us. They have been so good and really a joy to be around this week. I love them!

It's almost that time of year

2010-11-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

It is almost time to start Christmas shopping so I have created Abbey and Kate's wish lists on the blog for those who are buying gifts! Grandma's have requested this so here you go!

Also a few things for your entertainment-

Abbey got a lanyard with a flashing button at Shanes trade show and she called it her necklace- she has a nightstand in her room where she has been putting it and she calles it her jewelry box. She asks all of us here if we want to come see her jewelry box.

Shane works with a man named Eric who has been sharing the villa with us and Abbey refers to him as Prince Eric. Abbey and Kate both got Ariel dolls from Disney and they have a purple bikini top on- well today as we were dropping of Shane and Eric at the convention center Abbey was talking about all the things Prince Eric likes about Ariel- she said first her red hair, and then she said Prince Eric also likes Ariel's purple boobies!! Wow, she is something else.

She has also been saying two new phrases, probably thanks to me- first she when we tell her something she says "are you kidding me?" for instance today I told her to eat her sandwich and she looked at me and said "are you kidding me?" No Abbey I am not kidding eat your sandwich.

She also says "you are making me nervous" for example last night we had to go pick up Prince Eric and I wanted her and Kate to wear a light jacket so Abs was helping Kate with her jacket and Kate was acting like a mad bird flapping her arms about and Abbey looked at me and said "mommy you are going to have to help Kate with her jacket she is making me nervous". She is so darn funny!

Kate has really changed on this trip, she looks older to me. Its funny, when it is bed time and both Shane and I put them down they throw major fits but the last two nights it has just been me and there have been no requests for bandaids, no drinks, no tears and nothing hurting- just stories, prayers and bedtime. Crazy. Since we have gotten to the villa the girls have been sharing a room at night which has gotten me thinking that I kind of like this and may be moving then to the same room when we get home so that we can have a guest room/office/toy toom. I think that maybe bunk beds would be good and moving Kate to a big girl bed with Abbey in the room may work. Thoughts?

Well it is now nap time in the villa, sweet dreams. :)

Day 16

2010-11-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that I have a job to take a vacation from! I really do like my place of employment, actually there are many things I like about it...

I love the fact that I finally work downtown
I have made some really good friends among my co-workers
I enjoy the problem solving aspect of my job when it arises
I love the fact that there is so much room for growth and improvement
I love the fact that my management team is very supportive
I love the fact that we have processes and procedures and stick to them, mostly!
I love the fact that our company (OneAmerica) really demonstrates that they care about the employees- we have many learning opportunities and improvement classes that not only apply to work but they can also be applied to everyday life

I am thankful to be employed.

Day 15

2010-11-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for a family trip to the beach! We went over to the Atlantic side to Cocoa Beach. It was fun to see the girls play in the sand and Abbey run around in the water. It was a little too chilly for Kate, the water would rush up around her legs and she would cry! Abbey, on the other hand, loved it. The water really was not too bad once you were in for a few minutes, that first shock was pretty cold though! We had lunch on the beach and then went down and played in the water and in the sand. It wore them out for sure!

Abbey running around on the beach

Daddy and his girls
She loved playing in the waves

Abbey and I at lunch

Getting water for the sand castles

Kate preferred the sand

Such a big girl

No more high chairs!

Daddy and KayKay

So worn out!

Crashed in about 5 minutes of being in the truck!

Day 14

2010-11-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for our trip to Disney! We had a blast and the girls were so good! Not one meltdown, the only thing I wish we could have done was see the whole 3D movie, it was a little scary for Abbey and she said she had to go potty so we got up and shortly afterwards Shane and Kate came out. It was super cool, Donald Duck brought out an apple pie during the movie and they piped in the scent of apple pie! I guess it all went south with Kate when he spilt a mop bucket and water sprayed the crowd- she did not have on 3D glasses so I am sure she would have totally flipped her lid! Even better is that we got out of the park with snacks, dinner, and stuffed animals for under $100, not too shabby (we brought lunch in). Enjoy the pictures!

The entrance to Disney World!

Cinderellas castle
Tea at Minnies house

The girls in Minnies house

On the boat to get to Disney

Kate snoozed for maybe 30 minutes!?

Mmmmmm ice cream

Yum

So happy!

Spicy buffalo doritos for lunch

Minnies house

3D glasses

Finishing her ice cream

Loving the ice cream

Kate loved it too!

More please

On the Dumbo ride

Dumbo ride

On the dumbo ride still

Abbey and her 3D glasses

The castle again

With Belle- she fell into Cinderellas arms the moment she saw her, it was too cute

In the candy shop

The sweets! Mmmmm I got a cupcake and I can't wait to eat it!

The castle all lit up, it was so pretty

Daddy and his princesses!

Again all lit up

Cheese

On the magic carpet ride

I love my girls!!

Day 13

2010-11-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for the fact that we arrived safely to our final destination! We had a short trip to the villa from Valdosta and the girls did fine, we were all ready to be out of the car for sure. The girls have had a really hard time adjusting to sleeping in strange places so pray that we all get a good night's rest. They are sharing a room which has never happened. I have a feeling we will be ending the night with two little monsters in our room- not fun. But I am thankful that we made it down here safe and sound.

Day 12

2010-11-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

I am thankful today for the DVD player in our Yukon! The girls were able to watch movies all the way to Florida and this prevented any meltdowns or fits. They made it the whole way down to Valdosta and were perfect angels! We may have waited a little too long to change Kate as she peed through a diaper but she was not fussing so we kept on a trucking! We only stopped 2 times, insane. Please pray the trip back goes just as smoothly! Thanks for all of the traveling prayers everyone said we appreciate it! Stay tuned for pictures from the trip I am going to try to post them here and there!

Day 11

2010-11-11T17:54:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that most nights Shane gives the girls baths! It's not my favorite thing to do I will be honest. Kate makes me a nervous nelly because she basically nose dives for everything she can get her hands on and tries to stand up. I don't mind doing bathtime with Abs, she showers now. She is so grown up. She does not need much help anymore! But I am so very thankful for Shane who gives the majority of the baths in the Zimmerman household. Love you Shaney.

Day 10

2010-11-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my DVR. I was wiped last night due to a massive raging headache. So I am able to watch my "shows" tonight! I am a TV junkie, almost any reality show and you can bet I am watching it. Any sappy stilly show I am there. I even watch Shane's golf reality show with him. I watch shows about men who purposely put themselves in the wilderness with no way out and have to drink their pee to survive. I love TV. My DVR only adds to my obsession, but I am thankful for it!

Day 9

2010-11-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful I have a car that can safely transport my family. Today it broke my heart to see a family traveling in a car where the children were not properly secured. I am so very thankful that my car gets me to the places I want and need to go. I do need to do a better job on keeping it clean! It is kind of a catch all from work and picking the girls up!

ps- Heather I promise I am not your blog stalker who posts about carseats- in my story the poor kids did not even have on seat belts!

Day 8

2010-11-08T17:46:00.001-08:00

I am thankful that Kallie invited us to the couples small group that we are now part of. Shane and I have made some good friends and so have Abbey and Kate! We read Fearless by Max Lucado which was really good and also Crazy Love by Francis Chan which I highly suggest everyone read- that book was amazing. I am happy that we have other Christian couples that we can relate to. I think it is important to be active in a small group or circle so that you get to know others you go to church with and can "do life" with them. It is very helpful for us because our church is so large it helps me feel connected and like I "know" people!

Day 7

2010-11-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for naptimes! We are very lucky to have gotten the girls to nap at the same time. So on a typical Saturday and Sunday we can normally count on at least 2 hours of peace and quiet! You ask what am I up to today with those priceless hours? Relaxing on the couch while Shane watches football and I listen to some music (Newsboys I am Free- live on YouTube right now) and do some digital scrapbooking! We are blessed for sure!

Day 6

2010-11-06T16:26:00.001-07:00

I am thankful that Kristy, Beth, Sherry and I are reading this book together. We started this week and met at Panea this morning to talk. We went for over two hours and it seemed like it flew by, we sure are windy! I am blessed to have such awesome friends- two of which are my husband's sisters and one I have been friends with since the 4th grade! We know we can depend on one another to pray for what we need and to listen, give advice, or encouragement when we need it! I look forward to meeting with them for this study! We are sure to learn so much from one another!

Funny Abbey moment

2010-11-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Abbey was "showing" TJ how to play on nickjr.com

TJ "messed" something up

Abbey says, here I will fix it for you I know how. TJ just tell me when you break something and I will fix it. Then when I break something I will fix it too, because it is my house. That is what I do, I fix things at my house. Because it is my house.

Pretty sure TJ was thinking, ummmm ok.

Day 5

2010-11-05T16:57:00.001-07:00

Kate enjoying "How to Train Your Dragon"

Kate, Abbey, Dani and TJ all eating popcorn watching the movie
Cousins!

Tonight I am thankful that we were able to watch Dani and TJ- my brother and sister-in-laws kiddos! Tim thier older brother had a football game and it was way too cold for the younger ones! So we all cuddled up and watched How to Train Your Dragon, we also have the Muppets Pajanimals but I don't know if we will get to that one we will see! Abbey and Kate love spending time with Dani and TJ! Abbey feels like a big kid when she is with them and Dani is really helpful with Kate! We had a great night!

Day 4

2010-11-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for modern medicine! Today the girls got flu shots so I hope and pray that they don't get the flu. I never used to get the flu shot until I got the flu a few years ago, it was horrific. Plus work pays for the majority of the flu shot and we can just run downstairs and get them for $5! Can't beat that! Also our insurance pays for the girls in full so that was a pleasant surprise. Shane is the only one in the house that hasn't gotten one and I am not holding my breath on that one. Shane isn't all holistic and "I am not putting that in my body" but for the life of me I can't understand why he won't just pop a few pills when he gets sick? Oh well, when he is feeling horrible sometimes I can get some Mucinex in him but for a headache- no, zip, zilch, nothing. I gladly take meds, I am a junkie. Not really but I am really not opposed to them! In fact like I said above I am thankful for modern medicine!

Day 3

2010-11-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

I am sure you guessed what I am thankful for- my princesses! I still some days can't believe I am a Mom! I love every minute of it even when they are screaming and yelling, maybe not in that moment but really every day they bring a joy into my life that I can't live without. We are so blessed to have two beautiful girls. I am also thankful that we decided to try to have them so close together- they are 19 months apart and the bond that I see forming between them is just priceless. Shane and I go back and forth on having more or saying this is it- I think we will see what God had in store for us and enjoy the journey!

Day 2

2010-11-02T16:20:00.001-07:00

I thought I would post about the 2nd most important thing to me- my marriage! I know some of you are thinking how can she not be thankful for her children first!? Personally I rank my faith, my marriage, and then my girls- I have a reason for this don't worry! I have to have a strong faith in Christ for my marriage to survive in this crazy world that pulls our minds and hearts in places they shouldn't go- I have to have a strong healthy marriage in order to be able to show my girls an unwavering love for my husband and raise a Christian family.

My marriage makes me happy! Shane is the perfect match for me in every way possible! A big thank you goes to my good friend Amy for being so persistent that we meet! We were both opposed to it for quite a while, but she finally tricked us into meeting at a cookout! The rest is history! Sure we have our days where we bicker and fight but most of the time we both get tired and ask the other if they are finished being mad- being mad at your spouse is typically not fun- at least for us! I will admit I stay mad longer than Shane and I get mad more often than Shane but he puts up with my madness so well!

I forgot to add yesterday while I was blogging I asked Abbey what she was thankful for and on her own with no prompting she said "God". I thought it was a fluke so I asked her again tonight and at first she said "dor-dor" which is what Kate calls Dora so I asked her what made her the most happy today and she said "Jesus and God"! She makes me smile! So happy she talks about God and Jesus so freely!

Day 1

2010-11-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

My goodness I had such a hard time coming up with Day 1 "What am I thankful for"!! I decided to start with the number one thing in my life- my faith! But to narrow it down a little more I am really thankful that Shane and I have made a new habit for our family. Right now it is just Shane and I who do this but we hope to include the girls in the future when they start going to school or getting up earlier in the week.

About 3 and a half weeks ago Shane and I decided that we needed to start getting up earlier than normal and start our days off together by reading the Bible. I am so very happy to say that we are still going strong! I think we have only missed one day and that was because I over slept- oops! We started with Romans and we are now in Mark. We are learning a lot of things for sure but even better we are questioning more and more, which by the way our church has an awesome ministry called Bible Answers OnDemand where you can send any question you have to an email address and get an answer supported by the Bible- they were very helpful the two times I sent questions and their responses were very, very detailed. The people behind this ministry take it very seriously, I love that our church offers that. Very cool.

Also this has been an awesome way for Shane and I to grow closer and talk about important issues in our family and how we want to raise our girls in a world that will try to drag them away from what we believe. It's going to be the hardest job we do- to lead them to a lasting relationship with Christ but if we are not equipped with the right tools how can we lead them to anything? We know that they are going to have to see us as Christians in all aspects of our lives and not just on Sunday. Shane and I have both been trying really hard to be better Christians- not just better people- BIG difference there. It is hard sometimes but worth it in the end. I want my girls to be proud to have us as parents and never be ashamed to call themselves Christians.

I am so very thankful that Shane and I have started this and hope to carry it on for a long, long time. I think part of the reason Shane likes it so much is because I get up before him and have coffee and breakfast (normally a hot breakfast, not just cold cereal!) waiting on him.

So that is Day 1- I am thankful that Shane and I read the Bible and pray together!

What are you thankful for? Feel free to leave a comment and play along with me this month! Stay tuned for Day 2!!

Test.

2010-11-01T16:13:00.001-07:00

I am blogging from my phone! Just had to test it out!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:01:00.001-07:00

This weekend was lots of fun! We carved and painted pumpkins, went to church and worked in the nursery (or helped with the babies as Abbey says) and then came home and napped and got dressed up and made the rounds for Halloween. We met up with a few couples from our Couples Bible Study and walked around their neighborhood- the girls cleaned house for sure! At one point Abs looked at Shane and said "Daddy my legs just won't go anymore" she wasn't tired though! Stay tuned I am stealing an idea from a blogger friend of mine and I plan to post once a day for the month of November about things I am thankful for- I will try to remember to ask Abbey what she is thanful for too- probably Max and Ruby, Sherry and her Dodee- not sure about those last two she just added them in our dinner prayers this past week. Sherry you should feel honored! :) Enjoy the pictures!

Abbey painted the one on the right and Kate did the one on the left!

This is the pumpkin that Shane carved in preparation for our trip in less than 2 weeks!

This is what I had to settle with

Because my witch lost her feet and broom, oh well

This was Rachels super cool cat

Kate all bundled up hitching a ride in the wagon!

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Zimmerman

Twins!

She even got makeup applied!

I decided to be a cat!

Kate being the princess that she is!

Two Disney princesses!

Kate looked so cute in this hat

The gang

This house was SO cool!

Nice, Thanks Kate

2010-10-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Abbey was trying to put on make up

She is too cute
This is how I found Kate one morning this week, I knew at about 10 pm she had taken off the top part of her pj's and I thought I would gamble it and see if she would leave her diaper on....I then knew at 4 am she had taken off her diaper but she was not awake or crying so I let her be! She had a little pee in her bed but luckily no poop!! She also seemed very proud of herself when I walked in! Silly girl.

Calling the Doctor

2010-10-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight when I came home I said I was not feeling well and that my throat hurt- Abbey asked me if I thought I would need to go to the doctor and I said maybe. A few minutes later I see Abbey on her play phone talking and I ask her who she is talking to and she says "the doctor" it went a little something like this....
yes doctor, my mommy is not feeling well can you see her?
i asked her to see what day he could see me and she said saturday
i asked how much it would cost and she said all of my money
i asked her what time and she said forty eight

So glad she was able to get an appointment for me!

Sunday we went to church and then worked in the nursery for the second service- I work the desk and Abbey and Shane work in Kate's room. Then we met up with Great Grandpa and Grandma Stewart and Grandpa Bryan and Grandma Ginger at Jonathan Byrds and I am happy to report that both girls behaved very well and ate a lot of lunch! We then ventured down to a very nice park in Greenwood, University Park. The girls ran around while we chased after them.

Abbey loves swinging

Kate hung out with Great Grandma Stewart for a little while

Hanging out on the merry go round

Abbey went all the way to the top

Everyone was enjoying the swings!

This is my favorite picture of Abbey so far

Horsey rides!

So happy!

I think Shane did something that Kate did not like, look at her face!!??

They sure do love their Daddy!

A day at the park

2010-10-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Abbey let me put hot rollers in her hair! See picture below

This was her "coconut"

This was about 10 min after buckling them in- I hate blogger and how it arranges pictures and not being able to move them- these should be at the end but I am not messing with it!

Crashed out!

Our couples Bible study group met up and had a cookout at Southeastway Park- it was the nicest day we have had this year!

She made me so nervous but kept telling me to stop watching her she was a 3 year old!

It's a faceoff

She loved the playground!

So did Abs

So very pretty

Hello!!!!

Yay!

This slide was a big hit

Kate is such a big girl now!

Whooo-hooooo

This was the day she got 3 shots, pretty good mood huh?

Curlers! Kate was telling me she wanted some too!

Horsey rides

Stamping with Mommy

Please Help me raise some money for babies!!

2010-09-17T14:58:00.001-07:00

Please help me raise money for Life Centers! I am walking in their 5 k walk on the 26th and need to raise some money! Here is the link where you can pledge online. www.firstgiving.com/brookzimmerman and here is the link to Life Centers if you would like to know a little more about them http://www.lifecenters.com/

And here is a quick overview:

Helping women in unexpected pregnancy situations is a special way of sharing Christ's compassion, love, and hope. Life Centers affirms the value of life in this way by providing a network of care that includes counseling, healing support, and resources that explain the truth about life.

Thank you to those who have already donated!!

Say what?!

2010-09-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know let me start at the beginning...

Middle of this week Kate had what looked like a pimple on her bottom well by Friday she was running a mild fever and totally not sitting down at all and clearly uncomfortable. We get home take a look at it....oh no wait....you must hear this part. Just know that Dr. Shane is now booked solid for about 2 months after word got out about his mad medical skills.

Rewind to Thursday night at bath time for the girls. I am cleaning up after dinner and loading the dishwasher and Shane and the little women are in the bathroom playing around in the tub (Shane isn't actually in the tub only supervising!) typical bath night routine. I finish up in the kitchen and go into the bathroom and smell mouthwash. I immediately think that Shane let Abbey use mouthwash and ask him why I smelled it- oh no I was dead wrong. Pause here and just take a mental assessment of things you think he might have done with it. I will wait.

I bet none of you guessed that he put it on Kate's butt did you? I am not lying he put it right on her little wound- but not until after he had squeezed it to try to get the puss to come out!!! I could not believe my ears. She had not cried or screamed at all about it. So I had to ask exactly why he did this and he tells me that is what he does to his face when he gets a zit. Logical.

So now back to Friday night- I post what is going on with Kate's rear end on Facebook and get multiple replies (thank you by the way if you commented!) that I needed to watch it because it could be MRSA- errrr hold up- WHAT?! MRSA is what ill people in the hospital get right- like the stuff that can turn into flesh eating bacteria that is medicine resistant? So I freak out and start webmding MRSA like no other. Come to find out it rarely turns into the flesh eating deadly kind and that it is more common than one would assume. Actually 30% of the population currently have MRSA and show no outward signs- kind of like carriers you know? So we call ask a nurse- don't know why we do that but we do instead of just calling the on call doctor from the pediatricians office because we always end up calling the on call doctor after ask a nurse. But anyway- the on call doctor informed us that there were indeed Saturday hours at our practice and we should probably call in the morning and see if Dr. G wanted to see her. We did wake Kate up at about 11 last night to take her temp and look at her bum- all I will say is that she was thoroughly confused but thankfully went right back to sleep! It looked actually better than what it did, I am going to admit it was probably because of the mouthwash, and she was not running a fever so we left her until the morning.

Shane was up at 6 to play golf so Iwas able to sleep in until about 9 and then Abbey went to the bathroom and woke me up. Kate was also awake so I went in to see what her backside looked like and it was still red, raised and super hard. I call at 9:20 they say they can see us at 9:45 so I say we'll be there. Oh did I mention that I got up at 9, no one had any breakfast yet no one had any clothes on and we had to leave pronto! I threw and English muffin in the toaster, put a shot of poop medicine in Abbey's milk, poured Kate's milk and prayed that I did not get them mixed up and handed them out. I might add that all of last night's dinner dishes were still in the sink because I was a tad bit lazy last night and did not unload the dishwasher therefore I simply piled dishes in the sink all of this means that there was NO time to make coffee or stop to get a fix- I was in trouble. Abbey then informs me that she wants cream (cheese) on her "bagel" so I had to find it in the fridge and then slap some on and hope that she could eat it on the run and not get it in her bangs that now hang down almost to her mouth! I run around basically like a chicken with its head cut off trying to make sure the kids were dressed and I was dressed and actually wearing a bra and get out the door by 9:30- yeah you read that right I did all of that AND had two minutes to spare after the girls were in their carseats! Oh but wait I had not showered yet (I did get to brush my teeth) nor had I put on deodorant all I could do was throw my out of control hair in a barrette and hope to not look like Medusa. Not sure I quite accomplished that but hey we were in the car and on the road at 9:29 not too shabby if I do say so myself.

We get to the office and I have to hold Kate in my lap while the doctor looks at her boil - excuse me I just barfed a little in my mouth after I wrote that. Boil makes me blow chunks, it is totally gross. You want to know what it makes me think of- a very sick person with oozing sores all over them from like the olden days in bed with strips of gauze hanging from every inch of their body- that was why I just yakked in my mouth. Back to the office visit- I was holding Kate while Dr. G poked and prodded and squeezed her little booty. She was NOT a happy camper- he then gets up gets a warm compress and says that he is going to insert a needle and get some "stuff" to come out and do a culture to send to the lab. Yikes- I have to watch him stick a needle into her butt, I think I could pass out. Oh did I mention Abbey is sitting right beside me the whole time silently eating raisins, because she is. The doctor comes back in Kate and I assume position and in goes the needle- I suffered a kick to the head and basically had to break out some old school WWF moves to ensure that her legs were pinned back and she had no way of getting her hands down there to touch her open sore. It was a feat. I did it, oh and Abbey is still shoveling in her raisins. All is said and done and Kate is laying her head on my shoulder with her rump stuck out in air because she wants to make sure nothing is touching it but still wants to be cuddled!

I looked at Abbey and told her that she did a very good job and that it really helped me that she was so good. I might add that as soon as she knew we were going to the doctor she grabbed Kate's hand and said "Kate we are taking you to the doctor, you are going to get a shot, and it will hurt. But it will be ok, shots are good for us they help us to not get sick" oh it was so sweet!! She really does listen to what I tell her! That is one of my favorite parts of being a mom to them watching their relationship grow it just warms my heart and brings tears to my eyes. Also the doctor said I did a very good job too :)

So I then have to take this culture to the hospital, I could have had it courried over to the hospital but Dr. G said I would be quicker so off we go. Kate did NOT want to sit in the car seat but really had no choice, I wasn't going to let her be a hood ornament. We get there and go to check in and I have the "sample" which is a qtip with blood on it in a sealed cylinder in a bag in my hand- a toddler in the other hand, my purse and diaper bag in hand and pushing a stroller all at the same time. So what do I do once I get to the lab- I place the sample on the desk- totally the wrong thing to do- from the lady's reaction behind the counter you would have thought I seriously just shook a stool sample out of Kate's diaper and said here I need to get this examined. By the time I was finished dealing with Mrs. Frowny Face I was ready to punch her lights out and I really am not a violent person. We finally get checked in and I get called to the lab- Abbey has now insisted in riding in the stroller so I had to carry Kate, all my stuff and my "sample" careful to not let it touch anything besides my hand. I get to the hallway and the nurse just takes my sample and says thank you. Now let me explain that I was a whole 2 feet away from her this whole time she sees me struggling to get all my stuff together and never once says "here sweetheart all I need is the sample" no I assume it was amusing to her to see me break a sweat to take 4 steps. Note- in 15 minutes I have wanted to punch the lights out of two nurses- this is what no coffee in the morning does to me.

We get back into the car after riding double in the stroller (Abbey held Kate) I am sure it was quite safe but I dared anyone to even glance my way with a "what a horrible mother" look. Again, I would have punched their lights out. So we load up and go to Meijer fill the antibiotics that Kate has to be on, which were free I might add (love you Meijer) and then head to McDonalds- by this time it is almost noon and I have to settle for a diet coke because I just can't bring myself to stomach coffee and a cheeseburger but I really wanted a cheeseburger. The line is about 10 deep and Abbey wants to know when she is going to get a chicken nugget. Oh I had also asked her if she wanted a happy meal while at the hospital and she told me she wanted peanut butter and jelly. NO the whole point of Mc'ds is that I do not have to cook or make anything! What kind of kid wants a pb&j over a stinking happy meal- I should be happy right?!

Finally we get our stuff and make it home- Kate ate about 20 french fries and was out- she just got up and it is 3:30. She is now cuddling with Daddy watching the Notre Dame game drinking some pedialyte.

Doc said we should be fine, just to watch for other "boils" and to be sure to bleach the tub and not share towels with the girls! :) So we are watching her and giving her some TLC!

Thank you to all who were concerned and let me know about MRSA without you I would have never even thought of it!

She is currently running a fever but she is getting the tylenol/motrin combo in hopes of keeping it down and getting something in her system. Please pray for her and that she heals quickly. Love to you all.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-05T16:44:00.001-07:00

This weekend was busy for us already and we still have one day left! On Saturday I finally got my car washed and cleaned on the inside- it had probably been over a year and with two little princesses that ride back there you can only imagine what it looked like! Nice and clean now- I might add that I had the vacuum out and ready to do it myself when Shane looked at me and said "You know you could just go to Rama" and I gladly did- we also had a half off coupon so I got it all for $11, so worth it! I took Kate with me and she enjoyed looking at the cars go through the automatic wash and climbing up and down the in the lobby on the chairs. Then we came home and Shane watched Shane clean the garage, see the pics below I really really should have taken before and after pics it was a terrible mess! So now my goal is to start using the stuff you see in the pics, we will see. I am horrible at follow through when it comes to working out! Then we went to church and worked in the nursery for the second service- I worked the registration desk and Shane worked in Kate's room and he was able to bring Abbey down and they were all in one room. It worked out really well, it was a little short staffed so I went into the crawlers room and helped out. We will be working every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month. We were also able to let the girls ride their bikes and went for a walk in the wagon both Saturday and Sunday. We were outside a lot and we really enjoyed the beautiful weather. Tomorrow Shane gets to golf and I think the girls and I are going to go shoe shopping for Abbey. Here are a few pics from the weekend festivities!

Daddy teaching Abbey how to ride

She is getting the hang of it now
Kate got to ride the inch worm, she needs about 5 pounds more on her to make it really go

View one of the newly cleaned garage!

View 2 of the home gym

View 3- we turned the fridge so now Abbey can go get beverages- Shane tested her tonight with a Diet Coke and sure enough she brought one back in!

Kate loves sidewalk chalk

Abbey can put together a 48 piece puzzle- we have not tried the 65 piece one yet!

I am Free

2010-08-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

Music has been having a big impact on my walk with Christ lately. Basically I listen to KLOVE all day long and each and every song I love. I really can't even tell you what other songs are popular anymore! I never ever in a million years thought I would say that, but it is true! For instance I know that if I turn on KLOVE that the song that my girls hear is not going to be "I'm in love with a stripper" which did indeed happen this weekend! So I thought that I would write maybe occasionally what song seemed to be speaking to me and this week it is "I am Free" by the Newsboys.

This song, to me, is all about the miracles of Christ. I have the hardest time explaining to people who are not Christian why I am. I was raised in a home that loved Christ and it has never crossed my mind to not believe. I believe in the Bible and the story it tells and I do think that it is our resource as to how we are to live our lives and to explain that blind faith to someone who has no faith is something I truly struggle with. But on to what I do not struggle with- how much God loves us. I used to take it all for granted and live my life the way I wanted and do what would benefit me the most. What could I do that would be the most fun for me, get it- see how many times I used "me"? Then the last few years as I became a wife and a mother I had different priorities, then I started to put others first and began to feel the joy that brings rather than focus on myself all the time- don't get me wrong I need "me" time still. This is the sacrifice that Jesus made for us- he never put himself first he put every single person that would ever be created first. We are given a choice to be free. I used to look at my old life as being free because I was doing what I wanted when I wanted no matter the consequences, now however I realize that was more of a prison sentence because of where my actions were sending me. I wasn't free because I was turning my back on the one thing that would set me free. I needed to find my path with Christ. I am free to worship how and where I want, I am free to teach my children about the God I love, I am free to voice my faith, I am free in more ways than I can count. How are you free? It has been an amazing last few years and things just keep making more sense, I see how the small things I am doing in my life are really having a huge impact on others and myself. I am sorry if I rambled on here and this wasn't of interest to you- 6 or 7 years ago I would not have had any interest in this but things happen in your life that change you and I guess I had a few of those moments slap me in the face and make me realize what is important! Here are the lyrics, and of course you could go to youtube and hear it!

Through you the blind will see
Through you the mute will sing
Through you the dead will rise
Through you our hearts will praise
Through you the darkness flees
Through you my heart screams I am free
I am free

I am free to run
(I am free to run)
I am free to dance
(I am free to dance)
I am free to live for you
(I am free to live for you)
I am free
(I am free)
Yes, I am free
(I am free)

Through you the blind will see
Through you the mute will sing
Through you the dead will rise
Through you our hearts will praise
Through you the darkness flees
Through you my heart screams I am free
I am free
Are you free?
I am free

The Final Birthday Celebration!

2010-08-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

The birthday girl herself!

Of course Kate needed some cake!
She got some barbies! Mommy's favorite!

This little dog was adorable- it came with a bag, a leash, toys, a water bowl and comb- she loves it and tells me she has to take her doggie for a walk!

Loving her Barbies

A big thank you to all of our friends and family, we had a great time with all of you the last two weekends. We are blessed to have such a large family and circle of friends who love us!

Build a Bear

2010-08-28T18:14:00.001-07:00

Today we took the girls to Build a Bear (which Abbey calls Build a Teddy Bear) and then took them to the food court to eat chicfila and get cookies at Blondies. They were so good and had a wonderful time. Happy Birthday to my beautiful baby girl. She is 3!! Here are two funnies for you from the birthday girl- Shane opens up the computer for her to play games and she says "Daddy are we going to text on Facebook" NO clue where she learned that one! Then the cat has been having mad hairballs and it makes a noise like he is dying- I call it yowling. Abbey looks up and says "Daddy is that me throwing a fit?!" So funny.

Abbey chose a chocolate cookie with chocolate frosting, mmmmmm

She also got a card in the mail from her friend Reece!
Kate got a snickerdoodle, and ate darn near the whole thing!

This is Kate's bear that Abbey named Froggy for her! She did not let go of him the entire time she ate dinner

Abbey chose a Sleeping Beauty outfit, and gave her rabbit her birthday sticker

This was her rock star outfit

She was very excited!

So was Kate

Mommy and her girls

Pretty sure Abbey wanted to wear her hat because Daddy was, but at the house she told me she needed to wear it to keep the sun out of her eyes

Abbey's first 3rd birthday

2010-08-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the pics from this weekend's celebration with the Stewarts. We also went to my great Aunt and Uncles 47th wedding anniversary party.

Abbey's awesome princess cake! She LOVED it!

Her new big girl bike! Kate was excited too.

Learning how to ride, it may be a while until she figures out the pedals!

Sweet Kate

Little Diva

My grandpa's insanely tall sunflowers

I think Abbey looks very old here, she looks so pretty.

Abbey Funnies

2010-08-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

So driving home today Abbey told me who was a good driver and who was a bad driver- here is what I remember

Mommy- bad driver, runs into trees
Daddy- good driver
Aunt Beth- bad driver, runs into trees
Uncle Frank- bad driver, runs into things
Megan- bad driver
Rachel- bad driver
Grandma Maureeen- bad driver, runs into trees
Grandpa Vern- bad driver, runs into houses
Grandma Betty- bad driver
Grandpa Harry- bad driver, runs into cars (little did she know he gave driving lessons!!)
and drumroll please....the best driver was Uncle Sherry....yes you heard it right Uncle Sherry and she knew she was being silly because she laughed every time she said it.

Then tonight I was blowing raspberries on her belly and then Kate would and I said "phew, I am out of breath" and she laughed and said "do it again Mommy" so I grabbed her leg and blew on on her calf and then again said "phew" and she looked at me and said "Mommy are you out of batteries?" she is too funny.

Kate is communicating more and more with us- she was in bed with us on Sunday morning before we were getting ready for church and Kate said "moh, moh" and gave us the sign for more- Kallie taught her the sign for more and let me tell you she knows it! Good times here for sure! Stay tuned for pictures from Abbey's first birthday party this weekend!

Night time prayers

2010-08-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

So I have started a new night time routine with the girls- we go in Kates room and we say prayers I hold Kate and Abbey sits on the the glider footstool and we basically go through all of the things we are thankful for and for God to watch over our family and keep us close. Well we were going over all of our relatives we were thankful for and it was Abbey's turn and she said "Thank you Jesus for Santa Claus!" then launched into being thankful for each and every Disney princess she could think of! Tonight she was also thankful for her room and for Kate's room. Kate is very very sweet during this time- she crawls in my lap and lays her head down on my chest and lets me hold her like a baby (wow tearing up as I write this knowing that she very well could be my last baby!) and she just listens to Abbey and I say prayers to her. It is truly the best part of my day- it is also awesome to see Abbey's knowledge and understanding of God grow and develop so quickly. At the end of our prayers we also hug and kiss Kate and tell her sweet dreams and I added tonight to not let the bed bugs bite- Abbey looked at me and her eyes were full of doubt and she said "bugs can't bite us in our house" and that they were outside in their own houses! Oh I love to see how her mind works! Also here are a few pictures from tonight- it was a Mommy and the girls night because Shane was golfing- how can he golf in this heat I will never know! I golf during the months of March-May and September until it gets too cold!

I hear from the other room "I am sitting in my big girl chair Mommy" not so smart on Abbey's part to tell on herself as my Mom pointed out!

Abbey's very first french braid!

Fun Weekend

2010-07-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend! My friend Kallie came over and we talked the night away until 2 a.m- thatis the longest I have been up in a long long time- well worth it though. Then Saturday I went to Siam Square with girls from Marian- I had Pad Thai and it was delish. We then walked down to the Rooftop Garden in Fountian Square and had a drink- what a neat little part of Indy. Sunday was church, which was awesome as always- really seemed to be speaking to me today as it dealt with some things Shane and I have been trying to include in our lives. So that as encouraging. I have a bigger faith blog to come sometime soon but it is going to take a while to write so I will have to work on it first! Then we came home I cooked a few meals for the week because we will be having a super busy week and that makes it easier on Shane and I. The girls took a nap and so did Shane and I- I love days like that! We then ventured over to Beths for a day of swimming and family fun. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

My Marian buddies at Siam Square

I rarely get a picture with both girls, imagine Kate with something to eat in her hand!
The rooftop garden in Fountian Square

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes I made

Also, Shane stole my laptop and created a digital scrapbook page!

Camera Bandit

2010-07-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when little girls get ahold of the camera

It looks like she is drugged!
If she gets her hands on the camera this is what we get

Grandpa Vern got her this cute little shirt- its a size 4 in girls- she can now wear an XS in the big girls section- shirts at least pants she is in a 3T still. The shirt says "my fingers may be small but I can still wrap daddy around them" Kate got a cute one too that I will try to get a pic of

Kate enjoying her dinner of a tuna patty made with fresh ginger, garlic, scallions and red pepper- notice the tuna patty was the first thing gone!

Otis's new perch

Abbeys face here is just priceless

Such cute girls

4th of July

2010-07-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from the 4th of July at the Zimmerman family gathering at the inlaw's camper in Spencer. Abbey had a blast in the bounce house and Kate loved her Daddy's cigar! We had a great time, enjoy the pics!

Festival Time!

2010-06-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

Dani, TJ and Kylie on the Dragon coaster

Abbey and Keegan on the coaster- she was fearless!

Kate was really having fun

Kate and Kylie, Dani and Abbey behind them

Getting all buckled in

Kate and her friend Cooper

Merry go round with Dady

I was brave and rode one ride, of course it was one that spins

Preparing for take off

She totally loved it

Party time!

2010-06-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

We went to an open house and Abbey found a fishing pole!

And a new friend Kayla
We tried for a group shot of the girls but it did not happen

Kate loved creme puffs

Kate had a lemon

She seemed to love it

And then she didn't

But then she loved it again

She was funny

Barbie Jeep

2010-06-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

MMMMM Koolaid on a hot day

Cruising
Kate blowing raspberries

My very first diaper cake!

Shower favors

Loving her new Barbie Jeep

Hang on Kate!
Checking the battery!
Abbey and Kate having a blast
Just relaxing!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

This was Abbey saying cheese to me!

She was helping me cook, she was plucking all of the cilantro leaves from the stems! She did a fantastic job!

Relaxing after a day in the pool!!

She put on Uncle Frank's sunglasses

And so did Kate

Kate and Abbey both really enjoyed the pool this weekend, Abbey now jumps from the side of the pool and goes all the way under with out anyone catching her! Sometimes she says she wants you to catch her sometimes she wants to go under- trust me she will let you know which she wants!

They got matching suits this weekend, thanks Walmart!

While at Aunt Julie and Uncle Gregs Kate climbed up in the chair all by herself and just chilled for a little bit!

We had a good time visiting with everyone while the girls played with their cousin Bennett- I somehow only managed to get pics of Kate.....hmmmmmm

Before leaving to go to the cookout Kate insisted on wearing her jacket when she woke up, so I let her! I hope you all had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Pretty Girl

2010-05-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Just had to share my new favorite pic of Abbey, she is growing up way too fast!

Crazy Love

2010-04-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share that if you have not heard of a book by Francis Chan called Crazy Love then you should check it out- probably about 10 bucks and well worth it. Basically its all about falling in love with Christ and Christ being in love with us. This book by far has been the first book I can truly say has changed the way I look at life. I think most of you would agree that there has never been a time in my life where I did not have a relationship with Jesus- but I can say that there have been "seasons" of change for sure. I had a wonderful Mom and Dad who raised me in a Christian home and although I did not always agree with their "rules" (what kid does) I can't say how thankful I am that they always made sure that I had the knowledge I needed to build my relationship with Christ. With that being said the biggest "faith" struggle I have is with past sins and choices I made in my life- it is hard for me to think that some of my choices can just be forgiven. But over the past few months from reading this book and listening to KLOVE (Christian radio station) at work and in the car I have found myself letting go of those past sins, knowing that I am forgiven. It also helped me put it into perspective though hearing a sermon at church and a comment from my sister in law which I will share with you. It will make a lot of sense if you are a parent, that is when it sunk in for me. Let's say that your child did something that really really hurt you, yet over time they realized that their actions were wrong and realized how much they hurt you. Then they came to you and sat down and poured their heart out to you and acknowledged that they were wrong and saw their faults and asked for you to forgive them. Let's also say that you saw how truly sorry they were and you granted them forgiveness. How would you feel if then your child came to you, tearfully, everyday from then on out and kept telling you how sorry they were and kept asking if you could forgive them? I thought about this and it broke my heart- I can't imagine Abbey or Kate feeling like they could not accept my forgiveness once I had told them all was forgotten. I then realized that I had been doing the same thing with God- going to Him day in and day out begging for forgiveness of past sins- probably to the point of annoyance- but as a human we are stubborn! I then also realized that I was in a way not having faith by doing this because we are told that when we truly admit our sins and ask to be forgiven we are- by not believing this it was hindering my relationship. I could not grow because I could not get past my past! I was also so caught up in confessing the same sins over and over again I did not have time to add new prayers or concerns, which I have a lot of, to the mix. Then I heard this song on KLOVE and it pretty much put in into perspective- which it is funny because I had heard this song about a thousand times before I really really heard the words. Anyways I am happy to say that I no longer struggle with my past like I used to because I set it free, it honestly was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders and I see things growing and happening in my life now because of it. The song is by Sanctus Real and its called Forgiven- fitting huh?! I will post the lyrics at the end. But I just thought this was worth sharing because after talking about this with a few people I realized how many of us struggle with our past. No one is perfect, nor are we expected to be that is why we have the chance at a relationship with Christ- to save us from ourselves! Feel free to email me with questions or comments I would love to talk more!

Well the past is playing with my head

And failure knocks me down again

I’m reminded of the wrong

That I have said and done

And that devil just wont let me forget

In this life

I know what I’ve been

But here in your arms

I know what I am

I’m forgiven

I’m forgiven

And I don’t have to carry

The weight of who I’ve been

Cause I’m forgiven

My mistakes are running through my mind

And I’ll relive my days, in the middle of the night

When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride

Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry

In this life

I know what I’ve been

But here in your arms

I know what I am

When I don't fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere

When I don’t measure up to much in this life

Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘cause I'm forgiven

Down for the count

2010-04-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been a rough rough week! Starting with this weekend the girls were both running fevers and as always Kate is cutting some teeth so you never know if she is truly sick or it is just from the teeth. So then Friday night Abbey started running a fever and there had been a few sick kids at daycare so I took Abs to the take care clinic at Walgreens and we ended up waiting almost 3 hours. We started at CVS but there were 7 people in front of us and the minimum time each person takes is 20 min, so we went across the street to Walgreens and ended up waiting just as long! But Abs was very well behaved the whole time- sick and everything! So we got in and got treated for strep, we called our doctor to see if we could get Kate on an antibiotic as well because she had strep last go around too- luckily he called a prescription in and they both got on antibiotics and were able to go back to daycare on Monday. BUT then on Monday night I started running a fever! I have never in 30 years of life had strep throat- but sure enough I went to the doctor on Wednesday and I too am now on an antibiotic. Let me just say this about strep throat- I think its worse than labor pains and childbirth...maybe! For real it is horrible, I haven't been this down and out in a long long time! My fever finally broke today and my body stopped aching! I was actually able to make dinner and go outside! I can't wait to actually go back to work! Insane I know. Well I think we are all on the mend now so keep us in your prayers.

Picture Overload!

2010-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Wow its been a while since I have posted! Last time I told you all that we were pulling Kate's pacifier cold turkey and we have been successful! I hear from Kallie that she steals one from a little boy at daycare but other than that we are pacifier free! Poor little Kate is getting some of her back teeth in and she is NOT happy about it! Abbey is as funny as ever- one of her new talents is telling jokes for example "Knock Knock" Shane says "Who's there" Abbey says "Abigail Jane who just peed in the potty" or "Abigail Jane who just put on all of her clothes" basically what ever she has just accomplished! So funny. I have also picked up a new hobby- digital scrapbooking so I am sharing some of those with you as well.

A special picture of me and my sisters!

Can you guess who is who- I am in the middle, Kate is on the left and Abs is on the right

Again who is who? Kate is on the left Abs on the right.

Abbey is on the top Kate is on the bottom

This was Kate instead of color Easter eggs she needed to eat one!

Dani and TJ were very helpful

On and egg mission

Mommy and her girls

Kate knew exactly what to do!

Abbey collected 2 baskets full of eggs

Our beautiful angels

Such a great picture of Kate

Grandma Ginger and KayKay

Grandpa Bryan and Kate

Pulling the plug!

2010-04-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend, since we had an extra day, we decided it was time to take the pacifier away from Kate! I have never been a fan of pacifiers but as a parent you know that they are sometimes the only thing that can calm a baby and your nerves! We decided to do it this weekend because we love our daycare provider and wanted to try to make it easier on her by having this extra day with her at home, love you Kallie!!!

So today Kate woke up, I popped the pacifier out handed her some milk went in and took a shower and she hasn't had it yet today, it is now going on 2 in the afternoon and she woke up at 7:30 this morning. Now from what I remember with Abbey the nights are the worst- waking more, more crying jags and restless. So we will see what the night brings. We did take a long walk in the wagon this morning, which the girls LOVE. This afternoon when the girls wake up we are going over to Aunt Kristy's to color eggs with Dani and TJ.

Well wish us luck on this adventure of parenthood- we did it cold turkey with Abbey so that is how we are starting out with Kate too- with the understanding that they are different in some ways but yet very very similar too! I will update you soon.

Happy Birthday to my Baby!

2010-03-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

The Birthday girl knew what to do!

She really loved cupcakes!

Abbey got her fair share too!

Eyeballing it

So good!

Yeah for cake!

She is walking!

I used to sleep with my Mom like this!

The fam!

Smooches

Just give it to me!!!

MMMMMM I love cake

She loved shoving it in her face!

Crazy girl

So happy!

Feeding Daddy

Pigtails!

MMMM Dinner, I love to eat!

Big girl!

Wild hair

Goofball!

Pouting

Cheesy

Playing with her sister!

They get along 99% of the time!

Abbey fell asleep with her princess gloves on today!

Anatomy of a KayKay fit- Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5

MMMMM apples for a snack

Still throwing a fit

The Zimmerman clan

Matching dresses!

Super cute hats!

So cute!

Spring!

2010-03-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

So Abbey has been full of funny things here are a few I can remember:

She built a scene out of her breakfast dishes and items on the table- her plate was the house, the toast was the fence, and the chapstick was the fence post and she was breaking down the gate to get to her friends.

She has been calling everyone "insert name here"gail-jane- example Mommy-gail-jane! Its pretty funny!

Kate has been babbling like mad, especially to Abbey! She has been walking about 3-5 steps too. So here are some pics from the last few weeks!

Daddy reading to his girls

Golfing

Sweet smile

Kate

2010-02-28T17:50:00.001-08:00

The only place where she is not supposed to play...she is always getting into the diapers and wipes!!

I just thought this was so cute!
This chair has been in the family for 4 generations!

So cute!

Abbey was napping, that is why she is MIA in the photo shoot!

2010-02-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

Well the girls are doing well, Abbey finally kicked her fever Friday morning and she is still taking her antibiotics and Kate is pretty miserable with her 3rd and 4th tooth on the top coming in. I looked in her mouth and it seriously looks like little blisters on her gums and they NOT popped through! I swear she lives on Hylands teething tabs!! Oh well they make her happy, oh and motrin! Now Shane is sick, he has a fever, runny nose, and cough. I am next I know it. Anyway- typical Saturday around the Zimmerman household- cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning and lots of lounging!

This is the first dish I have made that I would call totally my own recipe since I did not use any recipe and it was fabulous. I just haven't named it yet. I am thinking Bacon Goodness or Oh my Bacon!

I don't know where our kids get the blue eyes but I'll take 'em!

I think I shall call her Kate Cullen...only a few of you will get that! :)

So I had to break out the bleach and sanitize all of the toys today!

There were lots to clean....

I think something puked toys on my table...see K in the background stuffing her face...the norm.

Abbey Update

2010-02-17T13:03:00.001-08:00

Well some of you know that the last few days Abs has had a fever that won't quit, 99-102 and it would come down with meds then go back up. I took her to the doctor today and he ordered some chest X-rays and sure enough she has a small case of pneumonia- nothing that she needs to be hospitalized for and he is putting her on Omnicef (not sure if I spelled that or pneumonia right but you know what I mean!). Also when the doctor called back he asked if Abbey was complaining of stomach pain, which she was yesterday, because he saw a very large gas bubble in her colon and said that it was probably very very uncomfortable for her. We are to let the pneumonia antibiotic go for a few days then start her on Miralax, an over the counter stool softner, and see how she does. Poor kid has always had poop issues. On a brighter note she has been in big girl panties since last Friday and only had dribble accidents, way to go Abs!!!

Kate came home today from Kallies, actually got chauffered, with a nasty cough and a slight fever. The doc said that pneumonia is not really contagious but that if Kate has a rough night we are to bring her in tomorrow to get checked out. She is also getting about 3-4 teeth in so you never know what symptoms are related to that!

So needless to say please say lots of prayers for my babies they sure could use it. Abbey is asleep right now, coughing quite a bit but nonetheless sleeping. Kate is in her crib kicking around all 5 of her pacifiers that we have to leave in there because she gest ticked off and throws them out- if you leave 4-5 in there she has a better chance at getting all of her aggression out on the first 3!! Thanks for your prayers and I will try to update you all soon.

Love to everyone!

Abbey's Sick Day

2010-02-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

So last night Abbey threw up, or as she says blew chunks, after dinner and had a bit of a fever and was up a few times last night going pee and still had a fever so I stayed home with the girls today. Abbey looked at me this morning and told me she wanted to stay in her jammies all day, which I was going to let her do anyway, but then she had to go potty and she stripped down and said she was going to go get new big girl panties and clothes...so I let her get it all on her own and this is what she came out with, she only needed me to get her pants from the top shelf. She then came out and dressed herself...

Putting on her big girl panties

And now her pants
She likes to wear them really high, so here she is hiking them up!

I had to turn off the flash because she was getting mad at me for taking pictures before she was fully dressed, so I tricked her and just turned the flash off but that made for some blurry pics

Putting on her shirt

It was tricky because the shirt had a hood!

Giving me a funny look, also notice the belly tatoo!

Her hair was doing something funky

The compelte outfit!

And a view from the back, something many of us forget to do before walking out the door

Singing!

2010-02-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

She wanted Shane to do it like SHE was doing it!

Yeah so Abbey had a small accident at the last moment...she is ok no worries!