So I'm writing on Saturday instead of Monday in hopes that I can get ahead on everything this coming week. I started the trend by preparing Sunday dinner ahead - a dish we actually had last Sunday (Rosemary Ranch Chicken, tossed salad and spiced rice). We loved it so much that we're having it again.

My husband is giving me tutorials in the art of grilling. The grill may be my new best friend. Grilling cuts down on clean up, and just about everything that comes off the grill tastes great! I am also utilizing my rice cooker/ steamer that Jason and I received at our wedding. It is one of those small appliances that gathered a lot of dust over the years on the top shelf of my cabinet until I discovered that I could cook large quantities of rice to freeze in smaller portions and that I could steam vegetables with much greater ease than on the stovetop.

Something I've been meaning to share... if you're in the market for car seats, strollers and pump accessories, good and bad ways to increase milk supply, call me, write me, come see me. I have logged countless hours researching these subjects and have made some good and bad purchases/ decisions. Now that I've made all my mistakes, I might be able to keep you from doing the same. I'm the person that just can't leave well enough alone. I make the purchase and

continue the research. I am very faithful to write reviews, but I'd much rather share what I've learned with the people I know and love.

One bit of advice I'll give you now... don't flip out over the fact that you'll probably end up buying multiple strollers and car seats. It's just a fact of life these days. I don't care how many people ask you how we survived "back in the day." Things are definitely different now and there are standards that we have to conform to. Otherwise, we'll get to pay the piper if officer friendly decides to have a chat with us on the side of the road one fine day. Moving as we do every 2-3 years, we try to keep our lives as clutter-free as possible. Although I tried to keep it to one or two strollers and as few car seats as possible, we now have three strollers and are already in the market for another car seat. We bought a super nice car seat that would take Jonathan to 35 lbs. and a small stroller frame. This saved us money that we then used to buy a glorified, somewhat stylish, lightweight umbrella stroller. What we didn't realize was that the company that makes the glorified umbrella stroller was slightly misleading in their marketing of said stroller. "Six months plus" should have read "one year plus". We needed another stroller to fill the gap. Right about the time we realized this, we received a gift card from Giggie and Bop.

I had already started research on an inexpensive stroller that would recline a bit and offer a little extra cushioning for baby boy. The option I came up with only put us out about $35 and filled the bill. It's lightweight (if just slightly ugly), reclines and folds pretty small to fit in the closet or the back of the van or truck. Again, the reviews weren't as true to form as I'd hoped. The "gender-neutral" pattern looked pretty feminine to me, so I spent a couple of nights with my sewing machine and one of the many blankets we received at showers, and designed an easily removable, plush seat cover that's a little more masculine. I'm so proud of how it turned out that I think I'm going to make another one. They get dirty so fast, it won't hurt to have another cover to interchange. We've decided that we really like the stroller because Jonathan seems to like it so much.

Tomorrow is my 37th birthday and though I'm about as exhausted as I could possibly be right now, I still don't feel as though I'm just three years shy of the big 4-0. My sweet husband had flowers sent to the house and took three days off to help me get some much needed rest. My Mom and Dad sent a beautiful Willow Tree figurine (Happiness), the Max Lucado book Fearless (a book that is seriously speaking to me right now), and a gorgeous card, my Mamma Allen sent a beautiful card and some money and I received several other lovely cards from friends and family. I share a birthday with my Sis-in-Law, Stephanie. Happy Birthday Stephanie! My Brother-in-Law's birthday is today. Happy Birthday Jeremy! My Father-in-Law's birthday is Tuesday. Happy Birthday Bop! On April 3rd, my Sis-in-Law, Cyndi has a birthday as well. Happy Birthday Cyndi! Sweet Cyndi is expecting. She and Josh have the whole family anxious for a blessed day coming in September.

The Max Lucado book is getting me primed for our return

to San Antonio. We will be living just a couple of exits northwest of the church that he pastors. I am anxious to sit under him again (Pastor Jeff, if you are reading this, I want you to know that we've loved sitting under your teaching for the past three years and we hope we'll get to come back for more someday.). I will sorely miss the gorgeous and unique Albemarle Country... the Sound, the Outer Banks, the interesting dialects, the soft evenings, the swans, geese and bald eagles, the warm-hearts of the folks here and the beautiful hardwoods, pines and swamplands bordering the farms. Still, I can't help but pine for a little house sitting just at the edge of the Texas Hill Country, the sun setting just beyond those hills, the days upon days of sunshine and warm temps, the live oaks, and the bluebonnets, indian blankets, indian paintbrushes and evening primrose that cover the countryside in spring. We'll be leaving one type of heaven to live in another. What a life.

On to more important things...

Jonathan definitely has two teeth coming in at the bottom. He is making all sorts of new and interesting sounds and he's getting really good at spraying his Mamma with pureed food. He likes to show us what he can do with those things in his mouth. This boy is still not exactly crawling, but we REALLY have to keep an eye out as he can get where he wants to go VERY quickly. He crawls forward a foot or so and then ends up on that tubby little belly. He pulls to a stand on his toddler seat but hasn't quite mastered that trick on anything else. I really need to lower his crib mattress one more notch. Jonathan doesn't like to nap much anymore, but he gets so tired at times, he just can't fight it. I sometimes have to restrain him in my lap to get him to go down. It takes just a couple of minutes to get him to close those sweet eyelids and go limp for 1-2 hours. He is just about as happy as they come and has a smile and wave for everyone. He is getting into stage three food and falling back on his milk consumption a bit. Last night we discovered that he's a big fan of pancakes. The next few days are supposed to be dreary and cold, so we won't be able to take this boy to his favorite place... the great outdoors, but soon enough we'll be able to stroll our neighborhood again and enjoy pulling grass and feeling the wind on our faces.

In other news, the house showed again this week, and we sold our Civic. Things really are coming to a close here. Jason does seem to have a pretty serious case of reflux although we still haven't heard from the doctor's office. He is feeling much better this week and we are working to create a menu that will naturally keep him heartburn free. Thanks so much for the prayers. Within the next few weeks we'll be giving an open house, we'll be serving our last breakfast at Salem church and I will be singing a little solo in our Easter presentation. Our last weeks here have been, and will continue to be, very busy ones.

I am coming to another place in my spiritual walk... learning that although I want to be in complete control of everything concerning Jonathan Clark, Christ wants complete control of me. Lessons learned this week - my tongue has a damaging effect and I still haven't placed it under His control, and I still haven't learned to die to self in the way that a Mommy really should. I am thankful for the prayers of friends and family and hope that in motherhood I can find a ministry and become more like the One who gave His life for me.

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

~Hebrews 12:28-29