My Blogging Experience...Welcome to my Mom Blog!

I began blogging a couple of years ago...but didn't decide to start this blog until last fall. When I first began in the blogging world, my motive was to keep family and friends updated on what has been going on with our family as well as make a little money here and there (there are many great ways to make money online...especially with blogs)...perfect for a stay-at-home-mom like myself. I decided to dedicate this blog solely to what is going on in our lives, and to dedicate my other blog to "my at-home business" so to speak.

Over the past few months, I've really enjoyed seeing where blogging on my other blog (my Mom Blog) has taken me. It's given me the opportunity to connect with a whole new world of Mommy Bloggers which I love. I get to share my thoughts and experiences when it comes to Faith, parenting, finding great deals, baby products, and even ways to earn money from home. I guess I've never shared this on here....however, I know that many of the people who read this blog are moms like myself....so I thought, what better time than the present. My Mom Blog offers a lot of useful information that I thought some of my readers here would like and maybe even be able to use. Over time I've built relationships with many companies and business across the web too...and even have reviews and giveaways to offer for some really great items!!

The blog I'm referring to is A Mom's Balancing Act. I've spent a lot of time building it and increasing my traffic flow there. I wanted to share it with you in case it is something that may be of interest. I'm most excited about the giveaways that I have running (which can easily be found in the right column of the blog) and will continue to have running over the coming months. Stay tuned...there are MANY coming in the next few weeks especially for some fantastic baby and kids gear!! Giveaways are where people enter (via comment) on my blog to win really great items for mom and baby....everything from baby gear like shoes and cloth diapers....to mommy items like books and clothing! Winners are chosen at random and notified once the contest has ended (all entry rules are posted). I also utilize this blog to earn a little money here and there. I enjoy sharing my findings on easy ways to make money from home using the Internet with my readers.

Anyways...I just wanted to pass this blog along for anyone who would like to check it out!

Hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC Friday!

What a GREAT Weekend!

What a great weekend! It was so nice to have Scott home for three days with us. We didn't start out with any plans...but turns out it was a fun-filled and busy weekend!! Friday we decided to get the house cleaned so that we could enjoy the rest of the weekend without having to worry about doing chores. Scott surprised me and brought home the movie Marley & Me...so after Kaelyn went to bed we had a movie date night. I had seen the movie before...but it was just as good the second time.

Saturday we woke up to a somewhat dreary day...the rain was falling and the sky was gray. We decided that since we probably wouldn't be able to spend much time outdoors...we'd take a trip to the cities to the Mall of America and visit the Underwater Adventures Aquarium. Kaelyn LOVES fish...especially Nemo lately :), so we knew she'd absolutely love it. We headed up there after lunch and spent the rest of the day there. It was great! Kaelyn loved all the fish...especially the tank with all the fish like the ones from Finding Nemo...that was her favorite! I enjoyed a fun day away with Scott and Kaelyn...we don't do those types of things very often.





Sunday we went to church, then had a wedding reception for Scott's cousing to go to that evening. It was fun to visit with his family and let Kaelyn run around the huge yard at the church! Before the reception Scott painted Kaelyn's nails. :) We had never painted her nails before and it turned out very cute! :) She really liked it too. She walks around look at her toes all day long!




As of Sunday morning we still didn't have much planned for Memorial Day except for hanging out at home and relaxing. Each of our parents ended up inviting us over though...so we got to go spend the afternoon with Scott's Dad and step mom and then the evening with my parents! It was wonderful! Scott's Dad lives on a farm and Kaelyn had never had the chance to run around their huge yard until Monday. She LOVED it! So much in fact that she didn't want to come inside. We had a great time with my parents as well. My Grandparents were there too which was fun. We ate so much yummy food throughout the day and came home full and tired from a very fun day!







I am glad our weekend turned from a relaxing one at home to a busy one with family. Although time at home is nice...I always enjoy getting to spend time with family too! :)

The Weekend Is Upon Us

Our week started out a little bit rough...with both Scott and Kaelyn not feeling well and having fevers. Thankfully it only lasted a couple of days. From there our week got better and we even got to spend some time outside! It was SO beautiful out. Kaelyn and I walked down to the park and she enjoyed getting to play with all the kids. I'm so thankful for the neighborhood we live in...I will miss it when the times comes to move. She also enjoyed playing in our three seasons porch....she loves it out there and typically sits by the door looking outside!



Kaelyn has also been enjoying her new little laptop (we got it at the Just Between Friends consignment sale we went to last weekend). She has always been very interested in what Scott and I are doing when we're on our laptops, so I thought this would give her one of her own to use. She LOVES it! She's always saying "puter" and handing it to us so we can open it. Too cute!




As the weekend is now upon us I couldn't be happier. Until yesterday I didn't even realize that Monday was Memorial Day!! YEAH! That means Scott is home with us for a long weekend. I LOVE those kind of weekends. :) We were hoping to make some fun plans as a family...but with the temps a little cooler and rain in our forecast we're not quite sure what we're going to do yet. As long as it's time spent together it will be great! We're getting quite the itch for summer...already talking about taking Kaelyn to a couple of zoos this summer (she LOVES animals) and to the pool of course. Hopefully the warmer temps we saw mid week will come back and stay for good over the next few months, because I know Fall and Winter will be here before we know it again...oh the wonderful reality of living in Minnesota!

Other than that, not much new going on. Kaelyn surprises us each and every day with all the new words and phrases she's saying. It's fun to actually sit and have a conversation with her. Some of what she says is still jabbering, but most of it contains actual words and phrases. I just love it! She speaks in sentences too. She'll pause before moving onto the next. It's pretty precious! I've been trying to get some of it on video...but it seems the minute I push the button...Kaelyn either stops talking, or is only interested in the camera and what I'm doing that I can't actually catch anything. Her newest phrases and words from the past few weeks are "supise (surprise)", "sorry mama", "see ya", and "march (like marching with her feet)".

Kaelyn wasn't born with much hair...and it's taken quite some time for it to really start growing much. Since she turned 1, it seems to be coming in a lot faster and the other day I was actually able to get her hair up in pig tails! :) We were pretty excited. It's fun to have a little hair to work with and actually do something with it! She liked it too.

13 Weeks Pregnant

We are entering our 13th week of pregnancy....second trimester here we come!! So far this pregnancy has just flown by. It's amazing how fast it goes when you have a toddler to run after all the time. You just don't have as much time to think about it. I prefer it that way...as I'd rather have the pregnancy go by quickly so I can meet our little one that much sooner! :)

As I leave the first trimester behind me, I am noticing things that I am welcoming with open arms. The main one being that I am starting (slowly) to feel a bit better. For the past 5 or 6 weeks I've been feeling so sick most of the day. Now...gradually I am feeling less nauseous, and, as long as I keep food in my stomach, can enjoy my days and this pregnancy more. I remember liking the second trimester the most with Kaelyn...so I look forward to it with this one too! As we enter the second trimester I also notice that I am showing more and more (much faster than with Kaelyn I might add). I like that feeling of looking pregnant and am very excited to be entering that stage of pregnancy.

Yesterday I got to thinking about the reality of having a second child and new baby in the house and I couldn't help but get even more excited. I was looking back at all of Kaelyn's pictures taken throughout the past year and a half and barely remember her being so tiny. Time goes by far too quickly. It's hard to believe that in 6 short months we will have another little one like that in our home and family! It's very exciting. Everyone is already guessing whether they think we'll have a boy or a girl which is fun to hear as well. Although it'llbe tempting to find out, I think we'll wait for the surprise in the end to know what we're having like we did with Kaelyn. Not knowing and being surprised was so amazing....it's not easy...but as of now that is the plan with this one too. :) It's fun to guess though and I can't wait until November to find out whether it's a boy or a girl! Either one would be wonderful.

That's just a little update on the pregnancy.....I'll try and update frequently. :) Hope everyone has a wonderful 3 day weekend!!

Our Weekend: The Good and The Not So Good

The Good: Yesterday we ventured up to the cities with my parents for the Just Between Friends Consignment Sale. We go to this sale every Fall and Spring and end up coming home with bags and bags of clothes for Kaelyn. I LOVE it! You can't get much better than brand name, good quality clothes for less than $2.00 for a whole outfit!! She is more than set for this summer and the beginning of Fall now. What a great feeling! I always love finding great deals on cute clothes for her. If those of you with small children have never checked out Just Between Friends, you may want to take a look at their website, JBFsale.com and see if they have a sale near you (they have sales all over the US every Fall and Spring).

The Not So Good: On another note....Kaelyn woke up this morning with a fever of over 102. It's had her feeling pretty yucky and tired much of the day. Besides the short time that Tylenol or Motrin is working to keep her fever down....she's wanting to cuddle or sleep on Mommy and Daddy. She is not much of a cuddler, so when she does it's great....we just wish it was under different circumstances. :( It's no fun having a little one that doesn't feel good who can't tell you where it hurts. So far it just seems to be the fever that's bothering her and maybe her teeth. Hopefully by tomorrow she'll be as good as new.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

News of the Week!

Well...as many of you probably already know from Facebook, we're expecting our SECOND baby!! :) We are SO thrilled about it. I had considered sharing the news a while back as we found out almost three months ago...wow is it hard to keep a secret that long :)....but then I thought it would be fun to tell everyone once we had ultrasound pics to share. I have to tell you that seeing our little baby on that screen was so exciting!! He/She was moving all around and looked so cute "waving" to us. Everything looked great. He/She is healthy and growing just as they should be. :) Now I just can't believe that in 6 months we will have our little baby here with us. The time is flying by much more quickly with this pregnancy. With kaelyn I didn't have a little toddler to run after and keep me busy so all of my time and energy was spent thinking about, and reading about my pregnancy. Now however, I am a bit more busy :) and don't have a lot of time to think about it. It's a good thing actually...as it's always nice to have the pregnancy go by smoothly and quickly!

Strong Heartrate...171 bpm! :)

Kaelyn is pretty excited too! She doesn't quite understand all that's going on....but she does know that there's a baby in Mommy's tummy....as she's always kissing it and says "baby". :) She walks around the house signing baby and is loving it! I hope she enjoys being a big sister once the baby is here....as I know she'll be a great one! The timing will be perfect...Kaelyn will have just turned two...so a nice space between the two kids.

This is the shirt we got for Kaelyn to tell our parents the good news! We just let her walk in to the room where our parents were a few months ago and "surprise"! :) They were all floored and so excited! Just a few days before we decided to share our exciting news....my parents received a phone call from my twin brother and his wife in Texas. They called with the news that they are expecting too!! So exciting! For anyone that doesn't know the story of my brother and I...let me explain...we're twins...so we obviously shared a lot of big moments in our lives together! We share the same birthday every year (obviously :)), high school graduation, college graduation (even went to the same college), weddings (well we didn't share them, but Josh and Di's wedding was just 8 days after ours so it was such an exciting and fun time :)), then the birth of our first children. I remember receiving the call from them a couple of years ago....letting us know they were expecting their first baby. We were so excited for them, and the great thing was....we were expecting too (with Kaelyn). We were just about to call them at that same time and share our news with them. It was so funny how our lives seemed to be taking the same course....and our parents just loved it! Two Grandbabies at once...who would have thought?!! The funny thing is...they weren't just going to be around the same age...they were due just one day apart. :) It turns out that they were more like 13 days apart after all was said and done...but still, pretty neat! Now this time...we thought that there was no way that would happen again...I mean, what are the chances?! Well...we were wrong. When Josh and Di called my parents to tell them their exciting news this time, we also knew that we were pregnant already and just hadn't shared the news yet. Everyone joked about "now Scott and Jenna...do you have some news for us"...but they didn't actually think we did. So, when we finally told them that we too were expecting it was pure joy! Now my parents would be grandparents twice again! Our babies are due just 3 days apart this time, so we'll have to see what happens. :) The kids will have so much fun growing up together and having cousins their own age.


It's been a very exciting time for us and one I couldn't be more happy about. We're thrilled about our growing family and these children the Lord has given to us and entrusted us with. Children are such a blessing! :)

So yeah...that's our exciting news that I was holding off until after the ultrasound! (we were actually waiting until after the ultrasound just to make sure we knew how many there were...one or two....as you never know with twins in my family since they run so strongly). We'll keep you posted about the pregnancy and how everything is going over the next 6 months....should be a fun journey!

Thank you everyone for all of the congrats on Facebook!!

Relaxing Weekend at Home

Yesterday we had Kaelyn's 18 month appointment! Wow....where has the time gone?! I LOVE taking her to each appointment...it's so fun to see how much she's grown. Since February she's gained 1 1/2 1bs (putting her at a whopping 23.5 lbs) and grew two inches (now at 31 3/4 inches tall)! My little girl is growing up. While we were there she was talking with everyone....saying "hi" and having conversations with them as she so often does with anyone she comes across. I still can't get over how quickly the words started to come once she hit a year old! We're hearing more and more two word sentences too, which has been fun.

Other than the appointment yesterday afternoon, this is the first weekend in a really long time that we don't have plans to be out of town or away from home. We're home for the whole weekend! It's really been nice. This morning we had an open house....so we left for a couple of hours, but other than that we've been home all day! That hardly ever happens on the weekends. Our house is all clean (from getting ready for the open house) so we can just relax a bit. Last night Scott and I watched the movie taken...quite a suspenseful and good movie. I really wanted some movie theater popcorn though...so before we began watching it, Scott went to the movie theater here in town and got some...YUM! :) What a great husband I have!

Now, if only the weather would warm up....Kaelyn has been wanting to get outside so badly! I often find her like this in front of our french doors just dreaming of being outdoors! :) Maybe tomorrow will be warmer so we can?!

I wanted to leave you with a few pictures of Kaelyn. She has become quite the little helper these days! When asked she'll throw things in the garbage, wipe something up with a towel, etc. What a big girl! :)

Wishing everyone a blessed weekend! And, to all those mother's and mom's to be out there.....Happy Mother's Day!!

A Very Busy May

Well, it's official....my little girl is 18 months old! She turned 18 months on May 1st...it's still sinking in. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I knew this day was coming...where I would officially say she's 1 1/2, but to be honest....I never imagined it would come this fast. Before we know it she'll be two...wow! It sure has been fun to see her learning and growing though! It's amazing the transformation a child makes in the first couple years of life.

The month of May is beginning busy as usual. It seems May is always a busy time. We have had much going on and in looking at the rest of the month it doesn't seem it will be slowing down anytime soon. Our house is actually the one thing that hasn't had us very busy. The offer on our home fell through...so we are still waiting on God's perfect timing for the right buyer. We do have a house lined up in Forest City for when we sell ours though...so that's half the battle right there. We know the time will come and we're just trying to patient.

I will update you more on the other exciting things in our life that have been keeping us quite busy in a future post. Stay tuned...more to come :)