Wordless Wednesday: In Love

Coming Soon: CSN Stores Review

We are "expecting" our third baby any day now and have been scrambling around our house getting ready for a baby. I've been keeping the clothes washed, and bags partially packed in case we get the call. I've also been checking if there is anything we need to buy for this baby.

A great store to search is CSN Stores. For those of you who aren't familiar with CSN Stores, you are going to want to become familiar with them. They have anything you could ever want or need there. From diaper bags, to cookware, to twin beds, they have it all. If you remember, I did a Ju Ju Be diaper bag review and giveaway from CSN awhile back.

Check back soon for my review on an item from CSN Stores!

Kolcraft Jeep Wrangler Twin Sport All-Weather Double Stroller Review

Oh how I love to walk and walk, and walk and walk. I take the girls with me on walks everywhere. It's great exercise for me and being outside in nature is the best for the girls. When we got pregnant with Meridian, I begged Chris to let me get a double stroller and we did.. I love it, but it is huge when folded. If I wanted to take it with me anywhere, I had to fold up the backseat of our van, leaving no extra room at all in our van. Thus I was on the look out for a nice umbrella double stroller that would fit in the back of my van.

Enter Kolcraft.

When I contacted Kolcraft about doing a double stroller review, I was thrilled when they responded right back and told me I could do a review on the Kolcraft Jeep Wrangler Twin Sport All-Weather Double Stroller. Here it is in the box.

Next, my hubby took it out of the box to be put together.

Not too many parts, and not too confusing. Hubby said it was cinch to put together! Here it is with one little girl in it.

I love everything about this stroller. Here are just a few reasons why it is great: it's lightweight, it folds small, it pushes great (even with a 30 lb. 3 year old, and 18 lb. 1 year old), it has great little side pockets, the colors are nice, the cup holder has come in handy many times, the roll up panel is nice to let air flow thru, and my favorite feature has to be the independent recline and shades for each seat.

There are only two things I have found that I don't like about this stroller. One thing is that the shades have somehow bent a bit. You can see the shade above Meridian is slightly bent to the side. I'm not sure what caused it to do this as I was extremely careful folding it up. It doesn't affect the use of the shade though and still works great. The only other thing I wish it had was a 5-point harness, rather than a 3-point harness. For Zoelle, it doesn't matter, but take a look at our little adventurer Meridian

She is completely fine like that, but she did scare both me and her grandma when she first did that! :)

Overall, this stroller is great and the girls and I could not be any happier. See?

Connect!

 

Feel free to keep up to date with all that is going on with Kolcraft through their facebook, twitter, or blog.

Buy It!

If you are in need of an awesome double stroller for a great price, head on over to Kolcraft for a list of their retailers.

*The featured product(s) in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

Quiet, but not & adoption questions

So I've been quiet on here lately, which I should say will probably be normal for summer. We live in a cold climate and I intend to enjoy every bit of nice time outside I can in the summer! Thus my blog will probably take a bit of a back seat in the summer. I know I won't regret it though and obviously neither will these two

We've been having countless hours of fun swimming in our little pool, running thru our sprinkler, and eating picnic lunches. It's so much fun to me! I love summer and never want it to stop!

Anyway, quiet on here but definitely NOT quiet at home. We were recently matched with adoption once again! The baby is due mid July, thus I feel like I am nesting and I've been busy, busy organizing, making lists, etc. It's a crazy time trying to figure out how and when we will travel and if we will take the girls, where we will stay, etc. I think we are finally getting closer to figuring it all out. I am a very organized person, so flying by the seat of my pants really isn't my thing, so I'm hoping that I can get it all figured out soon. I also expect to take a little break from blogging when I return so that we can bond and become a family of 5. We've waited a long time for this little babe and I am going to enjoy him/her to the fullest!

Since adoption is a passion of mine and I have a whole blog dedicated to it, which you can find right here. I thought that maybe I should ask my readers if they have any questions for me about adoption? The process? Why we are adopting? Really anything you would like. We have found there to be such a negative stigma surrounding adoption and I would love to change others view on it to a positive one. So ask away!

Wordless Wednesday: Water Park Day

Happy Father's Day Chris!

When I married Chris, I obviously knew I was marrying an extremely special guy or I wouldn't have married him. Yes, of course we fight, but it is normally me doing the fighting and him doing the loving. I remember when we were first married, we would dream about what our life would be like one day; our house, kids, careers, etc. It has been amazing watching each of those areas unfold.

The most incredible area for me to watch though has got to be seeing my man become a dad. The night Zoelle was born, something changed in Chris. Not that he wasn't soft and gentle before, but he became those attributes to the extreme. I mean what other guy takes the time to blow dandelions with his daughter?

Or what other guy would smell his little 13 month old's stinky diaper and without a fuss ask where a diaper and the wipes are? Oh I suppose some would. I know it's not that out of the ordinary. But to me it's something little like that that makes him special.

His gentle ways with the girls bother me at times and I'm ashamed to admit that I ask him many times to discipline the girls much more than he does. But it just isn't in him to be that way. Not that he doesn't discipline, he just does so differently than I do. Which is probably a very good thing. We balance each other out that way and I need to be grateful for that.

He has never been ashamed to have only girls. Instead he proudly declares that if he only ever had girls, he would be happy for the rest of his life! He even gives them "flowers".

Everyday he works hard owning two jobs for our family. I'm proud that at such a young age, he has been able to have two businesses and do it all on his own. It's not easy and I often don't support him and praise him as much as I should and yet he keeps on. At the end of the day, when the back door opens and the girls hear their dad, they both go running/crawling as fast as they can yelling "Dad". It warms my heart. And I'm pretty sure his pride doubles.

Then he often helps make supper, or even makes supper (as I really don't like cooking that much). He will then clean up, give the girls baths, and help tuck them in. Most of the time, I'm right there with him helping him as I love doing any of that as long as he is right by my side.

I think we all like having him right by our side

So on this Father's Day because he asked me not to waste money on a card for him, or even a gift, this is my gift to you Christopher. I know you read this blog (you often even help me on it). I love you. I know I don't tell you or show you enough how much I appreciate seeing you as a dad. You work so hard for us and deserve so much more from me many times. Thank you for not complaining. Thank you for showing me grace, gentleness and love. Most of all thank you for being the ultimate representation of our girls Heavenly Father. For that they and I will be ever thankful for!

We love you! Happy Father's Day!

*Pictures taken by Ana Cole Photography and used with permission.

Canon vs. Nikon

The other day Chris surprised me by taking the afternoon off to take us to a nearby waterpark. We had a blast and I plan on posting some pictures of that time together soon. However, right in the middle of our fun, Chris got this cute shot of Meridian

and then our camera proceeded to die. Thus why we think the picture was extremely bright (something went wrong?). We have seemingly tried everything with it: new batteries, reset button, etc. but it will not work. I've been wanting a new camera for awhile now and with our new addition coming any day, I cannot be without one.

In high school, I was in photography and I loved it! I spent every spare moment taking pictures. That was pre-digital age and when we got married we didn't have much money so we bought a Sony Cybershot. Now, I am wanting to buy a DSLR but am debating between Canon and Nikon. I'm looking for any help I can get in picking out the right camera for me, so please chime in and answer the questions below!

If you have a DSLR what do you have? Why do you like it? What do you wish was different about it? Any other thoughts?

Wordless Wednesday: Radiance

Have my little Z back!

I think we finally have our little Z back. I've mentioned it many times before both here on my blog and in real life, but our little Zoelle had an incredibly hard time when Meridian was born. She turned two the day before Mer was born. Z was always spunky and spirited, but also very sensitive. On the day Mer was born she came to the hospital and screamed and cried the whole time. The first two months after we got home from the hospital she cried at every little thing. I often wondered what I did and questioned how I could have done that to her. Pretty soon, everytime I gave Meridian even a tiny bit of attention, Z would start acting out. We struggled with how to discipline her or if we even should as she was obviously hurting. What she didn't know is that I struggled and hurt right along with her. We failed at times this past year and we succeeded too, and I finally think we have our little Z back. Yes, she still acts like a toddler and acts out at times, but I finally feel like we turned over a leaf and things are only looking up from here.

*Picture was taken this morning of Z and I enjoying a special breakfast before Meridian woke up. I have learned to take advantage of times like that so that I get time to celebrate just her. It has also helped her attitude and emotions immensely to do that.

Koala Kuddles Review & Giveaway

I recently celebrated my sister and my new niece or nephew to be by throwing her a baby shower. Everyone knows that at baby showers, you typically get blankets and lots of them. I remember when Zoelle was born I got a ton of pretty blankets. They were seriously wonderful, but none of them were swaddle blankets. I had no idea what it meant to swaddle when I first had Zoelle. If you are like me, go check out the swaddle tips so you'll know what I mean when I saw swaddle your baby.

Once we started swaddling Zoelle and Meridian, their sleep improved dramatically. In fact, I remember lamenting to Chris when Mer outgrew her swaddle that I was never going to get her to sleep. It was in part true, but for the time I had the ability to swaddle, I was thankful.

When we have our next, I'm happy to say that I've found a swaddle blanket and company that I love! Koala Kuddles make excellent light weight cotton blankets that would be perfect for swaddling. Since I don't have a tiny baby in my house to swaddle and I completely forgot to take pictures of it with Meridian, I don't have any pictures of it in use at my home. I will say though that these work beyond the swaddle period. As it is getting warmer and warmer in the summer, I was looking for a new blanket to replace Meridian's heavy blanket that she sleeps with in the winter. Since it is so light weight, it works perfectly just for that. Another thing I was excited to use it for is as a light blanket in the stroller. Some days or nights can be a little cool here, but not cool enough for a big heavy blanket. The swaddling blanket is perfect for that! The only thing I wish is that it was just slightly bigger as my girl is growing bigger and needs a bit of a bigger blanket now.

Buy It!

If you are looking at getting someone in your life, or yourself, a swaddle blanket for a little one, look no further!

Win It!

Koala Kuddles has generously offered one of my readers a chance at winning a 3-pack swaddle of your design choice.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Koala Kuddles, look around and come back here and tell me something you learned. Also, make sure to let me know which one you would choose if you won. Please do me the favor of making sure you leave your e-mail address in the comment if it is not visible on your profile. (1 entry)

Extra Entries:

1. Follow me on google friend connect and leave a comment telling me you are. (1 entry)

2. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you are along with your Twitter ID. (1 entry)

3. Tweet about this contest making sure you include @jewelsntreasure along with a link to this contest somewhere in your Tweet (1 tweet/entry per day)

4. Become a fan/like of Jewels & Treasures on facebook and leave me a comment telling me you are along with your first name and last initial. (1 entry)

5. Become a fan/like of Koala Kuddles on facebook and leave me a comment telling me you are along with your first name and last initial. (1 entry)

 

That's It!

 

Winner will be chosen at random from random.org Winner has 24 hours from being contacted to respond, or else a new winner will be chosen.

Contest ends Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. CST!

*Congrats to #14-Celeste! You have been e-mailed!

*The featured product(s) in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Ice Cream Truck

In our house, right after supper, our ears are tuned to hear the ice cream truck. As soon as we hear the music tinkling, we run to the fridge to grab our money (we always keep some there), grab the girls, and run as fast as we can to wait for him.

We always let Zoelle pick her treat out and normally she tries something new each time. Today she chose strawberry.

Then, we share with our little sister.

Blowing in the wind

In so many ways this picture describes my relationship with my sweet, spirited Zoelle. I honestly don't know if I can put it into words as to why it does. It's one of those things that just is. I look at it and I see her soft spirit that can so easily be crushed. I look at it and I want to protect her from anything in her life to come. I look at it and see us each trying to go our own way, yet also joining together in the middle. It's just us...together..again...like we used to be. And I cherish it. Of course, I cherish times like this too

when her spunk and spirit are out in full force. Of course she can frustrate me to no end then, but I'm learning slowly to let go and enjoy the moments with her and laugh. For those moments of frustration will pass all too quickly. So I'll enjoy the dandelions of life now as one day they will be blown away in the wind.

B-Natal Review & Giveaway

When I am pregnant, I get very sick. With Zoelle I threw up a lot! In the car, in bed while sleeping, at the table. Pretty much anywhere and it lasted 5 months. When I found myself pregnant with Meridian, I dreaded the sickness again. My sickness with Meridian was a bit different in that I was extremely nauseous, but rarely got to throw up (and I always wished I could). It again lasted 5 months. I tried everything with both girls: crackers before getting out of bed, more protein, lemon sour, sucking on sour things, water with lemon, etc. Nothing and I mean nothing worked! When I was just past the sickness with Meridian I received a sample of Vitamin B6 Therapop B-natal to help with morning sickness. I figured since I was past that stage, I wouldn't use it and tucked it away for a possible later use. I completely forgot about it until my poor sister found herself just as sick as I was with my girls. Then, I recently was given the opportunity to try some B-Natal Lozenges. Being that I am not pregnant, but my sister is and still can be sick, I asked her to try them and let me know what she thought.

She told me that one of the great things about the B-natal Lozenges are that they taste good, not bad. Even though they have Vitamin B6, they don't taste like a vitamin, rather they taste like candy. My sister works as a nanny and has about a 15 minute drive to work before she can eat breakfast. She said that often that 15 minute drive would be terrible as she would normally feel pretty sick. However, with the help of the lozenges, the edge got taken off a bit. She often found herself keeping them in her purse for when she couldn't eat right at that moment, but needed to find a bit of relief from the sickness. Did they take the sickness away completely? Not always, but they did provide some temporary relief for her.

If I ever get pregnant again, I will definitely try and use these myself based off of my sister's review of them.

Buy It!

If you are pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant and worried about getting sick, check out where to buy B-natal.

Win It!

Momselect and Everidis Health Sciences have been generous enough to offer one of my readers their choice of a package of either B-natal Cherry-flavored TheraPop or Apple-flavored Lozenges.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit B-Natal, look around and come back here and tell me something that you learned. Also, make sure to let me know which one you would choose if you won. Please do me the favor of making sure you leave your e-mail address in the comment if it is not visible on your profile. (1 entry)

Extra Entries:

1. Follow me on google friend connect and leave a comment telling me you are. (1 entry)

2. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you are along with your Twitter ID. (1 entry)

3. Follow B-Natal on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you are along with your Twitter ID. (1 entry)

4. Tweet about this contest making sure you include @jewelsntreasure and @JenCherryJen along with a link to this contest somewhere in your Tweet (1 tweet/entry per day)

5. Become a fan/like of Jewels & Treasures on facebook and leave me a comment telling me you are along with your first name and last initial. (1 entry)

6. Become a fan/like of Everidis Health Sciences on facebook and leave me a comment telling me you are along with your first name and last initial. (1 entry)

That's It!

Winner will be chosen at random from random.org Winner has 24 hours from being contacted to respond, or else a new winner will be chosen.

Contest ends Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. CST!

*Congrats to #5-Ames! I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly!

*The featured product(s) in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

Wordless Wednesday: Making Friends & Standing On Her Own

Meridian is making friends with her kitty Autumn this summer. We love to sit on our front porch and relax.

And then she surprised us with this. Standing up all on her own and boy is she proud! I give it a week and we will have some first steps. She is growing up!

It Should Matter

What if just $5 could change a life forever? Since adoption is a passion of mine and I've created a whole blog chronicling our journey, I rarely ever blog about it here on our family blog. However, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't direct you as to how you could impact the future of a child forever. Adoption not your passion? It should be as fellow blogger Courtney said: Adoption should be important to everyone. Whether you feel called to adopt or not, whether you are adopting at this moment or not. It should matter to you because children's lives hang in the balance. Because we are called to care for the orphan.



Would you please join me in this cause?