Debt Free

Oct 2010 during R&R Jon and I decided we would get Financial Peace University for our Christmas present and work on becoming debt free. While Jon was deployed I watched the videos and implemented the principles while either emailing Jon about what was going on or telling him during some of our conversations. We tried to make the big decisions together but most of the day to day stuff like budget were left up to me since Jon wasn't able to spend money. When he got back we were going to do the video series again and this time both make the decisions but with a move only 3 months after he got back we just went with what was working. Once we got to NC and realized we were pregnant we made a plan to try and be debt free before Riley was born. The good thing about moving is you start over again - so we did not get cable when we moved here to save, we cut down our food bills, his parents gave us a truck so we could have a second car and watched our spending. We are cutting it close since Riley is scheduled to be induced next Monday but thanks to a nice tax return we have now paid off the last of what we owed!!!!!! Now onto the next steps of getting a 6 month emergency fund, saving for the girls college and giving more to missions.
Dave says - Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else!
Antioch Community Church says - Live simply so others can simply live!

I know Jon and I are thankful to have been blessed to have grown up with parents that provided us with financial security and wisdom, gone to a church in college that challenged us not to live the "American dream" and had the ability to learn from people like Dave Ramsey on how to use all that God blessed us with to be able live as God has called us to here and now.

Molly is 2

Today Molly turned 2!! We had donuts from breakfast, went to the hospital for and ultrasound of Riley and had a Dora adventure party at the playground with Molly's friends from Alaska.
Thanks Aunt Kaitlin for taking my 2 year old photos!!

The goody bags - every adventurer needs their side satchel.
Getting ready to eat
Molly, Alex, Spencer and Will. Each kid went from plate to plate getting their favorite things to eat and Alex brought the juice box for everyone to share. At least they all got along:)
Picnic's are so neat?? Molly has rubbed dirt and ashes in her face I guess to make her fit in with the environment so she is more prepared for the adventure.
The fun thing about family picnics are that the dads spent most of the time playing at the playground with the kids. We ended up not doing the "adventure" part of the party but I think 1 1/2 hours playing at the playground and eating was enough for everyone. It was an adventure party b/c Dora is great for Molly but with 3 boys as her party guest they are more Diego type and so it was a combo party for both!!
Yes Molly is shoveling in a chip while trying to blow out her candle. It was a good thing it was a windy night or we could have been there for awhile.
Molly's present from Jon and I - Dora pajama's. She has started to love Dora and as we drive she says Dora over and over and when she sees anything Dora at the store we hear about her from then on and when she wakes up she wants to watch a Dora - you get the point. Whoever created this character sure did know how to make Molly love her and has done their marketing job well!
We are so blessed to have Molly in our lives and she is an amazingly happy go lucky kid who goes with the flow.

T minus 2 weeks

Well as you can probably tell the camera does not come with us as often so the blog pictures are severely lacking. It used to be a staple in the diaper bag but Molly enjoys taking the camera out and moving it all over the house and I don't think to go and look for it before each trip so now Facebook is how I instantly upload pictures. I will work on remembering but pregnancy brain has been hitting full force along with doctor visits so not much exciting is going on here. Between Molly and myself in the month of Feb we have had over 15 doctor visits (it is the 22nd just so you know) so there has been a lot of waiting and not much adventure. Molly has had a follow up for an ear infection and a second round of ear infections while Riley Jean has brought havoc on my body. After failing my gestational diabetes I had had the privilege of going every Monday and Thursday so they can check her heart rate, my fluids and just have a lovely time waiting around at the hospital with a 2 year old who loves being locked in her stroller. The doctor didn't like my meter readings and put my on a drug to help level out my sugar readings. Two weeks on that with a few headaches, 1 bad crash where I almost passed out driving and still bad readings they doubled my dosage with insulin still being thrown out as a possibility. A week with double dosage hasn't been as bad just the nighttime stink! I woke up a few nights sick to my stomach and wanting to pass out - Jon's response why wouldn't you want to pass out and sleep through the night? Clearly he didn't comprehend my passing out comment at 3am but is much more sympathetic during the normal business hours:) I think my body is starting to figure this medicine out and hopefully the doctor doesn't change things again when we see him this week. Because of GD they have said they will induce so sometime around March 7 Riley should be joining us!! I can't wait for her but mainly a chocolate peanut butter milkshake which I got 3 of the day Molly was born b/c people knew how much I was craving them with her but couldn't have then because of the GD then too. It is worth changing my eating habits for a healthy baby but what I wouldn't give for a chocolate peanut butter milkshake!!!!

President's Day!
One benefit of the military is that if your solider is around for government holiday's and there is no training and no body screws up in their unit your get a 4 day weekend!! With two extra days we were able to cram in some fun family activities and still have a restful weekend. We went to the NC Zoo which is one of the nation's largest natural habitat zoos (IE - Be prepared to walk for hours and hours and hours) the weather was perfect (72 with a light breeze) and Jon was able to carry Molly when she didn't want to ride in the stroller. My body was only slightly sore and swollen at the end but Jon treated us to Olive Garden on the way home so all was forgotten.
Saturday we drove up to Raleigh for the day and hung out with the McP's and Roten's - Molly loves being around her cousin Phoenix and her grandparents. While their Aunt Kaitlin took Molly's 2 year photos - pictures to come at a later date - and we got to go to a mission event held by their church. It was so fun to be around people who were going to the nations and the creative ways they raised money. Jon and I talked about how it reminded us of our ATS days and the great things God did the year we spent seeking his will for our lives and going all over to serve. We had to leave a little early from the event to get back so Jon could prepare for Sunday since he got to preach at Chapel. After chapel we realized there are some things we have been putting off which probably need to be taken care of so as of Sunday Riley now has her come home from the hospital outfit. In case you are wondering when Molly came home Feb 25 in Alaska it was around -20 , for Riley who should be coming home around March 7 it could be in the 70's - that is a 90 degree difference!!
Well little Miss just woke up from her nap and wants attention but I will probably be blogging a lot this week since Molly's b-day is coming up and it is the last few weeks as a family of 3!

Fun with spray paint

Since Riley Jean will be joining our family soon we have been working on Molly's new room. We wanted to go with something classic that she could grow up with and really I just wanted anything but pink, purple or really girly so we (ok I) chose RED, WHITE and BLACK!! It is like Olivia the pig or Mickey and Minny Mouse or just a classic look that will hopefully last her and Riley awhile once they start to share a room. We took an old book shelf and during Christmas Jon and his dad refinished it in his dad's shed. Then my parents friends Ken and Kathy had some furniture they needed to get off their hands since they were moving and we gladly took it - really my parents did and drove it to us. A few cans of spray paint, some new knobs and a little love later we have Molly's room finished!!!!!

Molly came out to supervise and had an incident - it is not spray paint on her knee just a beautiful bloody mess.
Molly - letters spray painted black and hung with red ribbon - we are still doing some finishing touches on the "bows"
Bookshelf - was brown and I have had since college refinished red by Jon and his dad
Dresser - given to us by the Jordan's, driven to us by my parents and finished by Jon. It is hard being pregnant and not able to really do much with spray paint just watching and hoping Jon would be home a few days of nice weather before the sun went down. It took 1 month but it is finished!!!
The bed is my bed as a kid- I remember sleeping in it and one day Molly will sleep in it on a regular basis (at least that is what we tell ourselves). In a big kid bed Molly has learned she can get up and roam the house in the night which usually brings her to our room around 4am. One day though she went to where Spencer and Will sleep and laid down outside their room waiting for them to come out - Molly is going to be very sad when our house guests leave us.
AHHHHHHH - The finished dresser!!!!!!!!! I dropped a knob on the way out the store and it busted so once I go to Lowe's again there won't be a missing knob. I can't wait to put Molly's clothes in her so that we can start to get things ready for Riley.

Riley Jean update: I have gestational diabetes again and with that they will be inducing me around March 7th. So in about a month the McPherson's will go from 3 to 4!!

Molly update: We have some friends living with us who have two boys (Will 4 and Spencer 1 1/2) that she has been having a blast with. Each morning the kids run to get other and give hugs and kisses and love each other for at least 2 minutes before Molly might go in for the bite. Molly has been playing with airplanes, blocks, cars, jumping off chairs and then you will catch her loving on her baby doll telling us all to be quiet while she rocks them and puts them to sleep. I love that she is able to adapt and play with the boys but somehow the girly girl in her is still coming out strong.

Ashley update: Gloria and I have realized that having a roommate is pretty great. We rotate who cooks so it is like going out every few nights because you get food that isn't in your normal rotation but it tastes awesome and there is no waiting in lines. Also when one person cooks the other plays with the kids and there is usually at least one dad around for dinner who shares attention with all 3 kids. Also I get a lot of adult conversation which is AWESOME!!!

Jon update: Jon has enjoyed having 3 guys in the house. Today on the way home from church he did state that it is easier with girls than boys but he has gone on some pretty fun adventures with all 3 kids following him around to the moon, grand canyon and other crazy places. He also gets some adult conversation with Troy.