Monday, May 27, 2013

8 months!

Our baby girl is 8 months old today!!  Hard to believe :)
So what all is she up to...


She is now able to hang out on all 4's...she might have had help getting in that position :)
She isn't mobile yet though...and we are good with that.

She started clapping last week, and she is so proud of herself when she does it!

She is still a great nurser and is eating food twice a day.  She loves to eat like a big girl and gets so excited when she sees the food come out.  She starts working her hands like crazy....so cute.

Sleep....we are making it, not doing too bad really.  But not sleeping through the night really.  She wakes normally once a night now for a quick feeding then is back down till at least 7 or most of the time closer to 8.  She takes 2 naps a day and you never know each day if it will be a long or short nap.

She is not the cuddler like her sister was/is.  She loves to be held, but doesn't necessarily cuddle up on you when she gets tired.  I will rock her before naps or bedtime and she will "play" with me till I put her in the bed.  She does snuggle in the middle of the night, so that helps Momma not get too annoyed with still getting up during the night.

Most of her hair has fallen out and is now coming in much lighter.  We noticed this week that the little bit of hair she does have that is original shows where on the ends is dark then changes to being lighter.
I keep meaning to try and get a picture of that...

She loves to "talk".  And she loves to blow raspberries on your arm if you will let her.  Crazy kid :)

She has become a great car rider, which I hope will continue later in the summer when we make the 8+ hour car ride to Alabama.

She loves, loves, loves her big sister, and I am pretty sure the feelings are mutual ;)

Alright, that's what comes to mind that I want to get in writing to remember!  Off to enjoy a morning date with my hubby this morning...woohoo!
Maybe I will try to get some better pics later today...poor kiddo :)


Thursday, May 23, 2013

Photo time!

I think it has been a few posts since I have had any pics...so I will take a moment to share some photos of what we have been up to the last week or so since Michael has finished with his semester!

 SK has been living outside lately...she will come in for food (if she must...) and bathroom.  Most days you can find these girls outside being very creative in their playing :)

 On the rare occasion (like a rainy day) we have to be indoors, SK begs to have a friend over for a playdate--most of the time including a tea party.

 The last couple of Sat. mornings we have been out at the farmer's market.  Evie was getting a morning snooze in while her sister played at the playground!

 Playground photo op :)

 I told SK she had to give me a few secs for a photo op before heading outside to play in the sprinkler!  This is a sampling of what I got...


 And Evie watched her crazy sister and begged me to take her pic too :)

Splash pad a Tilles Park!  Yeah for weather warm enough to break out the 
swimsuit and be outdoors all day!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Ducks out of water

This last week has been a bit of a ride for me really.  Last weekend I found myself with worry creeping in about raising our children in a culture that is vastly different from the Southern "Bible belt" culture that Michael and I were both raised in.  Now I know that raising children in any culture these days presents all kinds of different challenges, but I got a taste it seems of how challenging it will be to be diligent with our children to make sure they know the truth and the gospel penetrates every aspect of their lives.
Then Sunday came.  The sermon pierced my heart.  These kids are not my own.  They weren't just put here on this earth as a gift to me for my enjoyment.  While, yes, they are such a gift to me and Michael, they have a higher calling.  They are to be fountains of blessing to everyone around them.  We know that the Lord is calling us to England.  That means he is calling our children as well.  He has a plan for their lives and our prayer is that he will use them greatly to further His kingdom.  It won't be easy.  It will push me into a level of trust that I have yet to reach, I know.  God is in control though and He is good.  He wants good for our children.
I also have seen this week that we live in a fallen broken jacked up world.  We lives surrounded by affects of the fall.  We heard of some friends here in town who lost their baby due to miscarriage.  That is messed up.  Michael got a phone call yesterday that a friend of his in Birmingham who he worked with died last week after a long fight with cancer.  He was only 38 (or somewhere close to that age...) and leaves a wife and 3 children.
I long for a day when I won't have to worry about what my children will be exposed to.  For a day that I won't have to see friends separated from their babies far too soon.

In all of this crap though, God is good.  I am thankful that he is bigger than all of this mess.  He is sovereign and sits on his throne and will one day bring his children home to be with him.  I am thankful that he is here in the midst of the mess.  I am thankful that he chose to save a wretch like me.  I am thankful that he is holding my children and will walk with them as they enter a culture that they won't know and will love them through the transition.

I am thankful He is God and I am not.

The sermon on Sunday reminded me that we are like ducks not in their element, the water.  We one day will be, but for now we must trust that the Lord will carry us and take care of us.  And that even in the mess of death, He is still here and knows our hearts.  I don't understand completely, but I don't have to. I just have to remind myself that He is good and He loves his children.


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Done...

Well, we can now officially say we have one more semester under our belts!  Michael finished up his last exam yesterday.  Whew.  That was a doozie of a semester and I am glad to have it behind us.  Michael got to go out last night with a group of guys to the Cardinal's game to celebrate and he deserved it!  I am so ready for a much needed break.
So what does our summer look like?  Well...We have the next few weeks to recoup then Michael will be taking a summer class for 3 weeks or so in the month of June.  I hear it is a tough class, so that will be a fun 3 weeks I am sure, but that is it for the summer.  Woohoo :)
I need to clean.  Like really clean our apt.
I need a date with my hubby.  Or maybe multiple dates.  With the semester being so crazy and a certain little baby girl that doesn't like mommy to be too far away for too long, our dates are kinda sparse lately.  We need to fix that...asap.
I love summertime.  I am ready for pool time, sprinkler time, ect.  I love being able to be outside all day and let kiddos burn their energy outside :)  SK is loving being able to be outside all day too.  Yesterday for instance, we headed outside at 9:30 a.m., came in for lunch (actually at a friend's place...), then headed right back out by 2 or so and stayed out till 7!  She would have stayed out longer too if I would let her.  She loves to be with friends and be outside playing.
I wish I would have taken some pictures yesterday.  We had a little "garden" party which turned into a little dance party for the kiddos with music blaring!  What a great way to end a crazy semester and welcome summer ;)
Maybe I will remember my camera today if we go out....
Here is Michael hanging at the game last night:

Yeah for being three quarters of the way done!  I can't believe we only have 1 year till we graduate.  Wow.  


Monday, May 13, 2013

Mother's Day thoughts...

I know, I am a day late.  I had a lot of emotions this weekend to say the least.  Mother's Day weekend is hard for me.  First, I will say that I am blessed with a great mom and so thankful for that.  I am also blessed with a mother-in-law that I love as well.  SO thank you Mimi and Nana for being such incredible women that love us well and helped me in so many ways become the woman I am today.
Now...on to other thoughts in my head.  I really don't like Mother's Day to be blunt.  I guess I could sum it up that I don't really buy into these Hallmark Holidays in general, but esp. Mother's Day.
My feelings turned this way 4 years ago.  Before 4 years ago, I loved it.  It was a special day to celebrate God blessing me with SK and getting to be a mom myself and celebrating my and Michael's mom.  It all changed 4 years ago.
It was a 2 or 3 weeks before Mother's Day 2009 that I found out that I was pregnant with our second baby.  I was so thrilled.  SK was going to be 19 months older than her baby brother or sister.  She had a big sister shirt and we had announced to everyone.  Then the day before Mother's Day, Jesus called our baby to Heaven.  It was His perfect plan for that child.  Whether I agree with that plan or not or understand, I know it was what he had in mind with that baby boy or girl.  I was at the ballet recital (where I taught) and went straight home with MIchael.  I went straight to bed and didn't really get out of the bed for 2 days.  I remember that night as Michael and I laid in the bed, sobbing.  Gut wrenching sobbing.  Like I have never hurt so bad in my life.  I remember pounding my husband on his chest wanting to scream "NO!"
Mother's Day 2009 was spent in the bed facing the loss of our baby.  We went the next day to my doctor, which confirmed with an ultrasound that we had lost the baby.
After that loss, it took us over 3 years to be blessed to find out we were pregnant once again.  That means I spent the next 3 Mother's Days celebrating that we had SK, but longing to add to our family.
Mother's Day is hard for many women.  I have friends I know that long for children.  Either adding more children or have yet to be able to get pregnant.  My heart aches for them.  I know it is hard to hear all around them "Happy Mother's Day!" to everyone else except for them.  It is hard to trust the Lord through these times...I know.  I have been there.  I had to remind myself all the time that God IS GOOD and loves His children.
I am very thankful that the Lord chose to bless us with 2 precious little girls and another baby girl or boy that we WILL meet one day in heaven.  My heart longs for Heaven.  I long for the day that there is no longing or pain or heartaches.  Come, Lord Jesus quickly.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Ballet Recital and babies...

Wednesday was SK's ballet recital.  She was so excited to get to finally wear her costume and more importantly to her was getting to wear makeup :)  She, just like last year, melted her momma's heart dancing on the stage.  She was so cute, along with all the other cute kiddos too :)
She cracked me up how she was focussing so hard on doing just like her teacher.  So hard in fact that she needed to stick her tongue out for most of the dance...It was a hoot.  You could just tell she was very focussed and I know when she is working hard on something, the tongue comes out.  She does the same thing when we do "school work" at home.
After the recital we headed out to eat with friends.  We decided to let the 10 kids sit together at a table and the adults together at another table (right beside each other).  The kids had a blast trying their hand at chopsticks :).
On the way home from dinner, I had a cute conversation with SK.  I can't remember exactly how we got on the subject, but she brought up that she wanted to be a Ballet teacher when she grew up, then changed to wanting to be a cowgirl.   Then she said she didn't want to get married because she didn't want to throw up.  We have had this conversation before.  She thinks that if she gets married, then she will get pregnant and throw up (like I did when I was preggo with Evie).  Ha.  I had to explain (once again) that just because you have a baby in your tummy doesn't mean that you will throw up.  Then the subject changed to the topic of adoption.  She decided that "maybe one day I will adopt a baby from another country".  It was a precious conversation on adoption and she had such a sweet little heart talking about being a mommy one day.
Ok, just wanted to write that down, so I could remember it :)
On to the pictures right :)
 Messy baby :)  She was loving her "smoothie"!






Monday, May 6, 2013

Thankfulness

I feel as though I am getting in a rut with this blog.  Don't worry, I don't plan to quit doing it (at least I think I won't...).  I want to blog about my kids and fun times we have for memories sake, but I want my blog to be more than that.  I love to share my heart on here.  Share what the Lord is teaching me or how he is molding me in the good and hard times.  I want this to be a ministry.  I know it ministers to me to be able to write down my thoughts and put into words what is on my heart.  Really, that is more important to me than to keep up with every fun day with the kids we have.  I want them to be able to look back on here and see the gospel spilling through it.

So where is my heart at?  Right now, it is in a funk I guess.  That is the only way I can think to describe it.  This semester has been hard, but good in so many ways.  It is encouraging to see the Lord use the hard times to grow me.  I am tired and I want to whine and fuss almost daily.  I haven't slept through the night in what seems like ages.  I am so ready for sweet Evie to start sleeping through the night.  I think we are getting closer.  The last few nights she went to be somewhere close to 7:30 then didn't wake till 3:30ish, then slept till 7 or so.  We are close, just not there yet.  I think with my lack of rest, on top of a busy semester for Michael is challenging me to rely on God for strength and patience and grace for each moment throughout my day.  And I can tell the days that I don't rely on him.

I have been reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I have had the book for a while and even started it back before Evie was born, but never got far into it before being completely distracted by the newborn/baby phase.  Now I am further along and actually thinking I will make it through it the whole way :)  So far, it is really making me think about taking everyday moments and seeing the blessing through them.  Seeing the gifts of God in so many things around me.  And being Thankful for them.  I want to have a heart of gratitude.  How amazing is our Lord that he would give us so many gifts.  He would think of me as I sit here and see the wet dew on the grass outside.  That I would see the beauty in comfy warm sweaters that make me want to curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee and watch my daughter put on a "dance show" for me.  How my heart changes when I look for things to be thankful for in the midst of even crazy tiring times.  And the days that I am living in a state of thankfulness...how that affects how SK responds to me and her attitude for the day as well.

So I will start today thanking the Lord for a peaceful morning.  A morning of sitting at the table in quiet listening to the birds sing their morning song outside.  I can start like that and know that while I won't do it perfectly, I will strive to be thankful today.  To see God even in the mundane task of washing dishes and folding laundry.  To look for God in that instead of saying that I never have to just spend with the Lord without so many distractions.  God has put me in this place and he will meet me where I am if I just look for him.  "Seek me and you shall find" right?


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Still here...

Yep, I know.  It's been a while.  Have I mentioned that this semester is a bit busy for us???  And that MIchael always has the computer and is working on some sort of paper...
Plus the fact that I am tending to 3 cute kiddos that seem to constantly need something :)

Maybe during the summer break I will have more time for this...maybe.  We have had some lovely days outside, so we have been soaking that in.  Like spending the whole morning outside, picnic, and then back out till dinner time after naps.  I love a good sunny day :)

So here are some random thoughts via pictures, since I really have no idea where to start in catching up on this blog...
 movie time with a friend!  Doesn't she look so old in this picture....:(
 New hat playing at the playground! (Awesome free store find!)
Guess who is sitting up now!!!??!!

We have about 2 weeks of school left then a little break till MIchael's summer class starts...I am thinking we are gonna have some "staycation" action happening during that time.  I think we could all use it!