The difference a year makes ...

These are my boys one year ago. Pace was 14 months and Ryan was 31 months. It is amazing to me the difference a few months makes but especially a year ... in the last year my boys have grown immensely. I have seen their little personalities develop deeper and I have watched the bond of brothers grow. They can be so sweetly playing one moment and beating each other up the next. But no one else better bother either of them or they will face the wrath of the other. They must do what the other does no matter what it is. They Love to help Jeremy and I around the house.

Last year at this time our lives were in limbo. We didn't understand what was going on and had no clue what the future would hold for us. We still don't quite understand what all has happened but one thing we do ... God has always been in control and he still is as we continue to wait on Him to reveal to us our future plans.

Last year at this time we were a simple family of 4 and now we are gearing up to be a family of 5! FIVE! I still get the shakes thinking about 3 children under the age of 4 :) I know that God will give us all we need as we try to Shepperd these little ones to grow in character and the truth of God's word and will for their lives.

Looking back at those cute faces from a year ago remind me how quickly time flies and how we have but a moment with these little ones to train them in the way they should go. I pray that God will guide us as we do the best we can in the parenting world. Some days are easier than others. Lately we are being tested by 2 little ones and consistency is the key but some days we just are not consistent .... Lord please help us to parent these little ones the way that you would have us to parent them. Guide us by your Truth so that we can guide them in it. Help us to love them with your love and show them your ways. Help us to be the parents that guide with grace and truth just as you lead and guide us with grace and truth. May we always be arrows that point them toward you and your love for them.

Mom's gone ..

Well, my mom left this morning. It was such a BLESSING to have her here! I can't tell you what a great help it was to have her here helping me and playing with my boys. Jeremy was able to be in the office every day without worrying about me at home falling or not falling.

Mom will be back in 4 weeks as we gear up for the princess' arrival! It's hard to believe that in 5 weeks she could be in our lives on the outside instead of the inside. I'm ready to go back to being the fun mom that my boys and husband are used to instead of the mom who walks like she is "riding a horse" ... my mom told me that this week ... I still love her even if she did make fun of me each time I walked around :)

Well, I hope you are enjoying your weekend. You know I don't feel good when I didn't take ONE SINGLE PHOTO this week! Bad momma!

We have a date!

On August 4th at 8:30am we (I) will have an amniocentesis and they will check on the maturity of Kennedy's lungs. If the readings come back showing that her lungs are mature enough for delivery ... I will be induced on August 5th or 6th. So the possibility is that 6 weeks from today I could be holding my little princess! The cool thing is that August 6th is my Papa's birthday ... it would be cool if she were born on that date!

The sciatica pain is getting worse but the end is in sight! Each time I feel her kick or move, I am reminded of how precious life is and how amazing it is to carry this little one in my womb. I am thankful, even through the pain, for the gift God has given us in this life!

Re-calls ... gotta hate them

So I waddled to the store with Jeremy last night to search for a new crib because ours has been re-called. It was a process I tell you! Our furniture is white in our nursery and it's been the same furniture we have used with both boys and were hoping to use for Kennedy as well. I'm a sentimental person so giving up this crib has hurt my heart.

We talked to the lady at Babies "R" Us last night and she told us our options ... we only really had one if we wanted to stay in the same color as the rest of our nursery. I had looked online and the one I found was an online only purchase so it was out of the running as the store can't order things that the website offers ... STINK!

Then we looked at cribs that were supposed to be white only to find out that the new white is off white so it wouldn't look right up against our white, white furniture. So we went with the one option we have and we now have a new crib.

We have to take apart the old one and send in the right parts to the company who recalled the crib to complete the process but at least our little girl will have a crib to sleep in where she will not get hurt!

Oh and PS ... Happy Birthday to my brothers fiance' Theresa! I hope your day is great!

My boys...

I think my boys are starting to figure out that change is on the way in this house. I wonder what gave this away to them ... was it the ever growing belly to my front, the girly nursery that appeared in this house, or was it the pink and purple clothes that we have started to add to the laundry? I'm not sure which one of these things gave it away but the boys are both starting to act out. Maybe it is coupled with the fact that that I just can't give them the attention that I need/want to give them. The sciatica is keeping me from really getting down and dirty with my boys like they are used to momma doing.

The other day Ryan just hauled off and smacked Pace across the face ... I still have no clue why though I'm sure there was a reason ... then a few days later Pace took a chunk out of Ryan's side with his teeth. He still bears the bruise from that bite ... he must have pinned Pace down or something b/c Pace doesn't normally bite. Later in the week something else happened between the two and I mentioned that I had run out of patience with them ... my Ryan without missing a beat told me to "go get some more mom". I had to walk out of the room I was laughing so hard and it was not something I wanted him to say again ...

Thanfully, my mom is able to be here for a few days and provide the boys with some change ... they love their grandparents and absolutely eat it up when any of the 4 are around. She is able to get down and dirty with the boys and give me some help which is such a blessing.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the little princess arrives and the boys really have a live baby in the house ... not just the belly on mom. At least once she is here I can get down again with my boys and hopefully that will help ease the tension that is mounting here in my home.

My mom is here

My mom is here for the rest of this week to help me out so that Jeremy can focus more on work than he does on us. It is such a blessing to have her here! Thanks mom for coming up to help us out during this time! Thanks Dad for letting her come!

Free Thomas Train toys!

Do your little ones love Thomas the Train as much as my little guys do? Then you must go here and print this coupon to Toys R us. You can get a free Thomas toy up to $12.99 value. You can only access this coupon ONCE per computer so make sure your printer is ready to print before you pull it up.

Have fun shopping!

I must thank him ...

But how? I'm talking about Jeremy, of course. I need to dote on him a moment y'all! This pregnancy is by far my worst yet. For 2 months now I have been having sciatica problems. I wear a knee brace when we go out, hold on to the walls when I walk like an 80 year old woman, and have been threatened by the doctor to give me a walker ... a walker! Jeremy has always been an excellent father and husband and has ALWAYS chipped in and helped out around here even before this time in our lives. But, I must tell y'all he is out doing himself! His work is being so flexible with him right now and he's able to work at home 2 or 3 days a week just to give me help with the boys up and down our stairs. It is a huge help! Jeremy goes non stop each day from what he does for work to coming home and taking care of the boys and putting them to bed. How do I thank him for being such an amazing help to me at a time when I hurt with each step I take?

It is hard to just sit on the couch or in the bed and let him do so much yet I can't get up to help most days. I'm going to have to send him on a man-cation or something once she comes so he can rest and relax! He has really gone above and beyond the call of duty and I never hear him complain.

Thanks Jeremy for your love and for taking such great care of us. Thanks for pouring out your all each day when I know sometimes you'd rather sit down and take a load off yourself. I'll make it up to you as soon as I can walk again :) I love you more than you'll ever know!

Do you use diapers?

Do you use/need diapers? I think all of us mom's with untrained pottiers can say yes to that question. Do you like coupons ... yes? I thought so ... Do you use Luvs? Even better!

Luvs and mom-comedienne Anita Renfroe - known for her “Total Momsense” song to the tune of the WilliamTell Overture that became a YouTube sensation and her appearances on Good Morning America - have teamed up to show parents that there is a way to get through today's changing economic times without losing their minds, wallets or sense of humor!

On June 25th there will be a $5 off coupon for Luvs on www.Luvs.com! How cool is that? These coupons are limited and they won’t last long!

We use luvs with Pace all the time. They are more economical than Pampers or Huggies and might I just say I like them better? They even have changed so they now have the bear stretch side ... so mark your calendar for JUNE 25th and go grab yourself a coupon for $5 off. Until then enjoy the video that Anita did for Luvs!

A favorite picture

My boys were with their grandparents last week and had a ball. From what I hear they were all about the pool ... ALL OF THE TIME! This is one of my favorite pictures from their week with Jeremy's parents.

How long will it last?

My boys enjoy and actually BEG to help wash the dishes. I wonder how long this will last? Will they be 11 or 12 and still beg do to the dishes? Somehow I doubt it but right now they are standing with Jeremy at the sink and Ryan is doing one dish and Pace is saying "me, me, me" waiting on his turn to wash a dish. I hope that this desire to help do dishes and other chores around the house will last until they are out of high school :) A momma can dream can't she?

Need help ...

OK so I want to make a CD of music to take with us to the hospital for the birth of this little girl. I have a few in mind like "Isn't she Lovely" and a few others .... But I wanted to hear your thoughts on music .... Leave a comment with a song, or two, or three that you think should be on our hospital CD :)

Oh I just fell out of my chair ... my best friend Whitney who has been reading my blog and then calling me afterward just made her first comment on this blog ... it really is a special moment y'all ... I'm still picking myself up off the floor. I think I'll be in a state of unbelief for a while! Love you Whit!

Happy Fathers Day!

I wanted to tell my husband, father, and father-in-love ... "Happy Fathers Day". I hope you each had a fantastic day and know how much you are loved.

We were able to spend Fathers day this year with Jeremy's dad as they rolled in Saturday evening with my boys. It was a laid back day where we just enjoyed each others company and some good food from Longhorn.

Jeremy - I want you to know you are an awesome father to our boys. You lead by example and show them the love that our heavenly Father has for them. You are an arrow that points to Him and for that I am grateful. Thank you for leading our family and showering us with love each and every day! These boys adore you and I can't wait to see the little girl that will adore you as well. Thank you for all you do to provide for our family, to allow me to be able to stay at home with our kids - it means more than you know and is a gift daily to me! I love you and our boys do as well .... Hope you had a great day!

The Boys are back in town ...

Well, they will be tonight! I can't wait to see them! They have asked us countless times over the phone this week to put a pool in our back yard though ... not going to happen but they can dream :) They have had a great week with their Poppa and Jojo.

Thanks Poppa and Jojo for the week of rest you gave to this pregnant momma! I'm glad you all had a great time!

Heather Rocks!

This is Jeremy. Just a quick note to make sure everyone knows one important thing about the date last night...my wife is SO worth it! Her happiness is my happiness and to see her excited, even about something so small, fills my heart with more joy than anyone will ever know.

Ok, that's all...just wanted to clear up that one little thing! :-)

Jeremy Rocks!

My hubby came home from work tonight with Flowers, a movie and popcorn for a date night here with me ... how sweet and thoughtful was that? I'm so excited to watch a movie with my love.

I hear them ...

Our boys aren't here this week. They are having a blast with one set of grandparents and loving every minute of the pool in their backyard. Ryan has asked each of us separately could we have a pool in our backyard. My in-loves are telling me that they are having a hard time keeping our boys out of the pool. They are in heaven. Even if my in-loves didn't have a pool they would be in heaven ... they love spending time with both sets of grandparents. This excites me. I was always so close to my grandparents and Jeremy to his grandparents. I love that my boys enjoy being around both sets ... sadly they all live far away from us so we make the most of every opportunity when around them.

Well back to the title of this post ... they aren't here but I hear them. I know that's strange or maybe it's not. When they should be asleep, I swear I can hear Pacer's dog rattle or hear Ryan get up and go potty. However, they are not here to do those things. I miss them so much! We talk to them often and I love hearing the excitement in their voices over what they have done or are going to do.

Since they have been gone I think about our life before kids ... it was much more simple. No diaper bags to pack before leaving the house, no sippy cups to fill, no curfew, no baby sitter to tie down, no "why" questions to answer, we could eat out without entertaining two kids and actually hold down a conversation between the two of us .... oh there are so many things that are different. However, we would have missed out on so much had we decided to not have kids. I love the fact that I have to pack a diaper bag, fill sippy cups, answer "why" questions, and entertaining two kids while eating so as not to disrupt those around us. I LOVE having kids! I love everything about them and life is just not the same without them. I miss my hugs and kisses and the unprompted "I love yous" that they give. I can't wait to have them back!

Cardboard Testimonies ..

You MUST watch this!! OH yeah, be prepared to CRY!



What would yours say?

Just wondering ...

Does anyone know where these two little boys went? My boys are growing up way too fast. Oh I look at this picture and just think about how much they are learning and the little boys they have become and the big boys they will be one day. I hope time will slow down a bit so they don't grow too fast on me :) Time flies my friends, time flies!

They are with Jeremy's parents this week and I miss them terribly. They have only been gone 24 hours but I miss those hugs and kisses and all Ryan's silly questions. It's amazingly quiet around here.

We put them in Jeremy's parents car yesterday at 5:30 AM and my Pacer was sitting in his seat with his blanket and lovie waving bye and blowing me kisses. There just seemed something wrong with this picture. My baby was telling me bye ... he shouldn't be able to do that should he? How did he get that old. As they drove off I saw little hands waving bye to us as we stood on our porch and waved back. They shouldn't be this old .... why can't they just stay little?

The Mom Song

My boys are headed to their grandparents house for a week ... I miss them already!

Suzi sent me this video and I thought it was cute ... hope you enjoy!

Falling and falling and ...

Falling! I called and they want to see me after falling 3 times this morning alone. So I'm headed to the office to "talk" and be hooked up to monitors to check on Kennedy.

EDITED TO ADD: Kennedy is doing just fine. The DR is a bit baffled as to what to do with me over the next 8 weeks until I can get to the 37 week mark. Jeremy got me a pre-natal massage for mothers day so I'm going to get that this week.

The boys are leaving Sunday morning to go to Jeremy's parents house. We will have a week to ourselves with no kids.

Thanks for all the prayers!

I passed & cute video

I passed my glucose screening with flying colors! Thank you Lord! I did not want to have to go back for the 3 hour! My iron levels were great ... if I could just pass those on to Pacer!

Thanks for the prayers ... sorry I'm not posting more ... the sciatica is acting up!

My friend Whitney sent me this video so I thought I'd post it ... it's cute!

Update on Pace

Well, I had to take Pace into the DR today for a rash and they went ahead and checked his Iron levels while we were there. He had come up a half a point but still not where they would like for him to be. This is despite our best efforts to get more iron rich foods into him and with an iron vitamin ... thanks for the recipes.

So now we are having to give him iron supplement drops once a day over the next few months to see if we can get it back up to where they want it. They will check him again when we take Kennedy in for her first appointment. Thankfully the pharmacist was able to give me a good idea of how to mask the taste ... in applesauce .. who would have guessed ... he didn't even notice! Thank you Lord! Here's hoping we can get it to where it needs to be with nothing else to do.

Oh and yes he is sunburned in the picture ... bad momma missed some spots when I was putting on sun screen.

Tour

We now know where to go when it's time ... should that come before my induction. We toured the hospital last night where Kennedy will be born. Can I just say that it made me want to stay there more than just 2 days? The rooms are HUGE! Much like the room I we labored and delivered in back with the boys ... however the great part of it is that you do not leave this room to go to a TINY room once the baby is born - we get to stay in the huge room! Score! There will be room for the boys to be able to come up and stay a while. The room even has a DVD player with a flat screen TV and wireless to boot! Technology people ... it's what makes it all worthwhile to my hubby! Besides the baby that is .. but if you have to stay a while let's at least keep the men entertained :)

One other thing this hospital does that I really thought was cool ... they have a family nap time each day from 3 to 4. You can send the baby to the nursery or keep her with you if you like.

The rooms were nice and so were the nurses. I'm looking forward, well as much as you can look forward to pain, to delivering this baby girl there. I dreamed about it all night.

A good weekend...

We had a laid back weekend! Saturday a friend from our small group blessed us with some meals to keep me off my feet ... such a blessing!

Yesterday, we got Ryan's hair chopped off for the summer ... it's cute! We also went to our church's outside baptism. Ryan asked lots of questions as he has been for a while about Jesus and salvation. Fun to answer your child's spiritual questions ... challenging to find a way to explain in in a way they will understand!

Right now Ryan is telling Pace a story ... It's a combination of Noah's Ark, Rack shack and Benny (veggie tales) Dave and the Giant Pickle (veggie tales) and the Cars story. Amazing how those stories fit together in his mind! :)