Almost there

Jeremy and I are in route to our temporary home. We will be living with his parents until we can find a new home in our new city. Today we are in our new city and will be looking at some houses with our realtor. Maybe we will find one we like and can make an offer today. Who knows!

We left our old city yesterday ... boy was that hard!! We spent the last week saying goodbye to some great friends and the emotions really wear on you! God has sent some really special people into our lives and we are going to miss them terribly! I don't like goodbyes, they just are not easy. As our old city was in my rear view mirror yesterday, tears streamed down my face. I will miss those friends. Thankfully the blog world and facebook can make the world a smaller place and if those friends are reading this right now ..... COME VISIT! Just let us find a house first!!!

Well, I'm off to go look at houses! Have a great day peeps!

Mom Celebrity Translator

I saw this today on BooMama's and thought it was hilarious! Enjoy!

Emotions

The kids and Zoe loaded up with Jeremy's parents this morning and headed to their house. My emotions are all over the place as we pack up EVERYTHING we own to place in a pod until we can find a place of our own. For the 2nd time in a little over 2 years we will load up all we have and move to a new place to start over again. We are looking forward to it but the emotions of leaving our friends here is really starting to weigh on me. I know we are doing the right thing and we are following the path God would have us walk down and I look forward to the day when I can see the bigger picture. Until then I trust in the fact that he is guiding us. Pray for us over the next few days as we finish packing and moving.

Congratulations Benjamin & Theresa

Congratulations to my brother and new sister! I love you both!

Back Home for a minute

We are home for what will seem like only a minute. My little brother got married this weekend and it was fun to be there to celebrate with he and Theresa as they became one. Ryan woke up sick the morning of the wedding but managed to be ok for the wedding only to get sick again after. It was a crazy time and I felt so bad for my little fellow. He made it through last night ok so we are hoping it's gone and no one else catches whatever he had.

He was so sweet during his times of being sick. This kid really amazes me. Saturday afternoon we all took a nap and since we were all 5 in the same hotel room Jeremy and I each slept with one boy and Kennedy was in a pack n play. I slept with Ryan and during our nap, I hear him whispering. I thought he was talking to me but he was not. He was praying to Jesus and thanking him for letting him feel better. It was too sweet! He was so upset when he woke up sick and thought he might not get to go to the wedding!

Today, and for the next few days, we will be running around like chickens with out heads cut off. The movers will be here on Thursday to load our pod for us and then we leave Friday morning. I can't believe it is here and I'm emotional about it as well. We have made some really good friends here and I'm sad to leave them. Sad, sad, sad. Oh well, I need to get some stuff done while I have a few minutes as the only one awake ... or a few seconds :)

have a great day peeps!

Whirlwind two weeks

The next 2 weeks are going to be a whirlwind for this family! We are getting ready to move and my brother is getting married this weekend. Crazy times! Pray for us as we prepare to load our family up and settle somewhere new. It's a great adventure and we are excited about it. So, if the blog is quiet for a while you know why. Don't give up on me ... I will be back!! And, I'll have some oh so cute photos of my boys in a tux and Kennedy in her dress ... I'm sure one day I'll blink and they will be in much bigger tux's and a wedding gown, tear.

Also if you think about it please pray for some friends of mine here. Their dad (and grandfather) fell off a ladder and is in ICU. Please pray for his healing, for his care, for his comfort, for his peace, and for the same comfort and peace for the family, especially his wife. Thanks! I know they will appreciate it!

It is so nice ...

Only having one child in Diapers now! Pace told us that he would learn to potty when he was 3 and he held up to his end of the deal. We had one day with 3 accidents and since then none. He's been doing it for 6 days now and I can't tell you how nice it is to only have to change child's diapers!

He doesn't like to go anywhere but home so he "holds his wee-wee" while we are out. We do have a potty in the car that he will use. Hopefully, as he builds up more confidence he will learn that he can use other potty's.

Thank you Pacer for sticking to your end of the deal. I sure would have hated for you to get married and your wife to have to change your diaper :)

From God to you

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Doctors Appointments

Today we took Pace and Kennedy for their well check ups. Pace was for his 3 year and Kennedy for her 9 month. It was quite the adventure having 3 kids in a doctors office!

Pace got his blood pressure checked and he weighed in at 34 pounds which was the 75% and poor guy was in the 25% for height. Pace is having more accidents than wins when it comes to potty training. He initiated this but we want to wait until we are moved before we push but at the same time we are nervous about going back to diapers. For some reason he is scared of the larger toilet and only wants to use his little one and that is hit or miss - I don't like cleaning up his "undergarments". Oh how I wish he was as easy as his brother was on this one!

Kennedy is going down on the charts for weight and height. I don't like the charts and percentiles! I wish that they would do away with them all together! She was off the charts on the autism awareness check that they did so that was good. At least she didn't fall off that chart :) She's just a little peanut. She is signing "more" now and that is so fun to see. She also will try to roll her hands in motion when you sing the wheels on the bus. She has been saying momma for a while but not dada ... Jeremy is jealous :)

Just for fun, I thought I'd post the boys at 9 months against Kennedy's 9 month stats. She really is not that far behind where the boys were at this same time.

Ryan:
Height: 30" (90%)
Weight: 17 pounds 8 ounces (25%)
Head: 17 3/4 (25%)

Pace: (we didn't do a 9 month appointment so these are at 8 months)
Weight: 16 pounds 14 ounces

Kennedy
Height: 26 3/4" (25%)
Weight: 16 pounds 11 ounces (15%)
Head: 17 1/2" (50%)

Ryan's verse

Last night Jeremy and I were cleaning out clutter and boxing up Kennedy's room while she was awake and we overheard Ryan trying to teach Pace one of his memory verses ... It went something like this ....

For God so loved the world he gave his only forgotten son ...

Needless to say we corrected him on this :)

Potty training

This little boy turned 3 yesterday! I still can't believe that he is 3. I say this all the time but time flies with these little ones!

We have been trying to potty train this one for a while. I figured if he can tell you he needs a new diaper it is past time for him to be out of diapers. He had NO, ZERO, interest in potty training! We didn't push too hard but we always would talk about it. He finally told us that when he was 3 he would wear "undergarments" (something his Poppa calls them). Well, yesterday he was 3! We went to Target and let him pick out his "undergarments" and said that today we would put them on him. He of course picked out Thomas the Train and Spiderman. This morning we put them on and wouldn't you know it ... he has been DRY ALL DAY LONG! He even stayed dry during nap time. He even started telling us he needed to go instead of us using the timer to get him to go. Tomorrow will be the true test ... he goes to school and he has a fear of the toilet ... he will not go on anything but his plastic one. So tomorrow he will wear a pull-up on top of his "undergarments" and we will see how he does.

He's very proud of himself and he knows we are too! Way to go Pace!

Pace time lapse

Enjoy a time lapse of Pace ... Happy Birthday buddy!

Happy Birthday Pace!

Happy Birthday sweet boy! Three years ago you made me a mommy to two boys! You have been such a blessing to us. I hope your day is great and that you feel the love we all have for you! I pray that you will feel special and celebrated because today is all about you! It's so fun to celebrate mothers day with you this year. I know we will every so often share this special day together and I look forward as the years come and go to being able to share this day with you. You are the only one who will ever get to share this day with me. It will be our special day every so often and that will be so neat.

Son, you are special and you are loved more than you will ever know. I pray that you will always keep God in your view and that you will love him with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. I pray that you will seek Him with all that you have. The Bible promises us that we will find Him when we seek for Him. He will never let you down. People will come and go in your life but Jesus will never leave you or forsake you.

You have a servant spirit. You love to serve and help others. I pray that this trait will continue to grow in you and that you will continue to love and serve others, sharing with them the love that God has for them.

You just remember that you are special and that we will always love you no matter what. I hope you have a wonderful 3rd birthday buddy. It's so hard to believe that you are already 3. It feels like just yesterday you were being placed in my arms and now you are running, jumping, learning and growing into a little boy who has a heart full of love to give to others.

Even though your birthday is on Sunday this year (mothers day) we are celebrating all weekend! Tonight we celebrated with mommy's parents, tomorrow we will have your party and both sets of your grandparents will be there and then Sunday we will celebrate again ... we will celebrate together your day and mine.

We love you and hope you have a wonderful day. This weekend we celebrate you! Happy birthday, Pacer!!

mothers day songs

Today at the boys school their classes sang a song for mommies. Pace was a little on the shy side and didn't want to sing. However, he did sing it for me before going to school this morning and it was too sweet. Complete with a kiss at the end.

Here is Ryan and his class singing their mommy song ...

Bad momma?!?

Kennedy has really bad separation anxiety. We have known this for a while as it started really, really early. We mastered the dropping off at church problem with a lovie and Jeremy dropping her off instead of me. However, we have yet to master the dilemma at home. I will be sitting with her on her blanket (because she spits up so much) and she will scream to get in my lap, SCREAM! I'm trying to be hands on with 3 children and so we will all play, yet she is not content with me just being nearby. Oh no, that would be TOO easy! She has to be in my lap and not just in my lap she wants to be held a certain way.

Leaving the room is a whole different story. She has perfected this one lately. She gets so upset that she is hyperventilating now. I will pick her up and love on her but sometimes a momma has to leave the room for just a minute - she can see me when I leave too. I got the video below just before I put her down for her nap. I was trying to play with her but she wanted nothing to do with it ... she wanted in my lap right that very instant. Part of me wonders how much to pick her up and how much to let her cry. It is really hard to just let her cry, especially when she gets sooooo very upset.

Heaven

Lately Ryan has been talking to me about Heaven and about having Jesus live in your heart. He is constantly asking me when he can go to Heaven and see Jesus. He wants to know what it is like and whether or not Jesus has toys. He also wants to know why we won't sleep in Heaven and what he will do when he gets tired. These are just a few of his many Heaven related questions. I have no idea where he heard we will not sleep in heaven but he is adamant in the fact that he will not be able to sleep ... maybe this is in direct relation to the fact that he doesn't like to sleep here?

Anyway, trying to explain to him how Jesus lives in your heart is a hard one. With him everything is so literal and to try to put that one on a 4 year old level has been a challenge. Today he came to me and told me that God told him that he would be living in Heaven soon. I just didn't have any words for this one but I had tons of emotions well up in me with his statement. Although I look forward to the day when I'll see my savior face to face ... I pray that none of us see him any time soon!

Zoe & Kennedy

Kennedy has a love hate relationship with our dog Zoe. She is actually, most of the time, scared to death of Zoe. Now, you have to know that Zoe is the most laid back dog ever. She is a little hyper when new people are around but for the most part she just lays around.

Now that K can crawl (or scoot), she will make her way over to Zoe and then she will proceed to "talk" to her. This get's Zoe excited that she is going to get some attention so she runs off and gets one of her own toys and comes back with it in her mouth. This will make K shake violently and SCREAM her head off. Poor Zoe doesn't know what to do and Kennedy remains scared of her. This cycle repeats itself often.

We don't know what to do about it either. K acts like she doesn't even care about our dog but the minute that Zoe moves or trys to play it scares Kennedy something fierce. Any suggestions you have are welcome!

Potty Training Woes

So potty training child #2 proves to be a challenge! He tells me that when he turns 3 he will use the "big boy potty" and not his diaper. That's a good thing because I tell him when he is 3 I will not buy him diapers anymore :)

Well, we have been having this conversation for quite a while. His birthday is this week and he will be ... yep, you guessed it ... 3! I wonder if he will actually follow through on his promise to mommy?

I swear if it is up to him ... he'd get married wearing a diaper! Stay tuned and next week I'll let you know if he followed through with his birthday promise to mommy :)

Lost & Found

For Christmas Pace got this Pizza Party. He loves making you Pizza. The kid LOVES food. He leaves the table from meal time and proceeds upstairs to cook for himself and his brother. In any given day my boys have eaten about 20 times - some real some not so real food. I kid that when they are older I will have to have a full time job just to pay our grocery bill :).

For the past month the toppings for the Pizza have been missing. We have looked high and low for those things and just couldn't figure out where they could be. There just aren't that many hiding places in our home. Every day we have asked the boys WHERE they put them and they didn't have the foggiest of clues.

Finally today, Ryan remembered that they had put them in their Lightening McQueen Easter eggs that Jeremy's parents brought when they were here last. So we go down stairs and I pull out the Easter egg stash and sure enough, there they were.

They were so happy to have them back. In just the last 20 minutes they have both had about 6 slices of pizza each and they are still up there cooking more pizza to eat!