Blogging, oddly enough, is a weird "burden". I love having one and long to be someone who journals everyday and uses it as a way to write down all the things I don't want to forget. One wouldn't know it but I really would love to have a blog that touches people. A place where I can be real and honest about what life is like as a women who is trying to figure out how to do these things called marriage, parenting and somehow trying to remember who I am outside of those two very defining roles, but holy moly its a lot of work! Ha! I mean honestly, I go so long between post that its hard to know what to post about. My life is moving at lightening speed how can I recap and move on. Apparently I have some OCD tendencies because its hard to just pick up and go forward without mentioning the 3000 big things that have happened since I posted last. For example since posting last I had another baby (Numero 4), Avery asked Jesus into her heart, we sold a house, built a house, and moved in, birthdays, birthdays, birthdays galore. Not to mention so many little things that were huge for us. Those are just a few but still how is a girl suppose to just start from today without giving each one of those precious big moments their special entry. Well I'm not sure, but today I enter a new decade of life so I figure if I'm going to give this another go, perhaps today is a good day. So here is to my 50th try at successful blogging. Please check back often but don't judge if I totally drop the ball....again.
Today I'm thirty and crazy enough woke singing Tim McGraws Next Thirty Years and I've been singing it all day (Lord please send me another song). The last 10 years have been so amazing and FAST and also very S L O W. How does that work?? I have no idea! I have been thinking the last few days about the last 10 years. I moved to Fayetteville and moved in with a total stranger (no joke). It was a blessing because she is my best friend, her family is my family, and she introduced me to my husband. So let me quickly recap the last 10 years. I moved to Fayetteville, went to nursing school, became a wife , built our first house, graduated nursing school, got pregnant, had my heart broken when I miscarried,our God is gracious and we got pregnant very quickly afterwards with Roman, Became a mom, quit working at the hospital to stay home (never went back),Suffered another miscarriage but again God is good! He blessed us again when 11 months later we had Avery Claire, became landlords, bought a home, SURPRISED when we got pregnant with Ella (I know you seem to be reading the same thing over and over...yep we had a lot of babies pretty fast). Life was pretty crazy so guess what we did.....Right! We got pregnant, sold our house, started building again. Had our fourth baby, Beckem. Last June we moved again (and hopefully the last time) and life has been a wild ride.
We've been challenged and God has been stirring our hearts to do more. In October we started thinking about foster care and adoption. We are now in the process of getting our home open and will start fostering and Lord willing adopt through the system. More on that at another time! We are excited (although it was a journey to get there). We've been reminded when God lays something on your heart just go with it. He's with us and as we seek Him crazy changes happen in our heart. The desires of our heart align with his will. That's where I want to be!
My husband turned 30 a week ago and I told him maybe our thirties would slow down a bit but I think we both know we really don't want that. We love our crazy life and all the craziness that comes with it. So here I go. I'm hoping to bring it in my THIRTIES!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
To Homeschool or Not...that is the question.
We are almost finished building our home and I've thought to myself several times (by several I mean a thousand), "what in the world will I think about when this house is built"? It has consumed my mind since The very beginning. Pinterest has been my best friend and together we have built a beautiful home...ha...with the help of the hubs and the builder of course. We can't wait to be there and I have so many hopes and dreams for that place.
As if on cue, at the end of a major project, my mind is heavily rethinking and pondering the idea of plunging into the world of homeschool next year. I swear its because I had no idea what I would be thinking about. HA! Well all I can say is this time I'm not pregnant.We do seem to hop from one "big" project to the next. This isn't completely a new idea. Last year we visited it pretty hard but fortunately we were able to sell or house and get Roman into a much better school district and this year has been wonderful. I have no complaints over his education. He adjusted wonderfully, had a great teacher, and has made good friends. He's involved in sports and dad coaches we have had a great year. My point in saying all that is, a bad year has not led me back here. It's simply a desire that began stirring last year and has continued to grow.
If you would have told me that I would have considering home school 2 years ago I would have said, "no way" yet here I am. I don't just want to consider it I already feel
committed to it. I desperately want to do it but I'm so afraid I will fail at it. I was telling JM tonight that I know I'm a romantic, I always see thing through rose colored glasses. I always want/expect things to go perfectly and I'm really upset when they don't. I don't always think its a bad thing but its often not my best asset. I read blogs of families who home school some say they were hesitant to start but that it has changed their lives for the better and that now they cant imagine doing anything different. That's what I want to look back and say!
What really is motivating me:
I miss my kid. This may sound selfish and probably is but our morning starts at 6. we rush to make it to school by 715 then he's gone until I pick him up at 230. We get home around 3. He's tired and ready for his "alone time". Before we know its dinner then bed and i haven't had much time and certainly not much quality time with him in 5 days.
I feel like of the 8 hours he's at school he's really doing about 3 hours of school. Judging by the amount of "busy" work and movies they watch I feel pretty confident saying that.
I dont like or agree with the new common core curriculum...cue lots of debate : ) I know everyone has an opinion on this. Its not for me.
I like the ability to go on our own schedule. Encourage learning by having the time to dive into things that really interest him. Time to be hands on.
I want to be have more control over what my son leans socially. Right now my kid loves playing legos, talking Minecraft, and being a boy. We haven't had one disciplinary problem this year. Thankfully we haven't even had to discuss a bad word he's learned at school. Again, not coming to this because of bad experiences, but that times coming. I know that because I see it, I have friends who have children a little older than mine.For example, I want to decide when I want to discuss sex, how I want to explain. The "worldview"isn't my view and isn't what I want my son to be submerged in. I want him to have a high respect for woman (this is not a cultural thing today). I'm not going to put him in a box or shield from all that's out there, but I sure will shelter him appropriately and I can do that so much easier in my own home.
He's a boy and I want it to be ok to act like one. Boys love wrestling, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians. Is it indicative of a boy whos going to turn killer?? No! its called being a boy. In 8 hours they have 30 minutes of play and this may or may not include their eating time. Roman was sent home with a bad behavior card last year because when he dropped his pencil he rolled on the floor to pick it up. Seriously, maybe explain that it would be better just to grab the pencil and get back in your seat. Rolling on the floor is disruptive, absolutely, but bad behavior. For real...he's a boy. Society has gone bonkers. Now a young boy can get suspended for making a gun with their hands or heaven forbid biting a gun shape into his sandwich. Are you kidding me?!
There is the issue of safety...just watch the news.
As far as my concern about being socially awkward. I don't buy into this "theory". My husband was home schooled. He's definitely not awkward, he has a very successful career, one that requires tons of social ability and he handles it amazingly. oddly enough, even though i wasn't home schooled, most of the people I surround myself around on a daily basis were and not one is socially awkward at all.
These are a few of my reasons. I could list many more. My biggest concern....My ability to balance it all.
Maybe I have found something to use my blog for....maybe : )
~S
P.S. If you are reading this thinking this girl should not teach her children look at all these grammar and punctuation mistakes....1. You have a point...Ha! 2. I'm holding a baby which is equivalent to an alligator these days so have a little grace : )
What really is motivating me:
I miss my kid. This may sound selfish and probably is but our morning starts at 6. we rush to make it to school by 715 then he's gone until I pick him up at 230. We get home around 3. He's tired and ready for his "alone time". Before we know its dinner then bed and i haven't had much time and certainly not much quality time with him in 5 days.
I feel like of the 8 hours he's at school he's really doing about 3 hours of school. Judging by the amount of "busy" work and movies they watch I feel pretty confident saying that.
I dont like or agree with the new common core curriculum...cue lots of debate : ) I know everyone has an opinion on this. Its not for me.
I like the ability to go on our own schedule. Encourage learning by having the time to dive into things that really interest him. Time to be hands on.
I want to be have more control over what my son leans socially. Right now my kid loves playing legos, talking Minecraft, and being a boy. We haven't had one disciplinary problem this year. Thankfully we haven't even had to discuss a bad word he's learned at school. Again, not coming to this because of bad experiences, but that times coming. I know that because I see it, I have friends who have children a little older than mine.For example, I want to decide when I want to discuss sex, how I want to explain. The "worldview"isn't my view and isn't what I want my son to be submerged in. I want him to have a high respect for woman (this is not a cultural thing today). I'm not going to put him in a box or shield from all that's out there, but I sure will shelter him appropriately and I can do that so much easier in my own home.
He's a boy and I want it to be ok to act like one. Boys love wrestling, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians. Is it indicative of a boy whos going to turn killer?? No! its called being a boy. In 8 hours they have 30 minutes of play and this may or may not include their eating time. Roman was sent home with a bad behavior card last year because when he dropped his pencil he rolled on the floor to pick it up. Seriously, maybe explain that it would be better just to grab the pencil and get back in your seat. Rolling on the floor is disruptive, absolutely, but bad behavior. For real...he's a boy. Society has gone bonkers. Now a young boy can get suspended for making a gun with their hands or heaven forbid biting a gun shape into his sandwich. Are you kidding me?!
There is the issue of safety...just watch the news.
As far as my concern about being socially awkward. I don't buy into this "theory". My husband was home schooled. He's definitely not awkward, he has a very successful career, one that requires tons of social ability and he handles it amazingly. oddly enough, even though i wasn't home schooled, most of the people I surround myself around on a daily basis were and not one is socially awkward at all.
These are a few of my reasons. I could list many more. My biggest concern....My ability to balance it all.
Maybe I have found something to use my blog for....maybe : )
~S
P.S. If you are reading this thinking this girl should not teach her children look at all these grammar and punctuation mistakes....1. You have a point...Ha! 2. I'm holding a baby which is equivalent to an alligator these days so have a little grace : )
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Avery Claire is 4
Dear Avery,
Happy 4th birthday! I can't believe that you are four years old! Everyone always says that, me included, but I am so surprised by how quickly you went from a little baby to a big girl. You are so kind and loving. You have enough energy for 10 people and keep us running. You are a mini me and I love that so much, sometimes I look at you and its like I'm looking at myself. You are so funny and full of expression, your big eyes always full of smile and light.
You are going to be a big sister again in a few weeks. I know you will be a huge helper and will love him so much. When I got pregnant with Ella I was so scared that having her when you were so little would somehow make you grow up quicker.In a way it did. You all the sudden seemed so big and the next year flew by so fast. New babies and a new home have a way of speeding a year up. Well turns out that God knew what he was doing, he always does. You and Ella are best friends and I pray you will always be as close you are now. The bigger Ella gets the more I am asked if you two are twins, and its kinda like you are. You enjoy a lot of the same things and can (almost) share clothes. Its fun and I'm so glad God surprised us with her. You and Roman have a blast together too. You love dress up and all things girly but you sure can hang with the boys. You love spending time playing video games with him and starting in the spring you will both play t ball. You are super excited about that. He's a great big brother and he's pretty crazy about you too!
You've been so excited to celebrate your birthday and have your party. You wanted a luau. We decided to have it at the park and when we pulled up another person was setting up for a party in the pavilion so we moved it (very) last minute to another park . You rolled with it never disappointed at all. It was a disaster...ha. It was so windy and I couldn't decorate very well at all. It was hot and the flies honed in on the food so fast....eek! We had a super small turn out and I was so discouraged. I was in tears (we'll blame that on the pregnancy hormones) . I bring all that up to help myself remember what, in retrospect, is so special to me about that day. You never noticed the small turnout, the heat, the flies, and no decorations. Instead my sweet girl was out inviting the rest of the park kids to her party and asking if anyone would like some cake. That so perfectly describes you. You are beautiful on the outside but baby you are gorgeous on the inside. That beauty radiates out. I'm so proud of the lovely girl you are and I'm so honored to be your mom. You bless us so much everday!
This year you asked Jesus into your heart! You watched Roman pray a few months before and talked about it all the time. We prayed with you and you were so excited to share that news. Avery, Jesus loves you so much. He created you with a unique and important purpose and I'm so excited to walk beside you as you discover what His will for your life is and I will support you always. You are my daughter and this year you became my sister. I'm so proud of you!
I love you so much!
Mom
Happy 4th birthday! I can't believe that you are four years old! Everyone always says that, me included, but I am so surprised by how quickly you went from a little baby to a big girl. You are so kind and loving. You have enough energy for 10 people and keep us running. You are a mini me and I love that so much, sometimes I look at you and its like I'm looking at myself. You are so funny and full of expression, your big eyes always full of smile and light.
You are going to be a big sister again in a few weeks. I know you will be a huge helper and will love him so much. When I got pregnant with Ella I was so scared that having her when you were so little would somehow make you grow up quicker.In a way it did. You all the sudden seemed so big and the next year flew by so fast. New babies and a new home have a way of speeding a year up. Well turns out that God knew what he was doing, he always does. You and Ella are best friends and I pray you will always be as close you are now. The bigger Ella gets the more I am asked if you two are twins, and its kinda like you are. You enjoy a lot of the same things and can (almost) share clothes. Its fun and I'm so glad God surprised us with her. You and Roman have a blast together too. You love dress up and all things girly but you sure can hang with the boys. You love spending time playing video games with him and starting in the spring you will both play t ball. You are super excited about that. He's a great big brother and he's pretty crazy about you too!
You've been so excited to celebrate your birthday and have your party. You wanted a luau. We decided to have it at the park and when we pulled up another person was setting up for a party in the pavilion so we moved it (very) last minute to another park . You rolled with it never disappointed at all. It was a disaster...ha. It was so windy and I couldn't decorate very well at all. It was hot and the flies honed in on the food so fast....eek! We had a super small turn out and I was so discouraged. I was in tears (we'll blame that on the pregnancy hormones) . I bring all that up to help myself remember what, in retrospect, is so special to me about that day. You never noticed the small turnout, the heat, the flies, and no decorations. Instead my sweet girl was out inviting the rest of the park kids to her party and asking if anyone would like some cake. That so perfectly describes you. You are beautiful on the outside but baby you are gorgeous on the inside. That beauty radiates out. I'm so proud of the lovely girl you are and I'm so honored to be your mom. You bless us so much everday!
This year you asked Jesus into your heart! You watched Roman pray a few months before and talked about it all the time. We prayed with you and you were so excited to share that news. Avery, Jesus loves you so much. He created you with a unique and important purpose and I'm so excited to walk beside you as you discover what His will for your life is and I will support you always. You are my daughter and this year you became my sister. I'm so proud of you!
I love you so much!
Mom
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Show Us Your Singles
I was so disappointed last year when I realized I missed Kellys SUYL Singles! This year I made certain I did NOT miss it again. My brother is the best guy I know and I had to take the opportunity to "show" him off : )
This is my brother Chris, he will be 24 February 20th. We are almost 4 years apart and hes always been my best friend.
This is my brother Chris, he will be 24 February 20th. We are almost 4 years apart and hes always been my best friend.
Chris is one of the sweetest guys that I know. He's a true southern gentleman! He's got a great sense of humor and always has people laughing. He loves his family, thats definitely his pride and joy. He's just recently moved back to our hometown after finishing school to become an aircraft engineer. He's always loved airplanes and still does! Right now, he works at our family's aircraft refurbishment company. I know he's going to go far and that God has an awesome plan for his life!
When Chris was in High School he played football for the Mena Bearcats, then played for Ouachita Baptist as well. He still LOVES football and the Razorbacks (especially when we are doing good : ))!
He really enjoys the gym and working out. He feels best when hes doing something in nature. He loves floating on the river, camping, hiking, mountain climbing, and chilling with his dog, Duke. His perfect date would be picnic on the lake probably followed with a boat ride or hiking the trails together.
my brother Nick (left) sister Adrienne, and brother Chris,( right)
Like I said earlier, my brother's passion, is his family. There is nothing he wouldn't do for any of us! I would say his favorite person is our grandma. He always takes the time to sit and takes the extra effort to really know how you are doing. Chris loves his nephew and two nieces. He spoils them and if I do say so myself, they are CRAZY about him too! When asked to describe Chris in one word here are some of the replies: Destined,Enjoyable, Darling, Loyal, Sweet,Loved, Inventive, Mysterious, Funny,Happy and Thoughtful the list could go on and on!
Chris and my daughter, Avery
Chris and my son, Roman, jammin : )
I've been praying for Chris' future wife for a long time and I know that God has a wonderful girl that He is preparing for Chris right now and I KNOW that girl will be one lucky girl to be with this great guy!
You can comment here and I'll get you in touch with him or you can email me stephanielaney@yahoo.com.
Oh....He has killer blue eyes as well : )
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Bye bye 2012 and Hello 2013
I read a facebook status today that said today the movie 2012 is officially a comedy. I had to laugh, I've never put any weight on the whole 2012 theory but I will admit I held my breath a little 12/21/12 at 11:59 pm, thankfully we are all here and another year awaits us. I'm a junkie for New Years resolutions and fresh slates, it feels good to know that I can start over and change some habits and behaviors with a new year beginning. I'm also reminded that His mercies are new every morning and that the fresh slate is available to me everyday, but it does feel especially good the first day of a new year. So, here are a few of my new years resolutions. You may notice that none of these include weight. First.Time.Ever. Unfortunately its not because I don't need to lose weight I just decided not to make it a resolution. So there...ha!
2013 Resolutions....{drum roll please}
Happy New Year!
2013 Resolutions....{drum roll please}
- Give more (specifically to the church)--I've noticed that I do very poorly here and really want to restructure my (our) spending be able to give more to our church and various mission projects that I love
- Eat out less and Cook at home more (this may help with the weight and the spending : ))
- Cook more in my crockpot! Suggestions welcome. I love when I do use my crockpot but I don't do it very often. This year that will change
- Find room in my day for some sort of exercise. Elliptical, walking, videos, dancing with the kids (that counts, right) whatever, just exercise
- Do more furniture, sewing and crafting this year. Maybe even start an etsy shiop or facebook page, that would be fun!
Happy New Year!
Monday, April 02, 2012
April 2nd--The day my son accepted Christ
Wow! That describes this day. I woke up rushed and slightly overwhelmed. I had to get everyone up, dressed, lunch packed ( I didn't prepare well the night before), backpacks ready and out the door by 8:30. Roman had MDO and I had to get to kindergarten registration. I can't believe my little baby is going to kindergarten this fall. No tears were shed during registration Avery kept me far to busy for any sentiment ha!
Anyways, on the way to school we prayed for our day then out of the blue Roman said, "mama last night when I was in my bed I asked Jesus into my heart because he loves me and I love him so much." What?! Ever had one of those moments that stop you in your tracks. You instantly have a grin so big and you can't wipe it off your face, but at the same time you want to cry, scream and laugh. Ha! That was me in my car in the Cross Church parking lot. My son just told me he accepted Christ. My son, my brother!
I've prayed everytime that I've prayed for Roman that he would know Christ and that he would accept him early in life and he would be used as a mighty man of God to lead others to Him! After hugging, kissing and congratulating Roman went into his class. Me on the other hand cried and thanked Jesus for his salvation all the way to registration. Not exactly the tears I expected on registration day : ) Way better.
When Roman got home we were sitting at the table. I asked him what made him think about asking Jesus into his heart last night. We've talked about it a lot but we haven't lately. We've talked a lot about Easter, Jesus dying on the cross and raising from the dead, but not specifically salvation. He told me Jesus did. I asked did you think about it or have a dream. He said, " In my dream Jesus told me he loved me and wanted me to ask him into my heart". Yes, I had another one of those moments. He was so smiley, happy and innocent. Amazing!
I feel so overwhelmed with gratefulness! I told Roman this was the greatest thing he will ever do (and he's 4). Roman is so kind, gentle, patient and loving. He has such a sweet spirit. I know God has huge plans for him. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with Roman Carter Laney! I'm thankful I get to be his mom, and I pray for the wisdom and discernment to put into Roman what will shine as a bright light as it comes out of him. Use me as a vessel, God and Use Roman as well. Thank you for dying for us, for interceeding on our behalf. Thank you for our SALVATION!!
Roman, I'm so proud of you! I love you!!
Anyways, on the way to school we prayed for our day then out of the blue Roman said, "mama last night when I was in my bed I asked Jesus into my heart because he loves me and I love him so much." What?! Ever had one of those moments that stop you in your tracks. You instantly have a grin so big and you can't wipe it off your face, but at the same time you want to cry, scream and laugh. Ha! That was me in my car in the Cross Church parking lot. My son just told me he accepted Christ. My son, my brother!
I've prayed everytime that I've prayed for Roman that he would know Christ and that he would accept him early in life and he would be used as a mighty man of God to lead others to Him! After hugging, kissing and congratulating Roman went into his class. Me on the other hand cried and thanked Jesus for his salvation all the way to registration. Not exactly the tears I expected on registration day : ) Way better.
When Roman got home we were sitting at the table. I asked him what made him think about asking Jesus into his heart last night. We've talked about it a lot but we haven't lately. We've talked a lot about Easter, Jesus dying on the cross and raising from the dead, but not specifically salvation. He told me Jesus did. I asked did you think about it or have a dream. He said, " In my dream Jesus told me he loved me and wanted me to ask him into my heart". Yes, I had another one of those moments. He was so smiley, happy and innocent. Amazing!
I feel so overwhelmed with gratefulness! I told Roman this was the greatest thing he will ever do (and he's 4). Roman is so kind, gentle, patient and loving. He has such a sweet spirit. I know God has huge plans for him. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with Roman Carter Laney! I'm thankful I get to be his mom, and I pray for the wisdom and discernment to put into Roman what will shine as a bright light as it comes out of him. Use me as a vessel, God and Use Roman as well. Thank you for dying for us, for interceeding on our behalf. Thank you for our SALVATION!!
Roman, I'm so proud of you! I love you!!
Thursday, March 08, 2012
A letter to Ella on her First Birthday
Dear Ella,
Tomorrow you will be ONE! I can't even believe it. You're my third and of all three of you your first year has gone by the fastest. It makes me sad. When people ask me how old you are I still want to say 7 months..ha! Don't ask why its 7 months, but I do. It's so hard to believe you are one. You are our little surprise. It's a funny story, so on the eve of your first birthday, I think I will share : ) We had just moved to our new house, Avery was 8 months old, and we had just booked our first vacation just daddy and I for Mexico. I was feeling kinda sensitive, more emotional, than normal. I was exhausted and (the tale tale sign for your mama) I started having break outs on my face. I joked with daddy that I may be pregnant. He laughed and said, "That would be fun, its about time we have another baby", remember Avery was 8 months old. Anyways, one day while I was doing our big grocery trip I just decided to get a pregnancy test, you know just to put that question out of my mind. So while I was unloading groceries I ran into the bathroom, took the test, and continued to unload groceries. I knew it would negative but I needed to be certain so imagine my surprise when I walked in and before my eyes was a bright pink + sign. You know how I told your dad, I text him. Ha! I sent him a picture of the test and it said, Ready to have another baby?
I have to be honest I'm a planner and I was completely taken off guard. I was selfish and worried if I would enjoy Mexico as much being pregnant, I worried because I still hadn't lost my weight from having Avery, I was worried about Avery. I thought that having another baby would somehow take away from her "babyhood" and was just scared that I wasn't ready yet to have another baby.
Well you know what? You were the BEST surprise ever! I'm so glad that the unexpected happened to me. I loved Mexico, I still haven't lost all the weight and you and your sister are close in age and will always be so close in life. None of those fears ever amounted to anything!
My pregnancy was wonderful and my delivery couldn't have been better. 3 pushes and you were here.You were so mad and didn't stop crying for what felt like HOURS and baby you were so red..ha! You were/are absolutely beautiful. You fit immediately into our family. Roman adored you and Avery was smitten. They still do/are. You are such an incredibly blessing to our family!
You look like your daddy and your brother. I love it! Your baby pictures and Roman's are, at times, almost identical. People say your looks are definitely Laney, although, I see myself every once in awhile. You are a momma's girl and still want me close most of the time. You sleep like a champ taking two naps a day and all through the night. You are smaller than your brother and sister at one. You weigh a little over 20 pounds and wear 12/18 month clothes. You say mama, dada, roro,bye bye, and lots of jibberish : ) You love to clap your hands to music and love "If your happy and you know clap your hands." You finally will stay in a nursery. Thanks for that.
You are a pure joy to me and to all of us.
Here is what I pray and claim over you,
I pray that you will be healthy and strong. That you will grow to be a women of character and virtue, That you will love Jesus with your whole heart and you will come to know him early in your life and will be sensitive to him and his guidance. That you will have a discerning heart and won't be easily swayed by the "stuff" thats in this world. That you will be a confident girl and women. Who knows she's beautiful both inside and out but also understands that true beauty is inner beauty. That you will honor your dad and I bc that the first command with promise and its a good promise : ) That you will love and be close to your brother and sister, and lastly (I got this from Mrs. Gwen and I loved it) I pray you will be a mighty warrior in His kindgdom!
I love you Isabella Kate Laney. Happy 1st birthday (in 54 minutes).
Love,
Mom
Tomorrow you will be ONE! I can't even believe it. You're my third and of all three of you your first year has gone by the fastest. It makes me sad. When people ask me how old you are I still want to say 7 months..ha! Don't ask why its 7 months, but I do. It's so hard to believe you are one. You are our little surprise. It's a funny story, so on the eve of your first birthday, I think I will share : ) We had just moved to our new house, Avery was 8 months old, and we had just booked our first vacation just daddy and I for Mexico. I was feeling kinda sensitive, more emotional, than normal. I was exhausted and (the tale tale sign for your mama) I started having break outs on my face. I joked with daddy that I may be pregnant. He laughed and said, "That would be fun, its about time we have another baby", remember Avery was 8 months old. Anyways, one day while I was doing our big grocery trip I just decided to get a pregnancy test, you know just to put that question out of my mind. So while I was unloading groceries I ran into the bathroom, took the test, and continued to unload groceries. I knew it would negative but I needed to be certain so imagine my surprise when I walked in and before my eyes was a bright pink + sign. You know how I told your dad, I text him. Ha! I sent him a picture of the test and it said, Ready to have another baby?
I have to be honest I'm a planner and I was completely taken off guard. I was selfish and worried if I would enjoy Mexico as much being pregnant, I worried because I still hadn't lost my weight from having Avery, I was worried about Avery. I thought that having another baby would somehow take away from her "babyhood" and was just scared that I wasn't ready yet to have another baby.
Well you know what? You were the BEST surprise ever! I'm so glad that the unexpected happened to me. I loved Mexico, I still haven't lost all the weight and you and your sister are close in age and will always be so close in life. None of those fears ever amounted to anything!
My pregnancy was wonderful and my delivery couldn't have been better. 3 pushes and you were here.You were so mad and didn't stop crying for what felt like HOURS and baby you were so red..ha! You were/are absolutely beautiful. You fit immediately into our family. Roman adored you and Avery was smitten. They still do/are. You are such an incredibly blessing to our family!
You look like your daddy and your brother. I love it! Your baby pictures and Roman's are, at times, almost identical. People say your looks are definitely Laney, although, I see myself every once in awhile. You are a momma's girl and still want me close most of the time. You sleep like a champ taking two naps a day and all through the night. You are smaller than your brother and sister at one. You weigh a little over 20 pounds and wear 12/18 month clothes. You say mama, dada, roro,bye bye, and lots of jibberish : ) You love to clap your hands to music and love "If your happy and you know clap your hands." You finally will stay in a nursery. Thanks for that.
You are a pure joy to me and to all of us.
Here is what I pray and claim over you,
I pray that you will be healthy and strong. That you will grow to be a women of character and virtue, That you will love Jesus with your whole heart and you will come to know him early in your life and will be sensitive to him and his guidance. That you will have a discerning heart and won't be easily swayed by the "stuff" thats in this world. That you will be a confident girl and women. Who knows she's beautiful both inside and out but also understands that true beauty is inner beauty. That you will honor your dad and I bc that the first command with promise and its a good promise : ) That you will love and be close to your brother and sister, and lastly (I got this from Mrs. Gwen and I loved it) I pray you will be a mighty warrior in His kindgdom!
I love you Isabella Kate Laney. Happy 1st birthday (in 54 minutes).
Love,
Mom
A Letter to Ella on her First Birthday
Dear Ella,
Tomorrow you will be ONE! I can't even believe it. You're my third and of all three of you your first year has gone by the fastest. It makes me sad. When people ask me how old you are I still want to say 7 months..ha! Don't ask why its 7 months, but I do. It's so hard to believe you are one. You are our little surprise. It's a funny story, so on the eve of your first birthday, I think I will share : ) We had just moved to our new house, Avery was 8 months old, and we had just booked our first vacation just daddy and I for Mexico. I was feeling kinda sensitive, more emotional, than normal. I was exhausted and (the tale tale sign for your mama) I started having break outs on my face. I joked with daddy that I may be pregnant. He laughed and said, "That would be fun, its about time we have another baby", remember Avery was 8 months old. Anyways, one day while I was doing our big grocery trip I just decided to get a pregnancy test, you know just to put that question out of my mind. So while I was unloading groceries I ran into the bathroom, took the test, and continued to unload groceries. I knew it would negative but I needed to be certain so imagine my surprise when I walked in and before my eyes was a bright pink + sign. You know how I told your dad, I text him. Ha! I sent him a picture of the test and it said, Ready to have another baby?
I have to be honest I'm a planner and I was completely taken off guard. I was selfish and worried if I would enjoy Mexico as much being pregnant, I worried because I still hadn't lost my weight from having Avery, I was worried about Avery. I thought that having another baby would somehow take away from her "babyhood" and was just scared that I wasn't ready yet to have another baby.
Well you know what? You were the BEST surprise ever! I'm so glad that the unexpected happened to me. I loved Mexico, I still haven't lost all the weight and you and your sister are close in age and will always be so close in life. None of those fears ever amounted to anything!
My pregnancy was wonderful and my delivery couldn't have been better. 3 pushes and you were here.You were so mad and didn't stop crying for what felt like HOURS and baby you were so red..ha! You were/are absolutely beautiful. You fit immediately into our family. Roman adored you and Avery was smitten. They still do/are. You are such an incredibly blessing to our family!
You look like your daddy and your brother. I love it! Your baby pictures and Roman's are, at times, almost identical. People say your looks are definitely Laney, although, I see myself every once in awhile. You are a momma's girl and still want me close most of the time. You sleep like a champ taking two naps a day and all through the night. You are smaller than your brother and sister at one. You weigh a little over 20 pounds and wear 12/18 month clothes. You say mama, dada, roro,bye bye, and lots of jibberish : ) You love to clap your hands to music and love "If your happy and you know clap your hands." You finally will stay in a nursery. Thanks for that.
You are a pure joy to me and to all of us.
Here is what I pray and claim over you,
I pray that you will be healthy and strong. That you will grow to be a women of character and virtue, That you will love Jesus with your whole heart and you will come to know him early in your life and will be sensitive to him and his guidance. That you will have a discerning heart and won't be easily swayed by the "stuff" thats in this world. That you will be a confident girl and women. Who knows she's beautiful both inside and out but also understands that true beauty is inner beauty. That you will honor your dad and I bc that the first command with promise and its a good promise : ) That you will love and be close to your brother and sister, and lastly (I got this from Mrs. Gwen and I loved it) I pray you will be a mighty warrior in His kindgdom!
I love you Isabella Kate Laney. Happy 1st birthday (in 54 minutes).
Love,
Mom
Tomorrow you will be ONE! I can't even believe it. You're my third and of all three of you your first year has gone by the fastest. It makes me sad. When people ask me how old you are I still want to say 7 months..ha! Don't ask why its 7 months, but I do. It's so hard to believe you are one. You are our little surprise. It's a funny story, so on the eve of your first birthday, I think I will share : ) We had just moved to our new house, Avery was 8 months old, and we had just booked our first vacation just daddy and I for Mexico. I was feeling kinda sensitive, more emotional, than normal. I was exhausted and (the tale tale sign for your mama) I started having break outs on my face. I joked with daddy that I may be pregnant. He laughed and said, "That would be fun, its about time we have another baby", remember Avery was 8 months old. Anyways, one day while I was doing our big grocery trip I just decided to get a pregnancy test, you know just to put that question out of my mind. So while I was unloading groceries I ran into the bathroom, took the test, and continued to unload groceries. I knew it would negative but I needed to be certain so imagine my surprise when I walked in and before my eyes was a bright pink + sign. You know how I told your dad, I text him. Ha! I sent him a picture of the test and it said, Ready to have another baby?
I have to be honest I'm a planner and I was completely taken off guard. I was selfish and worried if I would enjoy Mexico as much being pregnant, I worried because I still hadn't lost my weight from having Avery, I was worried about Avery. I thought that having another baby would somehow take away from her "babyhood" and was just scared that I wasn't ready yet to have another baby.
Well you know what? You were the BEST surprise ever! I'm so glad that the unexpected happened to me. I loved Mexico, I still haven't lost all the weight and you and your sister are close in age and will always be so close in life. None of those fears ever amounted to anything!
My pregnancy was wonderful and my delivery couldn't have been better. 3 pushes and you were here.You were so mad and didn't stop crying for what felt like HOURS and baby you were so red..ha! You were/are absolutely beautiful. You fit immediately into our family. Roman adored you and Avery was smitten. They still do/are. You are such an incredibly blessing to our family!
You look like your daddy and your brother. I love it! Your baby pictures and Roman's are, at times, almost identical. People say your looks are definitely Laney, although, I see myself every once in awhile. You are a momma's girl and still want me close most of the time. You sleep like a champ taking two naps a day and all through the night. You are smaller than your brother and sister at one. You weigh a little over 20 pounds and wear 12/18 month clothes. You say mama, dada, roro,bye bye, and lots of jibberish : ) You love to clap your hands to music and love "If your happy and you know clap your hands." You finally will stay in a nursery. Thanks for that.
You are a pure joy to me and to all of us.
Here is what I pray and claim over you,
I pray that you will be healthy and strong. That you will grow to be a women of character and virtue, That you will love Jesus with your whole heart and you will come to know him early in your life and will be sensitive to him and his guidance. That you will have a discerning heart and won't be easily swayed by the "stuff" thats in this world. That you will be a confident girl and women. Who knows she's beautiful both inside and out but also understands that true beauty is inner beauty. That you will honor your dad and I bc that the first command with promise and its a good promise : ) That you will love and be close to your brother and sister, and lastly (I got this from Mrs. Gwen and I loved it) I pray you will be a mighty warrior in His kindgdom!
I love you Isabella Kate Laney. Happy 1st birthday (in 54 minutes).
Love,
Mom
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Mom, I love Halloween
I am so glad Halloween is over. Does that make me a bad mom? Ha! I'm only sorta kidding. Its crazy trying to get all the kids the right costume and then to get them in them (or out of them). Between school parades and naptimes and dinner and trick or treating and bedtimes I was WORN out at the end of the day. Alot of work but totally worth it. Roman goes to Mothers Day Out on Mondays and Roman and Avery go Thursday so Monday morning the kids wore their costumes and walked in a parade. I took Avery and let her walk with her class. It was cute. It's always fun to watch them in an enviroment I'm not in. Avery was so cute they have these long ropes with handles for the kids to hold onto (I need one of those). She just grabbed her ring and marched out there...all smiles. It was so cute. I got some cute pictures of her but I could not get my camera to take the picture when Roman walked past so the pictures aren't as good. WHile Roman was at school I tried (not very successfully) to get a few pictures of the girls. Avery isn't in to taking pictures. Oh well : )
This was the first year we took the kids trick or treating and they LOVED it! We live in a nice neighborhood and some of our best friends live in the neighborhood behind ours so our friends, Jada and Nathan and Emma, came and we trick or treated the neighborhoods. I really thought Roman would be intimidated and shy but boy was I wrong he RAN to the first door and the rest is history. Every lit up house : ) It was fun. I'm always so annoyed with the scary costumes....why??? I don't get it...or the slutty costumes for that matter, but that a soapbox I won't get on right now. We didn't even round the corner before Emma looked right at a scary face...grrr. Oh well we just told her it was pretend and that worked for her.
This was the first year we took the kids trick or treating and they LOVED it! We live in a nice neighborhood and some of our best friends live in the neighborhood behind ours so our friends, Jada and Nathan and Emma, came and we trick or treated the neighborhoods. I really thought Roman would be intimidated and shy but boy was I wrong he RAN to the first door and the rest is history. Every lit up house : ) It was fun. I'm always so annoyed with the scary costumes....why??? I don't get it...or the slutty costumes for that matter, but that a soapbox I won't get on right now. We didn't even round the corner before Emma looked right at a scary face...grrr. Oh well we just told her it was pretend and that worked for her.
It was a good day, busy, but good. As we were walking Roman looked up and said, "mom I love trick or treating." Ha! It was all worth it!
It was past Ella's bedtime so she wasn't too much fun.
*Not sure why the pictures look all crazy...sorry...figuring out the new blogger : )
Friday, October 28, 2011
Dream Home...
We love our home and enjoy being so close to everything and being so much closer to JM's office. The 45 minute commute twice a day when you have little ones with early bedtimes definitely takes a toll not to mention its EXPENSIVE. Although we love our home the dream is to one day buy 5-10 acres (or more if possible) and build a house on. The intention would be to build the house we want to live on for the rest of our lives. iAnyways, I've saved this plan for a long time on my computer but I thought, "hey I can post it to pinterest and know I won't lose it." Well as usual I couldn't post a pin. I'm seriously challenged in this area so Im posting it here. I love it!!!
Here is the website just so Ill have it forever : )
http://southernlivinghouseplans.com/plans/SL024
and here are some interior pics of an actually home built by this plan.
http://landmark24.com/movein_detail.php?inv=281
That is all : )
http://southernlivinghouseplans.com/plans/SL024
and here are some interior pics of an actually home built by this plan.
http://landmark24.com/movein_detail.php?inv=281
That is all : )
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Honey there's a tag under your arm
Yes thats what I heard as I reached out to pay the teller at Taco Bueno (no its not on my diet : )) today. Sometimes I just want to curl up and die. Seriously, the bad thing is I've worn my new coat 3 times and I've apparently have had a big tag hanging from the left armpit everytime and no one has told me. I have a bad habit of not taking a real close look in the mirror before I leave. It is not uncommon to realize my shirt is on backwards or even worse inside out. About a year ago I was sitting in CHURCH when my mother in law came and sat down, she smiled real big and leaned over and whispered " I think your shirt is inside out." Lord have mercy....can you say embarassing!
Anyways, that was the most embarrassing part of my day and was definitely a reminder to SLOW DOWN and check myself out a little more before I walk out the door.
Roman and Avery both went to Mothers Day Out today. Thursdays are so nice. Its amazing how easy being out and about is with one baby. That one baby, Ella, is really getting much easier. Thank you Lord! The other day I was telling John Mark that Ella is a few weeks from being the age Avery was when I found out I was pregnant again. What in the world?! John Marks reply was, "makes sense Ella is getting easier I can see how we were thinking we could have another one." Apparently he forgot Ella was the surprise of the century. Thats ok I wouldn't change that surprise for anything. All that to say, I want another baby, just one, and no not now, but I'm completely certain I want another. The truth is as tired and as frustrated as I get sometimes this is absolutely what I was made to do. Its not all of who I am and there's alot more to me than wife and mommy but right now that the complete focus and I do love it. After I had Ella I thought, " this is it," I can't believe I have three kids. Truth is I think I would have three more (don't tell JM).
My heart is full.
Whose wouldn't be...look at them!
Anyways, that was the most embarrassing part of my day and was definitely a reminder to SLOW DOWN and check myself out a little more before I walk out the door.
Roman and Avery both went to Mothers Day Out today. Thursdays are so nice. Its amazing how easy being out and about is with one baby. That one baby, Ella, is really getting much easier. Thank you Lord! The other day I was telling John Mark that Ella is a few weeks from being the age Avery was when I found out I was pregnant again. What in the world?! John Marks reply was, "makes sense Ella is getting easier I can see how we were thinking we could have another one." Apparently he forgot Ella was the surprise of the century. Thats ok I wouldn't change that surprise for anything. All that to say, I want another baby, just one, and no not now, but I'm completely certain I want another. The truth is as tired and as frustrated as I get sometimes this is absolutely what I was made to do. Its not all of who I am and there's alot more to me than wife and mommy but right now that the complete focus and I do love it. After I had Ella I thought, " this is it," I can't believe I have three kids. Truth is I think I would have three more (don't tell JM).
My heart is full.
Whose wouldn't be...look at them!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sweet Mother of Mary
Seriously I have been working for hours on this blog and this is what it looks like...ha. What in the world?! I've been ready to pull my hair out. if anyone knows how to widen the header your help is greatly appreciated!
It does feel good to at least feel up to blogging again. Sometimes its just overwhelming. I read so many blogs and they all do something different for me. Some challenge me to be a Godly women, some of them give me great ideas for crafts or cooking, others challenge me in parenting, but all of them in some way encourage me. So when I sit down to blog I feel so "inadequate". I'm not a great storyteller and truth be told some days I just want to say "screw it", how encouraging is that??
Then it occured to me that all the blogs I love the most are honest and raw. They (the bloggers) are just documenting life. So thats my new perspective, raw, no matter what it is or how I feel I want this to be "real". I'm a stay at home mom to three great kids and sometimes I have to sit and count back when they had their last bath..ha so I definitely do a poor job keeping up with their baby books. So this will serve as a place to document the happenings of the Laney house, and whatever else goes fleeting through my brain.
It does feel good to at least feel up to blogging again. Sometimes its just overwhelming. I read so many blogs and they all do something different for me. Some challenge me to be a Godly women, some of them give me great ideas for crafts or cooking, others challenge me in parenting, but all of them in some way encourage me. So when I sit down to blog I feel so "inadequate". I'm not a great storyteller and truth be told some days I just want to say "screw it", how encouraging is that??
Then it occured to me that all the blogs I love the most are honest and raw. They (the bloggers) are just documenting life. So thats my new perspective, raw, no matter what it is or how I feel I want this to be "real". I'm a stay at home mom to three great kids and sometimes I have to sit and count back when they had their last bath..ha so I definitely do a poor job keeping up with their baby books. So this will serve as a place to document the happenings of the Laney house, and whatever else goes fleeting through my brain.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Masons Giveaway
Masons is having a AWESOME giveaway. All you have to do is like them on facebook to get a chance to win the $500 giftcard. How fun would that be!!! Check it out
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Alot has happened since the last time I was on here. First and most importantly I gave birth to miss Ella Kate. My delivery was amazing by far the best experience I have ever had, not that I've had a very bad one, neverless this was truly ideal. We were induced March 9th. They told us to be there at 5 am we pulled into the hospital right as another women was very painfully walking into the ER in full labor. John Mark told me to hurry we needed to beat her in...ha. I told him I didnt think it worked that way. Turns out she wasnt the only spontaneous labor to come in that morning. We sat in the waiting room until 7. Its weird to wait in a waiting room at a hospital waiting to be induced. It was about 8:30 before I got my epidural and Dr. Hix broke my water and at 1:40 and 3 pushes later little Ella was here. She was a screamer. My loudest baby for sure. I was actually concerned she cried for so long but after an hour she nursed like a champ and fell fast asleep. She weight 7 pound 14 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. We had so many people come visit it was a huge blessing to us. Knowing you are loved and that the people you love also love your children and celebrate with you is priceless. We are VERY blessed! So here we are 4 weeks later..... Its been the shortest long month EVER...ha. It feels like yesterday I was having Ella and she still feels like a new newborn, but its been a month. At the same time it feels like shes always been here. She's a great baby and a terrific sleeper. Although she does sleep best if she's sleeping at my side or on my chest. She usually wakes up once or twice at night buy hey thats pretty stinkin good. Roman and Avery are doing great with her and show her their affection with a million hugs and kisses a day: ) They are my angels. I worried about Avery and adjusting. I remember finding out I was pregnant with Ella if I was honest I was disappointed. I feel so guilty saying that, but I can say now that I'm so happy and would change nothing about my sweet little unplanned baby. Anyways, on top of my long list of "what are we going to do's" I was worried about Avery. She's my baby and I was worried about taking something away from her and truth be told it kinda did. She is 18 months old, a baby, but shw looks so big and she's a big sister. I need/expect her to have a longer attention span and more patience than anyone really should have at her age, but next to a newborn she looks so big. Some days I step back and remember shes just a baby and I put ella in her swing and just sit and hold Avery. i kiss her sweet forehead and take her in. I know how fast all this goes and I try to memorize everything about her. Her chubby cheeks, the heaviness of her sleepy eyes, her soft sweet curls, and the sweet ways she say, "yeah" when I ask her a question. A precious girl she is and i love her. Did i mention she looks just like me when I was little. Sometimes i look at her and it like looking at an old photo of me. Its special having a kiddo that looks just like you. Anyways, when I was pregnant with Ella I focused so much on everything I might be taking away from Avery, but now I realize how great it is. I gave her a little sister that she will grow up with and being very close to. They are going to be the best of friends and that in itself is such an amazing gift. I look forward to watching them grow up. Roman, well he melts my heart. He loves being a big brother and he is good at it and he's such a great helper. Right now he's all about his trains. Thomas is his favorite and EVERYTHING in his life pertains to Thomas in one way or another. For example, I'll ask him how many chicken . nuggets he wants and he'll say 5 like James, or Roman whats your favorite color to which he'll reply blue like Thomas. When he wants a popcicle he'll say can I have a green one like Percy or yellow like Molly. Hilarious! He also quotes movies all the time. All the time. Most of what he says are quotes. He keeps me in stitches. We were at the zoo this weekend and he said, "look at that freakin horned animal." The other morning he ran into the living room right after waking up, he threw his hands in the air and said, "look how awake I am". Its funny and wonderful how your realtionship with your child changes as they grow. Roman is so much easier than he was a year ago. He's so fun to talk to and i feel like he understands most everything i say. It brings a whole other dimension to our relationship. For how easy it has become in some ways Im also struggling big time. He's very headstrong and I'm not so much. I feel overwhelmed when he's mad and yelling and slamming doors. I get so mad and lose my temper and therefore become completely uneffective. I feel like a complete failure often when dealing with him and with Avery for that matter. This momma stuff IS NOT for wimps! Praying for help. My desire for Roman to be kind and loving to have a gentle spirit and a heart for others. I want him to love the Lord and to come to know Him at a young age and be a mighty warrior and some days I'm afraid I'm not teaching him or showing him what he needs to see. It scares me that I may fail and it could cost him a lot. One thing I do see all the time is his sweet spirit. He loves to bring me flowers and love on Ella and Avery. The other day he yelled at me i didn't say anything I was too frustrated..about 20 minutes later he came up to me and said, "sorry I yelled at you." It was amazing lol and so sweet. I was so proud of him in that moment that he knew he did something wrong and wanted to apologize. It's in those moments that i realize I'm not screwing him up too bad. I love to go watch him sleep at night. He's such a beautiful sleeper. Roman looks so handsome when he sleeps. It could be his 6 inch dark eyelashes that melt me. Its hard to believe he's almost four. I love to watch him sleep because no matter how hard the day was I'm always reminded in his quiet room watching my big baby sleep how precious these days are and how fast they go by. Those fast days add up up and before I know it years have passed and i know one day I'll be watching my 15 year old boy sleep yearning for these days. My "new" life as mom to 3 kids is a lot harder than I ever expected but its totally worth it. These children and their dad are my world. Lord please help me show them what a blessing they are to me. Help my words, my tone, my expressions, everything about me show then how precious they are to me and how much I love them. Thank you for choosing to give them to me and entrusting me with their lives. I know I'm pretty special to you because you chose to give me them. Thank you. Please protect them and keep them safe. In Jesus name
Back and ready to blog
Today I'm back to blogging and after thinking about it for awhile i decided to put it on private. I've always wanted to keep a journal or a diary but never stuck with it very long. It takes too long to write it all down and my mind moves way to fast. Blogging helps with that i can type much faster than I can write ha. So, this will be my e-diary :) Alot has happened since the last time I was on here. First and most importantly I gave birth to miss Ella Kate. My delivery was amazing by far the best experience I have ever had, not that I've had a very bad one, neverless this was truly ideal. We were induced March 9th. They told us to be there at 5 am we pulled into the hospital right as another women was very painfully walking into the ER in full labor. John Mark told me to hurry we needed to beat her in...ha. I told him I didnt think it worked that way. Turns out she wasnt the only spontaneous labor to come in that morning. We sat in the waiting room until 7. Its weird to wait in a waiting room at a hospital waiting to be induced. It was about 8:30 before I got my epidural and Dr. Hix broke my water and at 1:40 and 3 pushes later little Ella was here. She was a screamer. My loudest baby for sure. I was actually concerned she cried for so long but after an hour she nursed like a champ and fell fast asleep. She weight 7 pound 14 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. We had so many people come visit it was a huge blessing to us. Knowing you are loved and that the people you love also love your children and celebrate with you is priceless. We are VERY blessed! So here we are 4 weeks later..... Its been the shortest long month EVER...ha. It feels like yesterday I was having Ella and she still feels like a new newborn, but its been a month. At the same time it feels like shes always been here. She's a great baby and a terrific sleeper. Although she does sleep best if she's sleeping at my side or on my chest. She usually wakes up once or twice at night buy hey thats pretty stinkin good. Roman and Avery are doing great with her and show her their affection with a million hugs and kisses a day: ) They are my angels. I worried about Avery and adjusting. I remember finding out I was pregnant with Ella if I was honest I was disappointed. I feel so guilty saying that, but I can say now that I'm so happy and would change nothing about my sweet little unplanned baby. Anyways, on top of my long list of "what are we going to do's" I was worried about Avery. She's my baby and I was worried about taking something away from her and truth be told it kinda did. She is 18 months old, a baby, but shw looks so big and she's a big sister. I need/expect her to have a longer attention span and more patience than anyone really should have at her age, but next to a newborn she looks so big. Some days I step back and remember shes just a baby and I put ella in her swing and just sit and hold Avery. i kiss her sweet forehead and take her in. I know how fast all this goes and I try to memorize everything about her. Her chubby cheeks, the heaviness of her sleepy eyes, her soft sweet curls, and the sweet ways she say, "yeah" when I ask her a question. A precious girl she is and i love her. Did i mention she looks just like me when I was little. Sometimes i look at her and it like looking at an old photo of me. Its special having a kiddo that looks just like you. Anyways, when I was pregnant with Ella I focused so much on everything I might be taking away from Avery, but now I realize how great it is. I gave her a little sister that she will grow up with and being very close to. They are going to be the best of friends and that in itself is such an amazing gift. I look forward to watching them grow up. Roman, well he melts my heart. He loves being a big brother and he is good at it and he's such a great helper. Right now he's all about his trains. Thomas is his favorite and EVERYTHING in his life pertains to Thomas in one way or another. For example, I'll ask him how many chicken . nuggets he wants and he'll say 5 like James, or Roman whats your favorite color to which he'll reply blue like Thomas. When he wants a popcicle he'll say can I have a green one like Percy or yellow like Molly. Hilarious! He also quotes movies all the time. All the time. Most of what he says are quotes. He keeps me in stitches. We were at the zoo this weekend and he said, "look at that freakin horned animal." The other morning he ran into the living room right after waking up, he threw his hands in the air and said, "look how awake I am". Its funny and wonderful how your realtionship with your child changes as they grow. Roman is so much easier than he was a year ago. He's so fun to talk to and i feel like he understands most everything i say. It brings a whole other dimension to our relationship. For how easy it has become in some ways Im also struggling big time. He's very headstrong and I'm not so much. I feel overwhelmed when he's mad and yelling and slamming doors. I get so mad and lose my temper and therefore become completely uneffective. I feel like a complete failure often when dealing with him and with Avery for that matter. This momma stuff IS NOT for wimps! Praying for help. My desire for Roman to be kind and loving to have a gentle spirit and a heart for others. I want him to love the Lord and to come to know Him at a young age and be a mighty warrior and some days I'm afraid I'm not teaching him or showing him what he needs to see. It scares me that I may fail and it could cost him a lot. One thing I do see all the time is his sweet spirit. He loves to bring me flowers and love on Ella and Avery. The other day he yelled at me i didn't say anything I was too frustrated..about 20 minutes later he came up to me and said, "sorry I yelled at you." It was amazing lol and so sweet. I was so proud of him in that moment that he knew he did something wrong and wanted to apologize. It's in those moments that i realize I'm not screwing him up too bad. I love to go watch him sleep at night. He's such a beautiful sleeper. Roman looks so handsome when he sleeps. It could be his 6 inch dark eyelashes that melt me. Its hard to believe he's almost four. I love to watch him sleep because no matter how hard the day was I'm always reminded in his quiet room watching my big baby sleep how precious these days are and how fast they go by. Those fast days add up up and before I know it years have passed and i know one day I'll be watching my 15 year old boy sleep yearning for these days. My "new" life as mom to 3 kids is a lot harder than I ever expected but its totally worth it. These children and their dad are my world. Lord please help me show them what a blessing they are to me. Help my words, my tone, my expressions, everything about me show then how precious they are to me and how much I love them. Thank you for choosing to give them to me and entrusting me with their lives. I know I'm pretty special to you because you chose to give me them. Thank you. Please protect them and keep them safe. In Jesus name
Monday, November 22, 2010
Fun Giveaway..check it out
Alright all you pregnant girlies. A sweet blogger, Megan, at http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/ is hosting a fun giveaway for c-u-t-e maternity clothes. Go over and check it out!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Its been a LONG time...and so much has happened : )
Wow! I don't even know where to start. I've missed blogging but once you've been gone awhile its hard to get back into it...know what I mean?
So we moved like 6 months ago...ha. Its kept us busy, but we love it. We are so close to so many of our friends and John Mark is much closer to work which is great for all of us. We see him more and thats great!
Our other surprising news came a few months after we moved in...we are going to have another baby ; ) It took us awhile to get over the shock but we are very excited. Its a girl, Isabella Kate a.k.a Ella Kate and she should make her debut sometime around March 11th. I think she will come a little earlier than that (wishful thinking).
So you can see that our life is still as busy as ever.
It helps me to post this little "catch up" maybe it wont be so long before i update
So we moved like 6 months ago...ha. Its kept us busy, but we love it. We are so close to so many of our friends and John Mark is much closer to work which is great for all of us. We see him more and thats great!
Our other surprising news came a few months after we moved in...we are going to have another baby ; ) It took us awhile to get over the shock but we are very excited. Its a girl, Isabella Kate a.k.a Ella Kate and she should make her debut sometime around March 11th. I think she will come a little earlier than that (wishful thinking).
So you can see that our life is still as busy as ever.
It helps me to post this little "catch up" maybe it wont be so long before i update
Its been a LONG time...and so much has happened : )
Wow! I don't even know where to start. I've missed blogging but once you've been gone awhile its hard to get back into it...know what I mean?
So we moved like 6 months ago...ha. Its kept us busy, but we love it. We are so close to so many of our friends and John Mark is much closer to work which is great for all of us. We see him more and thats great!
Our other surprising news came a few months after we moved in...we are going to have another baby ; ) It took us awhile to get over the shock but we are very excited. Its a girl, Isabella Kate a.k.a Ella Kate and she should make her debut sometime around March 11th. I think she will come a little earlier than that (wishful thinking).
So you can see that our life is still as busy as ever.
It helps me to post this little "catch up" maybe it wont be so long before i update
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Changes Changes Changes
We are a busy household lately. Most of you know me and know that we have been excited about the month of March and not because its our birthday month, but because we were planning on putting our house on the market. Well we did indeed list, but decided for a host of reasons leasing our home was a better fit for now for us.
I'm a stresser. I worry and fret about everything, but I have prayed hard about all this that God would bring everything about in perfect timing and I have had a lot of peace about everything. We found a house almost immediately. Its much closer to JM's work, larger which gives us a lot of growing room, and very nice, AND in our price range. We fell in love. So we started praying hard that we could find good lessors, we ended up making an offer before signing a lease, but the next day some super sweet girls looked at our home and definitely wanted to lease it from us. I know these girls and they are AMAZING girls and I'm so excited to have them as renters.
I didn't expect to get emotional over moving but I have. Roman has a mural in his room that Nana painted for him and the girls mentioned painting the room, of course, thats fine with me but I told them they had to do it. I just couldn't and as I was telling them I felt like my throat was swelling and I wanted to cry. This home has the most special memories. We were just newlywed when we built it and didn't have a clue what we were doing : ) We have accomplished and lived so much in this home. We've made babies in this home, I told JM I was pregnant all four sweet times in this living room, most important and special we've brought home both of our sweet babies to this house. This is our home, it feels like home, it smells like home, and it will be weird to make home somewhere else.
That being said I have much more emotion than I thought I would, but I'm so excited about our move. A new home, new design, and fresh start and clean slate. I'm excited to be so much closer to so many friends, most importantly closer to JM work therefore seeing him much more. It's going to be great!!!
That is why we have been so busy a lot has happened in 18 days : ) Our offer on this house was accepted and we will hope to close on or if we are really lucky a few days before April 30th. Please pray everything goes smoothly and there are no kinks.
Here is a picture of our new house aka Ro Ro's bunny rabbit house ( A bunny currently lives in the backyard). Roman today was talking about sleeping in his bunny rabbit house, I just hope that bunny will like Zeus and Midas...I'm thinking not : )
I'm a stresser. I worry and fret about everything, but I have prayed hard about all this that God would bring everything about in perfect timing and I have had a lot of peace about everything. We found a house almost immediately. Its much closer to JM's work, larger which gives us a lot of growing room, and very nice, AND in our price range. We fell in love. So we started praying hard that we could find good lessors, we ended up making an offer before signing a lease, but the next day some super sweet girls looked at our home and definitely wanted to lease it from us. I know these girls and they are AMAZING girls and I'm so excited to have them as renters.
I didn't expect to get emotional over moving but I have. Roman has a mural in his room that Nana painted for him and the girls mentioned painting the room, of course, thats fine with me but I told them they had to do it. I just couldn't and as I was telling them I felt like my throat was swelling and I wanted to cry. This home has the most special memories. We were just newlywed when we built it and didn't have a clue what we were doing : ) We have accomplished and lived so much in this home. We've made babies in this home, I told JM I was pregnant all four sweet times in this living room, most important and special we've brought home both of our sweet babies to this house. This is our home, it feels like home, it smells like home, and it will be weird to make home somewhere else.
That being said I have much more emotion than I thought I would, but I'm so excited about our move. A new home, new design, and fresh start and clean slate. I'm excited to be so much closer to so many friends, most importantly closer to JM work therefore seeing him much more. It's going to be great!!!
That is why we have been so busy a lot has happened in 18 days : ) Our offer on this house was accepted and we will hope to close on or if we are really lucky a few days before April 30th. Please pray everything goes smoothly and there are no kinks.
Here is a picture of our new house aka Ro Ro's bunny rabbit house ( A bunny currently lives in the backyard). Roman today was talking about sleeping in his bunny rabbit house, I just hope that bunny will like Zeus and Midas...I'm thinking not : )
Monday, March 15, 2010
Roman 2 years 8 months
Roman Carter you are getting so big. You are a TALKER!!! You never stop and none of us know where you get that from : ) Every stage of your life has been my favorite, but I'm having a lot of fun in this stage. You are growing so much so quickly which is a little sad, but talking to you and having you talk back is so mucg fun. I can see you figuring things out moment by moment. What I mean by that is for example, the other day we met your dad for lunch and you put on his badge. You were sitting there looking at his picture and back at him and back at the picture. You kept saying "Walmart", John Mark explained that he worked at Wal-Mart. It was like we could literally see a light bulb go off. So now EVERYTIME you see the Walmart flower design you say " Wal-mart, daddy's work."
You LOVE Ice Age the movie and have learned how to work the DVR you have a favorite part and you rewind it and rewind it and rewind it. It's cute seeing someone so young work the remote : ) Its funny to because you know commercials and movies by heart. The other day the Kay jeweler commercial came on and you sang " Every kiss begins with K." Or you will say "Don't get mad, get glad".
You are very in tune with your emotions along with everyone else's. Today I was getting on to you and you said, "Momma happy." It worked I cracked up.
You are so sweet and such a genuine kid. You are so kind to your sissy. You love to kiss on her and talk to her. You help me out all the time. You'll throw a diaper away, give Avery a paci, talk to her when she's upset and this week you even fed her...ha. I hadn't planned that, but when I got up to go get something I turned around and you were feeding her. I had to take a picture so you did it for a minute or two : )
Nothing is secret anymore around you. If you or someone else toots you let the whole room know. You think its so cool (thanks to your dad). You sing ALL the time, and this week we learned if we want you to eat we have to sing, "if your happy and you know it eat your sandwich" and you grab it and take a bite, so needless to say we've been doing a lot of singing.
you love to pray and your favorite part is saying AMEN. You love it!! It's so sweet.
I could go on and on with cute and funny things. Mostly I hope you know how much joy you bring to my life you are so sweet and I love you so much.
Mom
This I never want to forget! The way you look when you sleep and everytime you just wake up you rub your eyes and shake a little. Its so sweet!!
You LOVE Ice Age the movie and have learned how to work the DVR you have a favorite part and you rewind it and rewind it and rewind it. It's cute seeing someone so young work the remote : ) Its funny to because you know commercials and movies by heart. The other day the Kay jeweler commercial came on and you sang " Every kiss begins with K." Or you will say "Don't get mad, get glad".
You are very in tune with your emotions along with everyone else's. Today I was getting on to you and you said, "Momma happy." It worked I cracked up.
You are so sweet and such a genuine kid. You are so kind to your sissy. You love to kiss on her and talk to her. You help me out all the time. You'll throw a diaper away, give Avery a paci, talk to her when she's upset and this week you even fed her...ha. I hadn't planned that, but when I got up to go get something I turned around and you were feeding her. I had to take a picture so you did it for a minute or two : )
Nothing is secret anymore around you. If you or someone else toots you let the whole room know. You think its so cool (thanks to your dad). You sing ALL the time, and this week we learned if we want you to eat we have to sing, "if your happy and you know it eat your sandwich" and you grab it and take a bite, so needless to say we've been doing a lot of singing.
you love to pray and your favorite part is saying AMEN. You love it!! It's so sweet.
I could go on and on with cute and funny things. Mostly I hope you know how much joy you bring to my life you are so sweet and I love you so much.
Mom
This I never want to forget! The way you look when you sleep and everytime you just wake up you rub your eyes and shake a little. Its so sweet!!
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