Answered Prayer and The Beverly Hillbillies

Yesterday we started the long journey home after a wonderful month of vacation, and I was very nervous about how it would go. Morning sickness is still going strong and since Joe is under 2, he's still a lap child. The thought of him climbing all over me while I felt like I was going to barf wasn't really the best thought. I've also been getting very motion sick from the morning sickness, so everything combined was scaring me. I prayed and asked my friends to pray and what a surprise--the Lord answered our prayers! He worked it out so that we had 3 seats on each flight so that Joe could sit by himself and we had room to spread out. The kids were SO good--hilarious, really and made me laugh the entire time. We landed a half hour early and Nate wasn't there yet, so I got me, 2 kids, a double stroller and 5 suitcases outside by myself to wait for him. We were quite a sight! (Think Jed Clampett and family ;)

When I walked outside--or rather stumbled with all our stuff-- I thought I must have been crazy to leave that gorgeous East Coast weather for this, but when I saw my handsome husband drive up I remembered the reason that I came back home. ;) We are all happily reunited and glad to be home--and counting down the days until our next visit!

The kids and I before our last flight took off--Joe Joe was really happier than he looks ;)

Sub's, Swimming and Sunset's

I may start to make it a tradition to spend a lot of my summer's up north. The weather is gorgeous, I have my own apartment at my parents, I get free babysitting and tons of fun with my family. Only one monumental part of my life is missing when I'm here--my husband--which makes it bitter-sweet. Sweet because I did get to spend almost 2 weeks with him here, and sweet because when he leaves I'm almost too busy to focus on how much I miss him. Bitter because I do miss him. A lot. And thus is the life of a girl living 2000 miles away from family.

Anyway, this month has been filled with lots of fun memories, like orange popsicle's dripping down chubby cheeks and a chubby belly... 

My daughter, playing all day long with her aunts who are 3 and 5 years older than her. They are inseparable and best friends. 

A trip to my favorite grocery store, Wegmans, for fresh fruit and snacks. Because I miss it and because I must show my children what they are missing out on life. Texas grocery stores just do not compare.

While I was at Wegman's I bought a sub, because they are really the best around. Here was the end of mine before I thought to get a picture. When I go home I will mourn that I can no longer shop at Wegman's and no longer get good subs.

What would summer memories be without swimming? We look like Indians, all brown from the sun, our skin is dry from chlorine and our hair is suffering...but that is what summer is all about.

I think the best memory of him from this summer will be him in his diaper all day long. Between being in and out of the pool all day and the heat, it's easier to keep him this way. And little babies in diapers are just plain adorable, if I do say so myself!

Crispy, delicious green apples are my best friend these days. Pregnancy is making me crave cold and fruity things and these apples are perfect. Yum.

Brooklynne has loved the huge trampoline and jumps and jumps and jumps on it when she's not in the pool. I have been banned from jumping with her because I bounce her too high, thus creating meltdowns, complete with tears and genuine sadness. So I snap pictures instead, and when she's not on, I jump and laugh and squeal like a little girl. ;)

And meals like this...plums, strawberries, pita chips with roasted red pepper hummus and a boiled egg? This makes a pregnant lady very happy. That meal was a beautiful memory right there.

Ahh....reading! I've actually had time to read this summer! It's been wonderful. Soaking up the sun on the deck while reading a really good book...Heaven. My Mom is the one who gets some awesome books from the library and my sisters and I all fight over them. And talk about the characters as if they were our long lost friends.

This summer has been full of breezy nights on the deck, talking and snacking and hoping against hope that the mosquito's would stay away.

And this one is probably my best memory of this summer--my adorable little nephew. He is so calm and chill and let's me take lots of pictures of him.

Sisters and summer. Is there anything better?

The sunset's here are phenomenal. I have a lot of pictures on my camera of them, because almost every day ends with a gorgeous view like this one. 

Happy Summer.

Every Day is a Celebration

The first time I saw him I couldn't eat.

 Which is a miracle in itself--me, not able to eat?

 He sat across from me at dinner and talked to my dad. I stared at my plate and picked at my food, afraid to look at him. He was the most beautiful male creature I had ever seen!
  It was the first time we had visited this church for their missions conference and they put on quite a spread. For all the visitors there was housing provided, 3 hot meals daily, and great services with excellent music, plays and preaching. I was quite impressed. But even more than the smoked brisket (it was Texas, after all), I was impressed with that guy with the blonde hair and the blue eyes. I was impressed with the way he listened to godly men of God speak. When the teens were talking and goofing around at one end of the table, he was leaning in to hear what the preachers had to say--probably hoping to glean a little wisdom from their years of experience. I was impressed with his sweet personality, his friendliness and the fact that he wasn't just plain immature like a lot of the guys I knew. I noticed that he was a servant, always helping people.

 So maybe I'm a little embarrassed when I think back and remember that I noticed all this stuff about a guy I hardly talked to, but I guess it was good because a year later he wanted to get to know me. I was in complete shock. I cried, actually. He was the perfect guy. He loved God, sang, had a great personality, played sports and was good looking to boot! These are the guys you snatch up without question because they are rare breeds in the day that we live.
 Well, I did have a few questions and thus began hours of phone conversation. We asked each other everything we could think of to get to know the other as much as possible. We laughed and joked but we talked seriously too. I was afraid that something bad would happen--that it was all too good to be true--so I tried to keep my heart to myself as much as I could. It wasn't working and I was falling for him fast. Every day I prayed and asked the Lord if it wasn't his will that he would take away my feelings, please stop it now before we got in to far. All he did was make my feelings stronger and show me verses in the Bible confirming that this was the man he wanted me to be with.

 A few months later, my dad bought him a plane ticket and worked it out for Nate to surprise me for Christmas. Our family sat at a resturuant for breakfast and as I talked to Nate on the phone for a minute, he walked up to our table with pink roses. ( I later learned that my dad had prompted him to get the roses because white is for friendship, pink is for something more than friendship and red is for love. They were perfect!)
 After the shock wore off, my dad said, "he came here to ask if you would court him," because Nate was a little flustered to say it himself. ;)
 I said yes, and once again I couldn't eat that morning at breakfast as I sat in awe, still hardly able to look into those piercing blue eyes. God hadn't given me the man of my dreams, he had exceeded what I ever dreamed I would get in a man.
 Over the next almost 2 years, we had a long distance relationship that consisted of hours of talking, web cam,  emails and online chatting. Our visits were every few months and every time I grew closer and closer to him and knew I could not spend the rest of my life without him.
  In August we were engaged and the following June, I walked down the aisle to meet him at the altar where we held hands for the first time, hugged for the first time and kissed for the very first time. As I looked into his eyes and said my vows, I didn't think there was any way I could possibly love him any more than I did at that moment.

5 years, 2 kids-and-one-on-the-way later, my love for this man has grown stronger than anything I ever thought possible. Every day he continues to exceed my dreams. And I'm being honest--I know that everyone says that they "have the best spouse in the world", but this one is truly a rare breed. The best things about him are his patience, care, love and respect for me, his servants heart and the way he helps me with the kids and loves to please me. His walk with the Lord and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit convict me almost daily to strengthen my walk with Jesus Christ.

 2 weeks ago we celebrated our 5th anniversary. It was a very different day from the one we had celebrated 5 years before but our love, commitment and respect for each other far exceeded that day. Because we were travelling, we stayed in a friend's house with my sister in the room and I wore baggy pink p.j. pants that night, but we weren't dependent on a fancy hotel and bubble bath to prove that we loved each other, that we had something to celebrate. The wonderful life that we share together, the daily chores, talks, watching our kids grow, laughing all the while, is something that is worth celebrating every single day. I am living a dream that I never really thought was possible. My husband loves God, me and our children. Yes, each day is a celebration in my book.
 Happy Anniversary, baby. Because of you I have something to celebrate every day. I love you.

 P.S.: The following week, we were able to spend a night away in a beautiful hotel and take time to focus on each other--so no feeling sorry for us ;)

Baby #3, Month 1!

I can't believe I am starting pregnancy post's again. It seems like such a short time ago that I was posting about "baby #2", but it couldn't have been because that little man is now 21 months old!

 This post will be long and without pictures since they are all on my computer at home. If you are interested in the details, read on and if not you are more than welcome to skip this post. ;)

 On June 22nd, I took a pregnancy test and it was negative pretty quickly. I set it on the counter and forgot about it. About 10-15 minutes later I went back to clean the bathroom, saw it sitting there, picked it up and saw a second faint pink line. In my experience you don't get a second faint pink line unless it's truly positive. It was early so I wasn't 100% sure.
 But I was sure.
 It was weird.

 Anyway, Nate wasn't home so I ran out and burst out to Brookie, "MOMMY IS HAVING A BABY!" I had my phone there to video the whole thing. She smiled and asked, "is it a girl?" (She's been praying for a baby sister).

 We planned on how we would tell daddy and this is how it went:

 When Nate came home, Brookie told him that she made him something in the oven. The oven was off. He opened it and inside was a bun on a silver platter. He was like, "ohh...wow", not really getting it.
I said, "Brookie, tell him what it is!"
 Brookie said, "it's a bun in the oven"
Nate, "A bun in the oven?"
 Me, "A Bun in Mommy's oven, right Brookie?"
 A look of understanding came over Nate's face as he looked at me with a huge smile. "Are you honest?" He said as he walked towards me and gave me a huge hug. I was, of course, squealing and saying, "can you believe it?!"
The next morning I took another test and got a second pink line about 10-15 minutes later. The morning after that, I bit the bullet, went to Target and bought a digital test. I had to know 100% for sure. I bought it and went right into the bathroom at Target to take the test. I normally don't take more than one, but because I was only 3 weeks along and the lines were so faint I had to be sure. I waited while the little hourglass on the screen turned for what seemed like forever and then the word popped up, "PREGNANT."
 I had never taken a digital test before and it was so exciting to see that word!

 To my surprise, Brookie was able to keep it a secret for a whole entire week until we came home because I wanted to tell my family in person. Brookie handed them a little gift bag and my Mom was the one who opened it to find tiny mittens with "March, 2012" written on the package. She knew right away and everyone caught on quickly and we were all so excited! Everyone then kept it a secret for 4 more days (no small feat in my huge family) until we had a chance to call Nate's parents, who were thrilled as well. I had a few more friends I needed to tell first and then almost 2 weeks after I found out it was made "public".

 One funny thing that happened was that Brookie told me that her friend Trenton knew I was having a baby. I asked her how he knows and she said, "he just does, I didn't tell him!" When I questioned her further she confessed that she had told him, "My Mom's getting big". LOL! She knows that my belly will get bigger and I guess that was her way of  telling without really telling. Of course he had no clue by what she had said. I am very proud of her for keeping it a secret even though she was SO excited!

 I've had a rough few days morning sickness-wise, but yesterday and today have been more manageable. I don't throw up for which I am VERY thankful, but I do get extremely nauseous in my throat and always feel like I'm going to. I have to eat often, go to bed early and sleep late to keep it under control. Being at my family's house has been great because they take Joe in the morning and let me sleep in (Brookie sleeps in with me :). That has been a huge blessing! I've still been able to eat fairly healthy and workout on a pretty regular basis. Not as much as I would like, but it's better than nothing!

 And there is the very, very long introduction to my third pregnancy. As I did in the past I will be posting each month about how everything is going, along with the pictures of my growing belly. :) I am so thankful to God that he has chosen to bless us with another child. I do not deserve it and I do not take it for granted in the least bit. We are so thankful!

Of Babies and Things

On Wednesday June 29th, we arrived safe and sound at my parents house, excited to be there but exhausted from the early morning flight. The next day we planned on leaving for a friends wedding and wouldn't return home until 1am Friday night. After that it would be sit back, relax and wait for my sister to give birth. We had 3 weeks until her due date.
 At 1am we were still awake, talking and enjoying time with family when my sister called.
 A very pregnant sister who should be sleeping doesn't call at 1 in the morning unless something is up. And it was. Her water had broke, 3 weeks and 1 day before her due date. The next hour was rushed, packing my camera, laptop, phone and charger, pillows and blankets (in preparation for an all-nighter) and just general butterflies in my stomach knowing that I was going to experience my sister give birth to her first child within 24 hours.
When we arrived, she was checked in and 2 Cm. It would be a while. She was nervous and felt unprepared since it was so early. Since she wanted to go natural with no pain medication, my Mom talked to her about breathing techniques and how labor would most likely go.

We sat and talked until she was finally allowed to stand up and then we started walking the halls. That hurried things right along, but the beginning stages or labor are still pretty slow and uneventful.

 We decided to rest for a while until things picked up a little, but she couldn't sleep because of contractions every 10 minutes or so. We slept in the waiting room for a while and when I woke up and checked on her, active labor had begun.

 Over the next several hours, she progressed very well but when it came time to push had some problems. The baby was stuck against her pelvic bone and every time she pushed the pain was excruciating. It was a very unnatural feeling for her to do so because of that awful pain. After about 2 hours of pushing and getting no where, (we couldn't even see the head) Greg sent a prayer chain out and I called my dad to pray. 

 Within minutes the baby slid into position and about a half hour later Michael Joseph arrived, 7lbs, 19.5 inches with a head full of dark hair. There were lots of tears of joy in the room as all the tension from the last few hours was released. Mommy and baby (and daddy :) are doing well and Michael just get's cuter every day!

 I am so proud of Claire and the wonderful job she did through her labor. Even at the end when she kept saying she couldn't do it any more, somehow she focused and made it through! Being there was such an emotional experience for me. That day we had announced my 3rd pregnancy to my family :) and that I night watched my sister give birth. Being so tired from the trip, not sleeping all night, the tension from watching my best friend go through a hard labor and pregnancy hormones made a pretty rough trip for me as we left the hospital to drive to the wedding. I cried most of the way, slept a little bit and then felt much better.

On the 4th of July, we all got together and went outside for a few pictures. They will be on my photography blog later but for now I just wanted to share a few.

As you can see, Mom is beaming and looks wonderful!

 Very proud of his little boy

We are both Mommie's now! It's hard to imagine, because life seems the same as it always was. We are still best friends and share hearts about everything and nothing can come between us.

Later, I will share the details of pregnancy/baby #3 and how I told Nate and our families. :)