Busy weekend. . .

Last weekend was so busy, but so much fun! My youngest sister, Abby, came in town Friday night and we got to hang out w/ the kids together on Saturday morning/afternoon. It was fun getting one on one time with her! Then Saturday afternoon Tra and I took Jack and Hayley to see The Wiggles LIVE! We really thought Jack would LOVE it b/c he is a huge Wiggles fan, but I think he thought the whole way there as we were talking about going to see the Wiggles that we were going to the Wiggles Play Center and was extremely disappointed when he was in a dark room expected to stay in a confined space w/ nothing to play with. : ) I ended up taking him out the last 20 minutes or so of the show b/c he was so fussy! Hayley loved it though. I totally messed up on our seats---I had us in the nosebleeds but thought we were going to be a lot lower---not sure how I made that mistake?? Anyway--Hayley's classic comment was when the Wiggles came out she sat there and squinted, looked at me and said, "You can't see the Wiggles' eyes!" In other words, "Nice seats, mom." Oh well. It was still fun. We got home, put them to bed and my mom and other sister Angie came to stay the night. We had some good family time on Sunday morning just hanging out and then I hosted a baby shower for one of my long-time friends (we've been friends since Kindergarten!) that afternoon. They've been wanting to have a baby for 3 years and little Joshua Ryan is FINALLY almost here! I'm so thrilled for them. Her sister, who has also been wanting a baby for a little longer than 3 years, found out 6 weeks after Tammi that she was pregnant too!! God is GOOD!

Hayley is turning 3 tomorrow, which is very hard to believe! So we have a fun day/weekend planned for our girl. I love this birthday b/c she knows what's going on and she is very excited! She has basically planned the majority of her party. All I had to do was go get the stuff and order the cake. It's a Dora party with a Rainbow cake (not sure where the rainbow cake idea came from, but whatever), and she wants everyone to wear party hats. : ) Party hats?? She certainly did not get that idea from me. (I'm not a hat person.) I like them on other people, just not myself. But I'll wear a party hat if it makes Hayley happy! : )

Lastly, It's very hard to believe I only have 14 weeks or so left before this baby gets here. (still assuming they'll induce a week early again) That doesn't seem like a very long time! This is an active little one---I get startled several times a day with random strong kicks! It tends to be when I'm carrying Jack, as if the baby is saying, "Do you not REMEMBER how little space there is in here??? Stop squishing me!!!!" We can't wait to see this little one!!

The Wiggles coming out on stage---Jack processing where we are The "new Greg" is named "Sam." It just wasn't the same w/o good ole Greg Wiggle!

Yay for sisters! I think Hayley got the same gene as Abby in height (I even had heels on!)

Convicted. . .

Since I wrote my previous post, the Holy Spirit has been saying to me, "So how are you going to rejoice in this---it's the title of your blog you know?" My answer back for the past hour or so has been, "I'M NOT!!!! That was a TOTAL waste of time!!!!" But sweetly, gently, yet firmly, my thoughts have been redirected to rejoicing---that I have a daughter who is turning 3 years old next week (so many are still praying for a child), that she is healthy, vibrant, and energetic, and that this trivial incident is the hardest thing about my entire day. Thank you, Father, for my sweet Hayley and for the opportunity to make a scrapbook about her 3rd year! Thank you for reminding me to REJOICE in you ALWAYS! And to turn my frown upside down---even when things are a little messy!

FRUSTRATED!!!

I just lost over 20 pages of an online scrapbook I am working on for Hayley's 3rd year. (From last September through February!!!) I have spent over an hour on it while my kids are napping. If you use Shutterfly (Courtney, did you have this problem???) it KICKS YOU OFF and makes you enter your password again at random times WHILE you are working on your project. So SAVE EVERY PAGE as you complete it. I'm not sure why common sense didn't kick in and why I didn't think to do that in the first place. Just had to vent. : ( Back to work I go. . .

100 Things About Me. . .

1. I sometimes spend too much time reading blogs.
2. I grocery shop once a week.
3. I don't take my kids with me.
4. I LOVE ice cream.
5. I don't eat it very often.
6. I gain weight VERY easily. (hence #5)
7. #6 is a blessing (I have always had to eat healthy)
8. #6 is also a curse (I love to eat foods that aren't always healthy!)
9. I LOVE Cinnabon Cinnamon rolls!!!
10. I love the Cobb Salad at Fridays w/ honey mustard on the side.
11. I don't like blue cheese, but I never ask to take it off of #10 ---I just pick around it.
12. I drink lots of large ice waters with lemon from Sonic.
13. My toe nails are always painted.
14. I usually do my own toes---pedicures are rare with 2 kids.
15. I love doing favors for people.
16. I like to cook.
17. I'm not crazy about cleaning.
18. I LOVE a clean house.
19. I don't really have a hobby (unless you consider blogging a hobby!) : )
20. I'm okay with that.
21. I have played the cello since I was 10---but don't play enough to consider it a hobby.
22. I love spending quality time with friends/family.
23. I have struggled with losing my temper with my immediate family members.
24. The Lord has delivered me from that struggle tremendously over the past year.
25. I LOVE reading/watching/listening to Joyce Meyer.
26. She has been instrumental in my journey of being delivered from temper issues.
27. My friends never believe me that I truly struggle with that.
28. Just ask my family--immediate or in-laws--who have seen the uglier side of me. : )
29. One of my new best friends is the Holy Spirit.
30. I have gotten to know him more intimately over the past year.
31. I'm excited to grow in my relationship with him (and God and Jesus---a given) over the course of the rest of my life.
32. I love to bake.
33. I love having people in our home.
34. I love family time w/ Tra, Hayley and Jack on the weekends.
35. My favorite time of day is in the evenings when Tra walks in from work.
36. I enjoy leading/attending small group Bible studies.
37. I love Christian music.
38. I'm very out of the loop in the secular music world.
39. I used to feel really dorky b/c I only listened to Christian (and occasionally country) music.
40. Now I'm 100% okay with it.
41. I listen to kids' praise and worship music 70% of the time.
42. The Wiggles 20% of the time.
43. My own music 10% of the time.
44. Maybe the Wiggles 29% of the time and my own 1%---realistically.
45. I dislike being really hot and not able to cool off.
46. I love San Diego (specifically La Jolla).
47. You don't get hot there.
48. I don't like being really cold and not able to warm up.
49. I love new pajamas.
50. I rarely buy new shoes.
51. I've worn maternity clothes about 20 months over the past 3.5 years.
52. I have a feeling I'll be adding to that number---even after this pregnancy!
53. I like going to the movies.
54. I like going places by myself---even movies.
55. I like war movies.
56. That works well on date nights b/c so does Tra. : )
57. I love beach vacations.
58. I like the mountains.
59. I've snow skied twice in my life.
60. I've never been skiing with Tra (snow or water).
61. We had a lakehouse in east Texas growing up (6th grade - college).
62.We spent lots of weekends there as a family.
63. We played lots of Bible Trivia.
64. We took turns getting up in the 5's to go fishing with my dad (who by the way was SOOO patient with his girls who lost multiple lures over the years getting hung up on trees, etc.)
65. We never water skied in all the years we had that place.
66. We did LOTS of knee-boarding and inner tubing.
67. We got one tv channel---ABC---on a 3 inch tv.
68. We had 2 bedrooms---my parents had one and my 2 sisters and I shared the other.
69. Lots of sweet memories with my family at Lake Bob Sandlin!
70. My sister Angie lives in West Hollywood with her husband Adam.
71. Adam and Tra were in the same social club at ACU (but not at the same time).
72. My and Angie's last initials went from B to W---and we now both start with W-i-l-l
73. Our youngest sister Abby lives in Abilene.
74. She is dating a guy whose last name starts with B.
75. We joke with her that they can't get married b/c it isn't a W.
76. I love being a wife.
77. I love being a mom.
78. I grew up in public schools.
79. I turned out pretty good!
80. I taught 6th grade in HEB 5 1/2 years before I had Hayley.
81. I miss my relationships w/ the kids and my co-workers.
82. I lived in an apartment by myself in Euless before Tra and I started dating.
83. I loved living by myself.
84. I love living with Tra, Hayley and Jack even more!
85. I'm related to Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).
86. I love watching football and basketball.
87. l love to read.
88. I wish organizing came more naturally to me.
89. I love to assemble products (ie. toys, cribs, etc.)
90. I love breakfast.
91. I love coffee---must always have cream (preferably flavored) and a splenda.
92. I love 2%, sugar free, vanilla lattes from Starbucks.
93. I love cereal.
94. I don't wear perfume.
95. I go through lotion phases---but overall don't like one scent for very long.
96. I shave my legs every day.
97. I pluck my eyebrows almost every day. (at least I SHOULD)
98. It is rare to ever see me without eye make-up.
99. I would love to go w/o make up and not feel naked.
100. My list is actually longer than this---which I couldn't believe---but I'm stopping here!

A Ticker

I felt like I needed to add a ticker to my blog. : ) Now everyone can watch Baby #3 grow with me!

Stay tuned. . . I made a list of 100 things about myself that I will be posting soon. I didn't think I knew 100 things about myself but surprisingly enough I did! I know you are all sitting on the edge of your seats!! : )




Here are a few more beach pictures:

More pictures!

Big D and Jack being silly!
Hayley at Sea World
Jack at Sea World
Angie and Hayley playing in the waves!
Nana helping Hayley and Jack dig a hole to China! They got really close!

"Bye Bye Diego! Bye Bye Waves!"

We got in late this afternoon from the BEST vacation!! We had an indescribable amount of fun together. It was so great getting to see Angie and Adam and my parents and my grandparents too. It was so perfect b/c we got to see lots of them, but at the same time we did lots just the 4 of us! We did Sea World and Legoland just the 4 of us, as well as some evenings. Like last night we got take out, went to a great park that you can walk to from where we stayed, and topped off the night w/ Baskin Robbins. It doesn't get much better than that. I'm more crazy about my kids than ever and more in love with Tra than ever---and SO thankful I have him!! We make a good team. It's so nice to be at a stage in our parenting that we are kind of into a "groove" and things just seem to flow better than they have in the past. Not to mention our kids are at more managable ages than they were ohhh, say, a year ago! Our anniversary was the 4th and my sister and Adam kept our kids while we went to our FAVORITE Itallian food place to eat. Then the next night my mom offered to come over and play and put them to bed while we went to a movie!! 2 date nights in a row!! We hardly knew what to do with ourselves! Hayley and Jack LOVED the beach. All but 2 days, we went down around 9:30 and headed back b/t 1:00-2:00. The kids would crash for 2-3 hours and we would read, nap, talk. It was heavenly. It took Jack several days to be okay with walking around in the sand w/o shoes on. I would take his shoes off and try to put him down, but he'd pull his legs up as high as he could and scream. Then he would carefully walk for quite some time as if trying to keep his feet as clean as possible. Too funny! Hayley is our fearless child. She ran right into those waves the first night we were there. She also rode some rides at Legoland and preferred to ride ALONE if possible. She's such a stitch.

I have almost 200 pictures, so I'll copy Courtney's idea of posting a few favorites each day for a few days.

We're happy to be home to "our house with the toys" but I honestly wasn't quite ready to come home! Thanking God for the blessing of this vacation, time with family, my precious babies and amazing husband. We can't wait to do it again with little Willbanks #3 next time!