Rejoicing Always. . .

Update

2012-01-29T22:14:00.002-06:00

I ran into a friend at Chick Fil A the other day who said she kept checking in to see if I posted a new blog and that I haven't in FOREVER. I really would love to do better and keep some kind of a "normal" blogging schedule. But the words "normal" and "schedule" totally do not describe my life in this season. At all. : )

So just a quick little update for anyone else who is coming by to check on us every now and then..

Life is fast, full, crazy at times (ok--most of the time), and never ever dull. We are all very excited about little #6 who will be joining us in July and adding to our "organized chaos" as one of my friends calls it. We can't WAIT to find out if it's a brother or a sister in just a little over a week!! Jack especially can't wait. : ) We are enjoying another year of homeschooling. Pretty sure we'll be doing it next year too. I LOVE it. And that's an understatement.

I'll throw some pictures in soon---hopefully that doesn't mean a year from now. : )

Thanks, Alexis for the encouragement to get off my rear end and BLOG! : )

A Big Night...

2011-02-13T00:58:00.002-06:00

It is almost 1am on February 13 and I have been having contractions 5 minutes apart for 2 hours now. My due date with our sweet Avery Jayne is not until March 3. I feel like this most likely will not be it...that the contractions will subside and we'll have another couple of weeks with her in tact...or will we? I'm sad that I haven't blogged this entire pregnancy. I am in shock that it is almost over...like over tonight! We are all so so excited to meet this new little sister. The kids are getting so anxious to meet her and I love seeing their excitement and hearing their questions. I was gone most of the day today, and when I walked in this evening, Riley asked, "Is Avery still in there?" I am overwhelmed as I think about the Lord choosing to bless us with another little girl. Overwhelmed with joy and such love. It is so exciting to think about another little person running around and interacting with the other 4. And I am ready to spend the next several months holding this baby girl as much as I can, because I will blink and she will be 6. Hayley said to me tonight, "It feels like just yesterday that I was a little baby!" You have NO idea how true that is, sweet Hayley!

Just in case this IS it, and since I can't sleep, here is a little note to my newest daughter:

Precious Avery (supernaturally wise) Jayne (God is gracious),

We have been anticipating your arrival now for 9 months! I want you to know how over the top excited we are to have you join our family!! Every single one of us! You are baby #5--and that is SO special. Not every family gets to have a #5. After we had Mallory in the hospital just 2 years ago, daddy and I sat in that hospital room holding your sister and we both said, "I feel like God has another one for us!" Ohhh how we looked forward to you even then! We have known God had you just for us. And He saved you for this time on purpose. He has great and wonderful plans for you. And as much as we already love you, HE loves you sooooo much more. Your sisters and brother are all so excited to meet you and hold you and play with you! Tonight they were all gathered around my tummy saying hi to you and "patting" you and talking to you. They will walk up to me and give you hugs and say they can't wait to see you! We are going to have LOTS of fun. You are going to be so LOVED you will not believe it! Not only do you have the 6 of us who are so ready for you to be here, you have great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and a TON of friends who are just as excited to get to meet you and love on you. You are blessed, sweet one. While I am content with you "cooking" a little longer if I do not get to see you later today, a bigger part of me REALLY hopes that this time tomorrow night I am snuggling with you in my arms! You are already such a source of joy in our family. We all love you so very much...

love,

Mom

March/April Favorites

2010-04-25T13:46:00.009-05:00

Thought I would do a little catching up with pictures from the last 2 months. They actually go backwards, from April to March.

Jack's new "look"

My baby is growing up!

All dressed up for a "black tie" wedding---fun!

Mallory Grace---always smilin'

Feeding the turtles--or--themselves : )

Jack got to "borrow" the fireman outfit from Mimi's Treasure Chest one day... the best day EVER.

Riding rides at a carnival at Northwood Church---so much fun!!

Braving the ferris wheel---

Watching Riley was worth the price of admission...

Sisters..

These 2 both won a game--the only game they were allowed to play. They were HAPPY campers.

I have pictures of my sister and me looking through fence holes at the puppy in my grandparents "alley" in Lamesa. This was an unstaged, sweet little moment for me...

Riley Kate LOVES her daddy. He is eating dinner here and she can't get close enough to him. : ) She kept saying, "My daddy, my daddy!"

This is Easter morning... I had our church service on the computer as we were about to leave for Tra's parents' house for the day. Love modern technology and love these 2 little hearts. This was unstaged too. I love how they love each other.

Hayley loves praising the Lord!

Easter Eggs!

The stickers were a hit this year.

The biggest strawberry ever...

Tra doing one of the things he does best...being DADDY!!!

I think one of my favorite things about these pictures is that he has Jack's Diego sunglasses on.

I looked out the back door one morning and saw this sweet little sight. Although they were probably scheming the next crazy mess Riley could make and making their plan on how Mallory would distract me from her...

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

This may have been the mess they were scheming... got into a trash bag full of ashes from our grill. Mmmmm, soooo fun.

Pulling a blanket off of heads really fast=static electricity=HILARIOUS.

Especially this one...doesn't she look like Alfalfa without the little curl? hahaha!

The moment I realized, "Maybe I should cut her hair.." A theme in our family..

Mallory helping out her sister...

She sat like this for about 5 minutes one night. Such a cutie!!

Bedtime Talks

2010-04-16T21:45:00.002-05:00

I should start recording some of our bedtime conversations with Hayley. Tonight was something like this...

Hayley: Why do you have all those hairs in your nose?

Me: That's how God made me (sweet voice with a forced smile) It keeps out the dirt (my mom always gave me that answer)

Hayley: Ohh, so it's kind of like a GATE?

Me: Ummm, yes, kind of. Mommy's REALLY tired, so I'm going to go to bed---I love you!

Hayley: Can we go somewhere to eat tomorrow? Like Taco Bueno? I love Taco Bueno. They don't have a play place, just all those pictures. That way Riley and Mallory don't get lost and you won't be like, "Hayley, where is Riley? Where is Mallory?"

Me: (with a chuckle) Do I ask that question too often?

Hayley: YES. It drives me crazy. I'm like, "Ok mom, please stop asking that question..."

Me: I'm sorry---I'm not sure if we'll go out to eat tomorrow or not. I love you! (get up and walk to door)

Hayley: Ok. I just can't WAIT to see what God's skin looks like. If it will be dark brown, brown or white? I think it will be one of those?

Me: I know--I can't wait either! Maybe it will be rainbow?

Hayley: LOL. I don't think it would be pink or blue...

Me: Me either (closing door) Love you!

Hayley: I think Jesus is the best man I ever saw. Well, I didn't really SEE him, just in the movies.

Me: I know---he IS the best man. I'm so glad you love him so much. I love you! Goodnight! (try to close door again)

Hayley: I just cannot WAIT to ask God how in the world he got to heaven all by himself first?! I just don't know how that happened!

Me: I know--we have LOTS of questions for Him don't we? I love you! Mommy is VERY tired so I'm going to go to sleep now. I love you guys!

Hayley: (smile) Ok. Love you too..

Meanwhile, Jack is facing the opposite direction almost completely out. I wonder how many words he hears from Hayley every day? The girl can TALK! And I LOVE it!! As exhausting as it is, I treasure these bedtime chats with my girl.

Here is Riley's evening routine:

Me: I love you, Riley! Night night!

Riley: I want my water!

Me: Ok--I'll get your water... (refill cup with water) Here ya go! Night night!

Riley: I want mommy's shadow!

Me: Ok... (stand over her night-light and look up and wave hands while shadow of mommy is on ceiling) Night night Riley! (waving on ceiling)

Riley: I want Jesus died on the cross...

Me: (Make a cross shadow with fingers on ceiling)

Riley: (Giggling) There it is! There's Jesus died on the cross!

Me: Thank you, Jesus...

Riley: ...died on the cross, take away sid (sin), together (so we can all live together), forever (in heaven forever).

Me: I love you---night night! (as I lean over her crib)

Riley: (with a giggle) That's like Em-ee (Emily---cousin/babysitter) That's like Bet-ee (Bethany--babysitter)

Me: Do they lean over your crib like this too? : )

Riley: Yea. (giggle)

Me: I love you---(walk to door) goodnight!

Riley: I love you too! I love you too! I love you too!

Me: I love you too--night night! (start closing door)

Riley: I love you too! I love you too...

Me: I love you too---go to sleep! : ) (close door)

Riley: I LOVE YOU TOO!! MOOOMMMMMYYYY!! I LOVE YOU TOOOOO!

Me: (open door) I love you too, baby! Night night. : ) (close door and hope for silence, all the while eating it up that she wants to keep the conversation going as long as possible. Some nights drag out longer than others with the I love you too's. So cute.)

I LOVE my kids. What a GIFT each one is to me... thank you LORD for the privilege of being mommy to these 4 treasures...Forgive me for EVER having anything but a grateful heart for them!! Thank you for the glimpse I have into how you LOVE YOUR CHILDREN!! To think that your love for me is greater than my love for my kids completely overwhelms me. I rest in that tonight...

ps. I get tickled thinking about my bedtime talks with Tra each night. And me asking after a long ramble about something most likely very important about my day like an update on a friend's blog or facebook status, "Are you awake?" Silence. Long pause. He groggily answers, "Barely." Ha ha! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.... : ) We girls just get chatty at bedtime! Those boys are OUT seconds after their head hits the pillow! So funny...

Catching up

2010-03-12T08:00:00.006-06:00

We have had lots going on around here over the past few months. Here's an attempt to do a little catching up!

--Jack turned FOUR in January. We had fun celebrating with his Mimi and Poppy, cousins (Scout and Ryder) and sisters (minus Mallory who was much happier at home taking a nap) at Incredible Pizza. The highlight for me was watching Poppy and Scout race daddy and Jack in the race cars. Not sure which generation enjoyed it more! : ) They also had a lot of fun bowling and riding rides and shooting basketball hoops. I love that boy more than I can put into words.

--We took the older 3 to the Rodeo and had fun watching them at the petting zoo especially. My kids all LOVE animals. Tra took Hayley and Jack last year one night right after I had Mallory, so I had fun getting to go with them this year! Riley experienced cotton candy for the first time. That was worth the price of admission!

--Tra and I got to go to Washington DC for a couple of days in February...by ourselves!! My mom braved it and watched all 4 of our kiddos for us. She's a superstar. Everything went great and everyone slept all night every night, thankfully! We got to attend the National Prayer Breakfast and it was a really neat experience. It was very strange to sit just a few rows back from the President and Michelle, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton (the main speaker). I felt like I was in an episode of 24 watching the secret service guys scanning the room. We spent the rest of the day sightseeing and I LOVED every second. It was my first trip to DC and I can't wait to go back! We spent a couple of hours at the Holocaust Museum and could have spent an entire day there. It was extremely impactful. We sat with a congressman from North Carolina at breakfast and he had us come to his office and one of his staff members gave us a tour of the Capitol. That is the way to do it, people. We went on the speed-walking tour and it was a perfect speed for us. (Anyone can call your congressman/woman and ask if you can have a tour if you ever want a "private tour" which I think a lot of people already know, but I had no idea.) Being there made me want to be more involved in my community and made me realize that I'm not as insignificant as I feel like I am when it comes to governmental decisions, etc. I have a voice and I can choose whether or not to use it. I came home wanting to read some American history books! I haven't... yet. : ) The day we left to come home was the day the huge blizzard hit the east coast. The airport shut down 3 hours after our plane took off. Can we say close call?

--We had a surprise 60th birthday brunch for my mom the weekend we got home. She has several "friends for a lifetime" friends that live in the D/FW area, along with lots of family and it was so much fun celebrating HER!

--The day we got home was the day after Jenny Bizaillion went into the hospital. I spent the rest of the month, like many of you, praying more fervantly for her and her family and friends than I have ever prayed for any situation in my life. I knew Jenny in college but haven't talked to her since. I don't really even know how to put into words what that whole situation did to my spirit, but it changed me. My faith was strengthened---as we prayed for certain aspects of her health, they were answered. I know in my head that prayer is powerful, but this made it take more root in my heart. I think about Jenny's family and friends every day and continue praying for the Lord's peace to comfort them as they grieve her earthly loss for the rest of their lives. Especially her precious daughter.

--The day Jenny died was the day we buried Tra's sweet granddaddy. We all know our grandparents won't live forever, but man it is hard to let them go. It was a sweet day of remembering a wonderful, godly man who I had the privilege of calling "Granddaddy" for 9 short years. I will miss his dry wit and the way he always made me feel like I had always belonged to him, and just hearing his cheery voice. I don't know that I've had another day in my life that I was more aware of my own mortality. It made me think---really think. What am I DOING here? It's all going to be over one day. It made me want to re-think why I do what I do in every area of my life. More than ever, I want to live my life more purposefully and literally seek first the Kingdom of God. It is ALL that matters! Relationships with my family and friends----they are the only thing going with me! It also makes me long for Jesus to return---QUICKLY!!!

--Hayley has lost her 2 bottom teeth and learned to tie her shoes. She makes her own breakfast some mornings and makes her own bed. She has really taken off with reading. She told me last night that she loves Jesus and she is going to teach a lot of people about him. I told her I believe she will too!

--At night when I put Riley to bed, lately she points up to a corner in her room and says, "There's a angel!" Tra and I were in there last night and I asked her if she saw the angel and she said, "No, I find him.." and proceeded to look behind her curtains and said she couldn't find him. After prayers and reading her favorite Bible story about the shepherds (Jesus' birth)she looked up at the corner and said, "Oh! There's the angel! There he is!" Ohhh, to see what these little ones see.

--Hayley and Jack have totally gotten into Little House on the Prairie. I can't tell you what this does for my heart. : ) Angie and I watched this show every day for years and rarely missed an episode. To see them love it as much as we did is so much fun! The musical is coming to Bass Hall this summer---we can't WAIT!

--I'll end with my favorite event of 2010 so far. On Tra's birthday (Mar. 20) Hayley told us that night that she asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior. She was at church listening to the Bible story that night of Jesus dying on the cross and she said she asked Him "quietly" during the Bible story. I asked her how she felt when she asked him and she said, "Ready." There is nothing sweeter than seeing the Holy Spirit getting a hold of my babies' hearts. In some ways 5 1/2 seems so early to really understand what she is doing, but I have to remind myself that we in no way pushed her to do this. HE, the Creator of the Universe, has been drawing her to Himself from the moment she was a little life in my womb. She is HIS! Just as they all are. As many crazy, hard days as there are with little ones it is moments like these that make every little (and big) mess and sleepless nights WORTH IT ALL!!

Pictures soon to follow..

**I just realized I started this entry on March 12, but finished it and finally published it today, April 6. Not that anyone but me would probably pay much attention to that. : )

The first of many. . .

2010-01-13T22:28:00.003-06:00

. . . blog entries for 2010, that is. I've SO become a blog slacker and it makes me sad. I'm hoping to become a better time manager this year with the ole blog.

So today is my baby girl's FIRST birthday! How HOW is that possible? She is such a little doll. We had a fun day celebrating little Mallory Grace today. Pancakes for breakfast, lunch at the mall and playtime in the play area (no wonder Hayley was sick all the time as a toddler---we hung out there at least once a week! I have turned into a germ-a-phobe and I was NOT one when she was little--yuck), naptime, lasagna for dinner and of course CAKE! : ) That's what Riley Kate said when I told her first thing this morning that it was Mallory's birthday today... "CAKE!!" Love my Riley Kate.

Mallory has been a huge fan of mommy this past year. And I've been a big fan of hers too---but I'm so happy for her that she is discovering that my legs are not the most exciting thing to be next to all day long. : ) She has become so much more independent over the past couple of months. She loves opening cabinets and pulling things out (oldest sister might have taught her that trick), she likes to mess with her Daddy's type A personality and pull EVERY book off the bookshelf in the playroom, every dvd case out of the drawer, and every cup/plate/bowl out of the kids drawers in the kitchen. Ha! She is taking a couple of steps and SO proud of herself. She LOVES and ADORES her big sisters and big brother. And they adore her too. I can't get over how fast this year has gone and how quickly she is growing up. I made a HUGE effort to just enjoy my LONG nights with her (she didn't sleep through the night until she was almost 11 months old) and I'm so glad I did. Lots of snuggling with that baby took place in her rocking chair in her room in the wee hours of the night. And now, that baby just wants to get in her bed and skip the rocking chair. : ( Here are some birthday pictures of our ONE YEAR OLD!

Out. Of. Control.

2009-09-01T20:51:00.003-05:00

A load of laundry a day keeps the "mounds" away. . .

First Day of School

2009-08-27T22:43:00.003-05:00

I love being a follower of Christ. He makes life exciting. He leads me down paths I would NEVER choose on my own. One of these paths lately is the decision we have made to follow His leading to homeschool our kids this year. Hayley is in Kindergarten and Jack and Riley are pre-school. Mallory is in on the fun too. See pictures below. : )

I have people all the time say, "Oh, well it will be easy for you to homeschool---you were a teacher!" True. I was a teacher. I taught math to 6th graders for 5 years in Euless. I have a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and I'm "certified" to teach grades 1-8. But there is a BIG difference in teaching a room full of 11-12 year olds who have been in school for at least 6 years and in teaching a room full of an infant, a toddler, a preschooler and a kindergartner. I think I was more nervous on the first day this week than I ever was on my own first days of school as a student or a teacher. Not to mention the fact that it is MY OWN children. If they miss something, I'M the one to blame! That's some serious pressure! But the Lord keeps reminding me that He equips the called. He's not going to call me to this new way of life and leave me high and dry. He is so faithful too. This week has been a lot of fun and I can't even believe how much I LOVE teaching my children!! We live next to an elementary school and every morning when I look out the window and see everyone heading to school at 7:45 and we are all in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast, I thank GOD for knowing how very much I needed the slower pace. No scurrying, no arguing, no making lunches, etc. We finish with breakfast by 8:30 or so and my eager beaver (Hayley) is ready to start school. The girl comes down at 7:30 or so every morning completely dressed with a smile on her face and tells me she has her bed made and room cleaned. She does this just because she wants to. Jack on the other hand occasionally sleeps in his clothes so that he doesn't have to "get dressed" the next morning. One night he had on jeans and a tshirt after his bath. JEANS. And getting him to make his bed is a major challenge. His favorite quote to use is, "I'm stuck in the mud." Lots

of character training to do in this house! : ) Anyway---we have praise and worship time with all of us upstairs and then Bible Time, Calendar time, and then Handwriting. Riley and Mallory do a lot of playing during that time and Riley enjoys the Bible stories. I also use that time for character training. It's about an hour and then we move down to put M down for a nap and have snack time (usually coordinates with color of week or letter of week) and storytime. The rest of the day consists of an art project of some sort, some bookwork, and lots of playtime and of course NAPTIME. Another time of day that I am thankful to be either resting or working on some of my stuff when I see the line of cars at the elementary school. : ) I'm sure I'll add in things here and there as the year goes on, but for now it is working out wonderfully. At times I have a hard time believing I am really doing this. I LOVED school growing up. Loved my teachers, my friends, everything about it. I loved teaching school---my co-workers (who I really miss a lot!) my students, etc. I'm not 100% sure why God has us on this path. Maybe I'll never know. But for now--although it has just been one week--I am so thankful to be on this journey with my most favorite little people in the world! I know there will be days of weariness and frustration but so far it has done nothing but bless me!

Here are a few pictures of our first day:

Clothes are optional at our school : ) And you have permission to wear navy socks with your undies in the 100 degree heat in the afternoons. (Daddy disagrees with this.) : )

The letter of the week is "A" so we made some applesauce. And we ate some too. . .

Riley letting Mallory in on the applesauce---so cute! Mallory LOVED it!

YUMMY!! (apparently the "Woody" costume got a little toasty---hence the undies and socks)

Ouch, Jack! Such a rough look! : ) Riley got in on the finger painting too. She tried eating it, but discovered the applesauce tasted a little better.

A Few Pictures. . .

2009-07-21T14:53:00.005-05:00

Little princesses! Fun times with cousins on a Sunday afternoon. Notice Jack's sullen face because "Adalyn has my necklace!" You'll see later, it's not just his "necklace" she has on . . .

Just went face down in big sister's oatmeal. This captures our Riley Kate. A Happy Mess!!

Squeezing in the Jumparoo with little sissy---Sorry Mal!

Ummm, maybe we need some boy dress up clothes around here. . . FAST! (He is not going to appreciate this picture on his wedding slideshow.) I couldn't resist snapping this picture. . .

Look who is sitting up! I said "SITTING" not "SPITTING" (although we've still got a little of that going on too).

Love this little girl! Already 6 months old---where is the time going?

Happy 4th of July! We had a FUN day with both of our families!

Sisters. . .

Before the first haircut---I think I waited a few weeks too long? : )

Front view of "The Hawk"

Cousins. . . I love these boys!!

Catching up. . .

2009-06-03T15:47:00.000-05:00

Ok--I knew I would have less time for me when Mallory arrived, but wow. I rarely get more than 30 minutes in the afternoon during nap/quiet time and then not again until 9:00 or so when the last little chicky goes to bed. And I have no "juice" left by then. So there's the reason for the blog slackin. Even now I need to go work on dinner before I have a baby in my arms. (I managed to slice and peel the skin off of an apple the other day one-handed while holding Mallory---I was pretty amazed at myself.) : ) But wanted to update with a few pictures before we celebrate Mallory's first birthday. Ha! By the way---can you tell my teeth are gritted in the Easter family portrait? I was saying, "JACK--LOOK AT THE CAMERA!!" Yes, it was even more chaotic than it looks! And notice the trend with Riley and family pictures. Love it.

Mallory will be 5 months

old next week. She is such a little sweet pea. She loves LOVES attention from anyone and LOVES to have her hands held. It is so sweet. She started rolling over la

st week from her back to her front and then to her back again and now there's no stopping her! If you put her down, she's rollin. She is sometimes sleeping from about 9-7 but that's pretty sporatic. I'm wishing we could

figure out what makes her do that so we could get it every night!

We all love Mallory---even when she has fussy days her brother and sisters love on her.

Riley Kate is 18 months tomorrow. Where has the time gone?? Her vocabulary has exploded this

week--she has been more interested in

listening to everyone else talk than to talk herself until now. Some favorites of mine are hearing her say, "DADDY!!!!! DADDY!!" over and over when he walks in the door from work. SO precious. Today when I put her down for her nap she said, "I wuv oo" back to me. Melt my heart. And this morning she was singing along with the Doxology (we keep music going around here pretty much all day) and it was so sweet to hear her belting out, "PAISE GOD!! PAISE GOD!! PAISE GOD (who) SAY (my) SO!! PAISE GOD (to whom all) SESSINGS SO!! So sweet!! She loves water and

MUD. We're not sure if she likes the taste or the texture, but she likes to put it in her mouth. YUCK! She is becom

ing very independent and I find her places like halfway up the pantry shelves (scaling them), sitting in the pantry with a box of crackers and eating them the other day (she climbed up to get them first), she climbs up the ramp on their swingset and came flying down the slide face first yesterday and did a face plant in the mud---all in her mouth, teeth---but she likes it so she didn't mind! We adore this girl!

JACK!

He is 3 and is a STITCH. He loves "playing" his guitar and plays it multiple times a day. If he isn't playing it, he is playing his air guitar or he's strumming the logos of the guitars on his shirts. We really believe he is going to be a praise/worship leader or musician one day. Music is in this boy's soul. He

has grown up a lot over the last several months---wanting to do everything just like his older sister.

Hayley is turning 5 in 2 more months! So hard to believe. She

has been planning her 5th birthday since last August. She is so much fun to hang out with. I'm amazed at all she picks up on these days. She is becoming more and more helpful around here. She would run the place 24/7 if I let her. She has learned how to write most of her letters this year and loves reading books on her own (the short early reader ones). It's so fun to watch her sound words out and really read them! Some of my favorite things she has said lately is, "J is for Jerusalem." (not the word I would have picked, but hey, it works!) We told her we were going swimming last weekend and that the water would probably be pretty cold and she goes, "Oh, well, that's okay! I'll just roll with it!"

So many more that I want to remember and this is the only place I write them down! I never want to sound "braggy" or anything about my kids ---I just want to remember all of the sweet things. I don't really want to remember the sassiness, disrespectful tones, arguing b/t siblings, screaming at the top of her lungs from Riley (instead of talking), and the clinginess that tends to totally beat me down by about 3:00 from Mallory. : ) We've got PLENTY of normal day to day hard stuff around here too. As I was walking M around this afternoon and going to the place of "another day without a moment to myself again" the Holy Spirit reminded me to just let it go and be thankful for this sweet time to hold my baby in my arms. It's a season---- a very SHORT season. So I held her until she fell asleep and enjoyed it! Kitchen a wreck, dinner not cooked, weights not lifted, elliptical not run on, toys not picked up, the bulk of M's birth announcements STILL not sent out, and the list goes on. It's so hard to keep a positive spin on life when you feel so unproductive, but it's a lie from the enemy that I am "unproductive" and to all you moms out there who are also taking care of your babies. I'm choosing not to believe it and to work on enjoying these short months of feeding, changing, holding, rocking, bouncing, etc. these babies! Hope someone was encouraged by this today! And hoping to post more soon!

The Wedding!

2009-03-31T13:12:00.000-05:00

Ryan and Abby Dunagan!

I am LONG overdue for a blog post. I only have a few minutes and wanted to post a couple of pictures of Abby's (one of my 3 favorite sister-in-laws!) and Ryan's wedding! It was so beautiful and so much fun! Abby was breathtakingly gorgeous. What an honor to stand next to her as a matron of honor! I'm so excited for them and the adventure they have ahead of them. I'm hoping to get back to posting more "regularly" soon!

Tra and Hayley having fun in the photo booth!

The best family picture we got the whole weekend. Really? I guess getting all 4 to look at the camera with joyful expressions and no fingers in their noses is out of the question for at least a few more years? :)

Mallory Grace

2009-01-17T18:56:00.000-06:00

So much for downloading a picture on Tuesday! Our sweet little Mallory was born on January 13 at 1:35pm. She was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 19 3/4 in. We were VERY surprised to have a baby under 8 pounds!! She is such a good little baby. She is jaundice and under a light going on day #2, but she gets to be at home! We are so happy she is here!

Mallory's Birthday!

2009-01-13T06:27:00.000-06:00

It is 6:30am and I'm sitting in my hospital bed all hooked up to an IV and being pumped with pitocin and strangely feeling a bit like I'm on vacation at the moment. Tra and I had some sweet time praying blessings over our sweet baby girl who we will hopefully be holding in our arms in a matter of hours! He has gone to get some breakfast and I am watching the news and blogging. No breakfast to make, diapers to change, dishes to wash, clothes to fold, noses to wipe, etc. At this point I'm not in any pain. They've turned up my pitocin 3 times and I'm still not in a regular contraction pattern. So I'm enjoying the next few moments of feeling good and preparing to call for an epidural as soon as these contractions start picking up. I came in at a 2 and 60% effaced and after an hour of pitocin my dr. just came to check me again and I have had no change. His words were, "You've got a long way to go." Love it. My last 2 labors took 7-8 hours. So I'm hoping by 1:00 that this baby will be here!

I wanted to write a little note to Mallory before her birth and I'm running out of time, so here we go!

Mallory Grace,
I am so excited to finally get to see you face to face today! I can't wait to hold you and look at your little fingers and toes, and see your pretty hair (I'm certain you'll have a pretty good amount!), and every part of you that God has so meticulously knitted together over the past 9 months as you have grown inside of me. Your daddy and I (and many others) have prayed for you since before we knew you were even on the way! When we found out that God had blessed us with you 9 months ago we were filled with so many different emotions! We were so surprised because Riley Kate was only 4 months old! When I told daddy that you were growing in my tummy we both just laughed and laughed and thanked God for the sweet, wonderful blessing of you! We knew God gave you to our family for a very special purpose and we are excited to see those purposes for your life unfold. God has great plans for you. He needed you here at this time and has blessed you with 3 older siblings who are beside themselves excited about your arrival. Hayley was talking to you last night as I was putting her to bed. She likes to push on my tummy to "find you" and feel you move and kick. Jack can't wait to hold you! When I say, "Are you excited to see Mallory?" He answers, "Yes, I want to hold her." Riley is pretty clueless about having a new sister, but you 2 are going to be two peas in a pod for the rest of your lives. You are going to have so much fun growing up together being SO close in age! You will not know life without each other. We are all so excited to have you in this family. You are a blessing and we love you so much already!
I love you!
Mommy

**I hope to post a picture or 2 later on today when she is here!

Dry Spell

2008-12-15T21:18:00.000-06:00

I have been a blog slacker lately! So much has gone on in our lives since I last posted. My sister-in-law Abby got engaged on a family trip to Aspen! It was so much fun to get to be a part of their special night! I'm so excited to have Ryan join the family. He is such a wonderful guy and we are all big fans. My baby girl turned ONE on December 4. It's so hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since her birth. She is such a little joy. She has the sweetest smile and is a little ball of energy. She's not really into sitting still. Her trademark is that she puts everything she gets her hands on into her mouth. It is frustrating, hilarious and disgusting. : ) I think the most disgusting was a dead bug at Tra's parents' house one day. She also loves to play in toilets. Neither of my other 2 did either of these things. It amazes me at how different these 3 already are in such a short time. She loves music and singing. We have made up a song with her name in it and we all sing it to her multiple times a day and she eats it up. (pardon the pun!) She is very tall (95th percentile) and how can I say this nicely to where it will not hurt her feelings one day---very "healthy" (90th percentile). She and Jack have been in the same size diapers for awhile now and he is almost THREE. Impressive. She can wear his jeans from last year that he wore when he was 2. Ha ha! I love it!! It is going to be fun to watch her in the role of big sister. She is a tough little cookie---Hayley and Jack love playing with her. I should keep track of how many times a day, "Please be gentle," comes out of my mouth.

Since her birthday, we've been in Christmas mode over here. My family gets to come this weekend (we're so excited!!) and we are doing "Christmas" with them. Then next week we get to spend with Tra's family---and we're so excited about that too!! I LOVE having two familes that are just fun to be with! We're doing a little party for Jack the week of New Year's for his b-day (which is actually the 23rd) but I would rather get that done before sweet Mallory arrives. She is due the 15th of January. We'll see if I make it that far. Of course I hope I don't because I think she is close to 7 pounds already and there's just nothing fun about recovering from a 9 pounder. : ) Not to mention I'm ready to hurdle all the safety gates around here with a little more grace/ease. And to sleep normally---without sitting up, having to take Tums before going to sleep, etc, etc. Not that I'm complaining---what a BLESSING to be carrying this little gift around. We are beyond thankful for our sweet babies and are looking forward to having little Mallory join us in just a few more weeks! I hope to do better on posts, but if I don't. . . Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sneak Peek!

2008-11-04T22:07:00.000-06:00

I had the kids' pictures taken last week. I love my new photographer! She has been in the area almost a year and I am SO glad I found her! Here are a few reasons why. . .

The many faces of Riley Kate. . . she is 11 months old today!!

Love that Jack!

Hayley Brooke. . . such a joy!

My 3 little sweeties!

The Way I See It #198

2008-10-31T12:58:00.001-05:00

I love the quotes on my cups of coffee from Starbucks. This one was especially impactful to me:

"You can shower a child with presents or money, but what do they really mean, compared to the most valuable gift of all--your time? Vacations and special events are nice, but so often the best moments are the spontaneous ones. Being there. Every moment you spend with your child could be the one that really matters." --Tim Russert (Host of NBC's Meet the Press and author of Wisdom of Our Fathers.)

I know his son is especially grateful for the time his dad spent with him---as a child and an adult! It is definitely something I always want to have plenty of to give to my children. I have a GREAT example and have some BIG shoes to fill!! (not literally---although they are pretty big---sorry mom!!) : )

Happy Fall Y'all!!

2008-10-15T15:42:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures I got at the pumpkin patch last week. It was a CRAZY trip and definitely a blog-worthy post. The bottom line: me (keep in mind I'm pregnant and look more pregnant than I actually am), THREE kids, one wagon, a million other people/kids, and LOTS OF BEES!!! Hayley got stung recently at home and broke out in hives and stuff, so we were all a little more freaked out than usual about them. I was meeting one of my roommates from college and her kids and I don't think we had a conversation the whole time. It was nuts. At one point H and J had gone through a bounce house and I couldn't FIND THEM for about 5 minutes. (seemed like 50)

After we sat down to unpack our lunches and Jack was grabbing his ears screaming and running away from the table, Hayley was screaming, bees getting on our food and in the wagon with Riley, I made the impulsive decision to load up the car and go back home. (Sorry, R, for the craziness!!) I was holding Jack, pulling the wagon and RUNNING back to our car to escape the bees. Hilarious. You'd never know from these pictures how crazy it was!

Deeper thoughts. . .

2008-09-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

Last night we were hanging out in the backyard and Hayley brought out a paper plate of some "snacks" which consisted of crasins and one cheeze-it for all of us to share. So thoughtful! She ran back inside to grab her drink and while she was gone a gust of wind blew the plate of snacks off the table and all into the yard. When she came back out, she looked in disbelief at what had happened and with sadness in her voice asked me, "Mom, why did God let that happen?" I proceeded to explain to her how God gave us brains and he wants us to learn to use them really well and that next time maybe we'll think about putting something heavy on top of the plate so it doesn't blow away. And I started thinking about the recent times I've asked God that very question---friends with illnesses, sick babies, loss of babies, just the hard stuff in life. Why, God?? Why do you let these things happen? Although Hayley's scenario was much more simple than the ones in my list, was it really? It was a good reminder to just have faith and trust Him in ALL things and to remember that His ultimate plan is to ". . .prosper us, not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11)

And one more deeper thought to share that I've been wanting to jot down for awhile. . .

I've been asking God for guidance and direction in some specific areas of our lives over the past several months. I read this verse one day in a rare moment of "quietness"---"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." Psalm 32:8 (NKJV) I thought that wording was so interesting, ". . .guide you with My eye." I started thinking, "How do you guide someone with your eye?" Why did He choose His eye to guide us and not His "word" or His "voice" or His "hand"? How does an eye guide? So I imagined trying to guide someone across a room with obstacles only using my eye---that person would have to keep their eyes on MY EYES, not the obstacles in front of them. They would have to stay VERY focused on MY eyes and trust me as they walked. More than likely, they would run into an occasional obstacle b/c it is not easy to guide with your eyes and distractions are EVERYWHERE. But after standing back up, they would again look into my eyes and keep on moving forward. How sweet is that picture with us and God? It just makes my heart happy and at peace to know that #1 He IS instructing me in the way I should go and I have Him as my guide through life and #2 He chose His eye to guide me--He wants me more than anything to seek His face and stay focused on it day after day as I "walk". #3 when I stumble or fall, His eyes stay on me and He actually helps me up and hopes that I choose to "lock in" on His eyes as I move forward.

And I'll wrap it up with one more verse---Psalm 32:10 "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him." I LOVE the Amplified version that says, "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on the Lord shall be compassed about with mercy and with loving-kindness. Prasing the Lord today for being our Teacher and our Guide and for His mercy and loving-kindness!!

It's a . . .

2008-09-05T16:07:00.000-05:00

GIRL!!! We found out this morning that we are having another little sister and couldn't be more thrilled! We're still working on a middle name but her first name is Mallory. It's SO much fun knowing who will be joining us in just a few more months. How did I NOT find out with Riley?? I love knowing ahead of time. We're telling the kids tonight when Tra gets home, but they've called it from the very beginning. Every time we ask them what they think it is they both say it's a girl! When I got home from my appointment Hayley said, "Are you going to tell me it's a girl??!!" Sooo fun. Can't wait to break the news to the brother and sisters tonight. Praising God for daughter #3 and that she looks healthy!! Now the long wait for mid-January to get here! Although I'm thinking it won't feel that long---days move FAST around here! : )

And how did you spend YOUR Wednesday evening?

2008-08-13T11:32:00.000-05:00

These pictures don't really do the mess justice. Our 2 oldest were playing upstairs having such fun---no fighting or fussing while Tra and I finished up dinner and actually got to have some uninterrupted conversation (we should have known something was up). Hayley asked us to come upstairs and see a surprise and that she did something really bad with our games. I wish I would have had my video camera on. It was one of those moments where it was SO bad you just had to laugh! There were 5 games, 4 of them with cards in them, one with dominoes, that were emptied out and scattered all over the gameroom. It was amazing. We had worked 30 minutes and hardly made a dent! H and J had some practice sorting and stacking colors while helping me pick up Cranium. Ugh. (Tra wasn't as upset as he looks in the picture---I just thought it was hilarious because I KNOW he was feeling that way inside.) It did make us want to play some of those games though! Game night, anyone??

Things that make you go "Hmmmm."

2008-07-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

My 7 month old and my 2 1/2 year old can wear the same size diaper.

Question. . .

2008-07-13T22:29:00.000-05:00

I am 13 weeks pregnant and I look a little more like 23. I accept that and I know it better than anyone because I have to see myself every day. : ) I cut myself LOTS of slack because not only is this one my 4th child, my 3rd child was a mere 4 months old when we conceived this one. Obviously my body had not gotten back to its pre-pregnancy condition in that short amount of time. I know there are women out there who either work their tails off and get their baby weight off in a matter of weeks, and there are the ones who don't work at it and still get it off in weeks--I am neither of those. : ) So here is my question---what is it with the women out there who have HAD CHILDREN themselves and been in this vulnerable state and feel it is okay to say things like, "How far along are you? (jaw drops when I respond "12 weeks" and they continue) "Whoa! You're going to have a BIG baby!!" I smile and politely say, "Yes, I do actually tend to have bigger babies (my largest was 9 pounds, smallest was 8), but what you are seeing is a lot of leftover fat from my previous pregnancy." Still smiling. Fighting urge to confront her and say, "How do you think that makes me feel?" Didn't confront her. . . just went to my car and finished off Jack's donut holes he didn't eat that morning. : ) I mean, really?? Do you not remember that at 12 weeks your baby is the size of a lime?? The bigness is not from my 3 inch child growing inside of me. It's just not polite and I sincerely apologize if I have EVER made a tacky comment to another mother out there like that. I feel like I make a big effort to try to make people feel good about themselves---and it isn't really that hard!

No cute pictures to share today, just a little venting. We get to find out the first week of September if we're having a girl or a boy! Makes being a little on the chunky side SO worth it! Have a great week!

Living in a fog. . .

2008-07-02T14:12:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is July! I can't believe I let June go by without one post. Between our family vacation the first week of June, a trip to see my parents, and being in the thick of 1st trimester ickiness and my 3 little ones, I've been grabbing sleep every chance I get and by the end of the day I'm completely spent. I will be 12 weeks tomorrow and I am feeling a little bit of my energy returning---slowly but surely. I really do feel like I have spent the past several weeks living in a fog. Meals get made (or ordered) : ), laundry gets done (with lots of help from my WONDERFUL husband---he is amazing with all the help he provides around the house), the daily routine has continued but I find myself tucking my babies in at night wondering where the day went. I'm looking forward to getting my energy level back up again so that I will be able to enjoy more of my days instead of just "drifting" through them. Hayley and Jack are little buddies, now more than ever, and they have so much fun playing together. They are at such fun ages right now---most of the time. : ) Riley is growing up way too fast. She is a "do-it-yourself-er" and will sit and play by herself for extended periods of time. She doesn't ever have much time to herself with her older brother and sister wanting to entertain her most of the day, so she takes advantage of her "quiet times."

My parents have been in town since yesterday and it has been wonderful. We treasure the times we get to spend with them---it's not often enough!

Counting our blessings. . .

Everyone have a happy 4th! I hope to post again before August. : )

See what I mean about Riley rarely having a moment to herself?? : )

BIG Announcement. . .

2008-05-24T22:11:00.000-05:00

Many of you readers are already aware, but Baby Willbanks #4 is on the way!!! We knew we wanted another child, and although we didn't think the Lord would bless us with him/her THIS fast, we are SO THANKFUL that He has!! His plans are the best! My due date is January 15---just a little over a month away from Riley's FIRST birthday! : ) Hayley will be almost 4 1/2, Jack will turn 3 on Jan. 23, and little Riley gets to be a big sister at 13 months old!! I would never have mapped it out like this, but thankfully I am not in charge and the Lord knows what is best for our growing family! We are so excited about this new addition and can't wait to find out if it is a boy or a girl. We ARE finding out this time---yay!! I'm only 6 weeks at this point, so it's very early, but my sonogram last week looked great and things are right on track.

So that's our latest news. We are just amazed that almost 4 years ago we were told we might not be able to have any more children after Hayley because of Tra going through chemotherapy. So to have THREE more in this short span of time is just an EXTRA huge blessing.

I can't believe Riley will be 6 months old week after next! Where has this time gone?? She is such a little doll and we are all in love with her over here. The other day Jack was playing with her on the floor and she was "talking" and smiling at him and Jack said, "Mama, Ri-Tay's tute!" (Riley Kate's cute) It is so sweet to see how God made Jack AND Hayley with such big hearts for babies. There has never been an ounce of jealousy over her and they actually get really annoyed that she takes so many naps during the day! This morning Hayley announced, "I hear Riley!" She and Jack took off to her room, and by the time I got there all 3 of them were in her crib! I know I will have my days of exhaustion, insanity and tears, but it's all worth it. What a joy and an honor to be Hayley's, Jack's, Riley's and ????'s MAMA!! As you seasoned moms will attest, all of us "rookie" moms are going to blink and these little babies are going to be teenagers. Oh Lord, help us all to enjoy every crazy moment with these little ones you have entrusted to our care. Thank you for such PRECIOUS gifts!!!

Jack's First Spring Roll Experience. . .

2008-04-23T09:22:00.000-05:00

Blog Slacker

2008-04-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

I'm having a hard time believing it has been a month since I've blogged. I feel like my days are moving faster than ever. I'm really working on enjoying this stage of life with my 3 little ones, but I will not lie---the past few weeks I have been WORN OUT!! My Riley is sleeping all night (around 8:30ish until 6 or 7) but I don't think I've had a full night of sleep for weeks. My 2 and 3 year olds who are typically great sleepers have had issues sleeping through the night for various random reasons. One morning at 2am I hear noises and find Jack coming down the stairs wanting to watch the Wiggles and crying his eyes out when I tell him it is bedtime. I mean who doesn't get the urge to watch the Wiggles at 2am??? Another night I am startled from my sleep with the "presence" that I sense next to me---don't you love it when you open your eyes to your child staring you in the face in the dark?? It freaks me out!! Then of course my reaction scares her and she is crying, "My alarm is going off!" Apparently my 3 year old is capable of dressing herself head to toe but does not have the ability to hit the "snooze" button. : ) And my favorite part of all of this is that the next morning I'll say to Tra, "Did you hear Hayley come in last night?" You can guess what his answer typically is. . . "WHAT?? She did?? I didn't hear a thing!" Although in his defense, I think there have been a couple of occasions when he got up with one of them and I was clueless. : ) I've come to the realization that I will most likely have fewer full nights of sleep than nights with interruptions for most likely the rest of my life. : ) And I'm becoming okay with that. I'm learning to roll with it.

Here are a few things that have gone on lately that I want to remember:

The other night Hayley was picking out a Bible story to read and she chose "Jeremiah" in her little toddler Bible (by the way--does anyone have a Bible for kids that you love?? Let me know b/c I'm not nuts about the one we're using right now.) I started reading and she goes, "Jeremiah?? Like, Jeremiah was a bullfrog. . . and continued singing the WHOLE SONG!! I was cracking up saying, "How do you know this song??? Where did you learn this song???!" Hysterical! Apparently the learned it in music class at school.

This girl is really making me laugh lately---another incident was one afternoon I was unloading groceries and she was looking through all the "loot" and found a new box of band-aids and very dramatically exclaims, "OH MY GOODNESS!!! MOM!! You got new Dora Band-Aids!! I just LOVE them! OH, thank you SO MUCH!! You are the BEST HELPER!!"

At the pediatric dentist we go to (we LOVE her--Dr. Sandra Armstrong if anyone needs a referral), I went back to meet w/ the dentist after the kids were finished up pushing Riley in the stroller and she says to me, "Hayley tells us your expecting again?" WHAT?? I said, "Well she knows something I don't know!"

She told them I had a baby in my tummy and it was going to get REALLY BIG and that it was a little boy. Hmmmm. When I asked her about it she said she was talking about Riley being

in my tummy. So it was just a misunderstanding. It just makes me laugh thinking about the conversations that most likely took place b/t the dentist and the hygienists, "That lady is out of her MIND having another kid right now!" And to set the record straight, we are NOT expecting. : )

Jack has really started to blossom with is vocabulary. One of my favorite things he says is, "Nooo, not yet." He always shakes is head back and forth rapidly when he gives us that response. It's typically after we ask any question--"Do you want a snack?" "Are you ready to go to bed?" "Do you want some juice?"

When we were getting ready for Adalyn's b-day party a couple of weeks ago I was telling him we were going to see Adalyn, and started naming other family members when he jumped in with, "PoppaMimiCow?" Which stands for "Poppy, Mimi and Scout." It's like in his mind they are all ONE. And you don't have one without the other. : )

We are doing swimming lessons with Hayley and Jack and Jack LOVES going to "sim." Tra gets in the pool with him and he can now go under for a good 5 seconds. It's amazing to see how much progress he has made in just a few short weeks! Hayley is doing great too, but she is fighting her nerves much more than Jack.

I can't leave out Riley!! This week she started rolling over from her back to her tummy! It's so hard to believe it's already time for that! She loves being upright and facing out. She is so smiley and LOVES her brother and sister. Hayley makes her laugh harder than any of the rest of us. It's so sweet!!

Last thing---I'm impressed if you're still reading and not a close friend or family member---I've started going to a Ladies Bible Study and the book we are going through is AWESOME---It's called Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp. I think every Christian parent should be required to read it when they have a baby. I know there is not one formula that works for raising and parenting children, but it is sure hard to go wrong, in my opinion, with Biblical principles and teachings. I have really enjoyed this book and encourage any other parents out there who are interested in gaining wisdom and insight into parenting to get your hands on a copy of this book!

I'll try to be a better blogger. Have a great weekend!

Giving BIG. . .

2008-03-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

Sunday night we were blessed to be part of an AMAZING experience. We have a monthly service on Sunday nights at our church. Last month we were told that this month we were going to have a "party" at our next Sunday night service. It was not the kind of party anyone expected---it was BETTER!! We actually lived out the verses in Acts 4---"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

It was incredible---people who had needs over $2000 were asked to stand, then those who had needs under $2000. Those who remained seated were asked to pray about who to give to and how much to give. There were also baskets of cash up at the front and several leaders of the church standing up there ready to give it away!! The people standing were asked to come to the front and make lines to be prayed with and receive from the baskets----and when they started walking out of the aisles to go down to the front, not ONE of them made it very far because people all over the church started standing up and walking towards them to hand them cash and checks. There was hardly a dry eye in the place. It was the sweetest experience. Several gave testimonies afterwards---some were not even members of our church but just visiting! Can you imagine?? One lady said, "I needed $500 for bills and before I left my seat a lady handed me a check and it was for $500!" Our "homework" for the month was to be givers and pray about opportunities to give.

What a precious God we serve---He meets our every need! Sometime even to the exact PENNY! And it wasn't just money that was given away---if anyone had ANY need---need for healing, prayers for struggles they were going through, etc. people were there to pray and ask God to meet those needs as well. It was such a great faith booster and a reminder that "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

So I encourage anyone stumbling across this blog today---many who already have a personal relationship with Jesus, but possibly some who do not---if you have ANY need---Jesus not only wants to meet it, HE WILL meet it. Not always in our timing or in the ways we think He will. In fact it is usually in circumstances we could never have imagined on our own. Also, I want to encourage you, blog reader, to join me in praying that the Lord will lead you to give extra big this month---not necessarily of money either. I believe He will provide plenty of opportunites of TIME for us to give to others. How we would ALL benefit from someone giving their time to us---a listening ear, encouraging word, a phone call to let you know you're being thought of and prayed for, a note in the mail just to say hello. : )

I am extra thankful this week, as Easter is just a few days away, of our most precious gift of all--"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Dreams. . .

2008-02-27T15:51:00.000-06:00

I have always had very vivid dreams. Most of the time they are crazy and make no sense whatsoever. When I was a kid I had some pretty scary ones---some were reoccurring and I would be afraid to go to sleep some nights b/c I would be afraid to have them again. One in particular that I still remember---I would dream that I was dreaming and I would "wake up" and really feel like I woke up but would actually still be sleeping. (Does that make sense?) At that point my bedroom door would open and this lady that looked like a witch would come in and start walking toward my bed and I would be frozen and unable to move or scream or anything. It was horrible. Then I would wake up for real and be scared to death that I wasn't really awake. I'm praying against things like this for my children. Anyway---I had a horrible dream last night that I was holding Riley and trying to clean up a broken wine glass that Hayley knocked over in and around my bathtub. (I spend so much time in my bath sipping on glasses of wine---must be where that one came from) : ) I was worried about her stepping on the glass so I was telling her to get away and picking up the glass and I heard splashing and looked down and Riley was completely submerged in the bath---face up looking straight at me. I had somehow managed to drop her in the bath without knowing it. I reached down to get her out and couldn't get a grip on her with my free hand---the other one had broken glass in it. I finally was able to get her out and she had been holding her breath the whole time and was perfectly fine---no coughing, no crying---just fine! There was more after that----like I left Hayley in a hotel room to watch Riley while I took Jack to some soccer game. But when I went to check on them really quickly---I guess I just left Jack with the "team"--- Riley was closer to 3 years old and Hayley hadn't changed ages, but they were just laying in a bed playing. WEIRD, huh? Not sure why I decided to blog about this. If anyone has an interpretation you would like to share, feel free to do so! I believe the Lord still speaks to us in our dreams and it is possible He is saying something to me through these. It is also possible that I simply have vivid, crazy dreams. : )

On an totally different subject---any Biggest Loser fans glad to see who went home last night? I won't write the name in case anyone hasn't caught up on DVR yet. : ) I LOVE that show. Tra and I are in the middle of se

ason 2 of Prison Break. It's one similar to 24 where every episode leaves you unable to turn it off until you see "just one more." And we've been LOST fans since day 1. Another show I really like and that I watch in the afternoon sometimes during naptime is Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. And last thing---while I'm on my tv topic---is everyone aware that Beth Moore is on "Life Today" with James and Betty Robison on the Daystar channel every Wednesday?? She speaks for about 20 minutes on certain topics and it is SO good. Today's was especially good---about renouncing strongholds in your life and the power of our words and the power the spoken word has over the Enemy. Gotta have my "Beth fix" every week! That woman is overflowing the the Holy Spirit like no other person I know! So thankful for people like her in my life who can help steer me in the right direction in my daily walk.

Last story for this random post---The other day I was at Chesley's house making a "special delivery" and about to leave. I was looking for Jack and couldn't find him. I called his name a couple of times and asked Calista (who was also at Chesley's) if she had seen him. She gave me the weirdest look as if t

o say, "What do you mean have I seen him?" As I was processing her look I realized. . . I was HOLDING HIM. Yes---I could very possibly be losing my MIND!! : ) Gotta love "mommy brain."

And here are the reasons for my loss of brain cells---I wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING!! Thanks, Nana, for the fun package you sent!! Getting ready for Easter!!

And look at that little Riley smile---most likely laughing at one of the bunnies!

Jackalopes, Sleep (or lack of) and Dinner

2008-02-15T13:28:00.000-06:00

This morning Hayley was eating breakfast and randomly said, "I like Jackalopes. They're good. I like to eat em'." I sat staring at her w/ a confused look on my face trying to figure out what she was talking about when I realized she was talking about CANTALOUPES!! Ha ha ha!! That kid cracks me up!

Riley slept last night from 11:30-6:50!! That would be even more exciting if Hayley wouldn't have come down to wake me up at 2:30 saying she was soaking wet. I know I will get a whole night's sleep again. . . one day. : )

Tra and I got to go out to dinner last night w/ our third wheel (Riley) and had the best time. Riley slept in her carrier the whole time. LOVE that girl. Valentine's day is extra special to us b/c it is our engagement day! It's so fun to think back on that night. He surprised me w/ a proposal after a mere 6 weeks of dating--I know CRAZY. And topped it off with taking me out to dinner and BOTH of our families were there to celebrate with us!! It was one of my red letter days for sure. And that was 7 years ago---it seems like it was just yesterday!

A Day Late. . .

2008-02-15T13:21:00.000-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

When I woke up this morning. . .

2008-02-13T14:26:00.000-06:00

. . . I didn't think the phrase "Put the poop back in the potty NOW," would have come out of my mouth. GROSS.

I'm so excited---I found a gymnastics place where Hayley and Jack can take a class at the same time! Hayley goes w/ a 3/4 group and Jack and I will do a mommy/me class in a separate group, but we'll all be in the same gym! (Actually, it will be Jack, Riley and me---she'll get to be in the little Snuggly pouch thing if she isn't sleeping in her carrier--which she did today!) I've been so bummed b/c it is something I've especially wanted to get Hayley into, I just didn't know how to make it work w/ the other 2 tagging along. We did a free trial class this morning and it was so cute watching her do everything. She loved it. I didn't know until we got there that Jack and I could do a class at the same time, so he sat with me in the bleachers while we watched Hayley for an hour. He did pretty good, but did have some meltdowns b/c he wanted to go "pay" too! So I'm looking forward to going back next week and seeing how he does! And an extra special treat--one of her friends from church is also in the class she is in! We didn't know it until we got there today---fun!!

Why did they have to move LOST to Thursdays??? Every Wednesday I've gotten so excited only to have the let down when I remember it isn't until tomorrow night.

And that's my random post for the day! : )

WHEW!!

2008-02-10T23:24:00.000-06:00

Today was one of those days that I imagined in my head it would be like having 3 children. It started out with Hayley getting up earlier than usual and she found me laying on the guest bed in Riley's room (I had fallen asleep there after getting up what seemed like at least 20 times to put the paci back in the mouth.) LOVE IT when that happens. I wake up and feel like I didn't even sleep since I am on top of the comforter and not in my own bed. So I take her back to her room and go down to Riley crying in daddy's arms needing to be fed. (Riley, not daddy) : ) Hayley comes back down as I'm feeding Riley and hangs out with me as I get ready for church. She complains of a tummy ache and I respond every time with, "I'm sure your pretty hungry. It will feel better after you eat." So I make her breakfast, still complains of tummy ache. Says, "Mommy, I have to stay home from church b/c I'm going to throw up." I say, "Noooo, you're fine! We're going to church." We get to church (all 3 kids in coordinating outfits---not typical for me to do but made me want to do more of it--they were so cute!) While sitting on floor w/ Hayley putting her shoes on the right feet : ) she starts to whimper, "If I go to my class I'm going to throw up!" At that point I start to panic. This girl LOVES going to class at church, school, wherever. You don't have to bribe her to go places. I say, "I'm sure you're going to be okay. You'll be fine! (Big smile on my face trying to cover up concern.)" So she goes. We make it through w/o being paged, get in car and head home. And then it happened. For the FOURTH time in her life she threw up in the car. So it's chaos from there for what seemed like the rest of the day. We get home, get 2 clean kids in house, transfer H from car to garage, strip down to take to bath, Riley's screaming at this point, Jack's hungry, Tra's cleaning out car seat/car. CHAOS. So we get everyone situated finally--things are going better. Hayley feels better, is up playing acting FINE, she and Jack take off around the corner and go upstairs (so I thought.) Tra had gone to get the car washed and cleaned out, Riley swinging, I'm eating lunch (finally) talking to my mom on the phone. After a few minutes I head upstairs to check on them and I hear them in my bathroom. So I go in and they are standing in the shower---Hayley has my little pair of scissors in her hand and you can imagine it isn't pretty. Thankfully she didn't think to cut her OWN hair---but she did decide to cut her brother's hair. Lots of hair---chunks in the shower floor, shirt covered in hair. It actually doesn' t look too bad and we're considering having her cut it on a regular basis. : ) Ohhhhh boy. The day ended with Riley crying if she wasn't being held from 5-9 and Hayley again complaining about her stomach and at 9:00 I headed out to the store for my weekly run and actually enjoyed the quiet time in the car and walking around for an hour by myself.

And if you're still reading---(didn't mean for this to be so long!) I guess you need crazy days like this to fully appreciate the days that are semi-normal. What a joy to have these crazy days though. I wouldn't trade them for anything! (Well--- maybe a spa-day) : )

THANK YOU!!!

2008-02-06T16:35:00.000-06:00

How cute is this template and header??? Amanda (see link) did this for me and I LOVE IT!! Thank you for using me as a guinea pig! It is going to be extra fun to blog now!

Bummer!

2008-02-05T06:48:00.000-06:00

Apparently the new, cool template I downloaded the other day caused problems on other people's blogs too and erased their links. What is the deal with that?? Oh well---back to my search for a cooler, cuter blog template that doesn't cause problems. : ) Sorry Angela and whoever else was affected by that particular website. For now, I will settle with blogger's pink template.

Riley turned 2 months old yesterday! She is so much better in the evenings lately. She is doing lots of smiling and cooing---so fun! She's also wanting to hang out in the middle of the night more than usual lately. Lots of "bonding time" last night.

Hayley picked out the book "Love You Forever" last night before bed. I cannot EVER get through that thing w/o choking up! And then I get to the part where the mom drives across town and climbs into her "little boy's" window and crawls across the floor and picks him up and rocks him in her lap and it kind of creeps me out. That's just weird. It is a sweet book though.

Jack is becoming more and more his own person. Last night I learned he does NOT want his food to mix together---never mix guacamole with his beans!! He screamed and cried about that for several minutes. Tra and I were having a hard time being serious trying to get him under control b/c we were laughing so hard! He is very much into routines at bedtime in particular too. He has a certain order he likes to do things in and heaven forbid if you mess it up! Hayley is actually the same way. Hmmmm. I wonder where they get their OCD-ness? I'll give you a hint---it's NOT from mama. : ) I say that, but I have those tendancies. Our everyday plates and bowls are 3 different colors, and I always make sure to order the colors before I put them up out of the dishwasher b/c I don't want 2 of the same color together. So maybe I'm weirder than I thought. : ) I need to finish this book I "borrowed" from my mom (sorry I haven't returned it yet, mom!) but I love the title---"Everybody's Normal Until You Get To Know Them." But life would be boring if we were all normal! Hope you other "weirdos" out there have a great day!

A New Look!

2008-02-03T23:21:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited about my new blog template---not too excited that somehow my list of "Blogs I Read" was deleted. That's like losing your cell phone in the sense that I don't have people's blog addresses memorized!! : ( I've been wanting a cuter template for a long time but haven't been able to figure out how to make it happen. This particular one was SUPER easy! The link to the site is on top of my page. It's the nice orange strip that I will change to a softer color if I can ever figure out how. : )

Hope everyone has a great week!

Road Trip!

2008-02-02T22:53:00.000-06:00

Thursday morning Tra went to the dr. and found out he had bronchitis and spent the rest of the day in bed. As I went about my day I thought to myself, "Stay at home and take care of 3 children by myself AND a sick husband, OR take 3 children to Austin to stay w/ parents and celebrate my mom's birthday." Either way would take some serious effort, but I opted for our first road trip of 2008! We said goodbye to dada at 7pm Thursday and were at my parents' house by 10! We didn't stop on the way there. Riley did great and slept the whole way. Hayley slept half of the way, and Jack kept me company the whole time. About an hour outside of Austin he was wanting his juice that he had dropped that I couldn't reach, so I handed him my large chick fil a cup of ice water that was about a quarter filled and he spilled it ALL over himself. I thought about stopping to change him but he stopped screaming after a couple of minutes so I kept on truckin'. Poor baby was SOAKING wet when we got there. : ( He's the best little kid. We had such a great time being w/ Nana and Big D! My dad was working in Florida all week and we surprised him at the airport Fri. morning by all going to pick him up! Neither of my parents had seen Riley since she was 2 weeks old! Needless to say, they were both very excited to have us hang out for the day yesterday and this morning.

We headed home around 1pm this afternoon and made it back by 5. I stopped to get gas in Belton and ended up feeding Riley and making the dreaded trek into the gas station w/ all THREE children b/c Hayley had to go potty. grrrrrr. At least she let me know she needed to go and didn't go in her car seat. It actually went fine--much better than I played it out in my mind--and we got treats for the rest of the way home. I'm hoping Jack doesn't get sick tonight from eating a whole package of Skittles. : ) Whatever keeps em' happy---if the babies ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!! : ) I was in such a hurry packing before we left, I forgot my camera. So no pictures of the weekend. It sure was fun! We love you, Nana and Big D!! (These pictures are of the last time my parents were here---Nana making gingerbread house w/ Hayley and Jack and Big D holding Riley for the first time at family Christmas party!

Happy Birthday, Jack! (and a Hayley story)

2008-01-27T05:46:00.000-06:00

One of the funniest things Hayley has said lately is, "Hey mom, for Christmas I want the Charmin video!" Yes, Charmin--as in the toilet paper. They have those cute little cartoon bears on the commercials. : ) She was very disappointed that they do not have a video. Then a couple days later when a Charmin commercial was on she said, "I sure do wish I had some Charmin. Next time you're at the store, will you get me some?" So we may be saying goodbye to our "Quilted Northern" on our next toilet paper purchase.

Jack is officially TWO years old! We had a fun family day on his actual birthday. We loaded up before breakfast, drove through a donut place and brought them to a bounce house place. We all 3 played in the bounce houses while Riley hung out in her stroller sound asleep. After a couple of hours we headed home for lunch and naps, got up and loaded up again--this time with dad--and went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner! We went for Hayley's birthday in August for the first time and they LOVED it. We didn't know it, but last Wednesday night, kids' meals were $1.99! They also had a guy going around making balloon animals, and a guy in a frog-suit costume walking around waving to the kids. The looks on their faces when the animals "come to life" is priceless. It was a GREAT day! Happy Birthday precious boy!!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-21T15:10:00.001-06:00

I went on a blogging fast the first week and a half of this year and it appears I am still fasting! I've actually been a faithful reader---just haven't taken the time to post. Things are going great over here with 3. Riley is such a good baby---until about 6pm-11pm. I have always been skeptical of the "colicky" baby thing. God humbled me with my 3rd. I can count on one hand the number of nights she hasn't screamed and been fidgity since about her 3rd week of life. So for the past month (she's 7 weeks tomorrow!) every night we are bouncing, rocking, feeding, patting, bathing, ANYTHING trying to calm her down. It is so weird and SO exhausting. I know many of you have gone through the same thing with yours and can empathize. Hayley and Jack were both so calm and chilled out as newborns. So this is a whole new experience for me. Any ideas or suggestions to help calm the child down are MUCH appreciated and welcomed. Thankfully during the day she is an angel and very easy. She's still and angel at night---just a noisy one. : )

I took all 3 to the mall by myself for the first time last week and it was so funny to watch

people's mouths drop as they said, "You have 3!!" I wanted to respond, "Great job! You can

count!" Hayley is turning into such a little lady and is so much fun to hang out with all day. She says and does the funniest things. One of my favorites lately is "Today is today, right mom?" To which I respond, "Yes--today is today." And she says, "Today is not tomorrow, right?" And we go on for a little while and I'll throw out an occasional, "But tomorrow it will be today and today will be yesterday." It totally shoots her wheels off---yours too, didn't it?? : ) She also likes to put Jack down for naps in her bed at the most random times. It's hysterical because Jack obeys her. Sometimes he just plays along for fun, but other times it hurts his feelings and he goes reluctantly into her room, lays down and sucks his thumb while crying his eyes out and STAYS in her bed until I come up and tell him he does not have to take a nap and he does not have to obey Hayley. It's sad, but it cracks me up to see him in there laying down by himself just crying. Poor buddy. I'm having a hard time believing he is turning 2 on Wednesday! Goodness---where does the time go??

Family picture

2007-12-29T10:56:00.000-06:00

I got a new computer picture program for Christmas so I was going through old pictures and ran across this one from Thanksgiving 2006. My how things change in a year! I love this picture of all of us at the lake! I need it in a frame!

Random question. . .

2007-12-27T16:05:00.000-06:00

Hayley, Riley and I were driving home from a visit to the dr. yesterday and Hayley asked, "Hey mom, is a pickle a fruit?" I don't know when the last time was that she even saw a pickle. And why is she concerned about which family it belongs to? It made me laugh out loud. : ) I LOVE this age!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We certainly did. I have LOVED all of the Christmas cards and cute pictures of your families---we did not end up getting ours out like I had hoped this Christmas. Oh well---maybe next year we will not have a major event 3 weeks before and I'll be more on the ball!

Jack turns TWO next month!! WHAT???? How is my baby boy already turning 2?? Apparantly the more kids you have, the faster your days go. I feel like they went a lot faster when I had Jack, and then the past 3 weeks have really flown by. How I want to enjoy every crazy moment! We've definitely had some crazy moments, but overall it has been such a great transition over here. Looking forward to more days like today of just being at home and being mama.

The picture is of Riley and her cousin Ryder in their matching Christmas pj's! I think it's so cute how Ryder appears to be smiling and he's only 4 days old in this picture! He is so precious!!!

2 weeks. . .

2007-12-20T16:22:00.000-06:00

We've been home with Riley for 2 weeks now and things are going SO well! She had a clogged tear duct yesterday but we massaged it out and it is looking MUCH better---poor baby! It was matted closed yesterday morning and pretty goopy and gross looking. We had our first outing just me and all 3 kids to McDonald's yesterday! It was a spur of the moment thing and I'm so glad we did b/c I got to run into a bunch of girlfriends and their sweet kids! It was fun seeing all of you!! What a treat! Everything went really smoothly---Jack and Hayley ate and played and when it was time to go, we left with no tantrums or anything! Riley just slept the whole time we were there. So far for me, going from 2 kids to 3 is MUCH easier than 1 to 2. I think a big part of it is that Jack is almost 2 instead of almost 18 months (like Hayley was when he was born). And he is such a laid back kid overall. And Hayley is such a good helper and she and Jack play together really well most of the time. I am trying to enjoy every minute---even the crazy ones! I'm so thankful for these precious gifts and have had many moments of being overwhelmed (in the good sense) that God gave them to me! And every night when Tra gets home and plays with Hayley and Jack, gives them baths, builds with blocks, plays in the pillows, then holds Riley and spends time with me---I'm overwhelmed even more.
Here are some pictures that crack me up:

Santa came to Tra's work last Friday night and all the families were invited up to have pictures taken. Jack isn't a Santa fan. : )

And the one of Hayley feeding her baby is the greatest! Right after the picture was taken she goes, "Okay sweet girl---time to switch sides!" Ha ha ha! Future La Leche leader???

Pictures. . .

2007-12-09T10:25:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures of Riley! Things are going great! She is such a good little baby. . .
Before (7:00am)

Home with all 3 of my babies!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2007-12-06T17:15:00.000-06:00

For anyone who hasn't heard yet, our sweet Riley Kate was born at 3:51 pm on Tues. Dec. 4. She was 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. We just got home this afternoon so I'm hoping tonight after big sister and big brother are down I can download pictures and I'll post a few. We could not be more thrilled about our new baby girl. She is a GOOD baby (so far!) and looks JUST LIKE HAYLEY!!! It is weird how similar they look. Thanks for the prayers, emails and calls! Stay tuned for pictures!

39 weeks. . .

2007-12-03T07:53:00.000-06:00

Check out the last line of my baby ticker up there ". . . unless I'm feeling extra snuggly." My kids LOVE being in my tummy!! Even Hayley at 41 weeks had to be "forced" out with pitocin after making hardly ANY progress being in labor on my own for about 12-15 hours and a vaccuum at the end! : ) Today is officially my last day of being pregnant. Tomorrow (unless a minor miracle occurs today) I will wake up pregnant and go to sleep with my baby in my arms! (not that I will most likely sleep much tomorrow night---and I won't hold the baby when I am asleep---I know it's not safe) Tra and I got to go on one last date last night---Cheesecake Factory. YUM. We were going to see a movie but got too late of a start. We're both SO excited about tomorrow and finding out who this is! My mom will be here later today. My hair is cut, my toes are painted, my bags are packed, my lists are made---we are READY!! My Hayley is sick. She's running fever and stuffy. I was afraid this might happen b/c Jack was sick last week w/ similar stuff and I had a feeling she might end up catching it. So say a prayer that whatever it is will be short-lived and she'll be well enough to come see us in the hospital tomorrow or at least on Wednesday! Keeping it all in perspective---thank you God that all she has is a cold and it will GO AWAY!

Stay tuned for pictures!!!

Pregnancy Comments. . .

2007-11-30T06:46:00.000-06:00

You expect them from strangers, but you KNOW it's time to either have the baby or stop drinking peppermint mochas when your 3 year old casually walks by, glances at you, keeps on walking and says, "That stomach is HUGE!" Her dad got a BIG kick out of that one. : ) So did I.

I was just glad we were at home and she made the comment to ME and not a random person at McDonalds or something. Love my Hayley!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-27T07:28:00.000-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving last week! Somehow I ended up with ONE picture of Jack patting Toto. Not sure how that ended up happening. We enjoyed the day at Tra's parents' house with EVERYBODY there and then some! Weird to think that next year there will be 7 cousins instead of 4! The kids all did great, despite 2 of them not feeling so hot. And Tra's aunt, uncle and 2 cousins came too---it's always so much fun being with them! We had lots of good food, great conversations, and good laughs! It is such a HUGE blessing to love my in-laws like they are my own family. It's a good thing I do too, b/c we've spent lots of holidays with them and I've missed a lot with my family due to chemotherapy and pregnancies. : ) My family is the greatest to never make me feel badly that I miss out on time with them. What a GIFT to have 2 WONDERFUL families that I completely adore!!! I pray that my kids end up with the same blessing one day.

Speaking of families---I can't BELIEVE we're just days away from adding our 5th family member! After seeing sweet Ansley Walton yesterday I am just giddy inside thinking about the moment I get to hold my little one for the first time! If I don't have him/her before, I'm going to be induced a week from TODAY!! We're all anxious and ready to see who this little one is! The names we've chosen are Riley Kate or Bennett Michael (we'll call him Ben). Riley means "courageous one" and Bennett means "one who is blessed." Looking SO forward to introducing my "blog friends" to our newest little addition soon!

Little Boys. . .

2007-11-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

Over the past month, Jack has been initiated into "boyhood" with a shiner from being hit in the face with a golf club by his sister first, then last week falling into a table at school nose first. He is such a tough guy! Here are some pictures after the latest incident. : (

Friday (the day after)

Sunday

Why we need another GIRL!

2007-11-14T14:51:00.001-06:00

Sweet Potato Pie. . .

2007-11-07T22:14:00.000-06:00

Today was "Peggy Baldwin Eat More Pie" day in honor of my grandma who went to be with Jesus almost 2 years ago. My mom had the idea last year to do this on her birthday every year in memory of her, and November 7 is her birthday. My grandma made the BEST pies! She did it so effortlessly too. My pie-making experience this year was a comical one---I'm sure if she was watching she would have had lots of giggles. Like when I opened my oven and so much smoke came out that our entire kitchen/living area was foggy. : ) Obviously today I made a Sweet Potato Pie (my dad's favorite of hers and one of mine too!) and it turned out pretty tasty---at least my kids thought so! I sure miss my grandma. She was so special and dear to my heart and always will be. I can't wait to see her again and have her squeeze the crud out of me like she always did every time we saw her. This is kind of neat to me too---one of the last things she said to me before she died was, "You make sure to rock those babies!" Well, we ordered a rocking chair for the living room for the new baby and didn't expect it to come in until after he/she was born, but guess when it was delivered?? TODAY!! My grandma's birthday. It didn't really hit me until later how sweet it was that of ALL the days it could have been delivered to us, it just happened to be today. So I rocked my biggest baby in it tonight and read some books and thought about my grandma. It was a good day!

Aunt Shelma

2007-11-02T15:59:00.000-05:00

I LOVE being an aunt!! My nephew Scout stays with us on Wednesday mornings and it is so much fun watching him play with his cousins and seeing them all enjoy other so much. And the other night at the Fall Festival he reached his arms out for me to hold him and it totally melted my heart. I was the first to have kids in both families, so I was mommy before I was Aunt Shelma. It is so much fun to be an aunt and not play the role of "disciplinarian" but to just love on and play w/ the babies (who aren't really babies anymore) and leave it to their parents to do the "hard work." I love my niece and nephew SO much and can't wait to see Ryder in a few more weeks and start loving on him too, and then baby Booth in April!

Who says having 3 kids is hard??? Just stick em' all in the shower! Hours of fun!!! Wagon rides are our FAVORITES!!! Radio Flyer needs to make some bigger wagons in a few more months! This 2 seater isn't going to cut it when we have cousin playdates! Are they REALLY big enough to sit at a big boy table and eat like big boys??? Where does the time go??

I bet you didn't know. . .

2007-10-24T23:34:00.000-05:00

. . . Hayley and Jack LOVE Disco!! Click HERE to see their latest moves!

(Thanks, Courtney, for the inspiration!)

Baby of mine. . .

2007-10-16T14:58:00.000-05:00

I went in for my final sonogram today, anxiously anticipating getting to sneak a peek at his/her little face or profile, but my sweet little one faced my spine the entire sonogram!! Kind of a bummer, but makes me that much more excited to see him/her in a few more weeks. The first thing the sonographer said was, "WHOA!! Look at all that HAIR!!" : ) I just laughed. I think that's the first thing she said at Hayley's AND Jack's 32 week sonograms too! The baby is also measuring around 5 pounds already! I know they can be a little off give or take a pound or so, but from my history (a 9 pounder and an 8 pounder) I'm sure they're close being right on! All measurements were closer to 34 weeks today and my dr. said provided my "cervix is ripe enough" he'll induce around 38 1/2 to 39 weeks! So there is a SLIM chance that I will end up with a November baby, but like I told my dr. today---my kids tend to be really comfy in there and don't come out any earlier than they absolutely have to. We shall see! It was an exciting day, even though I have NO idea what this baby is or what it looks like. (Besides being "chunky" and having a head full of hair.) : ) It's so hard to believe we're so close to the end---or should I say "beginning." : )

You know you need to cut back on Starbucks when. . .

2007-10-10T22:21:00.000-05:00

. . . you overhear your 3 year old ordering a "vanilla latte--extra hot" at the "drive thru" (changing table in the laundry room). BUSTED!!!

Our Favorites. . .

2007-10-02T14:24:00.000-05:00

***I just deleted half of my entry b/c I started getting paranoid about putting the actual locations of my favorite places on my blog. A psycho kid stalker would know right where to find us! So sorry for the randomness of this blog now--- : )

Today we went to one of our favorite parks to play. My kids LOVE it and so do I!

Afterwards, we went to one of our favorite McDonald's that is pretty close to where we live. But our VERY favorite McDonald's is actually kind of a long way from us. They have a thing that has stairs to climb up to get to the slide, so little people like Jack can climb up by themselves and get to the slide! At all the other ones, Hayley will pull him up to each step to help him get to the top---it's hilarious to watch. You can hear her the whole time grunting and saying, "Come on, Buddy! We're almost there!" Quite the workout for a 3 year old! : )

A fun treat today at McDonald's---one of Hayley's teachers at YCW this year is Ms. Sharla who happened to be my big sis in club at ACU!! She showed up right after us and we got to visit and catch up while our kids played. By the way---Mindy and Christine if you read this (which I'm sure you will) Hayley misses being in class with Jack!! I realized right after we started this year that if we wanted to start her in Kindergarten on time (even though she will be the very youngest in her class), that we needed to get her on track at YCW. And it made more sense for her to skip the 2's and go to the 3's than to skip next year. It was weird to realize, "Oh my goodness---she's supposed to start Kindergarten in 2 more years!!" She's doing great in her new class though and I know it was the right choice for her.

Anyone else have more favorites share?

My favorite little girl!My favorite little boy!

I can only say that for about 9 more weeks about one of them! I can't WAIT!!!!

Heavy Heart

2007-09-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

My heart is so heavy for this family I don't even know, but I ran across on Kylie's blog. Please join me in lifting them up to our Father. I really can't begin to imagine the pain they are experiencing.

www.conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com

Behind!

2007-09-17T21:23:00.000-05:00

I'm so behind on blogging! Here are a few pictures to try and catch up. And this is random, but THREE of my friends went into labor today! Only one has actually had her baby so far---yay, Summer! But I thought that was wild that all 3 went into labor on the same day.

The "waterpark" in our backyard. (That's what Hayley called it.) We got it for her party and it was a HIT! Even one of her aunts got crazy and played in it. : )

I love this picture! Hayley and John have been friends since she was born! More friends!! Jack, Jillian and EmmaHayley and Jack getting ready for daddy to slide down the waterslide! This was after the party and after some much needed naps!First day of school!! I think this picture is hilarious. They are both loving school this year! Jack walks in, walks straight to his room and waits in front of the door until Ms. Heather opens it and he just walks right in w/o looking back! Ms. Heather was Hayley's teacher last year and all summer. We LOVE her!

He got this backpack for his 1st birthday---and it's perfect! : ) (He did wear shoes to school, by the way.) Aunt Tara, Uncle Dwight and Scout gave her this uniform for her b-day! Future Wildcat Cheerleader???
Or future artist??? This is her latest thing----PAINTING! We get out the paints multiple times each day. I bet she has painted at LEAST 30 things in the past week or so. It's so fun to see her discover things that she is truly interested in. I was watching her tonight and thinking, "She's actually getting pretty good at this!" Notice how much straighter her hair looks in this picture. It's called "Bed Head." The first thing she wants to do in the mornings---even before breakfast--is paint. Not sure where she gets that. The first thing I wake up thinking is, "MUST GET CEREAL." (While thinking, "I REALLY wish I could have a cinnamon roll this morning!") It's late and I'm hungry---can you tell?? : )

Busy weekend. . .

2007-08-29T15:26:00.000-05:00

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. . .

2007-08-24T16:53:00.000-05:00

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!!!

2007-08-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

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. . .

2007-08-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-08-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

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!"

2007-08-08T21:01:00.000-05:00

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!

Goin' to the mall. . .

2007-07-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning Hayley walked out into the garage w/ Tra's wallet, my car keys, and her flip flops in her hand and announced, "Hey--I'm going to the mall real quick. I'll be right back!"

Her other thing lately is coming down in the mornings fully dressed, which is great if the clothes she picked out came from the side of her closet of clothes that FIT. She gets in her plastic tub of clothes from LAST summer (I think she's grown a foot since then--ha ha) and some items from the winter. She typically adorns socks and an old pair of sandals w/ her outfits too. I have got to get some pictures and post them. Anyway--she totally gets her feelings hurt if I suggest changing clothes and will argue with me about what to wear.

Ohhhhh my. What do the jr. high/high school years have in store for us???? : )

20 weeks and counting. . .

2007-07-25T21:19:00.000-05:00

It is crazy to me that I am in my 20th week of pregnancy already!! I have my sonogram this Friday and we are still NOT planning on finding out what it is. (Sorry mom and Tara and whoever else is totally erked that we're doing this) : ) I think it will be lots of fun on the birth day to be extra giddy about seeing who has been growing inside of me all this time! Not to mention everyone else just DYING to know in the waiting room or by the phones or wherever you are.

We've had a rough week around here---last Thursday night Hayley woke up w/ a YUCKY stomach bug that lasted a couple of days. We all were thinking we might be home free until Monday morning when I woke up SICKER than I feel like I've ever been. All I could think was, "How did Christine do this for almost 9 whole months?????????" You're super-woman, girl! I felt better by yesterday late morning, and poor Tra is taking his turn today. I just want to fumigate this house! Please pray that Jack somehow manages to escape this terrible bug! My apologies to anyone we might have passed it on to. : (

Other than that mess, things are going great over here! We're gearing up for a trip to San Diego in the near future. (I'll leave out dates for possible psychos who stalk my blog---you never know these days.) Hayley kept on saying, "We're going to go to California to see Dora!" I could not figure out why she was thinking we would see Dora there until she said one day, "We're going to see Diego and Dora!" She was hearing "See Diego" instead of "San Diego!" Ha ha ha! Poor thing is going to be so bummed when we leave and no sign of Dora (or Diego). We're planning on going to Sea World one day, Legoland another day, and beach it the rest (most likely---unless we get crazy and throw in a Zoo day or something). My parents are going to be at my grandparent's house while we're there (about 10 minutes from where we're staying) and my sister Angie and her husband Adam are coming part of the time we're there too!! I'm SOOO excited to see them. We haven't seen each other since our Joyce Meyer trip in April and I haven't seen Adam since Christmas! It will be a fun trip. My grandmother and her husband have lived in La Jolla (pronounced 'La Hoya') since I was 15ish and we (my sisters and I) went every summer and took a friend and I drove us all around in a minivan rental. Hilarious---and honestly not too safe when you really think about it. But lots of fun. I would always watch the kids running around and playing in the sand and think, "I can't wait until I can bring my own kids out here someday!" And here we are! Frances and Rex (grandparents) are members of a beach/tennis club so we get to stay on the private part of the beach w/ comfy chairs/umbrellas and swim in the pool/kiddie pool whenever we want to as well. So it's a great set up for a vacation w/ toddlers. I'm very excited to get to go on a trip w/ our family and to have my family there at the same time! Of course, Abigail---you will be MISSED!!

One last Hayley story before I go. . . she has a scary sense of direction. She'll be 3 next month and she'll say things like, "Oh, we pass the zoo on the way to Chuck E Cheese." I thought you were singing and reading books back there---not mapquesting every move we make! I won't go into WHY we were going to the Chuck E Cheese off of Hulen, but as I was driving down 35 and crossed over I-30 she made that comment. Then she points that direction and says matter of factly, "See, the zoo is over there." And she'll always ask, "Where's our house now, mommy?" I'm not sure if she's asking b/c she doesn't know or if it's a test for mommy? Hmmmmm. At least I can rest secure in the fact that she will most likely always be able to find her way home. : ) Or help me get home if I ever get lost. : ) I love that girl!

Speaking of the zoo, I took these at the zoo a couple of weeks ago. We went spur of the moment on a rainy Friday afternoon. Nice big "CHEESE" from Hayley. Jack was ready to get the show on the road.

Wiggles Play Center in Frisco!

2007-07-16T08:35:00.001-05:00

Last Monday, Hayley, Jack and I went to pick up our sweet friend Jack Pinson and we headed to Frisco to the Wiggles Play Center! It is a REALLY neat place and I'd totally make the 50 minute drive back over there again. They have a toddler area for the little ones, a bounce house and a huge slide/activity gym thing for the bigger kids. The Wiggles music is playing non-stop, there are Big Red Cars all over the place for the kids to drive around in, there are big screens and little screens everywhere w/ Wiggles. It was my kid's DREAMLAND! They both love the Wiggles. The food wasn't anything to rave about, so I might bring lunches next time but all in all it was FUN for everyone! We met Aly and Adalyn and Tara and Scout (my sisters-in-law and their kids) out there and it was a lot of fun. We were there from a little before 11 until 1:30ish and the kids were NOT ready to go home. Needless to say, they realized on the way home that they were WORN OUT! If anyone decides you want to go check it out, let us know and we'll go with you!

I've been tagged. . .

2007-06-29T15:47:00.000-05:00

Okay--I've been tagged TWICE so I feel like I need to suck it up and answer the questions.

First memory - We lived in Hope, Arkansas for 11 months when I was 2. My friend Shannon (who lived across the street) and I were standing on something in her room trying SO hard to reach the light switch. Her brother, Jack, ran in yelling, "The Sno-Cone man is here!!!" So we all ran outside and I got a Watermelon sno-cone. Not sure if we ever mastered the light switch.

First real kiss - Brent Glazener my sophomore year of high school.

First concert - Amy Grant/Michael W. Smith in 5th or 6th grade?? Or it COULD have been NKOTB in 7th grade. My friend Tami's mom (who died of alzheimer's a couple of years ago) drove us around afterwards to see if we could find their hotel. It was before cell phones and I remember stopping at Whataburger calling my parents LATE and telling them we were okay and on our way home. It was the coolest night. I seriously thought we'd find them and that I'd get to hang out w/ Joey and that he would want me to be his girlfriend. :)

First love - Good ole' Brent Glazener. We "dated" on and off from 7th-10th grades. Lots of break ups and then getting back together. We communicated soley by note writing our whole 7th grade year. I'm not kidding, I don't think we said 10 words to each other. So we were girlfriend/boyfriend but you would never know it! I had a shoebox of all our notes from all 4 years on/off together. We actually did progress to talking eventually and had lots of marathon phone conversations in the wee hours of the night. I would get in trouble when I got "caught." Ooohhhh, what a rebel I was! We ended up being such great friends even after high school and kept in touch. He, very sadly, died the summer of 1999 from an asthma attack. : ( I still miss him, in a brotherly kind of way. But I'm looking forward to catching up in heaven!!

First crush - Scott Trussell. I was in Kindergarten and he was in 1st grade. I would see him on the playground. He had blonde hair and his 2 front teeth were missing. My comment to my mom was, "He's SO cute, mom. He looks like a jack-o-lantern!"

First thing you think in the morning - "OUCH!" after Tra kicks me to turn off my alarm.

First book you remember loving - Are You My Mother? (as a toddler) The Babysitters Club books as a teenager.

First pet - Mary the tadpole who turned into a frog! We got her through the mail somehow. My sister had one first, so I guess technically Harry would be my first pet. Yes, she named hers Harry and my genius, creative mind came up with Mary for my frog.

First question you'll ask in heaven - "Where's my grandma???" I can't WAIT to see her again!

First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation - eating wedding cake on the beach (only those in the Honeymooners class and family will get that)

First best friend - My sister, Angie. We LOVED each other and my childhood is chalked full of memories with the 2 of us playing in our toy room, riding big wheels, skating w/ knee pads on, riding bikes, the list could go on and on. . .

Last time you dressed up - Maci Miller's wedding

Last thing you ate - a clementine (orange)

Last CD you bought - a worship cd for my kids in the car.

Last good book you read - Still reading "Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets. AMAZING.

Last time you cried - this afternoon. Long story short, I ADORE my dad.

Last time you told someone you loved them - putting Hayley down for a nap after several "GO TO SLEEPs".

Last really funny thing you did - It's more silly than funny, but I got a piece of scotch tape and taped my nose and attached it to my forehead so I had a "pig nose" and made my kids crack up. Anything for a good laugh over here! : )

Last thing you watched on TV - Little Einsteins

I tag Angie---I better be your first best friend! : )

Hayley-isms

2007-06-26T10:06:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get these 2 things written down so I can have them to remember. I love this age with Hayley! She makes me laugh quite often. Last night I was putting her to bed and we were talking about going to see Mimi and Poppy today to give them hugs bye-bye b/c they are going to get on an airplane and they're going to be gone for a long time. I said, "They're going to Europe. Can you say Europe?" She looked at me with a confused look and with frustration in her voice she goes, "I'm not up." I then looked at her confused until I understood what she heard me say---then I cracked up laughing! I said, "Nooo, not you're up, the name of the place they are going is Europe!" And again she replied with serious irritation, "I'm NOT UP!!" What a crack up! So I left it with Mimi and Poppy going on an airplane for a long time.

This morning she found a ziplock baggie of pictures that used to be on our fridge---I know, I need to get them in a book of some sort, but that's a whole other blog. She took them ALL out and lined them up on our kitchen counter. After she finished she asked, "Hey, can you pick these up for me?" I looked at her and hesitated, as we've been working on her picking up her messes lately. She quickly threw in, "You're SUCH a good helper!" How can I say no now?? : )

This was one day last week. She dressed herself w/ her hoop skirt (that goes under her dress up princess dress), she got her mittens, her purple hat that matched (a little too small), and "my purple shoes that match my hat and mittens!" (the shoes are WAY too small!!) She was so proud of herself! : )

And He's Off. . .

2007-06-16T22:44:00.000-05:00

So proud of himself! He kept saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa!!" Walking like a pro!!
Proud big sister

Last night Jack decided that after 16 months it was time to start WALKING!!! It was so cute! He just took off from the kitchen to our bedroom, back to the kitchen/living area, into the guest room and maybe fell twice. He giggled the whole time. He's totally a pro and you'd never know he just started yesterday. I guess that's the good thing about walking a little later---not as many bumps and bruises! It's so weird to see him walking around. And it's weird to not have to carry him in public places, like church or restaurants. Our arms seem very empty. . . and we'll enjoy that for the next 25 weeks. : ) Way to go, Jack! We're proud of you!!

Updates, etc

2007-06-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

Okay, all of my pregnant AND pregnant-to-be friends! Look who is now carrying maternity!
www.anntaylorloft.com
Tara sent this to me yesterday and I had to share! And for anyone else like me who didn't know that Nordstrom had maternity on the internet only, they DO! Not that I will be doing all of my shopping for clothes at these places. The favorites remain Target, Old Navy and Motherhood/Mimi. But for that special occasion it's nice to have some OPTIONS!

We have started swimming lessons this week! Hayley's class is first, then we have a 30 minute break, then Jack's class with mommy! They are both doing great, although Jack prefers the group singing/movement more than the "unstructured playtime." He has been a STINKER! Lots of screaming and fussing until we start going around in a circle as a group and singing songs and suddenly he's laughing and having fun. Too funny. I'm worn out and it's only the third day! (out of 8) I can already tell they are going to be so helpful, especially for Hayley.

Tra and I got to go out of town last Thursday-Sunday by OURSELVES! It was such a great weekend. We went to this place outside of Amarillo called The Hideaway Experience. We heard about it at a marriage conference we attended eariler this year. We went out to meet with the owners to find out more about the place and to have a couple of days of rest/relaxation/GREAT FOOD! Two other couples from our church also went out to meet the owners b/c they are going to be counselors up there this month for a marriage intensive program. Tra wants to provide this as an option for employees where he works to be able to go and work on their marriages. From the moment we arrived it felt like we were with family all weekend! We had such a great time getting to know everyone and gaining LOTS of wisdom/insight on our spiritual lives, our marriage, and our parenting. We were supposed to go out on Thursday but there was some miscommunication so we ended up getting to go to a hotel here Thursday night anyway and having Thursday and most of Friday to ourselves. It was such a wonderful time to be together and to have a break from our jobs. Our kids stayed with my mom here the first night and with his parents the rest of the time. They were happy to see us, but Sunday night Hayley asked me if I could go get back on the airplane. What a blessing for them to get such great time with grandparents! It's always hard to leave, but every time we do I'm SOOOO glad! For all of us!

A Big Day!

2007-06-07T14:20:00.000-05:00

Guess who took his first steps today with Nana when mom was getting her haircut??? My baby boy is growing up! It's funny that I've wanted him to walk soooo badly but watching him take those steps today my heart kind of sank. But then I was REALLY excited! It'll be a little while before he's off and running, but not too much longer at all! Way to go, Jack! We're so proud of you!

Summer Fun

2007-06-06T07:58:00.000-05:00

I love summer time! We've been to the zoo a couple of times, played in the water outside, gone swimming w/ friends, and it's only the first week of June! Lots more fun to have. Here are some pictures of Hayley and Jack having fun in the sun! Skinny dippin at the lake w/ Scout!
Jack looking cool w/ Hayley's sunglasses
First time to ride the train at the zoo. They're having more fun than it looks like they are!Playing outside in our cool "ring-o-water" Looking at the fish at the zoo

American Idol

2007-05-24T16:54:00.000-05:00

This is the first season I followed American Idol the entire season. Tra isn't as much of a fan, so I tevo'd it and would watch it at random times when he was gone, naptimes, etc. I've watched several finales though b/c it is so much fun seeing the winner announced, seeing their family's reaction, their reaction, etc. So last night Tra was out of town and I was down from putting kids down in record timing DYING to see who would win this year. So I get to the part where Jordan and Blake are standing together, the envelope is being handed over and the MENU screen pops up saying the recording is over. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????? I thought SURELY it was a mistake---oh no. No mistake. So I called my mom to get the scoop and totally had the wind knocked out of my sails the rest of what was left of the night. I MISSED IT!!!! : ( So if anyone happens to still have it on YOUR tevo (however you spell that) please save it for me and invite me to come over and watch it. : )

Sidenote: For those of you who know my cousin Mandy (Baldwin) Hawes, she has started a BLOG!!! She's on my list----Welcome to Blogland, Mandy!!! It's a fun place to be!

Imaginary Friends

2007-05-19T16:04:00.000-05:00

I am finally feeling better and not requiring a nap every day during Hayley's and Jack's naptime, so I'm hoping to be better about blogging more frequently. I'm finishing up week 10 of the pregnancy and happy to be close to the end of trimester #1. I cannot complain even a little bit about it though, b/c I am fully functioning and able to eat and keep food down. Christine, if you are reading blogs, I'm still praying for you that your sickness will subside. I wish so much there was more I could do for you and your family. I saw your precious Jack today and he is as cute as ever.

Okay--now for the connection to the blog title. Yesterday Hayley informed me that she was headed outside to see the ducks (our new "pets" that live in the pond next to our house---a mama and 12 babies) and that she was going to see if her friend "Nucy" was here to play today.

I said, "You have a friend Lucy who plays with you outside?" She said, "No! NOO-SEE!" Ohhhh. Like Lucy, but Nucy. So off she went. She came in later and I asked if Nucy was here today and she responded, "Nope."

My sister and I had 3 "imaginary friends" growing up. Their names were Nusha (pronounced "noo-shuh"), New Ryan, and Muh-Muh. We played with them a lot and I still have a mental picture of what Nusha and New Ryan looked like. So when I heard Hayley had one it got me thinking. I just wonder. . . are they imaginary? Or are we TOLD they are imaginary and that we are making it up in our heads? Did anyone else have "imaginary friends" growing up? I'd love to hear if you did and what their names were. : ) So I've decided not to call Nucy her "imaginary friend" but to treat her as if she IS here and that somehow she is related to Nusha and like Courtney said, "Maybe we have some family guardian angels hanging around." Kind of neat to think about.

My parents' 34th Anniversary is today. What a special day! And what a blessing it is to have them love each other more today than ever. What a gift to have their example for us and our children of a Christ-centered marriage. I love you guys and am proud to be your daughter!

Here are some recent pictures of Hayley and Jack. We've had a trip to Austin to "Nana's and Big D's house," a fabulous Mother's Day, a trip to the zoo---just the 3 of us, lots of playing outside w/ these gorgeous days, and the last day of school was this past Thursday! We're all looking forward to our fun summer days ahead!

Being silly

Gettin' muddy (she ended up taking the other shoe off and coming to the back door w/ mud everywhere!) Why didn't I get a picture of that???

Our new pets
A very happy Mother's Day

Jack loves playing with daddy!

Oh BOY!!! (or girl???)

2007-04-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sure many have already heard our latest news, but the Lord has blessed us with another BABY!! We are thrilled. He/she should arrive around the 12th of December. That will make Hayley almost 3 1/2 and Jack will be almost 23 months. So we will definitely have our hands full, but we are blown away by this incredible blessing and so excited to have another little one around here to love on! It's interesting b/c my mom felt really strongly a couple of months ago not to recommit to a bunch of her activities in Austin for next year. She wasn't 100% why she felt like she shouldn't, but trusted it was what God wanted for her. YAY, GOD!! He was looking after ME!! She'll have much more flexibility to help us out and we are so happy about that. I ordered all new stockings for our family last Christmas and I went ahead and ordered one extra---not thinking I'd use it THIS Christmas!!! Too fun! We appreciate prayers for a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy---and a supernatural gift of ENERGY this first trimester!

I went on a sister trip this weekend to a Joyce Meyer conference in Phoenix, AZ! My sisters and I hadn't spent good time together since we went to Europe for 3 weeks together and backpacked the year after I graduated from college. Abby was only 16, Angie was 21 and I was 23. Kind of hard to believe my parents went for that one! We're SO glad they did though! We had such a blast. We had some good quality time together and it went way to fast! Anyone who has never heard Joyce Meyer speak should seriously listen to her if you ever get the chance. She has a tv program on Daystar "Enjoying Everyday Life" and she has teachings on her website you can listen to. She's so encouraging and I have really grown to love her. It's a great way to get a "pick me up" during the day when kids are napping!

I think we're done w/ sicknesses around here for awhile. Hayley passed her pink eye to Jack--he came down w/ it last week and his also turned into an ear infection. I asked the dr. if he could pass it back to Hayley or if she was immune since she just had it and the dr. said, YES she could get it again! WHAT??? How on earth do you keep this vicious cycle from repeating? Lots of prayer is the answer. Looking forward to a great week and to getting to see the newest addition at my dr.'s appointment on Friday! Here we go again!!!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T07:05:00.000-05:00

We got GREAT news on Friday! Jack does NOT have mono! His spleen was back to normal too. The doctor said he guessed it must have been some other random virus, but we're choosing to believe that we asked God to heal Jack and HE ANSWERED!

We found out the results to his bloodwork while I had Hayley there for pink eye! Friday morning her eyes looked TERRIBLE! There was so much yucky junk in them and it wouldn't go away. They checked her out and everything else looked fine. Got antibiotic drops and we were on our way.

Friday late afternoon was SO much fun! Tara, Aly, Abby and I took Donna to High Tea at the Ashton Hotel in Ft. Worth for her birthday. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to do that kind of stuff. It was so much fun being with all the girls! The 5 of us went on a trip to New York before Tara got married and I think it's the last time we all hung out together like that. Lots of fun! I love my in-laws. It's like I was born for 2 families. Mine and Tra's! From day ONE I've felt so comfortable w/ his sisters and parents. I LOVE spending time with them and can't imagine dreading being w/ my in-laws. It makes me sad for people who aren't as crazy about theirs. It's fun to love another family just like your own!

Saturday was going great until 5ish when Hayley woke up from her nap screaming that her ear hurt. She was running fever and miserable. Took her to the new Care Now right down the street (the web check-in is the way to go!) and she has an EAR INFECTION! Poor baby! I ended up sleeping w/ her last night b/c her fever was so high (103.5 ON MOTRIN) and she woke up in panic mode several times reaching for me. I think her fever is down and I'm hoping she wakes up feeling better. Do you kind of feel like I'm going to say "April Fools?" I feel like I've been in the middle of a very cruel April Fool's joke over the past week and a half or so. SURELY this is the last of the sickness around here for awhile!

I was asking God what else we needed to be doing? Sometimes you wonder if there is something in the environment causing the sickness (or maybe it's Chick-Fil-A and McDonald's playlands??) ha ha. So I told Him last night I was just going to be quiet and listen and wait for Him to tell me what we needed to do differently---a different way to pray, a sin we needed to repent of, WHAT??? I was in the kitchen making fruit salad for Easter lunch today and it was silent. Kids asleep, Tra at pharmacy getting medicine, and after a few minutes deep in my spirit I heard Him, "Praise ME." So I did. It's one of my favorite things to do. And it was good to be reminded to acknowledge God for WHO HE IS in the midst of the craziness of life. HE heals, HE loves, HE comforts us in our times of need, HE provides me with strength, HE showers us with BLESSING upon BLESSING! And today HE LIVES!! Praising God for the most precious gift of His Son and for giving Him up for us so that WE may truly LIVE!

POOP!!!

2007-04-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Today was another milestone in the Willbanks' household! Hayley pooped on the potty for the first time ever! It is really funny how excited I am about this. I never imagined I would be so excited about poop! So I thought I would share my excitement w/ all you other blogging moms out there who have experienced the same joy as you contemplate never changing a poopy diaper again (at least of HERS)! We'll see if it continues. We made a super big deal out of it today, of course, and went to Braum's for a family celebration tonight of ICE CREAM!!

Jack went in for bloodwork today and we'll get results tomorrow to see if it is (was) mono or not. His spleen was back to normal today, so that was GREAT news!

Other than that, pretty uneventful around here today. I'll take uneventful. We're excited about Easter weekend. It so much fun having Hayley get excited about Easter this year. Earlier she goes, "We'll say 'YOOOOO-HOOOOOO, Easter eggs!? Where arrrre youuuu?" I need to make

sure to talk as much about the REAL reason of Easter as much as hyping up egg hunts and candy.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Weary. . .

2007-03-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

Okay. I'm not sure what the deal is with me frequently having sick kids, but here we go again. I've heard of parents who conjure up their kids' sicknesses and of course hypochondriacs, but I assure you I'm not one of them. I would be THRILLED to go a whole month and not deal with some sort of infirmary around here. Before I begin the story of my drama for the day, I apologize that I informed almost nobody that this was even going on. Tra was out of town so I talked to him a lot of the day. And I'm sorry to all my friends/family who might read this and it will be the first you heard of it.

Last night Tra left to go out of town---actually out of country. He was on a short business trip to Mexico. So of course, I'm getting Jack ready for bed and realize he is HOT! Running 101. That's it though. Happy, smiling, typical Jack. Slept all night, still running fever this morning. Call dr. and they squeeze me in at 9:20 at my request to check his ears to rule out infection. Of course I have a hair cut at 10am b/c they are supposed to be at school. Cancel hair cut. Fight tears---it's WAY past due. Take Hayley to school, realize I don't have wallet when I contemplate driving through Starbucks, call doctor to tell them I don't have wallet and they say come anyway. Go to Dr. VERY hungry, craving coffee, needing gum that is in my purse at home. Try to find a way to look at the positive side of the morning so far. Struggle. Late to doctor. Nice receptionist---thanked God for her b/c I might have broken down if she was tacky. Contemplated asking her for money for coffee. Called my in-laws hoping I could go by after apptmt. and borrow money. No answer. See doctor. Ears clear. He feels around on his stomach---do you ever wonder what they're feeling for exactly? Today I found out one thing---an enlarged spleen. Are you kidding? I thought we had an ear infection. Doctor (who I'm a HUGE fan of by the way) says he wants to do bloodwork. I ask what it could be? He said most likely viral--like mono. And there are other things, but he'd talk to me about it after he got bloodwork results this afternoon and said, "Don't go home and look it up on the internet." Traumatize Jack w/ taking blood---although after all of Hayley's cathedars it was a piece of cake! He doesn't know how easy he actually had it today. Go home, feed Jack breakfast (late--thought I had money in car) put him down for nap. Go to computer (you didn't know I was so rebellious!) and look up "enlarged spleen." BAD IDEA. My heart sank. I saw the words leukemia and lymphoma. Needless to say you can imagine the state I was in the remainder of the day. I was supposed to hear back from Dr. by lunch(ish), he left message at home while we were picking up Hayley. I call back I felt like 500 times (only 2) and finally hear back a little after 5. Dr. says he was worried it could be leukemia but that it looks like it is not. (Deep breaths--thank you God, thank you God!) He has low white blood cell count but his platelet count looks good and he isn't anemic (sp?). If the latter 2 were off, we would have a problem. So he thinks it looks like mono. I didn't know 14 month olds got mono. He called a hematology oncologist to talk w/ him about the case and that guy agreed it sounded viral (mono). We're checking blood again Thursday. We're feeling pretty good about things and expect to see things looking better next week and not worse. Those few hours today were by far the scariest, most stressful of my life so far. And I've had some scary hours in my life. It was hard on both of us to have Tra gone during the time of waiting. So pray for Jack---his eyes look tired but he acts pretty normal. I'm thinking his throat hurts b/c he's not eating great or drinking as much as he usually does. We're going to do some smoothies tomorrow! Lots of vitamin C!

This is the day that the Lord has made! I will REJOICE and BE GLAD in it. It was hard to do at times throughout the day, but I will drift off to sleep with rejoicing in my heart tonight. And I will say an extra prayer of God's comfort and peace to all the moms and dads that heard the words today that their child DOES have leukemia. And for the ones in the midst of it---treatments, etc. Oh Father----COME QUICKLY!!!

My Courageous Girl!

2007-03-23T14:54:00.000-05:00

Hayley's procedure went as smoothly as we prayed it would today! The staff was wonderful. The doctor was an hour late this morning, which meant we got there at 6am for a surgery time of 7:30ish and didn't go back to surgery until 9ish. Thankfully we came prepared w/ the portable DVD player, a new sticker book and a 38 cent bracelet that you would think was $380 as excited as she was about it! She was a trooper and handled everything beautifully. She was fussy from anesthesia and hurting from about 10:30-11:30, but by noon she was back to her old self! She has been napping since about 1:30 and it is 3:00 now. I'm so glad to have this part behind us. Now we just have to gear up for the VCUG in 3 months to see if this thing worked. In my opinion, the VCUG is one of the CRUELEST tests out there for little kids. I wish they could find a less traumatic way to check for kidney reflux. For those who do not know what it is, the kids have to be wide awake and have a cathedar inserted to fill up the bladder with dye. Then they take 5-6 x-rays as they pee the dye back out. Last time it took Tra, a nurse and me to hold her down as she was screaming, etc. SO I am not too excited about repeating that scenario. But the good news is I know exactly what to expect now and maybe this time Tra and I won't be as traumatized.

We are so thankful for Hayley's health and we know that this is VERY minor in comparison to a lot of other things that she could be dealing with. But as many times as I remind myself about that, my heart still can't help but ache as I have to watch my baby go through physical pain over and over again. I think it is really cool that the spiritual meaning of "Hayley" is "Courageous." And that she is! What a comfort it was today to know that as she left our arms and we went to the waiting room, she was being held by the GREAT PHYSICIAN in the operating room. Praising God for His peace that passes all understanding, strength and courage that he provided us all with today!

Happy Birthday!

2007-03-20T17:01:00.000-05:00

Today is a special day---Tra's 30th Birthday! 2 of the girls at work (Chalyse and Melissa) surprised him w/ a small party at the office this afternoon. I brought Hayley and Jack up and a homemade carrot cake (his favorite) and he was surprised! Hayley and Jack picked out balloons at the store for him yesterday to bring to the party. Hayley chose a hot pink balloon w/ high heel shoes, a purse, and lipstick on it. : ) Ya gotta love little girls! I wish I could take some time right now to write down 30 things I love about Tra, but it's almost dinner time and Hayley is being very quiet in the other room---which always makes me a tad nervous. : ) I will say that I love my husband more today than I EVER have and I LOVE being his wife. We are a great team. So different in so many ways, which enables us to strike a pretty good balance in our marriage. I love sharing this journey of life with him, I love watching him with our kids and watching them LOVE him so much, I love going to dinner with him, watching 24, The Office and Lost with him, going to movies (a whopping 2 this year so far!) and I love seeing his goofy, silly side and at the same time have long talks about stuff that matters. Mostly I LOVE how much he loves the Lord and how he strives to be in His will for our lives. It makes him an easy person to submit to! (most of the time!) : ) It is such a huge blessing to be in love with my best friend. I don't thank God for the gift of him enough!!

A quick update on Hayley---we ended up scheduling her procedure for Friday, so we would appreciate your prayers for her that day! I am having a hard time figuring out how to order my pictures---blogger has a mind of his own most of the time. Anyway---here are Jack and Hayley helping to make the carrot cake.

Everyone is singing Happy Birthday here.

Attempting to blow out the "trick" candles. Pretty funny!

It was a happy birthday!

Big Day. . .

2007-03-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

I met w/ Hayley's urologist today and she has an opening Wednesday to do the procedure to try to correct the kidney reflux. So since the next available wasn't until July, we jumped on it. I'm glad it worked out this way. Otherwise I'd have it hanging over my head for months. So please say a prayer that it works the FIRST time and that there are no complications w/ anesthesia and that I will TRUST God and not be anxious. He cares about her more than I do---which amazes me everytime I think about it.

Funny Hayley story---at the mall on Saturday she was walking along beside me when she suddenly stopped, stuck her hand down her pants and pulled out what appeared to be a cell phone b/c she "opened" it. (it was actually nothing---she was pretending) She proceeded to put it up to her ear and say, "Hello?" Then she kept walking and was talking and saying things like, "Okay. Yeah. I'm just going to go play on the slide, and . . . uh huh. Yeah." I said, "Who are you talking to?" She took the phone away from her ear, looked at me like, "You're interrupting my conversation--how rude," and then said very seriously, "I'm talking to Chesley." She talked a little more, said bye, flipped the "phone" down and stuck it back in her pants. It was the funniest thing I've seen her do in awhile. I LOVE this age!!!

Goldfish Anyone??

2007-03-15T07:22:00.000-05:00

Apparantly Hayley doesn't get enough to eat around here and gets some serious cases of the munchies. Each of these pictures are taken on different days. I've got to give her credit for thinking to keep the floor clean.

I happened upon this scene one morning. I had been upstairs in her room trying to clean out her closet. She had gone downstairs to "play".

Caught in the act!

Encouragement. . .

2007-03-06T15:18:00.000-06:00

The other day Hayley got very frustrated with me about something---most likely that I would not let her touch one of her new DVD's (or as she says, "DDD's"). She yelled and threw a fit on the floor. I went through the whole discipline routine and we went about our day. I'm going to be VERY vulnerable here and admit that I have a tendancy to lose my temper with her more than I wish. It is the thorn in my flesh that HURTS and I HATE it. I pray all the time for God to take this away from me. It is something that has been passed down for several generations in my family and I want to break the cycle. No one deserves to be talked to in an ugly tone of voice--especially my 2 year old daughter. So you can pray for me about this! But on with the story. . . I feel so guilty about this sin in my life so often and live under a spirit of condemnation and worry that she's going to have this picture of me in her head when she grows up being so ugly. Well, that day she came to me a little bit later and said in a sweet little voice, "Mom, I sorry I lose my temper." And the Lord spoke to my heart after she said that and said, "You are not perfect, nor will you ever be. Just make sure that you continue to model to her how to admit you are wrong and how to ask forgiveness. That is key for her salvation." One thing my mom was SO good about was coming to us after she did lose her temper and say, "I am so sorry I lost my temper. You do not deserve to be talked to that way. Will you please forgive me?" So that's something I have tried to do too, but now I will do even more of after that little conversation with God. Our kids, as much as we hate to admit it, really do need to see us making mistakes and asking either for their forgiveness or for others' forgiveness and especially God's forgiveness. Just thought I'd pass this along in the hopes I've used the Lord's encouragement to me to encourage someone else.

Quick funny story that my mom loves to tell about me---When I was 2 she came to me one night before bed and said, "Shelly, I am sorry I got so frustrated with you earlier. Do you forgive me?" I answered, "Nope, but God does."

Psalm 103 continued. . .

2007-02-26T23:19:00.000-06:00

An update on sweet Hayley. Sunday things went from good to really bad again. We were sent to the emergency room with her Sunday night b/c she was hurting so badly and hadn't urinated from around 10am until 8pm. Long story short, we took her over to the urologist's office in Dallas this afternoon, had to do ANOTHER cathedar to get more urine b/c the results from Thursday's culture were negative (just got those this morning). The nurse's words were, "She has a raging infection." It has been a very traumatic day for all of us. I believe God was merciful to Hayley on Saturday by giving her a day of relief from her pain. We are still, of course, praising His Name as much today as we were Saturday when we thought she was okay. I keep thinking of the story of the "fiery furnace" when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said to the king, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

The Lord did not heal Hayley completely from her infection or (as far as we know) from her kidney reflux. . .yet. We believe with our whole hearts that He will. Our prayer is that He will heal her before she has to go through the surgery to correct her reflux. We believe He can. We also know that it could be His plan for us to go down the road of doing the surgery. Please pray for us to be in tune with God's direction and wisdom regarding that decision, and that we will use this as an opportunity to tell nurses, doctors, people in waiting rooms, about what a MIGHTY God we serve and that others will come to know Him or grow closer to Him after encountering our family.

On a lighter note. . . I have the most INCREDIBLE sister in law. I actually have 3 of them, but today I am talking specifically about Tara. She has come to my rescue with keeping Jack twice over the last few days while we have taken Hayley to dr.'s appointments at a moment's notice. She has totally dropped what she was doing to help us out and met us with a smile on her face at the door as we blew in and out like a tornado trying to get to the doctor and then home again. She never complains or acts like it is any kind of inconvenience to help out. What a BLESSING to have that sweet woman in our lives. (her husband and son aren't all that bad either) : )

She lives out the verse, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," Col. 3:23

What a gift you are in my life! I love you, Tara!

Psalm 103

2007-02-25T12:42:00.000-06:00

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits---Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercy. (verses 1-4)

Thank you for praying. We truly believe that the Lord has healed Hayley of whatever the problem was on Thursday. She was back to normal Friday and has done great all weekend. We'll get the results from the culture on Monday, but as of Friday nothing had started growing. All glory and praise to Jesus Christ alone!

Prayers Needed. . .

2007-02-22T23:25:00.000-06:00

I picked Hayley up from school today and she was burning up. I got her home and the fever was 105. She was just limp and wouldn't talk. She would only shake her head yes or no. THANKING God for Motrin!! It brought the fever down and she came alive again. Took her to the dr. and had her tested for flu (negative) and had the traumatic experience of cathedarizing her (I wasn't allowed in the room, but could hear her screaming down the hall----ripped my heart out) and the urine test was also negative. We will get results from the urine culture w/in the next 48 hours. I'm almost certain it is a UTI (urinary tract infection). She has kidney reflux and is on a low dose of antibiotics daily. It is hurting her to go potty SO badly. She just screams in pain. Thankfully tonight after she woke up in hysterics b/c she had to go to the bathroom and couldn't I thought about putting her in the bath (thank you, God, for that thought!) and she was able to go potty and feel better immediately.

So---please pray for the doctors' wisdom. Pray that her urologist can get her in quickly when I call in the morning. Pray for peace for Tra and me. It is SO HARD to watch your baby in SO much pain!!! And pray for COMPLETE HEALING. We believe God can heal her kidney reflux and we are boldly asking for that. I am so thankful that it is not something worse or life-threatening. But it is still gut-wrenching to see her hurt so badly. : (

A Big Week

2007-02-16T23:36:00.000-06:00

Hayley decided this was going to be the week to potty train! I've been working with her on it for several months but I have let her just go when whe wanted to. My plan was to take year #2 to familiarize her with it and by this summer if she wasn't potty trained I would hit it harder. I think it was peer pressure at her school/BSF/church that led her to this decision. She has had dry pull-ups every day this week! Today she wore big girl panties all day (except for our trip to the mall---pull-ups) . It is a big adjustment for me trying to train myself to start asking, "Do you need to go potty?" everytime we leave the house.

Jack decided tonight was the night to start self-feeding! The boy will NOT put anything in his mouth on his own---until tonight. I put a piece of cheese on his tray at dinner thinking, "Maybe tonight will be the night." Sure enough, he just picked it up and put it in his mouth like he had been doing it his whole life! My jaw hit the ground! I gave him another piece and he did it again! WE CELEBRATED in the Willbanks' home this evening!

So that is 2 pretty major milestones all in one week. My children have this thing with wanting to do things their own way in their own time. We're not sure where they got that! : )

Jack's latest weird quirky behavior is wanting to be up on the couch and bury his face in the pillows. He is not happy anywhere else. He'll just throw his head in the pillows and lay really still for a few seconds and then pop up and look at us with this look like, "Am I not hilarious???" He'll occaisionally laugh at himself. What a stitch! Oh---he has also started crawling on his hands and knees over the past couple of weeks too! The army crawl is still his favorite, but if you watch him long enough he'll bust out into a full-on crawl! It is wild to watch the transition from baby to little boy!!

The other day, Hayley randomly said, "I like your earrings, mom." It was the first time I had ever heard her voice her own opinion on something. So cute! Actually, I take it back. One day in October or November I went in to wake her up one morning and she said, "I not like that shirt, mama! Take it off!!" I'm sure that won't be the first time in her life that she doesn't like my outfit! : )

Tra came home from work early today with a stomach ache. It has turned into an UGLY stomach BUG. I'm PRAYING it doesn't get me, Hayley, Jack, or anyone else at Anchor. YUCK.

Last thing: Hayley's latest thing is going into Jack's room when she wakes up and getting into bed with him. It's so sweet to see them play together and love each other!

One Year Old. . .

2007-01-29T11:52:00.000-06:00

I am several days late with this birthday post to Jack (it was on the 23rd) but better late than never. It is so hard to believe you are ONE year old! My memories of the day you were born are still so vivid. I remember being so surprised at how FAST you were born! I had Oprah on at 4:00 and I was visiting with Poppy and daddy and at 4:30 I started feeling LOTS of pressure. You I only had to push a few times and you were OUT by 4:57! I remember the fear in my heart as the nurses suctioned out all the junk in your mouth over and over and told us they needed to take you to the NICU. You just looked SO perfect and I just wanted to hold you and not let go!!! Daddy and I prayed over you before we handed you over to the nurses and as quickly as you got here, you were gone. The next 3 hours were so strange not getting to be with you. I remember being so thankful that you were going to be okay and crying for my friends who have had to give their babies back to the Lord for good. The Lord used that moment in my life to give me a window into the hearts of these friends. Although I have never had to experience giving one of my babies back to the Lord, I had a very small glimpse of how much it has to hurt. My heart hurt so much giving you to those nurses, and that was a fraction of what my precious friends have felt.

What a BLESSING you are, precious Jack. Your little smile appeared within your first month and hasn't gone away! You have such a sweet disposition. My favorite memories with you during the past year are lots of nights rocking you (one of the last things my grandma said to me before she went to be with Jesus is, "You rock those babies!!" so sometimes I even go in and get you after you are asleep and rock you some more!), watching you suck that thumb and play with your ear with your other hand, seeing your face light up when you see your sister and your daddy, hearing you take deep breaths and seeing that big smile when a cool breeze (sometimes a cold gust) hits your face, watching you army crawl EVERYWHERE (crawling on your hands and knees is SO overrated!), putting you to bed at night and having you be fidgity and fussy until I start singing and you immediately relax and snuggle up to me EVERY time. My list could go on and on. You are a joy to your dad, sister and me and to SO many others. God has such a great plan for your life. You will be such a mighty warrior for Him and I am confident that the Lord will use you to bring multitudes to know and serve our Almighty God. Like the scripture says on your wall, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 The Lord will direct you and lead you in ways that are hard to understand at times. It won't always make a lot of sense in your mind and you might not want to follow His lead. Follow Him. Seek HIS face ALWAYS. TRUST HIM COMPLETELY. He is the only one in your world who will NEVER let you down. He will NEVER fail you. Take time to BE STILL before HIM, and LISTEN to HIM. As much as your dad and I love you, HE loves you even MORE!!

What a wonderful, fun first year! I love and adore you more and more every day. Next to your dad, you and Hayley are the greatest gifts in my life. I'm looking forward to year #2 with you! Walking, talking, talking back----not YOU???!!! I love you forever. . .

My New Hobby. . .

2007-01-24T15:34:00.000-06:00

I think I've finally found a hobby that Tra will not steal from me. . .online scrapbooking!! I have never gotten into scrapbooking. I tried when Hayley was born and got through her 8th month or so. I just have a really hard time really getting into scrapbooking---getting ALL the stuff out, making a huge mess and having to clean it all up before the kids get into it. Take it out, put it up, take it out, put it up, etc. For Jack's birthday (which was yesterday. . .birthday post coming soon) I made a Kodak Easyshare book for him on the internet. I did his whole first year in 3 days or so. It was probably a total of 5-6 hours that I spent on the whole thing. And I LOVE it. Well, my friend Ashley told me about a website that is online scrapbooking---backgrounds, tons of layouts, places to journal, etc. It is www.picaboo.com and I cannot begin to describe how excited I am about it! I've already started on a little 1st Birthday book for Jack and it is so much fun! No scissors, no bits of paper, no mess!! I was so excited I had to share! Also, you can email the books out on this website and you can't on Kodak's (as far as I can tell). So for anyone out there who is interested in this stuff (Courtney), you have to check it out!

Cousins. . .

2007-01-19T00:16:00.000-06:00

I should be in bed, but was just looking through some pictures and had to post some of these. It's wild to think that this time last year we only had Hayley and at Christmas this year we had Hayley, Jack, Adalyn and Scout! These little cousins have so much fun together and love to play with and on each other! What a joy they are to us all!

Jack (11 mos.) and Adalyn (8 mos.) smiling for the camera.

"What are y'all lookin' at?" This is Jack's favorite thing to do with Scout (6 mos.)

Hayley (2) is reading everyone a bedtime story. We did not make this happen---we looked over and yelled, "Get the camera!"

This is what happens when we try to line them up for a picture. Notice Jack is crawling over Scout AGAIN. Will we even be able to make all 4 stay still long enough to get a picture of them together next Christmas??? : )

Another year. . .

2006-12-31T14:57:00.000-06:00

It was time for a change. I'm in a blue mood for 2007. Started out pink in 05, green in 06. I'm liking the blue. It is wild to think 2006 is over! Thinking about this time last year: I was LARGE pregnant and anticipating the arrival of our precious boy, Hayley had only been walking for 3 months, we had just moved to our new house, and so many more changes were ahead of us. I'm anxious (in a good way) to see what 2007 has in store for our family of 4. I was taking the ornaments off our tree today thinking about this time next year and how very different things will be around here. Jack will be weeks away from turning 2 years old and Hayley will be almost 3 1/2. It's hard to imagine!

Our Christmas was wonderful. It started out w/ Tra's family and ended up with mine. It was the first time since 2003 that I had gotten to be w/ my family for Christmas at my parents' house. It was SO good to be with everyone again. 2004 Tra was too sick to travel and 2005 I wasn't allowed to travel. It was fun w/ Tra's family to see all the kids. None of them were terribly "into" Christmas this year. I thought Hayley would be more into it, but she so was not. She IS enjoying her new toys though---even if she seemed like she could care less at the time she opened them. One of my favorite memories of this Christmas was being at Richland Hills on Christmas Eve morning for the candlelight service and there were about 5 baptisms afterwards. Hayley always goes to her class during service times but the kids don't have classes at the Christmas Eve service, so she had never seen a baptism until then. It totally left a huge impact on her. I think she has talked about it every day since. She'll randomly say, "Remember when that boy got ba-tized? He just JUMPED in that water and got soakin' wet!" And I'll say, "He said, 'Hey everybody!! I. . " and she finishes w/ ". . .love JESUS!!" Last night she brought it up again and she said, "And then it will be Hayley's turn to jump in that water!" I told her I couldn't WAIT for it to be her turn! SOOOOO precious.

I'll end this post w/ some of my favorite things Hayley has said lately. Obviously the baptism thing was one of my favorites!

"I need a wipe-a-towel!" (paper towel to wipe off her hands/face)

She'll cover Jack's head w/ a blanket and say, "Jackin in the box. . . PEEK-A-BOO!!!" The other day Tra goes, "Hayley in the box, peek a boo!" She goes, "Not Hayley!! JACKIN!!" Jackin???

Jack threw his sippy cup off his high chair the other day. She walked over calmly, picked up his cup, put it on his tray and said, "That's not a good idea, Buddy."

If she sees something out of place she'll laugh and say, "Where did come THAT from???"

We pass a donut place we go to occasionally and she says w/o prompting: "Donuts are too sugary. They'll make my tummy hurt. They're not good for you." I followed that statement the other day w/ "Yea, they're not healthy." She followed that with, "No. But M&M's are healthy!"

We were at my cousin's wedding and she went up to this little boy who was about 6 and patted him sweetly on his arm and said, "Hi little boy! You're so sweet!" You know that "little boy" loved that!

I could go on, but I'll stop for now. Praying for an extra BLESSED 2007 for all of us! Happy New Year!

Catching up. . .

2006-12-21T10:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post! This time of year is too crazy. I'm finding myself looking forward to the new year and slowing down a little! But at the same time I want to savor every moment of this Christmas w/ my 11 month old and 2 year old! Hayley is understanding a little more about Christmas this year but not 100% into it, of course. She loves decorating and re-decorating the bottom half of the Christmas tree. Most of the time half of the ornaments are missing. I'll find them random places like under couch cushions. : ) We've finally made the successful transition to the big girl bed. Grant it, we do lock her in her room for now, but it works and we all get sleep. We've had lots of family time this month w/ my side of the family. One of my cousins got married 2 weekends ago and last weekend was our family Christmas lunch w/ my dad's side of the family in Dallas. It was interesting as usual.
Jack is going to be 11 months on the 23rd. I can't even believe he is almost ONE! He is an absolute JOY in our lives. He is the happiest kid I've ever known. He LOVES his sister and vice versa. He is happy w/ his style of crawling (army crawl) and has no desire to do things like everyone else does them. He loves naps, wheels, and playing outside!

I'm assuming I won't have a chance to blog again before Christmas, so Merry Christmas everyone!

The saga continues. . .

2006-11-08T10:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday at naptime Hayley mastered the art of climbing out of her crib. She did it over and over and over. It is actually very impressive---she can get out of it in a matter of seconds! So as of naptime yesterday she is officially in her big girl bed! Once she went to sleep last night she stayed in bed until 6:30am! I know it will just get easier and easier as the days go by. Hard to believe I have such a big girl already!! I'm so proud of her, but not nearly as proud of her as she is of herself! : )

EAT MORE PIE DAY!

2006-11-07T08:26:00.000-06:00

From Judy (my mom):
I have officially declared November 7 "Peggy Baldwin Eat-More-Pie Day". Mom would have been 82 tomorrow--what better way to celebrate than to give ourselves permission to eat a big old piece of pie and make a toast (with a cup of coffee, of course) to her on her day!

Anyone who has been craving a bite of something sweet, here is your chance to indulge with no guilt! My mom sent this email out yesterday. We will be having my grandma's infamous Chocolate Merangue Pie over here this evening. She is dearly loved and missed terribly, but oh what a time she is having right now with our Jesus and the other saints who have gone ahead of us. I don't know if we will celebrate our earthly birthdays in heaven anymore, but it is a sweet thought that this is her first b-day with her mom in a really long time. So join us in having a little pie today in memory of my sweet grandma!

One step forward, two steps back. . .

2006-11-06T22:32:00.000-06:00

At 3:00am last night I put Hayley's crib back together. Let's just say thunderstorms and a yucky cough do not mix with transitioning to a big girl bed. And sleep deprived mamas are just no fun. We're all looking forward to a good night of sleep this evening. Stay tuned for round 3---whenever we get gutsy enough to give it another try. : ) I'm open for any suggestions from other moms out there who have had smooth transitions, or rough ones that ended up working out eventually with no one harmed in the process. : )

My Little Tigers!

2006-11-05T14:57:00.000-06:00

I have a very hard time getting into Halloween. Part of it is that I was raised with a mother who talked every year about how SHE hated it. I didn't understand what the big deal was as a young child, but now I totally appreciate her perspective on the "holiday." I really don't want my kids participating in a holiday that promotes evil. I have some friends who don't participate in any way during this holiday---no parties, no Fall Festival, nothing. Tra's family didn't trick or treat when they were little. We did, but we never wore scary costumes. I'm glad the churches in the area do Fall Festivals so that there is a safe place to go where Christian music is playing and there are not SUPPOSED to be scary costumes. ( I saw one this year and wanted to ask the guy to remove the mask.) It is fun to see the little kids in cute little costumes. This is one of the first years that I not only understood completely why those who choose not to participate don't participate, but I have great respect for that decision. I guess the bottom line is that you have do do what you feel convicted by the Holy Spirit to do with your own family. And to my friends who do not do Halloween---you know who you are---I am very proud of you for sticking with your convictions and graciously declining all parties, festivals, etc. The Lord has enabled you to do that without anyone else feeling judged in any way--at least from my perspective.

Anyway--on to another subject. HAYLEY!! We have had a huge weekend over here. We removed the front rail from Hayley's crib and tried the big girl bed again! This time, IT WORKED! She kind of has a hard time getting comfortable with going to sleep, but once she's out, she's out for good! The first time we tried this she was up ALL NIGHT, literally. It was awful. This time, she has slept w/o tears until 7am for 2 nights in a row!! We are so proud of her and are excited about this new transition and how smothly it is going.

One more funny Hayley story---one of her new favorite words is Hallelujah! We were watching "God Made Christmas" (DVD) the other day and one of the songs on it is Handel's Messiah and I, of course, sing along with it. So later that day we were strolling through Target (getting a new blanket to put on her big girl bed) and she was singing, "Halle-loo-uh! Halle-loo-uh!. . . " over and over and over. It was so precious! Christmas is going to be extra fun this year! I can't wait!

More Than a Mailbox. . .

2006-10-23T16:05:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else out there tired of waiting in LONG lines at the post office? If you live in the Keller area I have found a GREAT solution. . .More Than a Mailbox in the Albertson's parking lot off of 377 and North Tarrant is the GREATEST place ever to mail packages. I walked in, there was no line, the lady politely asked how she could help me and SMILED, I handed her my item to ship that was not packaged, she took it and immediately went to find a box and carefully packed it FOR ME without any grumbling, I paid, she gave Hayley a lollipop and we were on our way! It was almost too easy. And as a bonus for all you scrapbook lovers, there is a ton of scrapbooking stuff in there---a whole wall of paper, stickers, etc. It's no Scrapbook Warehouse, but definitely has a good selection of stuff. They also have a table with books for kids to play and some toys. I will never go to the post office again!! This place is incredible!

My baby boy is 9 months old today. I do not have any pictures b/c my camera is broken and is the item I shipped off today. I REALLY hope we get it back by Thanksgiving!! Anyway---back to Jack. He seems to change every day lately. Last week he started crawling. He does the army crawl thing where he pretty much drags his legs behind him. I saw him do it for the first time and started boo-hooing! I have not been too emotional at Hayley's milestones for some reason. Jack's, on the other hand, I just can't hold myself together. I think it is b/c it just doesn't seem like he should be this old! Time has gone SO much faster with him than it did with Hayley when she was at the baby stage. He is such a JOY to all of us and I can't imagine my life without my happy baby boy!

Anyone else not looking forward to the time change this weekend? Before children, it was GREAT! Fall back--you get an hour more to sleep! But to my dismay last year, I realized Hayley got up at 7:00ish in the mornings, which is now 6:00ish after the time change. Her little body clock didn't automatically change. So this Sunday could be the first of many days for awhile that we are eating breakfast by 7:00 and it feels like it should be naptime at 9:00am! : )

Speaking of naptime, ours is over. : ( Time to begin the 2nd half of my day! Thank you, God, for naptime!!

Good-Bye Paci!

2006-10-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

Last week was a monumental one at the Willbanks' household. Hayley bid farewell to her paci after never sleeping a night or a nap without it for 2 solid years. She has a chipped front tooth (a whole blog entry in itself) that is now very sharp. She gnawed halfway through her paci after her nap the other day. I hadn't planned on weaning her from it yet, but when I saw she could actually bite through the thing and potentially swallow it, I realized I had no choice but to tell her to throw it away and say good-bye for good. I have been AMAZED at how easy this transition has been. She still asks for it at bedtime but doesn't pitch a fit when I tell her they're all gone and we had to throw them away. She goes to sleep just fine. It has been wonderful to have it be this easy! She'll say, "I want paci and blankie! (And then looks at me with a silly face and says in a silly voice) Not paci!! Just blankie." I told her she could keep blankie when she sleeps as long as she wants. It will be interesting to see how long she holds on to that. My baby is growing up! I have a feeling Jack's thumb will be another story. : )

Waiting Patiently. . .

2006-10-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

To read about a real-life encounter with an angel, click on Courtney's Blog.

Summer has a similar story on hers too.

I LOVE it when the Lord reveals Himself to us in such sweet, wonderful ways. He must know we are all needing faith-building this week. It is so hard to see friends hurting!! Our sweet friend Christine has been in the PIT over the past couple of weeks. It is very hard to pray for God to heal and have to wait and wait and wait on His timing. But we all know that He is Faithful. He loves Christine and Matt and Jack, the Tyndalls and the Pinsons. He will never leave them or forsake them. He does hear our every cry to Him about precious Christine. He has provided her with this new team of doctors in Dallas who are hopefully as I write this finished with her procedure and she may finally get on the road to full recovery. We love you, Christine!! We love being available to help you and your family out during this time too. So many of us have talked about it and what a complete JOY it is to get to cook for your family, sit with you, keep Jack, or whatever we need to do. You are loved more than you know and you are prayed for multiple times each day (if not each hour of each day!!) I have no doubt that the same angels (if not Jesus Himself!) that Hayley and Ava have talked about this week are just as visible to your sweet Jack---especially during this time while you are away from him. As God is healing you, He is also providing your baby with a peace and a comfort we can't even begin to see or imagine! Praising Him for who He is and thanking Him in advance for answering our prayers for you! He's got you and has already begun to lift you out of the pit. We will be anxious to literally hear the new song He puts in your mouth, dear friend! May this time be used to bring others to fully know the Lord and His power and strength by seeing how He works in YOU!

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Catching up. . .

2006-09-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

Lots to catch up on for the month of September. We had a small group over for Hayley's birthday this month---it was originally scheduled for her actual b-day on Aug. 30 but she got a stomach bug the night before, so we had to reschedule for later. I was glad we did---it was a fun day.

It is strange to me how blogger has good days and bad days with uploading pictures. Today is apparantly a bad day.

Anyway, on with my news from the month. Tra had a routine CT scan and all looks great! Praising God for another good report!

Jack had surgery Thursday to remove the cyst above his eye. He had to go under, but the surgery was only 20 minutes and he was an angel waking up from it. I was prepared to have a very unhappy baby, but he just snuggled down and ate his breakfast and went back to sleep! He is recovering really well too. The big bandage came off Sunday and the tape covering the incision comes off next Thursday! Thank you, God for a successful, uncomplicated surgery.

I am so excited that I get to keep my nephew, Scout, every Wednesday morning starting next week!! Tara is going to start BSF and Scout gets to come play with his cousins! We are all very excited and can't wait to spend Wednesdays with Scout. It is a perfect set up---they only live 3 miles away from us.

Tra is going on a work retreat this Thurs-Sat. and I am taking the kids to Austin Thursday through Sat. to see my parents and Papa Jack and Betty (my dad's dad and stepmom) They haven't seen Jack in person yet! Should be a great week! More pictures coming soon. . .