Sunday, July 26, 2009

Not Me Monday

1. After the waiter brought out the Guacamole Live,he noticed that we had not been asked for our orders for drinks. So he asked if we needed a drink. I did not say, "Yes, that would be nice and please bring them out before the dessert. Nope not me.
2. I did not look at a dishwasher full of clean dishes and decide why not add three glasses and run it again?
3.I did not rush my husband and two boys with their cousin out the door for their weekend of camping. nope.
4. It would be funny to think that as I was holding a platter from a recipe party and needed to pick up the keys from the floor that it would be an impossible task to get up. Not me. It wouldn't have been funny either.
5. I would never think about throwing out my husbands bright orange Crocs. Not me. Just. can't. find. them.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

updates, updates, updates...

Well, when you've been gone from blogging for as long as I have, it is so hard to decide what to write. So, I'll just update you about each of us. Then, hopefully, we'll be ready to go. I am doing well throughout this pregnancy. Our little man is quite active which reassures me constantly of the life that we've been given. I thank God that he moves so much. I've hardly had any reason to panic or worry. We are coming up on the week that we lost Drew which does make me a bit nervous. We miss him so much. My life will never be the same. The hurt and the sadness will always be there, but we do have hope. We have picked a special name for our next baby. We wanted a name that would honor the life of Drew. I'll put it on here as soon as we have the middle name set. We've gone back and forth on this. I will be induced at 37 weeks which is about 7 weeks from now. It would be a huge understatement to say that I am so excited that I can hardly stand it. I've learned to cherish life and it never gets old. I am blessed.

We have had such a busy summer. We were able to go to Nebraska to visit my Mom for a week or so. It was a road trip... but lots of fun. The kids had such a great time on the farm. Then, we were able to go the mountains to visit with Jeff's family for a few days. We were able to stay in a cabin (that's my way of camping!ha) and enjoyed the cool weather. Then, my sister, Holly, who had moved to Miami, brought her crew here for a three week visit. Holly and her husband Chris took off for Peru in the middle of the trip and left their little ones to stay here with me and my sister Katie. The cousins are enjoying their time together.

Our third child, Sam, will be having surgery next week. We always dread his surgeries which have been much to frequent for us. He will just be getting a few minor procedures done though.
Speaking of Sam, he brings us so much joy. We were devastated to find out that he would be born with a cleft and then later to find out that there would be other issues as well. But our Sammy has taught us so much and is the happiest child you would ever meet. I am reminded every day to be content in my circumstances through Sam. I want to be like him when I grow up. :)

This is all I can think of for now...but will be back to blogging. :)

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Author's Day

This one is for the grandparents. Susanna and Luke's school had an Author's Day recently. It was so neat to see their stories that they had written. Susanna's story was selected to be acted out by the Charlotte Children's Theatre. We knew that they would be doing it but had no idea which of her stories that they had chosen. You'll love the title! She loves to write and carries a notebook with her all of the time. I love to see her get her confidence boosted in something that she really enjoys. Here it is:

Susanna saved her Daddy from embarassment when she said that it wasn't a true story. I think it just might have been. Oh,and no, that is not Jeff playing himself. Ha!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Brotherly Love

Yes, Sam and Eli absolutely love each other. They are the best of friends. But, they have had their moments.

Here's the untold story:


Yes, Sam received a shiner from Eli. They were fighting over a toy and Eli slung it in the air. Guess where it landed? You got it! Boys, I tell you. I don't know who was more upset about it. Sam, Eli, or Luke? They were all crying. Sam was crying because it hurt, Eli was crying because he was in trouble, and Luke was crying because he hated to see Sam hurt. They really do love each other, I promise!

I love a man in a uniform!


This is my little slugger, Luke. He has been playing t-ball for the first time. He is so cute playing ball. I think his favorite part is the drinks and snacks afterwards. The coach always gives out a game ball to a player that did really well during that particular game. Luke always thinks he's going to get it.

And...




He got it a couple of games ago. He was so proud to get it!

We're having a...

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We think??? After several scans, she was still not sure. Our little one would not cooperate. The sonographer did get one quick glance and was pretty sure that it was a boy. She would like me to stop by at my next visit just to make sure. I asked her how confident she was, and she said about 95 percent. So, I'm going with it but am still a little hesitant to start buying blue. Yes, we gave away all of the clothes that we had for Drew. We knew it would be too hard to keep the ones we had picked out for him as well as the ones he was getting from his brothers. Anyways, I am very excited about buying a few new things. After caring for four babies, I know exactly what I like. Anything that is soft!:) No collars for this baby! We are going to unashamedly be spoiling him rotten. We are so thrilled about this precious new life and cannot wait to be able to hold him in our arms.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

A song you shoud hear...

Have you ever just hit a wall and felt the need to hear from God? You know, a fresh word, a comforting touch, something that reminds you of His love for you? This morning as I lay in bed, I knew that I would not be going to church because my youngest son's allergies had caused his eyes to swell shut. I wanted to hear from God. I needed to hear from Him. Jeff was on the computer which is in our room. I asked him to look up a song for me. I told him that I had no idea what it was about but that I had heard of the title through a friend's facebook status. It was by Mandisa, one of the American idol finalists who never shyed away from her faith. I hope this song blesses all of you who are hurting, who have lost precious loved ones, just as it blessed me this morning. Jeff and I were not prepared for the tears that began to flow from both of us after hearing it and then learning who she wrote it for. Here it is:http://www.lala.com/song/576742274785020115

It is called "You Wouldn't Cry..." or "Andrew's Song". Yes, isn't that amazing! But what's even more amazing is that she wrote it for a woman who lost her baby Andrew who was stillborn. She had said that she wanted to find a song that would be from Andrew's perspective and couldn't find one. So, she wrote her own. It's not just Andrew's song, it's the song of all our loved ones who have gone on before us to meet our Saviour. I hope that it encourages you, comforts you, and reminds you as it did for me today. I was just blown away this morning as I had no idea what this song was about.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Announcing...




Jeff and I are expecting our 6th baby. We must have found out very early because we are not as far along as we had first believed. We are not able to hold in our excitement and I cannot wait to tell you a few more details about this baby. But that is a very long post. Will you join us in lifting up this baby in prayer? We will never ever be able to replace Andrew and the news of this pregnancy does not take away any of the hurt and longing for him. But, we are incredibly excited. It absolutely never gets old. The expectancy of a new baby is by far one of the most exciting things that could happen. So, I'm showing and it's time to get some new maternity clothes. How about this one?









Thursday, February 5, 2009

Snow Day



Eli




Sam



Susanna, Eli, and Luke

Monday, January 26, 2009

On my mind...

Something I'm learning...Don't ever use the excuse of being real or being relevant as a reason to not be holy. The Lord commands us to be holy because He is. We are to be imitators of Him and not of this world. I'm guilty of this. So many times, I will share with a friend or family member something I may be struggling with. Not for the purpose of repenting and changing. I just share it so they can tell me that they struggle with it also. I then give myself a little pat on the back for being real and I feel much better about myself. I think to myself, See, everyone struggles with it, even other GOOD Christians. We do this all of the time. Sometimes it's a TV show, our marriages, how we raise our children. We just compare ourselves to our friends, our pastors, our family. And it reassures us of our standing with God. This can be very dangerous. Soon, we look just like those around us but hardly resemble Jesus at all.

I Peter 1:15,16- "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy."

Something that's bothering me... I don't understand why everyone keeps saying how proud they are of our country for electing President Obama. I don't get it. Yes, we can say that racial barriers have been broken. I don't care if our President is red, yellow, black, or white...if He acknowledges Jesus as His Lord and seeks to serve Him, then I would be excited. We now have a president who will most likely separate our country more than ever. This time it will not be a racial separation, but a religious one. He has already signed multiple bills that will affect everyone all across the land. Why did he find it most important to make one of his very first priorities to fund abortions worldwide? I will always love this country, but I think that Christians will be in for a battle like we've never seen before.

Something I'm thinking about...I'd better quit writing because I'm going to get myself in trouble. :)

Friday, January 16, 2009

PRAY

Please pray for this lady. I have read her blog since she found out she was pregnant. They had no clue that anything was wrong with her sweet baby girl Harper. She was born tonight and has been flown to another hospital. Please lift her up in your prayers.

I Needed This

One of my favorite bloggers has posted a video on her blog giving us four different ways to tie a scarf. I had no idea how wrong I have been doing it. Well, they are all very cute and Big Mama is always very entertaining. We both have the same name. No, not Big Mama. Although I would be more fitting to have that title on my blog than she is. Her name is Melanie too. I think we would be great friends. :) Oh, by the way, Holly, this is also a shout out to you and Chris. :0

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Isn't this cute?

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What was your favorite Christmas present? My husband, Jeff(not to be confused with my other husbands) got me this beautiful necklace. I just wanted to share it with everyone. I think it is a beautiful reminder of the 5 children that God has blessed me with. I think it is possibly my favorite gift that I have ever gotten. Sorry, Mom, the luggage you and Dad got me my Senior year came in a close second. :) What was your favorite gift this year?




Oops, I just realized how dusty my desk is! Hey, I've blogged two days in a row. What do you expect?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

6th Folder, 6th Picture, Sort of...


My friend Paige asked anyone who reads her blog to post the 6th picture in your 6th folder on your computer pictures. Well, I had to break the rules a little bit. My 6th folder only had 5 pictures in it, so we went with 7th folder, 6th picture. I would have gone with the 6th folder, 5th picture but it was a lovely shot taken by Luke of Yours Truly. And then I would have to quit writing out of sheer embarrassment. So, I present to you, 7th folder, 6th picture, Sam. This was right after his latest surgery. He is such a little trooper. He has been through 7 surgeries and has bounced right back from each of them. He is doing amazing. I cannot believe how much better he is talking over the past month or so. This picture just about sums him up. He has been through many hardships, but he usually has this big grin on his face. I love him so much!!!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

I think I'm Going to Try This Blogging Thing Once Again!:)

I just can't seem to get back into the swing of things. Our family had a great Christmas together. But, it has been hard to say the least. My heart aches for my baby. Yes, I've been blessed beyond measure with four babies on this side of Heaven, but I want Drew back. I wonder if I'll ever go more than a few minutes without losing my breath when I am reminded that he died. I am reminded when I see pregnant ladies in the mall, a mom holding her baby, when I get that email newsletter that I can't seem to block always stating, "this week in your baby's development", every time I look at my boys, etc... No matter what I do, I don't understand death. It scars us, leaving us permanently disfigured as we walk through this life. I can still go through this life happy but I'll never have the carefree feeling that I once had. Death has touched me and I'll never be the same. I appreciate so much each of your prayers. I know that they are what get me through each and every day.Sometimes when I am so overwhelmed and I feel as if my heart will completely break from crying, He gives me strength to press forward. I am certain that it is because of my friends and familys' prayers.