.

I interrupt vacation updates with an important announcement...

2010-07-06T14:01:00.003-05:00

I am anxious to update on the rest of our vacation travels and Kevin's leave time but first I had to share about our exciting day. Kevin was promoted to 1LT today! His mom, me and our girls were able to go to the hospital for his promotion and I was able to "pin" his new rank. No more butter bar!!!

Col Lomax, the head of nursing for the 86 CSH (Kevin's unit) came to do his promotion and said some really awesome things about Kevin. He bragged that Kevin functioned above his rank and had been very valuable for his military and nursing knowledge. He also shared that Kevin was one of a few nurses chosen to attend a special course last month and that they will be relying on him to teach and train the other nurses and medics while deployed.

We are so proud to be a military family and look forward to many more promotions in the years to come. Love you Kevin!!!!

After the promotion was over we were able to get a family picture. Poor Emma cried through most of it because she was afraid she was there to get a shot :)

Ripping off that butter bar and placing his 1LT rank

Vacation #1

2010-07-02T22:13:00.018-05:00

Whew! We have been buys and going non-stop and I have been a blog slacker.

Kevin took almost an entire month of leave time and we made the most of it by taking 2 (much needed) vacations.

At the end of May, I dropped the girls off with my parents and Kevin and I headed to South Dakota for a week to see his brother Dave and wife Cortney (did I mention we went WITHOUT kids????) We had an absolutely amazing time. South Dakota is so beautiful and "un-touched". We spent a few days at Dave and Cort's and the rest of our time "Out West" seeing the sights. We stayed several days in Hot Springs in a fully furnished apartment.

I took so many photos but here are just a few highlights from the trip:

On our way out West we stopped and fed some prarie dogs. They would come right up to you and take peanuts from your hand :)

We visited the Black Hills and spent several hours exploring the different formations and climbing around. It was incredible!

It was so beautiful and breathtaking. I have never been so moved by beauty in nature before

There were lots of places like this showing different colors

Kev and I in front of Mt Rushmore. It is so amazing to see in person and walk through the park

Cort and I at Rushmore

One of the coolest things about visiting SD were all the animals. They were everywhere. Like, 3ft from your car, everywhere. We saw tons of buffalo, antelope, prarie dogs, deer, and longhorns. The buffalo were our favorite, especially the babies. They roam wild and cover the grasslands

My sweetie enjoying some wine with dinner#1 at Blue Vervain

Me and Cort having some coffee on our balcony before heading out for some retail/spa therapy complete with manicures, pedicures, massages and great shopping!

The guys hike Harney Peak. It's elevation is about 7200 ft and is the highest point between the Rockies and the Alps

Dinner #2 at the Blue Vervain (MOST.AMAZING.FOOD.EVER.)

Beautiful lake where we fished

Having lunch at a pub and sporting my new fantastic headband :)

Posing with one of the many statues at Wall Drug

It was hard to leave but we were missing the girls like crazy! I think they had a pretty good time and were easily distracted, though, being spoiled by Nana and Papa!

More to come on the rest of our vacation travels...

Last day of preschool

2010-05-23T13:38:00.003-05:00

Thursday was Emma's last day of preschool for the year. She has loved it so much and I know she will miss her friends and teachers this summer

Showing Mama which seat is hers in the classroom

Giving hugs to her friend Kelsi

Up on the stage during the program. The 2's led everyone in the Pledge of Allegience and sang their ABC's

Having lunch during their party after the program

Emma with Ms. Becky. I am so blessed Emma was in her class. Ms. Becky is so kind and loving to the kids and Emma adores her

Next year both girls will be going two days a week. It is nice to give me time to run errands and do things around the house but I am really looking forward to having both girls home with me everyday this summer. We are getting in lots of quality family time before Kevin has to deploy in the Fall

Busy Week

2010-05-21T20:02:00.004-05:00

There has been a lot going on this week!

On Friday, Kevin got home from a two week training at Ft. Rucker. We missed him sooo much while he was gone. I figured a date night was in order and wanted to do something different. I told him on Saturday that a sitter would be coming at 6 and he couldn't know any of the details of our date :) I had planned for us to do Great Date #1 of The Great Date Experiment. I don't want to spoil any details but it is a faith-based exercise for married couples and consists of a series of 6 dates. The dates are geared to be really funny, a little cheesy, and help you grow in your relationship. At the start of the date you print out your "instructions" and it tells you step by step what you are to do, where you are to go, and what you are to talk about on your date. We had SO much fun and will definitely be doing Date #2!

On Monday, we all went and ate supper at Joe and Jill's house. Joe and Kevin's mom was in town visiting and we all had a great time together. Emma and Hannah love digging out all of Auntie Jill's plastic utensils and "cooking" with her. They spent a long time lying in the kitchen floor eating brocolli :)

On Wednesday, we had a surprise birthday dinner in Nashville for our friend Lori. We ate at Pie in the Sky and had a cake from Publix. It was all so yummy and so fun. I love spending time with my girlfriends and am so glad we can bless each other. Yay to Karen for thinking up this great idea! (Lori is the brunette, front-left)

But...the best news of the week....

Joe and Jill's twin baby boys were born on Tuesday night!!!!! It was a little earlier that expected but Mama and both boys, Carter Joel and Owen Thomas, are doing fantastic! I haven't snapped very many great pictures yet (I was too busy staring at them and holding them!) but they are just precious and perfect in every way! I am so excited to have nephews and can not wait to watch these guys grow up. Auntie Mandy loves you!!!

Sweet Carter, 7 lb 3 oz

Mama and Owen, 5 lb 12 oz

They call me Mommy

2010-05-08T22:21:00.006-05:00

I can't believe that I am so blessed to have two precious girls to call me Mommy.

Welcome Emma Elizabeth! After bedrest, 2 hospitalizations and rising blood pressures the doctor said she needed to come a little early, at 37 weeks. My induction did not go well and our 1st sweetheart was born by emergency c-section on 9/19/07. 5lb 14oz 19.5 "

When Emma was just 6 months old we decided to try for another :) Hannah Sue was scheduled to be born on Jan 27 but rising blood pressures again led us to a c-section on 1/22/09. 6lb 9oz 22"

Our first picture as a family of 4

Today, my sweet Hannah is almost 16 months old. She is fiesty and brave, cuddly and sweet. She loves following after big sister and is a total Mama's girl

My precious Emma is almost 3! She is funny and polite, smart and beautiful. She makes us so proud and is a wonderful big sister. Although she is a Daddy's girl, she lights up my life

Happy Mother's Day!!

Hand-Me-Down

2010-05-06T11:47:00.004-05:00

I like to think of myself as a deal-finder and fairly saavy with my shopping. This is especially true with things we buy for the girls (okay, minus their outrageous crib and dresser...). Since I was pregnant with Emma I have been a fan of buying used things. Almost all of my maternity clothes were either borrowed or bought off of Ebay. I also bought huge lots of baby clothes, shoes and supplies from Ebay and resale shops. I have always figured that a lot of baby gear is used for such a short time that you can find "used" stuff that is like new.

Kevin and I got into a discussion related to this the other day. We started listing off all the used items that have been given to us from people we know. The list is HUGE. I had never taken the time to pause and realize just how blessed and lucky we have been with so many essential items being handed off to us from friends and family that could have sold them and made a buck back. This list does not even include all the wonderful NEW things people have bought and given to us, which is also very long.

I wanted to document it here so that I can look back on it often and remind myself how truly blessed and loved we are. Also, it really leads me to want to hand these items down to others who could use them instead of consigning them. Pay it forward, right?

Exersaucer that both girls played in

Eddie Bauer wodden booster seat

Bath towels. EVERY SINGLE bath towel both our girls have ever used are hand-me-downs

Graco high chair. Both of our girls used this chair.

Bath tub- both of our girls used this as well

Over-the-door jumper. Possibly Emma's favorite thing ever

The list doesn't even include the massive amount of clothes, shoes and bibs from multiple people, boxes and boxes of toys, coats, baby blankets, diapers that were found in a closet :) etc.

It is very humbling to read through this list in my mind.

It soon will be my turn.

Great day for a picnic

2010-05-05T14:01:00.003-05:00

We ate al fresco today.

The girls have both become quite fond of having picnics. We have done a bunch over the last year. Kevin and I always crack up because we will usually bring 3 small bags of chips and they will all end up on Emma's lap because she hoards them :)

Today it was just me and my girls and no chips but it was still heavenly. What is it that makes eating turkey and cheese on a blanket outside so much better than having it at the table? Is it that fresh air can boost our appetite? Or maybe all the running and sliding and swinging expends are energy? Or maybe just the glory of doing something "special" and different. Sitting in the open air with those we love and enjoying all God's beauty. It is peaceful on that blanket in the shade with birds and the wind providing the ambience.

I think we'll do it again tomorrow.

Simple Pleasures

2010-05-04T12:03:00.002-05:00

The warmer weather means we have been spending lots of time outside. Emma loves to play in the grass and rocks. She will pick leaves off bushes, flowers, trees, etc and carry them around in her pockets. Hannah is fairly convinced that dirt is tastey. Walks through the neighborhood in the stroller have become a lot more interesting because we will let Emma get out and walk beside us. She will try to wander through neighbors' yards, play with their yard ornaments, attempt to pick their flowers, etc. She is exercising a lot of independence these days and frequently needs reminding to stay by the stroller, stay by the sidewalk, hold a hand when crossing the street and so on. She's getting it.

Hannah is content to practice her new walking skills. Outside terrain presents a challenge so she is still mostly crawling when out and isn't sure what to think of the grass or concrete under her hands. A lot of the time she just finds a comfy spot and will sit and just watch what is happening. She smiles when the sun is in her eyes and loves feeling the breeze. But the temptation of whatever big Sissy is doing usually takes over and then she's off.

Coming out of hibernation

2010-05-03T23:12:00.002-05:00

So....

It's been a while.

Going on 8 months, actually.

I've been working up the motivation to do a post for months now. I've been obsessing over how to explain why I've been absent, how to fill in for ALL the events and exciting things that have happened, how to post all the cute pictures I've taken, etc. I think I've resolved to not do much of the above but rather pick up where we are now and go forward with lots of fun documenting :)

Our family has really been going through a transformation. Some days, I think our lives today have very little resemblance to the way they looked when I did my last post. God has been faithful in doing a mighty work within us. It has been hard, it has been painful, but it has been glorious and amazing. I will just leave it at saying I love my life right now and feel so blessed to stand beside Kevin as his wife and to spend my days mothering Emma and Hannah.

Tune in soon for updates and photos of what we're up to. I've miss y'all :)

The start of birthday celebrations...

2009-09-17T19:48:00.006-05:00

As I type this, Kevin is driving home from San Antonio!! Last time I heard from him he was some where in Arkansas HA! I'll have to blog about his homecoming and the girls' reactions sometime later this week.

As for the title of this post, Emma will be turning TWO YEARS OLD on Saturday!!!! Today, she had a little celebration with her preschool class. I brought in cupcakes, juice boxes and little goodie bags for her friends to take home.

I had really high aspirations of making these fabulous Kitty cupcakes that I found directions for on Betty Crocker's website. The lady in the video made it look so easy and effortless and I was just sure that I would be able to create some, in honor of Emma's best friend in the world: her Build-A-Bear kitty she got on her first birthday from Auntie Mae and Uncle Ian. They didn't come out nearly as fabulous as I had hoped but I don't think any of the kids would have noticed/cared anyway :)

It was kinda funny because they did it right after their nap time and some of the kids were still half asleep and just sat there in a daze. 2 kids didn't even touch their stuff. I think Emma had fun and she really beamed when her teachers sang Happy Birthday to her.

I can't believe my little girl is getting so big.

Date Night

2009-09-12T22:04:00.006-05:00

I took my sweet Emma on a date last night.

I had originally planned on dropping both of the girls off at FBC for the MOPS' Parents Night Out but later decided to just send Hannah. Emma had a very teary and clingy day at preschool on Thursday and I've been having some behavior problems with her lately; it occurred to me that she would benefit (me too) greatly from some one-on-one Mommy time. She doesn't need anything fancy to make her happy. Just some time with mama.

So, I took her to Chik-fil-A for a huge brownie a la mode. She loved it and kept saying, "Mommy turn!", meaning she was allowing me to take a bite every once in a while. ha! She is making such a funny face in this picture but I thought it was precious.

After we finished our treat she played in their indoor playland. She loves it so much. She's still not brave enought to climb up high and go through the tunnels and slide but she loves exploring the ground-level stuff and just running around being silly.

Unfortunately, I actually developed a crazy migraine while we were out so our date got cut a little shorter than I would have liked. I really think she had a good time and we shared some good cuddles and kissies. She kept kissing my head for me and saying, "Mommy all better." What she doesn't realize, is it really did make it better :)

I also wanted to post a cute little video of Hannah. She rolls all over the living room and is starting to try to scoot around. She got herself all rolled up in a blanket on the floor this morning and it was so cute! (disclaimer: I've said this before but please try to ignore my crazy 3 yr old voice!)

Dear God

2009-09-11T13:49:00.007-05:00

What did I do to deserve this?

It's not fair, really

You didn't even consider my merit when dealing me this lot in life

Why me?

I didn't ask you for much; but this is what you give me?

I don't understand. But, thank you.

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-08T18:48:00.006-05:00

Emma had a great first day at our church preschool today! She was so excited this morning to, "Go to school!" (although she wasn't sure what that meant!) She was a little tearful during our goodbye but settled quickly and had a great time. Her teachers, Miss Becky and Miss Stephie said she was very funny but did not want to take a nap on her mat. She sat quietly but didn't sleep any which made for a very fussy and cranky Emma this evening. Hopefully she'll get the hang of that part soon so she's not quite so exhausted and spent by the time she comes home.

I know will now overload you with pictures from her day :)

All ready to go with her Elmo backpack!

Her new lunchbox with her name on it

They keep all their stuff in little bins that line the hallway, so it doesn't clutter the classroom. You can see her little nametag above her bin (with is only about a foot off the floor; so cute!)

Her little pseudo-report card for the day :)

Right as I was picking her up, all the kids got to pick a lollipop out from the teacher as a treat for the ride home. Emma's teeth and tongue were blue by the time we got home :)

I love Walgreens

2009-09-07T11:56:00.004-05:00

I am fairly new to the couponing world and am still working on strategies to make them stretch. My favorite place for deals, though, is Walgreens. They are really great about running really good sales and also for offering Register Rewards (basically a coupon for a certain dollar amount off your next purchase.) This is what I bought today:

Playtes Sport 36 ct
Glade Sense and Spray Starter Kit
2 tubes of 6 oz Colgate Max White
Aquafresh Iso-Active Whitening
Glade Glass Candle Warmer
4 pack Glade candles for warmer
Windex All-in-One outdoor cleaner

The total value for the items is $56.15
After coupons, I only paid $29.39!!

AND I got $9 in Register Rewards to use on my next purchase. So that means my out of pocket expense is only $20.39. Not too bad, huh?

I really wish I could make some better deals with groceries. I read about lots of people who save 50% and more with coupons and sales but I just haven't been able to make it happen yet. A lot of the food coupons I get are for things we either wouldn't eat or are really expensive items to begin with (therefore, wouldn't save on your bottom line). I find good deals on breakfast stuff and some lunch stuff but it doesn't make that big of a dent on the bill. Also, I've tried planning meals around what's on sale and what coupons I have but that would mean eating lots of bacon, hot dogs and lunch meat :) Anyway, I'm sure I'll figure it out some day.

We hope every one is having a good Labor Day. Emma starts her first day of preschool tomorrow and I think we might barbecue with Joe and Jill tonight. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for pics of Emma going to school (that is, if there are any that don't involve her crying or throwing a fit; she hates saying Goodbye). :)

Park!

2009-09-05T12:04:00.005-05:00

We have been having some awesome weather lately and have been trying to go to the park alot. This morning we went to our favorite park on post and Emma...(drum roll please).....went down two different slide all by herself!!! I'm so proud of her because she's very timid about climbing, slides, and lots of other large motor stuff. I think she was pretty proud of herself too :) Here are a few pics of our fun this morning

Hannah loves the swings

Emma about to go down the "Big slide"

This had the potential of being a great Kodak moment :)

I stole this, but I couldn't help it

2009-09-04T21:33:00.002-05:00

Ok, I rarely think the forwarded "funnies" I get by email are actually very funny and pass them on. Today, though, I came across a real winner. So, I stole it from someone else's blog who stole it from an email from someone they didn't even know; I'm safe right? Enjoy :)

Random Thoughts From People Our Age

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,and you can wear them forever.

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything else productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?Dangit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes

-As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.-

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their carkeys in a pocket, and Pinning the Tail on theDonkey - but I’d bet my last dollar everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat loser before dinner.

Miracles

2009-09-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

Recently, in some sort of 'church circle' a familiar conversation came up. Most of us have taken part in a similar conversation at some point. It went something like this:

"Things were so much easier in biblical times. I mean, God was all over the place with miracles: parting seas, turning water to wine, raising the dead. How are we supposed to hear God speak to us when he doesn't even have a Facebook account? C'mon, Jesus, send me a burning bush!"

Ok, maybe it wasn't quite like that, but you get the point. I admit I have traveled down this line of thought many times. So, I decided to consult the book. The Bible, that is.

" 1Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. " Exodus 3: 1-4 KJV

Now we've all heard the story of Moses and the burning bush but I think our memory often fails us. I know I have tended to think of it as Moses minding his business one day when all of a sudden he hears a loud bellowing voice saying, "Hey, Moses! Over here, in this bush. It's God. Come here so I can talk to you." It sounds so silly to write it out like that but it's also silly for us to minimize scripture that way.

I am learning that miracles really are occurring in my life every day. But, like Moses, I must turn aside to see them. I think many times God is trying to speak to us in the 'every-day' by making things just a little different, or a little special, or a little out of place but if we are not looking for him or never take the time to be still and know that he is God- we might miss it. The Lord spoke to Moses after he turned aside.

So, I'm trying to take note of the miracles in my life. I've compiled a list of just a few of the 'burning bushes' I've encountered this last year.

**A mini-vacation/ weekend alone with my greatly missed husband, is a miracle **

**When the pouring rain stops, literally, long enough for me to get both girls out of the car and inside the building before it pours again, is a miracle (this has happened twice)**

**When you get (somewhat) unexpected orders to pick up and move with the Army when you thought you still had months and you're on maternity leave and you call your boss in tears who, instead of getting angry or thinking you've been dishonest, reaches out with love, wishes you well, misses you and prays for your journey, it's a miracle**

**When a 23 month old sits patiently through 5 doctors appointments for her sister, it's a miracle**

**When your baby wakes in the middle of the night very sick and you need to take her to the ER and you call family to rush over so that one of them can stay with your older child and the other can go with you so you're not alone, it's a miracle**

**When you go to your new church for the very first time and one woman in particular is very friendly and really reaches out and welcomes you, it's a miracle. When that woman turns out to be married to someone in the military who's gone on deployment and has two children the same age as yours and knows exactly how you're feeling, that's really a miracle. And THEN when you find out that same woman lives on the same street as the house you just bought; who can deny that's a miracle?**

**When you're feeling overwhelmed with emotions and responsibility because your spouse is gone and you really don't think you can change one more diaper and a friend calls you out of the blue to say HI and offer some needed encouragement, it's a miracle**

**When your baby has a clean urine culture, that's a miracle**

**When your toddler is willing to let you pile groceries on her in the cart because she's not big enough to walk beside you in the store and you really need lots of stuff and she doesn't complain or throw anything on the floor, it's a miracle**

I know I'm leaving out so many things but these are just a few that come to mind right now. I'm so thankful for the miracles performed in my life, both directly and through others who have acted on my behalf.

I wonder, if there are miracles going on in your life today?

Overdue

2009-09-01T22:22:00.007-05:00

Wow. It's been a while, let's see if I can remember how to do this! ha

I will blame part of our absence on the fact that we were without a computer for about 3 weeks and the rest on the fact that we have been BUSY. Kevin left for his officer's course in San Antonio July 12th and we have missed him so much. God has been so gracious to us, though, and has carried me and the girls through this separation and we look forward to seeing him on Sept 18th! It will have been a looooong 9 weeks and Emma misses her daddy so much.

While he's been gone we've been doing our best to keep busy and enjoy the summer. A few of our adventures have included shopping at the Opry Mills in Nashville and dining at the Aquarium Restaurant. The girls have had playdates with some buddies at our house, at the splash park on post, and at The Monkey's Treehouse in Nashvegas.

I completed a Bible study with a ladies group at church and have started a Wednesday night study as well. I also joined a HUGE MOPS group here in town and have already fell in love with some of the ladies I've met!

Kev and I got a really special treat a couple weeks ago when Nana and Papa came to town to watch the girls for a weekend so I could fly to San Antonio and see Kevin! This was such an awesome gift and we are so grateful to have gotten some one-on-one time. Many thanks to Joe and Jill for also watching the girls and hauling me to and from the airport :)

Sweet Hannah is over 7 months old now and is a chunk! I'm going to start calling her my little butterball because you just want to squeeze her. She is rolling all over the place, loves to sit on the floor with toys and is really trying to scoot on her belly.

Emma will be 2 in a couple weeks and is transforming into such a little lady. Her vocabulary grows daily and she leaves me in awe with her ability to carry on full conversations. And, sniff, she will be starting Preschool next week!!

I am going to try to be better about posting more often. For now, I'll leave you with a few pictures of what we've been up to!

A Day in Pictures

2009-06-29T20:42:00.007-05:00

Here's a little of what we did today:

Coloring with Emma at her table
Stealing some snuggles with Hannah Sue Mommy eating some piggies

The girls lying in Emma's bed with their Loveys

Emma was giving Hannah some kissipoos

I got these in the mail today. They're the 4th of July shirts I ordered for the girls on Etsy. They came out super cute and I can't wait to put them on them!

Lazy Saturday

2009-06-27T14:38:00.004-05:00

It has been so HOT, for a couple weeks now. We haven't been making it outside much because our backyard doesn't get any shade and Hannah just doesn't tolerate the heat very well. So, today has been a beautiful-looking-through-the-window-Saturday and I just set first foot outside a minute ago to check the mail. Whoo. I felt like I had my breath sucked out. I'm actually debating keeping Emma up late tonight and taking her outside after Hannah is in bed and the sun has gone down...we'll see.

To beat the inside blues, Emma made a little craft today. I'm really looking forward to when she's a little bit older and less inclined to eat shreds of paper so we can do more crafty stuff. She loves to color and use her Color Wonder markers.

Today we made a cut-out of her hand and decorated it. The scripture written at the top is Isaiah 6:8 "...Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said here am I. Send me!" I pray she does answer God's call on her life and follows after Him.

Oh, and to end with, here is a little shot of her impatients that she's been growing. No blooms yet, but hopefully we're getting close!

Wishes, Hails, and Farwells

2009-06-25T22:40:00.004-05:00

We have been having a really great week. Emma is feeling MUCH better! Turns out, poor girl had some pretty bad double ear infections. Boo. But, she's on antibiotics and by the second day she was back to her old self again.

Hannah got a fun surprize in the mail from her Auntie Mae and Uncle Ian (or Uncle Ebee, as Emma would say.) It is a sweet growth chart to hang on her wall. Each increment has a "wish", a total of 100! It's so precious and matches the quilt that they got Emma after she was born. What really makes it sweet is her name and birthday are embroidered at the top. I can't wait for Hannah to be big enough to stand up next to it and see how much she's grown. Thanks, guys!

I also attended my very first "military event" tonight. Don't get too excited, it was pretty casual. Kevin's unit had a Hail and Farwell. Basically, they welcome in new officers and say goodbye to those who are leaving. Kevin was "Hailed" tonight since he is new. It was pretty fun and I got to meet some of the other wives. I may have accidentally gotten myself roped into doing some FRG stuff after talking to the commander's wife; ha, we'll see how that goes. Uncle Joe and Auntie Jill hung out with the girls tonight so we could go. I meant to have them take a picture of us before we went but I totally forgot :) So, I had Kevin take my picture after we got home. I am going to have to corner him to get a uniform picture soon!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Random

2009-06-21T21:20:00.006-05:00

Emma is still feeling really yucky today. She started having a few more symptoms so we called the on-call doctor; it is nothing needing urgent care but we are supposed to call and get her an appointment in the morning for an evaluation. Sweet girl, she's been in a pretty good mood considering she's her temp has been above 103 since Thursday afternoon. She felt especially horrible this morning. She just wanted to lay on the couch with her pillow and watch Mary Poppins.

And because I can't post a picture of Emma without posting one of Hannah, here's the sweet girl after her bath tonight

So, I've been attempting to enter the coupon world. I've read so many blogs of people who save $90 on their grocery bill, or get diapers for $2 a pack, or end up getting things free after discounts. It seemed so overwhelming to me to have to cut-out papers and organize everything and then match it up with sales. But, I've been slowly giving it a shot. Today, I had my first big success! I went to Walgreens with a bunch of coupons and a sales ad. Below is what I purchased:
Every single one of these items were already on sale in the store. Even with the discounts that Walgreens applied, the value of these items came to $61.34. After applying my coupons that I had, I only paid........

$21.03!!!!!!

My coupons saved me $40.31! AND, I got $6 in Register Rewards (basically like a gift card) to use on my next purchase so that makes it more like $15.03.

I'm so super excited. I am trying very hard to cut back our grocery budget (I spend WAY too much money on food) and I'm hoping to get it down to $30 a week. Not too bad for a family of 4. Now, I have to see if I can top my savings at the grocery store this week!

Poor Girl

2009-06-20T22:46:00.003-05:00

Poor Emma is either sick with a summer virus or is perhaps cutting her next set of molars. Whatever the cause, she has had an "impressive" fever for the last 3 days and is feeling really miserable. She pretty much has not eaten anything and isn't drinking much either. I feel so bad for her because she can't find the words to tell us how she feels or what we can do to make her feel better. We've been keeping her dosed on Tylenol and Motrin round the clock to keep her fever under control. Today, she woke up crying about an hour into her nap. I brought her into the living room and cradled her in my arms and she laid there for nearly an hour! Emma never lets us hold or cuddle her anymore and while I was sad for her that she felt so terrible, it also felt precious to have my girl in my arms. Sigh.

If it is a bug we've managed to keep Hannah from catching it (so far.) She has been in a fantastic mood and smiles all the time. She is really getting the hang of rolling over and loves to chew on her fingers and toys. Last night we discovered that a tip of her second tooth has broke through. She's thinking, "Bring on the steak!"

I think Kevin is going to church solo tomorrow. Emma needs to stay home for obvious reasons and I'm afraid to send Hannah in case it is a bug or virus. Maybe I'll read to the girls from one of Emma's Bible Story books.

*Side note* I always laugh when we read from that book because on the cover is Jesus with a bunch of children. One of the little girls is dark-skinned with dark brown hair and Emma always says, "Dora!"

Trying To Tackle The Terrible....Twenty-one Months???

2009-06-18T14:10:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow, my sweet Emma girl will be 21 months old! I can't believe how quickly her second year is going by; we're already thinking about what to do for her birthday. She amazes me with how fast she is learning things and quickly she is fading from a baby into a little girl. She LOVES her baby sissy and is always trying to play with and soothe her. She is turning into such a Daddy's girl and asks about all her Aunties and Uncles every day.

She brings so much joy and entertainment into our daily lives and I am SO blessed to be her Mommy.

However,

lately we are seeing a different side of our little angel. I've heard of the Terrible Two's but, I think our little prodigy is getting a head start. I find myself feeling so unprepared to deal with tantrums, crying fits, ultra sensitivity, and defiance. I love her more than I could ever put to words, but in recent days I feel exhausted. Some days I feel like I am trying to negotiate world peace and doing a song and dance to keep her happy.

I guess, I naively thought, "Not our little sweetheart. She'll never hit me or yell NO! Nope, not this sweet girl."

I know it's normal. I know it's a stage like any other and that she's learning and growing and testing boundaries. I think I'm having such a hard time with it because it makes me realize I am not in control. I can not make her stop screaming. I can not make her obey my words. I can not make her stop hitting. Yes, I can enforce discipline and time-outs. But in the heat of battle, when I'm at my witt's end - I can't make her act the way I want.

I didn't know I had issues with control. Really. It is turning out to be a humbling task of parenting that I'm entrusted with right now. We have "good" days and we have "bad" days. I'm finding comfort with accepting the fact that no matter how good of a Mom I am; even if it were possible for me to be perfect, my child can still rebel.

My pastor once preached on the topic of God's understanding and empathy with parents. HE created the perfect environment for HIS children. HE afforded Adam and Eve every luxury. HE spent endless amounts of quality time with them. HE was available to them all the time and in every perfect way. But, they still rebelled.

While I think this can provide immense comfort for parents with older or adult children that have gone astray, it provides comfort and relief for me too. I know that HE has equipped me with all that I need to raise Emma and Hannah. But, nobody said it was going to be easy. :)

Truth be told, I think the photos of Emma's sad faces are kinda cute.

New Ventures for Everyone!

2009-06-04T14:52:00.004-05:00

Wow, things have been busy around here. Last week, we were so lucky to have Mae, Ian, and baby K come visit us. We had such a good time hanging out and catching up. We also took the three cousin girls to have their picture taken! It took 2 tries but we finally got some really cute shots.

We all have embarked on some new ventures. Kevin has officially started working in the ER in the post hospital and will continue until he leaves for OBC in July *sigh* :(

I have started a new Ladies' Bible study and am just loving it. It is a video series of a conference by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur on the life of David. We just had the first week and I am super pumped and feel like God is really going to work some change in my heart and my life.

Hannah Sue has just cut her first tooth!!!! We didn't even know she was teething but I felt around in her mouth yesterday and sure enough there was a little pearly white barely poking through. I told her we could start with some cereal but she would really prefer some steak! ha!

Miss Emma has something pretty exciting to share also. She has started potty-training! Lord help us. I've actually been dreading this; I don't mind diapers but boy I hate pee on the floor! ha! She's been showing signs for a while now, though, that she's ready. Say some prayers for Mommy!

First Sprouts!

2009-05-29T13:10:00.002-05:00

We were so excited to look in the pot today and find this:

Emma has been faithful in watering her "fower" and telling it "Love you!" Can't wait to see some blooms...

Flower Power

2009-05-22T14:22:00.007-05:00

Emma has planted some Impatients and is very "impatient" to see some results. She did it (pretty much) all by herself. We'll keep you posted on the growth progress. It might be awhile.

She loved scooping up the dirt

She tried picking up the dirt that fell on the ground with her hands; sweet girl :)

She was very careful putting in the seeds

Hannah helped too; she held the supplies until Sissy was ready

The finished product. More pics to follow once we have a sprout!

Drum Roll Please....

2009-05-22T14:18:00.003-05:00

This little sister isn't so little anymore

Happy 4 Month Birthday Hannah!!!

Happy Easter (A day late)

2009-04-13T20:36:00.009-05:00

Sorry this is coming a day late but yesterday was pretty busy and I just didn't make it to the computer. We had a wonderful day of worship and with family. Jill made a delicious ham dinner and the girls got all kinds of goodies from Mommy and Daddy and their aunties and uncles (the got their Easter from Grammy and Nana and Papa a couple weeks ago.) Here are a few pics of yesterdays highlights. We hope you had a blessed day of reflection and time with loved ones. We love you! Kev, Mandy, Emma and Hannah

Easter Egg Eggstravaganza!

2009-04-11T20:15:00.009-05:00

Emma and Hannah went to their very first Easter Egg Hunt today! It was hosted by a family of our new church and was so much fun. Following all the festivities there was a picnic lunch with lots of yummy deserts. There was also a jump house and a little craft table where the girls made foam crosses with their names on it. We got to meet more great people from the church and had a great time. I'll leave you with some great pics and a hilarious video of Emma playing "fetch" with Daddy. Tune in tomorrow for pics of the girls in Easter dresses!!

Big Girl Bed

2009-04-07T20:15:00.003-05:00

Emma is officially the proud owner of a toddler bed. Poor girl has been sleeping in her Pack-N-Play for the last 2 weeks :( It's barely big enough for her to lay in and she has hardly protested her lack of space.

Although I'm excited about this new step for her I've been dreading it also just because it's another change and transition for her to have to undergo amidst all the others going on. She would be perfectly happy sleeping in her crib for months to come but we need it for Hannah. Baby girl has been sleeping in her bouncy seat and bassinet and has about reached capacity.

Emma was really excited when we put it together and liked playing on it. She was not so sure about going to sleep in it. She was a little upset this evening at bedtime but after about 10 minutes settled down. Hopefully she'll be able to sleep well through the night (and not fall onto the floor). I've been looking online for some supercute toddler bedding to order for her new room and can't wait to decorate it :)

We're having our home inspection tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed). Also, we still haven't had any luck getting Kevin's status updated so that we can enroll for medical benefits but he made some phone calls today a little higher up the chain that will hopefully make some things happen for Hannah getting her follow-up.

That's all our excitement for today. TTFN- Ta-ta from Tennessee ;)

Home Owners

2009-04-06T12:13:00.002-05:00

Our offer has been accepted and we should close by the end of the month!!! yay!!!!

Have you missed us?

2009-04-05T20:19:00.005-05:00

Sorry! I'm finally taking some time to sit down and fill you in about what we've been up to this last week or so. Even though not much is going on yet, I feel like we've been so busy!

Kevin is still working on trying to get all of his in-processing accomplished so that me and the girls can be enrolled for benefits, get ID cards, get our vehicles registered for entering post, etc. It turns out that when Kevin's recruiter had him take his initial oath several months ago she entered him into the system as a Reservist instead of Active duty. That means this has to be undone and changed before his family is eligible for benefits. While all of this is just a technicality and will all be taken care of (obviously we have active duty orders and we're here) it is putting a delay on things. Normally I wouldn't be too concerned but I'm anxious to get things squared away so we can get Hannah an appointment with an orthopedist.

---------->UPDATE ON HANNAH----------------> Sorry, I realized I never posted on update after her appointment in Springfield. The pediatric ortho said that in he is almost positive that she will correct her hip situation all on her own, however she does need to be monitored periodically until everything is normal. He feels that she needs another ultrasound and ortho appointment by the end of April to monitor progress. He said 95% of babies like Hannah will not need any intervention at all but it is still imperative that it is monitored closely. We are so thankful that no treatment is needed. Thank you so much for your prayers and support! So, hopefully we'll get all this benefit stuff squared away this week so that we can get her appointment set up. We'll keep you posted :)

We should know for sure tomorrow, but we think we have bought a house!!!! We put an offer in that we think will be accepted but I'm trying not to get my hopes up until we know for certain. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath ranch with a bonus room in a really cute subdivision. If the offer goes through I'll try to post a picture tomorrow and we'll close at the end of the month. Keep your fingers crossed! We have looked at a bunch of houses this week. We started off looking at the high end of what we were pre-approved for and quickly realized that just because the bank says they'll give you the money doesn't mean you can afford it! I think we finally figured out what we wanted to spend and found the perfect house (lets just hope the seller agrees our offer is perfect!)

It's been a ton of fun staying with Joe and Jill. Emma is a big fan of her auntie and uncle whom she is affectionately calling "Sheel" and "Sho". Jill has been gracing us with her yummy cooking all week; I think we'll have to come over for dinner every night after we move out. Their house is basically done and is beautiful. I can't wait for them to be able to move in and see it with their personal touches.

This morning we attended a new church, Madison Street UMC. I have to admit, I was really nervous about trying to find a new church and thought we might have to try several. But, I think this is going to be our new home. We went to a Sunday School class for 20's and 30's and everyone was so kind and welcoming. Also, most of the members were military so they knew what we were experiencing, being new in town.

It made me a little sad, though, because I really miss all our friends and our faith family from our church in Springfield, Wesley UMC. We developed such strong relationships there and I miss everyone so much! (Shout out to Julie, Cindy, Misty and Joel, Missy and Brad, the rest of Turning Points, Jennifer, Carrie and David- love and miss you guys!!)

I'll try to get on here more often and post about our new military life. Also, I got to get a pic of Kevin in his uniform! Miss and love all of you!

We made it to Tennessee

2009-03-31T15:54:00.002-05:00

I don't have any pictures to post yet or much time but just wanted to put up a quick post that we made it to Tennessee on Saturday evening. The trip was actually pretty uneventful and the girls did great! Joe and Jill are graciously letting us stay with them until we find a place and Emma is loving having extra attention (and new stuff to explore. She snuck into their bedroom yesterday and broke Jill's glasses *sigh*).

Tomorrow is Kev's first day to report. We've spent the last 2 days trying to get ID cards, enroll for benefits, get decals for our cars, etc and haven't accomplished any of it! Ha, got to love the military. Apparenly, Kevin is going to have some kinks to try to iron out concerning his status and the way it's entered into the computer. It's been a headache and frustrating but I'm trying to stay positive.

The awesome thing is that we were pretty sure we would have to rent a place for a few months before we could buy, BUT, that doesn't look to be the case. We have actually found a house that we love-love-love and are hoping to put in an offer this week (pending Kevin can work out those kinks quickly). I'll try to get some pics and find time to post more details about the things I had promised from before.

Until then, we miss and love you all!!!

Praise Jesus

2009-03-24T12:24:00.001-05:00

We have an appointment with a pediatric ortho here in Springfield Friday morning at 8 AM! (While our stuff is being loaded onto a truck) Thank you for your prayers, thank you God!

Where to Begin?

2009-03-23T12:36:00.006-05:00

First off, I owe Hannah an apology. Yesterday was her 2 month birthday but our internet was down all day! Very frustrating, I must say. She is getting so big.

Here are a few things she's been doing: She is finally starting to crack a few grins for us ~ She is staring to like to lay on her activity mat and kick her legs ~ She really still hates tummy time but is getting strong enough that she can scoot around a little bit when she's mad enough ~ She's gaining control of her head and can hold it steady for a while ~ She is following things around the room with her eyes ~ She can find me when she hears my voice ~ She is getting her nights and days straight (praise the LORD!) ~ AND, she has had several nights of only waking up once to eat and then going right back to sleep!! (more praise!)

Well, there are a lot of things on my heart to write about right now and there's no way I could fit them into one post. So, I'm gonna hit you with the punch lines and that which is lying on me the heaviest and save the rest for the coming days.

Ok, here's the punch line- Kevin has been comissioned as an officer with the US Army and we are moving to Ft Campbell, KY in in 4 days! For those of you who don't know, Kevin enlisted with the Army prior to graduating from high school and served four years on active duty, including 2 deployments overseas after 9/11. He then served 3 years with the National Guard while in college and has been separated completely from the military the last few years. There are a lot of details surrounding our decision for Kevin to join the military; that will have to wait for another post.

I also want to post in the coming week(s) about our awesome church and friends that we are leaving behind, my amazing job that I have had the last 4.5 years that I am absolutely heartbroken to no longer have, our crazy apartment that we are sooooo happy to say goodbye to (If we were staying any longer I might have to kill our neighbors!), Dave and Cort's recent visit and their very special gift for our girls, and so much more! (Apparently I have been really slacking on the blogging- You would think that with me being at home on maternity leave I would have more time for these sort of things)

Anyway, most heavily weighing on Kevin and I's mind this week is our dear Hannah. This last week we took the girls in for their well child checks. We take them to a pediatric nurse practitioner that I work with and just adore. Upon doing Hannah's physical exam, she noticed bilateral hip clicks. Since we were moving the next week she wanted us to take her for an ultrasound, just to be safe, and rule out hip dysplasia. We had Hannah's ultrasound this past Friday morning. A radiologist performed the exam and we have the final report but we are unsure what to make of the findings or if hip dysplasia has been ruled out.

The very very good thing is that Hannah's hips are not dislocating, even upon purposeful manipulation. The ultrasound did show, however, that both sockets are shalow to an extent that only about 50% of the femoral heads are covered. Also, the angles at which the femors enter the socket are off. There are some other findings also that I don't understand. The nurse practitioner and the doctor she works with don't have much experience with this and normally would refer Hannah to a pediatric orthopedist. But, since we are moving we are now going to be transfering into the hands of Tricare and the military's health system. Our understanding is that Kevin will enroll us (Me and the girls) as his dependents as soon as he gets on base but that it may take up to one month for us to get in the system. At that time, we will be assigned a PCP. From that point I can make an appointment for Hannah, and hopfully get a referral to a specialist.

It just pains us to think about having to potentially wait 1-2 months or longer in limbo of being unsure if there is something wrong with our baby, if she needs treatment or braces, etc. We are praying that the findings are "no big deal" and that she will not need any intervention at all. But, if she does, the sooner the better, for her sake. We appreciate your prayers and support as we wait and see how this process goes. This is a whole new lifestyle for me and will be a learning experience and although Kevin was in the Army before, he never dealt with dependent benefits. I will keep y'all posted (I'm practicing my Tennessee lingo) Until we blog again....Love Kev, Mandy, Emma and Hannah

PS. Isn't this the cutest stinking picture you've ever seen?!?

My Emma Girl

2009-03-04T23:30:00.006-06:00

I need to focus this post on my Emma girl and what she's been up to lately. She is getting soooo big and is learning soooo much.

First of all, let me say she is an awesome big sister. She is so kind and sweet towards Hannah. The first few weeks, she mostly ignored her. I must admit, that was kinda nice because I figured, "Hey, she's not being rough with her and she's not feeling neglected." Now, she's not only taking notice of her a lot more but I think she's really starting to care about her. She always wants to know where Hannah's at and what she's doing. She likes to come give her kisses and hugs and *gentle* pats. She brings her her lovey and binky and displays nothing but affection towards her. We're so proud of our sweet girl.

Part of having a little baby in the house means that you learn some mothering skills. Emma's very best friend and very best "baby" in the whole world is her kitty from Build-A-Bear that she got for her birthday from Aunt Mae and Uncle Ian. She sleeps with him and carries him EVERYWHERE. He never leaves her side. Well, now, she mothers him. As you can see from the picture, poor kitty needed his hair brushed and had some boogies that needed sucked from his nose. And, as all us Mommy's can relate, you have to balance baby care with your own so she managed to take care of her sweet kitty while brushing her teeth :)

We have also been working very hard with her on learning some simple "chores" and she is doing great with them. Every day, we have her put her shoes away by herself, put her dirty clothes in her hamper, she puts her books on her shelf (or on the floor in front of the shelf), and will help us pick up her toys at the end of the day. We give her lots and lots of praise when she picks up her things and she really enjoys it. I'm starting to notice that she's doing it without me asking her.

As part of her bedtime routine, I have been saying a prayer with her and showing her how to fold her hands and bow her head (which she does very nicely for all of about 3 seconds, but hey, it's a start). I've been struggling with what type of verbal prayer to pray with her. I thought, what would a baby be thankful for? What would a baby worry about? So, I pray in the first person, as though I'm her, and we thank God for Mommy, Daddy, Hannah and all our other family members. Tonight we thanked God for our awesome teachers at daycare because they do fun stuff and care so much. We ask God to watch over her through the night, to guard her dreams, help her be a good girl, be healthy and grow. Her favorite part, though, is the Amen. It kinda sounds like May-Mee. And she shouts it really loud about five times more like a Hallelujah. It's kinda funny because the first few times I tried to quiet her and say, "Okay, that's enough, time for night-night." I wondered how I would even try getting into an exlpanation of what it means to be reverent to an 18 month old. But then I thought, "What's wrong with celebrating at the end of a prayer in anticipation of the great things God will do?" I think sometimes we really can learn so much from our kids.

Anyway, miss Emma Liz is doing great and we love her so much.

And, because I just can't resist, here's a picture of sweet Hannah before I go :)

Typo Queen

2009-02-25T09:11:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to say that I realize I'm a typo queen. Simply should be simplify and I think I used the wrong version of "to" a few times. Nice.

Randomness

2009-02-24T19:56:00.003-06:00

I had a hair appointment today (one of my favorite things in the world) and got quite a bit of my hair cut off. As you can see by the lovely picture taken by my husband, there is still some length in the front but the back is pretty non-existent :) And, I love it. This isn't anything new for me; I've actually had my hair this short and shorter before. I had decided a few years back that I liked having a little more hair to work with but it just takes to long to get ready! Especially now that I have two runts to chase after I want to simply some areas of my life. *I'm trying to convince Kevin that we could really simply other areas by hiring a maid but he's not on board with that one yet*

I also realized that I hadn't really mentioned in any prior posts (sorry!) the family we've had come stay with us and help us welcome Hannah into the family. Kevin's sister, Mae and baby Izzy were the first to meet Hannah. They actually came into town a couple hours before the birth and stayed for a week. It was so awesome having someone at the hospital to greet Hannah, especially since it was so late at night and unexpected. Then, they came back this past weekend with Ian and visited. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and seeing the 3 girl cousins together. Mae and I are hoping to get the girls' picture taken in a few months, when Hannah is a little older; won't that be precious?!

Also, my step-mom was in town right after the birth to meet Hannah and take care of Emma while we were at the hospital and recovering at home. It was so awesome to have her around doing laundry, cooking, and really keeping Emma entertained.

The weekend of Valentine's Day, Kevin's brother Joe and his wife Jill came to visit from Ft. Campbell. Again, we had a wonderful time and it was so nice to see them.

We are so truly thankful for our family and how much they love us and our girls. It places a true peace and happiness in my heart knowing that we have so many people to love our girls, to play with them, to guide them, to lift them in prayer, and be a positive presence in their lives. I admit, it's not something I thought about much before becoming a mom; I didn't realize the value of family in this way. It's true, though, that it is on my mind daily and I am so thankful.

I love ya'll

1 Month Old

2009-02-22T15:21:00.002-06:00

Hannah Sue is 1 month old today!!!

We love you baby girl!!!! Love, Mommy, Daddy and Big Sissy Emma

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-16T22:13:00.007-06:00

~ Here are some photos of my littlest Valentines ~

Emma getting ready to give Hannah a V-Day kiss (By the way, check out Emma's eye lashes!)

Hannah Sue's 1st Valentines

Emma, sporting her new shirt from Uncle Joe and Aunt Jill, who came to visit us this weekend

Emma in her Cupcake shirt, on her way to the Valentine party at daycare

Emma's goodie bag and Valentine's from friends at daycare

These are the Valentine's Emma took to give her classmates

An Interview with Mandy

2009-02-09T21:48:00.002-06:00

I'm getting addicted to surveys/games, etc. So, this one is where you are given 5 interview-type questions from another blogger to answer and post. If you play along, I get to pick 5 questions for you! Here we go...

1. If you had to pick one personality trait to pass on to your children from both you and your husband, what would it be? Are there any personality traits that you would most definitely not want to pass on?
This is tough. A trait from Kevin is pretty easy- he is a peace-keeper and I hope that trait passes on to our girls. He is so gifted at seeing the Greater Need of a situation. He encourages others to let things go, to reconcile and is able to swallow his own frustrations for the sake of relationships. I'm amazed at his even temperment and ability to forgive. I pray this is something he continues to demonstrate and teach our girls. If I had to pick something I hope he doesn't pass on to our girls, I would have to say driving agression/frustration. Not quite to the level I would say Road Rage but it's close. (Love you, honey :)
From myself, I hope that our girls gain my sense of compassion. From a young age I have always been able to feel great empathy and compassion for those around me. One those I know are hurting, I hurt with them. When there is a joy, I rejoice with them. In our current culture, I think it's often too easy to become very egocentric and have little regard for our fellow man and I hope I'm able to show my girls it's important to share in life's trials and blessings with each other. I hope I do NOT pass on my procrasination to the girls. Dude, it's bad. Example, my c-section was scheduled for Jan 26th; I only delivered 4 days early and my hospital bag was not packed. Sad, I know.

2. Out of all the books you have read, which book has had the strongest impact on you and why?
Other than the Bible for its obvious reasons I would have to say Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I think he makes a very raw, very honest look at the struggles Christians face such as losing enthusiasm, "betrayal" by other Christians, the mundane doldrums, etc and how we can address and deal with it. As he explored all of his short-comings and frustrations and times of discouragement on his walk with Christ, I felt like it was a manuscript for my own faith journey. In the end, he realizes, as does the reader, that while we may not always "feel" consistent and faithful, God is.

3. If you had to change careers, what would you do instead and why?
This is going to sound so boring but I would love to do a job where all I did was data-entry or crunch numbers. No phones ringing, no customers/patients to deal with, no interaction with the public. Give me a task to do with instructions and then leave me alone to do it. My job requires me to spend alot of time dealing with patients and talking on the phone. I hate the phone so much that I sometimes take it as a personal attack when it rings. Hmph, I love my job but sometimes I think it would be so nice to not have to see or talk to anyone. :)

4. If you had to choose the best meal ever, from appetizer down to dessert, what would it consist of?
Alright, this is going to be so non-sophisticated or fancy. First, a blooming onion from Outback. Then, a house salad from Pasta House. This would be followed by the jambalaya from Brew Co and ended with creme brulee from Nonna's. Mmmm. Oh, and I would have ice water with no lemon and sweet tea. :)

5. As a parent, and considering the world we live in, which things make you excited for their future? Apprehensive?
It is easier for me to start with things that make me apprehensive. It makes me so sad when I see how sexualized and image-driven our current culture is, especially for girls. It seems to get worse with each decade and doesn't show any sign of slowing down. I fear the day when one of my children come home wondering if she's pretty enough, skinny enough, fancy enough. Or if she feels that she must give of herself to a boy to gain his love and affections. I'd like to naively think we don't have to worry about this until the teen years but I know that's not true.

That being said, I'm excited that Emma and Hannah can potentially have every opportunity afforded to them. They can participate in athletics, academics and the arts. They can pursue any collegiate field they want or they can choose to be a homemaker. Mostly, I'm just excited to see God's plan for their lives and how He uses them.

If you would like to play along here are the directions:1. Leave me a comment & your e-mail address saying, "Interview me." If you dare.2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. (You get to choose the questions.)
The first five 'askers' get the interview!

Hannah vs Emma

2009-02-06T20:57:00.009-06:00

It's interesting for us to see the differences that are emerging already between Hannah and Emma when she was first born. Appearance wise, they look so similar. Hannah has a little more hair and it's darker but their facial features are spot on.

Emma, 1 week old vs. Hannah, 1 week old

Their tempermants and preferences are turning out to be complete opposites, though.

Size:

Emma was a petite baby and is still low on the growth curve for size. She was 5lb 14 oz when born and was slow to put on weight, although she was very healthy and "normal." At her 2 month well baby check, she was a little over 8 pounds.

Hannah was born about a pound heavier at 6 lb 9 oz. She went for her 2 week check today. The goal for 2 weeks is to be back at birth weight; she's that plus a pound! 7lb 9 oz! She's already about to pass where Emma was at 2 months!

Sleep:

Emma could only sleep when she was tightly swaddled with a cap on her head until she was about 2 months old. My parents used to laugh and say she was going to go to Kindergarten swaddled and nicknamed her Swaddle-Butt.

Hannah has hated being swaddled from the day she was born. She doesn't like being wrapped in a blanket and would rather stretch her limbs out when sleeping. She doesn't like caps either.

Emma sleeping vs. Hannah sleeping

Eating:

Emma was a grazer. She would casually nurse or bottle feed for 20-30 minutes and never eat enough to be full. This led to her wanting to eat every 1-2 hours for the first two months. Finally, around 2 months, she would start taking about 3 oz at a time and would go 3-4 hours between feedings.

Hannah eats quickly, in about 5-10 minutes and is already eating 3 oz per feeding and going 3-4 hours in between. Perhaps this is why she's about to pass her big sister up on stats...

Diaper Diaries:

Poor Emma could never, um, go "potty" as often as she should. It wasn't that she was constipated, she just never felt the stimulus that she had to go and so we had to help stimulate her to make her. Gosh, I think this went on from birth until she was about 6 months old.

Hannah fills her diaper about every hour. Enough said.

But, both girls are precious and sweet. I keep realizing that I've been assuming they would be the same but they're not. I think that's awesome, though. We'll see if the trend continues as they grow older.

Today's letter is "B"

2009-02-05T20:36:00.002-06:00

My SIL Mae is playing a fun game on her blog. She was "assigned" a letter from another blogger and had to come up with a list of 10 things she loves that begins with that letter. She has assigned me the letter B. If you want to play, comment me and I'll pass on another letter to you!

(I'm feeling kinda lazy so forgive me for not uploading pics with mine. Also, this is in no particular order)

1) Burgers. My palatte is very un-sophisticated. I would take a yummy burger and fries over steak any day. And, I'm sad to admit, I love fast-food burgers. I know they are so bad for me but they're so tasty. My fav is probably the Big Mac. Ahh, I should probably try to steer clear of them for a while though since I'm not really digging the whole "post-second-baby-body."

2) Babies. Granted, I love my own 2 babies best (with friends and family's babies coming in after that) But, I have always loved babies. I can't resist their little gummy grins and soft skin. I've often said that one of my favorite smells in the whole world is a baby's breath. I love how dependent they are on us, how trusting they are and how non-judgemental. I have a horrible singing voice but Emma will still snuggle into me at night when I sing You Are My Sunshine to her. There are days when I think it would be so fun to work in a daycare and hold babies all day. (Then I remember that there is usually lots of pooping and puking and decide I'm doing well enough to take care of my own)

3) Boyfriends. Well, just 1 actually. My wonderful husband Kevin was also my first "real" boyfriend in high school. Now I know that all husbands start out as a boyfriend, but not all of them are 16 and play on the soccer team. Although we had lots of drama in our highschool dating years, I love being able to look back at the early days and have memories of him at that stage in our lives. Working on homework, going to games, and rushing home for curfew and some of my most cherished moments with him. Ugh, I'm so glad we grew up though :)

4) Breakfast. Breakfast food is probably my favorite. We rarely eat anything for breakfast beyond a cereal bar or instant oatmeal, but when we go out for breakfast I'm in heaven. I have this horrible habit of wanting to eat all of my favorites during such fantastic occassions and I over-order and over-eat. This usually leads to me feeling crummy and needing a nap. In case you're wondering, my favorites are biscuits & gravy, sausage, pancakes and hashbrowns.

5) Back rubs. Do I really need to say more?

6) Buying stuff. Ok, so this is a little stretch for starting with B but I can't help it. I love to shop and I'm really starting to love online shopping.

7) Books. I've loved to read for as long as I can remember. The last several years, I go through spurts of reading several books back-to-back and then taking a break for a few months. I've always read fiction until the last two years; I've started really getting into Christian literature. Some of my current fav authors are Rob Bell, Donald Miller, John Ortberg, Max Lucado and Lee Stroble.

8) Brain-teasers. I have several puzzle books full of brain-teasers, logic puzzles, word puzzles, etc. When I feel bored, I'll bust them out and be nerdy for an hour or two. It's not so much about exercising the brain, I just think they're kinda fun. Kevin thinks I'm weird.

9) Baked goods. Mmmmm, I love cake, cupcakes, pie, cookies, candy, etc. I never used to be in to sweets, but since my first pregnancy I've had an insane sweet-tooth. Again, not doing so much good with those burgers for my post-babies-body. My best defense is to not let any of the stuff be in the house. Of course, that requires self-restraint in the grocery store...Oh, well, you can't win them all :)

10) Buddies. I'm blessed with many great friends (including my awesome in-laws). A girl can never have too many shoes or too many best buds.

A trip to the ER...

2009-02-03T20:25:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was an eventful day for us; we spent the afternoon in the ER. Ugh. I woke up Sunday morning with a little bit of a headache. It felt like a sinus headache so I took some ibuprofen and a Sudafed. We went to church and spent the rest of the afternoon at home. By evening, my headache was getting worse and worse. Kevin decided to check my blood pressure and it was running around 150/100- not good. Since it was the middle of the night at this point and both girls were sleeping, we decided to try to tough it out and see if things got better by morning. Well, they did but by 11AM it was building back up again. I really didn't feel like I could tolerate the pain anymore and was a bit worried about my blood pressure so we headed in to the ER (where Kevin works). Long story short, they gave me some meds to bring my blood pressure down, ran some tests to make sure I wasn't developing pre-eclampsia post-partum (I'm not, thank goodness), and gave me several different meds to relieve the pain. Finally, around 4 pm, I was completely drugged up and pain free. I'm so thankful that the pain has not returned!!

Kevin was so supportive and really took care of me and the girls for 2 days. I know that he hasn't had much sleep the past week and he's been working. I don't know what we would do without him!

Emma was very proud to wear a Big Sister shirt to church on Sunday. This was the first opportunity for a lot of our friends at church to meet Hannah and congratulate Emma on her new status. Hannah slept the whole time we were there :)

She's still been a pretty easy baby for the most part. She will have at least one 4 hour sleep session at night and sleeps most of the day. She's eating about 3 oz every 2-4 hours.

Thanks, again, to everyone who's been sending prayers and warm wishes our way. We're excited for everyone to get a chance to meet our new little angel and hope all is well with you!

Snowed-In

2009-01-28T20:28:00.003-06:00

There's been a lot of ice and a bit of snow fall in the last few days. The roads have been pretty icky (I hear) and folks have spent a lot of time with their ice scrapers trying to get into their cars. I've never been so glad to be at home with nowhere to go! ha

Hannah is doing awesome and fits in with our little family just perfect. She's continuing to nurse well and is a great sleeper. I've actually managed to get 5-7 hours of sleep at night and feel pretty rested during the day. Emma is really taking to her role as a big sister. She likes to come give Hannah kisses and pat her head. I'm so thankful that Emma hasn't shown any signs of resentment or jealosy of her little sissy. She's still our happy, lovey girl.

I was really excited to get a package in the mail I had ordered a few weeks ago. I ordered some "Big Sister/Little Sister" shirts for the girls off of Etsy and they are soooo cute. It will probably be a month or two before Hannah will fit into hers but I think they'll be great for having some fun pictures taken.

Thank you, again, to everyone for your love and prayers. We are doing awesome and can't wait for all of you to meet sweet Hannah. Check back often for updates.

We're home

2009-01-26T19:37:00.005-06:00

Wow, what an amazing 4 days! We brought sweet Hannah home from the hospital yesterday and we are all doing amazing. Hannah is finally nursing well (she was pretty lazy the first few days and didn't seem to think nutrition was important! haha) I am still sore but feeling better by the hour. Last night, we actually got quite a bit of sleep and I have felt pretty energized today and only took 1 nap. Lets cross our fingers that the same will transpire tonight.

I'll post more updates as I have time. Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and support. We love you all! ~Kev, Mandy, Emma and Hannah~

A walk in the park.......

2009-01-24T08:29:00.009-06:00

So I think this is officially my second post on here; the first was due to similar circumstances..... I apologize for the delay but we would like to introduce everyone to Hannah Sue Costello, born 1-22-09 at 9:56 pm. She weighed 6lbs. 9oz. and was 19 1/2 in. For those keeping track that is a little early but everyone is doing well.

Thursday started out like any normal day except with a projected high in the 60's which is not too bad for January, and while I was sleeping from working last night Mandy took Emma for a walk in the park and some swing time.

After that they came home, Emma took a nap and Mandy went to her last pre-baby OB appointment. While there her B/P was up a little and the Dr. thought it best to keep her and deliver her that night. Survey says........

All in all things went very well. Mandy tolerated the c-section well, and it was pretty quiet throughout the L&D world, so there was plenty of help and no need to rush (unlike last time). Here are some PICS of the event-

I'll try and get all the pics up on Picasa and what not but for now these will work. Your thoughts and prayers have meant everything to us during this time and we ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts, especially me as I am now outnumbered 3:1 on the homefront! Love to all

Getting so close

2009-01-21T19:56:00.002-06:00

I really can't believe we only have 4 days left as a family of three! This pregnancy has went by so fast and I'm getting anxious to meet our new baby girl.

I'm so glad that I took this week off. Practically, I had some last minute errands and stuff to do at home to get ready. (I still need to pack my bag, though- eeek!) But I think having some peaceful days before the chaos is doing my soul some good. I've spent a lot of time in prayer and Bible reading. I've taken a nap every day (such a treat)! I've spent some awesome 1 on 1 time with Emma. And, I've just had some quiet time to reflect and be thankful. Things definately haven't always went the way we've wanted them to but we really are so blessed beyond anything we deserve. I am truly thankful for and humbled by my amazing husband. I can't even put appropriate words on a Blog to describe the blessing he is to us but I hope he knows we love him and wouldn't trade him in for the world :) We have an amazing, supportive family who lifts us up and loves us unconditionally. And, our church family has also been incredible with encouraging words, prayers and friendship.

So, I'll keep you updated and will try to be sure and get a parting belly-shot picture before the big day. We love ya'll and are so thankful for you!!

1 Week! ...and counting

2009-01-19T19:35:00.005-06:00

I am so excited to know that by this time next week our sweet baby girl will be here. I can't wait to see her little face and kiss her little toes. I have a fair bit going on this coming week and am hoping it will help pass the time quickly.

Friday was my last day of work and the start of my maternity leave. I kicked off the "break" on Saturday by getting a pedicure and my hair done. Some fabulous folks at work got me a gift certificate for the pedi and it felt so relaxing. I found myself thinking, "I should get one of these every week!" Kevin may disagree... But, I'm glad that I will have some fabulous toes while lying in a hospital bed!

Sunday I went to church in the morning and attended a meeting for the church nursery. Then, that night we went back to church for a free viewing of Fireproof. If you haven't seen this movie, you must! It is such a great film about having a God-centered marriage, forgiveness, grace, overcoming problems, etc. It really touched Kev and I and I'm sure we'll watch it again.

Today, Kev and I had lunch with some awesome friends, David and Carrie. Their daughter Erin is about 5 1/2 months older than Emma and Hannah will be about 5 1/2 months older than their second baby!! We're so excited that they are expecting again and can't wait to meet Baby Lee in July. :)

Tomorrow will be full of cleaning, some errands and hopefully a nap. My sister-in-law Mae and baby Isabelle are coming to stay with us on Wednesday and will be here through Hannah's birth. We haven't got to see Isabelle since Thanksgiving and can't wait to kiss her and see how big she's gotten!

More updates will follow. Thanks to everyone who's been praying for and supporting us!

So Blessed

2009-01-15T08:04:00.002-06:00

This week has been a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. Partially, I'm sure, because I'm hormonal and uncomfortable and literally days away from delivery. But, it's also been stressful trying to tie up loose ends at work, get a new person trained and also deal with the logistics of some of my "management" duties.

At the end of the day on Tuesday, I was ready to throw in the towel. There were some administrative issues being discussed and worked on and I was getting really frustrated and feeling overwhelmed because it felt like noone understand my view on things. I was really doubting my role as a manager and whether I was cut out for it. Needless to say, I had a little pity party for myself Tuesday night and was really bummed.

Yesterday I came to work and the day started like any other. Right before lunch, though, one of my staff called me and suspiciously told me to not make any lunch plans and to come down to the clinic at noon. When I went down, all my staff were there as well as the providers I work with and some others- they had decorated and thrown me a surprise baby shower! There was pizza and a cake, tons of cute decorations, and loads of gifts for sweet Hannah. It was so unexpected. As we all sat and visited over lunch, I felt so blessed.

Not just because we were given gifts (that is a huge blessing) but because I had people who cared about and supported me. These folk that just the day before I was doubting whether I served them well or did a good job, affirmed for me that I'm doing alright! It really uplifted me and kicked my butt out of my pity party. I'm so thankful for my job and all the people there.

Out of Character?

2009-01-11T19:52:00.002-06:00

I'm not a big fan of kids' clothes with cartoon characters on them. It's not that I don't think they're cute or fun, it's just not my thing. So, I've purposely avoided buying Emma hardly anything that has a character on it. When she's a toddler and begs for Elmo pajamas or Dora tennis shoes, I'll totallly comply. It's only a short period of time that I can completely control her fashion preferences :)

Lately, though, I have kinda fell in love with the Disney Princess stuff. They're not characters that Emma recognizes. She sorta knows who Mickey and Whinnie the Pooh are and she like the Imagination Movers. But, I know there will be a day in the near future when she'll be like every other little girl (including myself) and fall in love with all the Disney movies and princesses. In preparation for this special day, I bought Emma a Disney Princess nightgown. I love it. It's soft and minky with a sheer overlay. I think she likes it too. What little girl doesn't like to pretent she's a princess? So, I'd like to present Princess Emma, all ready for night-night.

1st Dentist Appointment

2009-01-09T19:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I took Emma to her very first dentist appointment. I've been meaning to get her in since she turned 1 but it just didn't work out until now. I'm pretty lucky that my work also runs a state-of-the-art dental clinic, complete with pediatric specialists. Kevin and I go there for our dental care and now, so does Emma.

At this age, they primarily check that their baby teeth are coming in as they should, there's no decay present, and educate parents on oral hygiene. The dentist said they'll probably try to get her first set of x-rays around age 2 and start doing in-depth cleanings around 2 1/2 to 3.

Although I was excited to finally get her in, Emma was not happy. I must admit, she did better than I thought she would. She got really scared as soon as we walked back to the dental chair, before anyone touched her. I think part of it was because it was a new environment but there's also such a distinct smell in dental offices- something she had never smelled before. She calmed down a little bit when the hygienest let her pick out a new toothbrush. She chose a red one with Darby and Buster on it (from Whinnie the Pooh).

Thankfully, the dentist said her teeth look very healthy and clean. She has 12 teeth and is in the process of cutting her two upper canines. She goes back in 6 months for a check-up.

On another note, I'm really glad it's Friday. We have some errands to run this weekend, a few last minute things before the baby comes. Also, I'm going to a birthday dinner tomorrow night for my dear frined Jenell. Hope you all have a great weekend!

As Promised

2009-01-08T21:43:00.005-06:00

Prego Mandy on Christmas morning

Emma making some eggs and vegetable medley with her new frying pan

The little movie star in her fancy new coat from U. Dave and A. Cort

Just woke up and ready to dive under the tree

All bundled up and ready to go out on a chilly day

Too long!

2009-01-05T08:24:00.003-06:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I've made a post. I must admit, I've recently gotten into the Facebook craze and have been posting a lot pics and tidbits on there. I will try to give you a bit of an update and will post some pictures when I'm at home.

On the pregnancy front:
My blood pressure has been holding steady. It's elevated a little above normal but at this point my doctor is just keeping an eye on things. I have a c-section scheduled for January 26th. That's 21 days from today and it is approaching fast! I'm really getting excited and can't wait to meet sweet Hannah. It's surprizing to me how different I'm feeling and thinking about this delivery in comparision with Emma.

I'm not in a hurry. With Emma, I couldn't wait for her to be here. Obviously, I didn't want her to be born prematurely or have health issues but if I thought she could be born at 30 weeks just perfect, I totaly would have been in :) This time, I'm still anxious but I'm trying to relish our last weeks with Emma as our only baby, get things ready at home, sleep and tie up loose ends at work. I know Hannah will be here in God's perfect timing and I'm content with that.
I'm not afraid of delivery. Not that I'm a "pro" by any means, but at least I have an idea of what to expect this time. With Emma, I would break into tears anytime I even thought about delivery because I was so fearful of what it would be like, how I would handle it and recover, etc. Even though having a c-section is not ideal, my first experience was a good one and I'm not afraid of the procedure itself or the recovery. I think the hardest pary will be the fact I won't be able to pick up Emma for a while. Love and affection aside, she'll only be 16 months and it's still a necessity in daily activites to lift and carry her some. Hopefully she (and I) will be able to get creative and make it through the first few weeks. Kevin will be around quite a bit and I know he'll be awesome at helping with that sort of thing.
I'm a little sad. I'm not sad that Emma might feel a little jealousy or that her routine may be jostled. Those things aren't great but I know it's part of being a family and being a sibling. I'm just a little sad that she won't be our only baby anymore. From the beginning, we felt in our heart that we wanted at least two children and for them to be close in age. We still feel this is the right thing for our family and have no regrets. I just wonder what it will be like to have two to focus our attention on. Emma truly has been pure joy in our lives and we feel so blessed to be her Mommy and Daddy.

We are so excited about her upcoming arrival and can't wait to introduce her to all of you! My step-mom will be coming on the 25th and will stay for a week to help take care of Emma while Kev and I are at the hospital and for that we are very thankful!!

On to Emma-

That girl is growing and learning so much every day it's crazy! She's 15 months now and is so smart. Here are a few new "tricks" she's learned:.

she knows her hair, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, teeth, belly, arms, legs, feet and butt
she knows the sign motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, If you're Happy and You Know it..., and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
she says Mama, Dada, Emma, thank you, shoes, eyes, no, yes, bye-bye, bubbles, bath, ball, uh-oh, more, Jack, Baby, kitty, yum-yum, binky, and so many more. She picks up new words every day and we're constantly looking at each other and saying, "Did she just say _____?!"
The girl can dance! She used to just bounce a little bit when she heard music. Now she has a repretoire of moves. She shakes her hips, stomps her feet, she'll spin in circles, wave her arms, bounce, or any combination. She's got soul but I don't know where she got it!
She's learning how to help "clean up" She knows where her shoes and books go and will help me put them up. I try making it fun and like a game and so far I've got her fooled :)
She's starting to pretend play. She is totally a girly-girl. She has a bunch of those plastic rings that interlock together. You know, they ones that make a chain and you can attach other toys to them? Yeah, well she's discovered that they make good bracelets. I don't wear bracelets nor have I ever showed her how to put them on her wrist but she's figured it out. She'll put several on each wrist, put a purse on her arm and wrap an article of clothing around her neck like a boa and strut around the house. It's adorable and she's totally decided to do it all on her own. She's also started babying her babies. She will now wrap a blanket around her kitty and lay him down like he's sleeping. Super cool stuff.

I could go on but you're probably sick of reading! I'll post some pics from Christmas and my ever-growing belly. I promise I'll try to update more often (at least for the next few weeks until I'm in zombie mode) Hope all is well with each of you and that we see you all soon!!

Time to be upbeat

2008-11-09T19:06:00.004-06:00

I realize I've been complaining alot when really I have much to be thankful for. Namely, my precious girl Emma!

We really had a great Sunday. This morning, we got up for church and heard an awesome sermon on "Servin' it up!" In order to become more like Christ, we have to be servants to one another. We talked about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet in the upper room and also the passage that speaks of, "...that which you did for the least of these..." It was really uplifting and has inspired me to look for ways I can serve others.

After church, I took Emma to the mall to get her some new jammies and pants. She was so sweet the whole time we were shopping. I got her some cute jammies from Children's Place that were on sale. Bonus. I also got her some Jumbo Crayons and she colored us a picture when we got home that is proudly displayed on our fridge. We visited with Kev before he went to work and then she took a bath and got ready for bed.

I normally rock her every night for a few minutes before lying her in her crib. Tonight, she hopped up in her rocker by herself with her Lovey and Baby Bible. She was trying so hard to rock her self and kept head banging in to the back. In this pic, she's showing me where her belly is. :)

We're amazed each day at how smart she is and all the things she's learning. When we say it's bath time, she walks to the bathroom on her own and starts trying to undress herself.

When we tell her it's time to change her diaper or, "Change your butt," as Daddy says, she walks straight to her room and changing table.

She can follow lots of simple commands and is starting to learn the motions to some songs. Her favorite is the Itsy Bitsy Spider. It's crazy how fast she's growing and turning into a little girl versus my little baby. Oh, and to think there's going to be a new baby in the mix soon...that's crazy.

Hope y'all had a great weekend. I'll post an update after my appt with the doctor on Wednesday

I'm sick of "Grrr's"

2008-11-08T20:35:00.003-06:00

I really don't want to complain, but come on! Thursday, my doc's nurse called to say that my glucose tolerance test was abnormal by TWO POINTS! 2 lousy points but I still had to do the three hour tolerance test at the hospital. This is annoying but wouldn't have been too big of a deal except for the fact she said it had to be done in the next 3 days (before I hit 28 weeks). Basically I had to have it done by Monday at the latest. With such short notice and it being flu season, there wasn't any way I could miss 4 hours of work on Fri or Mon so I had to do it today (Sat).

Sigh. I had planned on going to Wichita this weekend to meet my baby niece Isabelle Grace. I was so bummed out that I couldn't be there when she was born but was really looking forward to going this weekend. Now, it couldn't happen. It really stinks and I'm having a bit of a pity party right now.

I'm not worried about the glucose; I'm sure the results on Monday will be fine. When I was pregnant with Emma I had to do the 3 hour test because the first one was a few points out of range. I just wish I could be one of those lucky gals who have easy, blissful pregnancies. Oh, well, the end result is worth it.

Yay!!!! and Grrrrrr!!!

2008-11-05T19:24:00.002-06:00

First the yay:
Kevin and I got a package in the mail yesterday. It was a birthday present (mine's the 7th, Kev's is the 11th) from Dave and Cort, Mae and Ian and Joe and Jill. It is a Wii!!!!!! We were so super surprized and excited. Now we need to get Mario Cart and then we can have mad family racing wars even though we all live in different states.

Huge thank-you's to all of you, you guys rock and we love you. Oh, yeah, Emma really loves the box too!

Now the Grrr:
This last week or so I have begun swelling in my legs and hands. I was about this far along in my pregnancy with Emma when I started to swell. Then my bp started creeping up. Then I started dumping protein in my urine, then bedrest, then an early c-section, then continued bp issues requiring to me to be re-admitted to the hospital when Emma was 6 days old. Ugh. I have been so optimistic that this pregnancy was going to be a breeze and has been thus far.

I went for my monthly check today and my glucose tolerance test. My bp was up a little bit but nothing crazy (134/72) From week 1 of pregnancy to week 23 I gained 9 lbs, which is great. From week 23 to today, week 27, I've gained another 9 lbs, which is bad. My doctor is going to keep a close eye on things and is having me come back in 1 week for another check. He said he's not too worried yet and that this may just be a "blip in the screen" and I'll be fine from here on out. I hope so.

I know God is watching over me and the baby and that He will take care of me same as he did last time. It's just a little disappointing to think I may be headed down this path. Please keep me in your prayers and I'll post an update after my appointment next week. Grrr

Glutony- A Deadly Sin

2008-11-01T18:44:00.007-05:00

"This is what it looks like to hand a 1 year old a FunSize Three Muskateers bar"

"This is what it looks like when the 1 year old smears it everywhere, including her eye"

"This is what guilt and sloth looks like after the 1 year old realizes what she's done"

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T12:20:00.003-05:00

I feel like I haven't updated the blog in a while and now that I have cute costume pics of Emma I'm motivated to sit down and type a post. :) So, where do I begin?

Last Saturday, Kev, Emma, and I headed to Wichita for the imminent birth of our new neice! Turns out, birth wasn't so imminent. Kev and Emma headed home on Sunday but I stayed until Thursday, knowing, that baby girl would come any second. Alas, I still am not an aunt. I am fairly confident that will change in the next day or so. Please, please pray for Mae and Ian that they have a healthy baby girl and that Mae can find strength and comfort in labor. Ian and Mae are going to be great parents. (And I will be a fabulous aunt!)

Emma is becoming a pro at walking. She is everywhere! It is so amazing to see her toddling around the house. She's also starting to talk a lot. She sounds like she is speaking full sentences- in another language. She is so sweet to us and loves to cuddle and give kisses. The other night I asked her if she would rub my belly and she did so and then laid her head on it like a pillow. I'm taking this as a sign that her and Hannah will be best friends and get along all the time ;)

Trick-or-Treating last night was alot of fun. Emma really enjoyed walking up driveways and waving to the people answering the door. The first house we went to Emma smiled really big and waved and really won the lady over. She put like 3 handfulls of candy in Emma's pumpkin! The best part is that there are very few candies Emma can have a bite of which means Mommy and Daddy get the rest. Sweet! By the end of the night, she was pretty exhauseted and all Treated-out. She passed out and slept until 9AM this morning which I think is a record.

We're just hanging out at home today and enjoying some time together. Emma is napping right now and Kevin is going through some paperwork. We hope all of you had a great Halloween and are enjoying your weekend!

Her name shall be...

2008-10-09T19:42:00.002-05:00

In my family, it's sort of a tradition that Dad picks the name for the kids. My siblings and I were all named by our dad, my mom and all her siblings by their dad. As many of you know, Kevin chose Emma's name (and a great selection it was!). We thought there's no reason for this baby to be any different so he has been compiling a list of names for our new daughter.

We had been toying with the idea of the name ending with the "uh" sound, like Emma. We also have been fairly certain that the middle name would be the same as my mom's, who passed away in December of '06.

After much deliberation, a decision has been made. Our new daughter's name will be........

Hannah Sue Costello

I don't know why it is so comforting to have her name chosen; maybe because it helps her feel more real and like she's here with us already. Whatever the reason, I am excited to begin calling her Hannah when I'm rubbing my belly instead of "baby girl".

In other baby news, Kevin's sister Mae is getting very close to having her baby. Her actual due date isn't for another 5 weeks or so but it seems she will probably make her debut a bit sooner. We can't wait to hold her and give her kissies. Please keep Mae and Ian in your prayers that the rest of the pregnancy goes well and that the baby doesn't feel too rushed make an entrance ;)

Busy Weekend

2008-09-28T20:22:00.004-05:00

It has been a very busy but fun weekend. Saturday we got up early and met our friends Dave and Kellie for breakfast. They have 2 beautiful children, Ashlyn and Carter. We then all went to Celbration City. Emma took her first ride on a Merry Go Round and absolutely loved it. She kept saying, "ooooh, oooohhh!"

Later in the day I got a Drumstick ice cream cone (my favorite.) Kevin was holding it out for Emma to take some licks when she reached out and took it! It was so cute because she was sticking her whole face in it. I think she was surprized by how cold it was because after taking a bite she would shudder a little bit and make a funny face.

After that wholesome nutrition she had her first few bites of cotton candy, too. It was not a good day in Mommyville but I figured, "Hey, that's what amusement parks are for, right?"

We left the park around 2:30 and went home to change for a wedding. Kevin had to head in to work so he wasn't able to come with us. One of the nurses I work with was getting married and the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Emma did pretty good with only a few outbursts. It's asking a lot of a one year old to sit quitely in a pew for 90 minutes so I was really happy with the way things went.

After the wedding, we stopped by my friend Christen's house to wish her a happy birthday. We finally got home around 8 and Emma was pooped.

This morning we went to Sunday School and church and have just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. I'm pretty sleepy and will probably turn in early tonight. Ugh, it's back to work tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!

Happy Birthday to my Big Girl!

2008-09-24T20:13:00.005-05:00

Last Friday my sweet Emma turned 1! I can not believe how quickly time has passed and how much our lives have changed. She is the greatest blessing given to me and I'm so thankful for this awesome privellege to be her Mommy :) We celebrated in Wichita with Kevin' family and had a wonderful time. Her Grammy and all her aunts and uncles love her very much and spoiled her proper. She got some cute outfits, shoes, and fun toys. She LOVED her birthday cake and did her best to eat every crumb. It is so cool to see the bond she has with family; I think that even babies have the instinct to sense those they are safe with, that love them and are familiar. She loves her family and they love her; for that I am thankful.

We also celebrated the upcoming birth of Kevin's sister's baby. Mae is due the first week of November with a sweet baby girl and we can't wait to meet her. Unfortunately, the Mommy and Daddy will not share the name with us but they're playing a little game that allows us to guess. Given the current clues, I am guessing the baby's name is Abba Babba. :)

Mae looks glowing and beautiful and the pregnancy is going as it should. The family will be traveling to Wichita for Thanksgiving to meet the sweet girl and give her lots of kissies.

In other "baby" news, the physician I work with adopting from China has returned home safely with their new daughter. They have all bonded and are adjusting tremendously well. She is a beautiful and sweet 6 year old girl and we are so thankful to God for making them a forever family.

And...yes, there's another 'and', our friends Brad and Missy have their sweet boy from Vietnam. They are hoping to return to the States on Friday. Trust me when I say he is so gorgeous. I can't wait for them to bring him to church so we can all "ooh" and "aww" over him. Please pray that God continue to bless them on this journey as they finalize paperwork and travel home safely.

I think that's enough for now. Hope all is well with each of you!

Toto, I think we're back in Kansas

2008-09-18T07:59:00.002-05:00

We are headed to Wichita, KS today to visit with Kev's family and do some celebrating. First, it is Emma's 1st birthday and 2nd, we're having a baby shower for Kev's sister Mae. It will be so nice to get away for 5 days and re-connect with everyone. I'm also pretty stoked to add another state to my list of places visited (I've never been to Kansas.)

Please pray for safe travels for all of Kevin's siblings (we're blessed to have the shortest commute). I'll definately have lots of fun pics to post when we get back!

Good Morning Vietnam!

2008-09-09T07:44:00.002-05:00

We are so excited to report that some friends of ours from church have received approval to travel to Vietnam and adopt their son. The wait has seemed like forever but the time has finally come. We are so thankful to God, for bringing Brad and Missy to this point and can not wait to see the things he has in store for their family. Congratulations, guys! We will still be praying for the three of you and can't wait to see that sweet boy in your arms!

Drum roll please..........

2008-09-04T18:01:00.001-05:00

It's a Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emma will have a baby sister. Everything looked good today. Baby is growing as she should be. I'll try to post an ultrasound pic tomorrow after I scan it.

Celebration and anticipation

2008-09-03T19:22:00.004-05:00

This weekend was very exciting because Kevin's sister, Genevieve, came to visit us in Springfield. It was an extra exciting visit because it was her first time meeting Emma! Gen is a surgical PA and lives in Miami Beach. I know, we're jealous too. She stays pretty busy but we're so thankful she was able to come to town for Labor Day weekend and spend some quality time. Emma loves her aunt Gen; I think she knew right away that she was family and loved her instantly. We're hoping to take a trip to visit her next summer.

We also have much anticipation tonight because we are getting our first ultrasound tomorrow! I can't wait to see our baby's little face and find out if Emma is going to have a baby sister or baby brother. My appointment is at 2pm tomorrow and I will be counting down the hours. I pray that our baby is healthy and growing well. Time is moving so much quicker this time; I feel like we waited for an eternity to have our ultrasound with Emma. Now, it's almost alarming how quickly the days are going by.

I will be sure to post the big announcement tomorrow evening. Stay tuned! (by the way, please say a prayer that we're not having twins!)

Celebration

2008-08-15T22:27:00.002-05:00

My office at work was doing a great bit of celebrating today. One of our physicians received final travel approval today to travel to China and adopt their daughter. He and his wife have previously adopted two beautiful daughters, who will be entering 3rd and 4th grade this year. Their new daughter is 6 years old and will meet her new parents sometime after the first week of September.

We can not wait to meet her once they come home. Please keep their family in your prayers as they prepare travel arrangements and secure their visas (mom, dad and both girls will be traveling to meet their new addition.)

Moving right along

2008-08-14T20:17:00.004-05:00

I went to the doctor today for a check up and everything is progressing well. I'm feeling good and the heartbeat sounded wonderful. I'm really excited because I go back 3 weeks from today for my ultrasound! It has really snuck up on us. Kevin is predicting we're having a boy and I think I'm leaning towards a girl. We'll see who's right.

Enjoy the picture above. Emma loves those little rectangle wafer cookies. You know, they're made of 3 or 4 layers with creme in the middle? Anyway, she just devoured a chocolate one and was feeling quite satisfied.

A Special Surprize

2008-08-07T17:52:00.002-05:00

This darling little onesie was waiting for me when I picked Emma up from daycare today. Every year, the class make "Friendship Shirts" for all the kids. They are so good at making little crafts, even with the babies. The made us a cute hand-print gift for Mother's Day and a foot-print for Father's Day. Emma's foot is in the middle and all the other little "dots" are the toe or fingerprint of her classmates. Isn't it sweet. I love having these little keepsakes that I will always be able to pull out in the future to remember how little she once was.

Where have we been?!

2008-08-05T21:30:00.004-05:00

Someone politely pointed out to me that I have not made any posts about Emma in quite some time. My appologies. Let me bring you up to speed. First of all, she is growing and changing so much every day. I look at pictures of her from just a month ago and I can see such a difference. Her hair is really starting to thicken and grow; I can not wait until I can put little bows and pony tails in it!

Milestone wise, she is really taking off. Her crawling has become much more sophisticated and much quicker. She is all over the house and we are chasing her constantly. One of her favorite targets is the cat dish. A few times we have been too slow and she's nabbed a piece. Luckily we get her before she starts chewing it up. I caught her in the act the other day and have photographic evidence. Also, please note her There's Something About Mary hair- nice.

She also is starting to talk! She says mama, dada, daddy, hi, and kitty. Kitty was actually her 1st word. We thought it was a fluke but she still says it.

We're trying to teach her some body parts. For the last 3 weeks, we've asked Emma where her belly is. We ask her every day and every day we point to her belly button and say, "There it is!" Well, this week, she finally got it! She pats her chest area a little more than her belly area, but still, she gets it! It's so cool to see that we've really taught her something. Now I'm working on toes.

She is also beginning to try and pull up on furniture. She's standing really well if we stand her up. She hasn't quite been able to pull herself all the way up but she gets to her knees and is trying really hard so it's just a matter of time.

All in all, she's still our sweet girl. I can't believe she'll be a year old in about 6 weeks. It sounds cliche, but time has flown by so fast. It makes me a little sad to think she's creeping out of being a baby.

I'll post more pics again soon. Hope all is well with all of you. All our love!

February 4th

2008-07-23T21:01:00.002-05:00

That is the tenative date that Emma will become a big sister. Yup, that's right, we're doing it again. We are so pleased to announce that we are 12 weeks pregnant with our second baby.

We started this blog toward the end of my pregnancy with Emma to keep everyone updated. We'll continue to post about sweet baby girl and also keep you informed of our pregnancy.

I'm healthy and baby is growing well. We should be able to have an ultrasound in September to find out if Emma will have a baby sister or baby brother. We covet your prayers and support. Thank you all for your love and friendship
Love, Kevin and Mandy

Yay

2008-07-23T14:25:00.001-05:00

I just had to make a quick post.....

Kevin passed his NCLEX exam! He's officially an RN! I am so proud of him and so happy for him!

Trying to Settle

2008-07-10T20:12:00.002-05:00

Sorry we've been MIA for a bit. Things have been a little chaotic the last few weeks around our household. We moved out of our house into our apartment on July 2nd. We were supposed to close on the house tomorrow but there's been a delay so it looks like it will be next Friday.

We've been in the apartment a week but I still feel really upheaved. There are still boxes and random piles of stuff laying everywhere. We've discovered that we had a lot of useless crap laying around our house that we don't have room for in the apartment. We've only been married right at two years but we've really accumulated a lot of stuff!

We're trying to sort through and decide what has to stay, what can be stored and what we want to get rid of (there's a lot of things in that last category.)

Even with all the craziness, though, we are so happy to be moved. Our complex is quiet and peaceful. God has so richly blessed us, bringing all of this into reality. We, and alot of our family, prayed about moving for a long time. We first talked to a realtor in February. We then waited and prayed asking God to show us if this was the right decision for us. On the one hand, the economy isn't good for selling homes. It's great for buying a home but we knew we weren't in a position to buy right away. On the other hand, we felt as though we were in a constant state of stress and anxiety with our neighbors. God really placed it on our hearts that it was time to move so we moved forward with our realtor. After only 40 days on the market, an amazing feat, we had a contract on our house. Ahhh. Thank you, God.

So, we're adjusting to different drive times, different amounts of space, and the hassle of not knowing which box anything's in (I'm a sloppy packer), but we are at peace and happy.

Once we get more settled, we'll post some pics of the new pad. Hope all is well with everyone. Love and miss you, Kevin and Mandy

Praise God!

2008-06-21T20:06:00.002-05:00

We have a contract on our house! I can't hardly believe it. After only 40 days on the market we are on our way to moving out of our first home. Part of me is a little sad because we really do love our home. The other part of me is excited to move to a different part of town and try something new. We're going to rent an apartment for a year or two (hopefully) and then will try to buy again. We found an apartment we like today and will be moving the first week of July.

Keep us in your prayers that the inspection and appraisal goes smoothly; they could cause potential snags that would be deal breakers.

Yay! We're moving to the south side!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T18:01:00.003-05:00

Here's to the very best daddy (and husband) I know. We love you so much!!!

9 Months! (almost)

2008-06-14T18:15:00.003-05:00

Emma will be 9 months old in a few days. We celebrated by having her picture taken at Sears. They do a really awesome job and you can purchase a CD so you can make your own prints.

Emma wasn't extremely enthusiastic about the picture taking process. I think we got several good shots, though. Enjoy a few of my faves.

"Kitty"

2008-06-12T07:39:00.004-05:00

Emma has begun babbling using lots of consanants and lots of syllables. Normally this sounds like another language with a few "ma-ma's, da-da's, and ba-ba's" thrown in the mix. (We pretend that she know what they mean.)

This morning, I was sitting on the couch with Emma getting her ready. She looked into the dining room where Jack (our cat) was stretched out on the floor. "Kitty." She said, "Kitty." Just those two syllables. I know it was probably just one of those cool coincidents that we get to witness occassionaly.

I've wondered, though, if sometimes babies know in their mind that Jack is a kitty but they just can't get their mouthes to work right yet. In their head thinking, "Kitty, kitty, kitty, Jack is a kitty," but when they open their mouth it comes out, "grbrammm." And then, sometimes, they get lucky and it comes out just the way the intended it.

Yeah, probably not.

Hangin with the big kids

2008-06-08T21:58:00.003-05:00

After church, Emma and I went to see me very good friend Kellie. Kellie will be having her second baby, Carter, any day now! We are so excited and had to take her some goodies for him. We also got to see Ashlynn's new bedroom. Ashlynn is 3 and just the cutest little girl ever. She is very excited to meet her baby brother and I think she will be a good little helper.

To help her prepare for her new status as a "Big Girl", her baby room was updated. She got to pick out new furniture including a full size bed and a matching dresser. She got new bedding and pillows and, well, her room is fit for a princess. It's precious.

Emma had a blast playing with Ashlynn this afternoon. She bounced on her bed, sat on a princess couch with her, rolled around on Ashlynn's bean bag and played with some of her toys. It was a great day. I hope the next time we visit it will be in the hospital to see baby Carter!

New Jammies!

2008-06-06T21:26:00.002-05:00

Emma's aunt Jill and uncle Joe sent her some new jammies in the mail today. Old Navy makes the cutest baby stuff! After her bath, Emma put on her new jammies and sang, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" into her hairbrush. Now she's off in dreamland. Good night.

Splish splash, Emma's taking a bath

2008-06-05T20:45:00.004-05:00

I feel like time is moving so quickly. Sometimes that's a good thing. My very good wonderful friend, Kellie, will be having her second child any time now. I remember the day she called me to tell me she was pregnant and that seems like only a month ago. Sweet Carter will be here soon and I can't wait to kiss his face off and squeze his little cheeks.

I am also so happy that it is almost time for Kevin's sister Mae and her husband Ian to move closer to us! They live in Charlotte right now where Ian is completing a laproscopic fellowship. But they will be moving to Wichita in a month or so which is only about a 4 hour drive away. It is going to be so awesome to be this close because they are expecting their first baby this fall (and I have to be able to kiss his/her face off too!)

Emma is growing so fast. I can't believe she'll be nine months old in a couple weeks. We've just decided it's time to move baths into the big girl tub. Her baby tub turns into a seat that you can put in the big tub to help keep them from going under. She has always enjoyed her baths and smiled and gabbed through them. But man, oh man, she loves taking baths in the big girl tub. She kicks her feet and wiggles her fingers through the water. She really loves it when we pour water on her with a cup (see pic above). She'll be taking showers before I know it. Okay, I'm rushing things a little.

Consider your birth order

2008-06-01T16:53:00.003-05:00

Our pastor at church has been preaching on a series entitled "Pain in the Family." This week's sermon was all about sibling rivalry and birth order. He used the stories of Jacob and Esau and Joseph and his envious brothers. God used the rivalry between both these sets of brothers for His holy plan.

Our pastor challenged us to examine the birth order in our own family and what implications that has for our purpose within our family and for God.

As many of you know, I am the oldest of 4. My next closest sibling, Laura, is 10 years younger than me and the twins, Eric and Lindsey, are 14 years younger. Growing up, I begrudged them so much. Because I was so much older, I called myself the live-in babysitter because that's all I seemed to do. I despised the fact that they followed me everywhere, always wanted in my room and that, yes, I even had to take them on dates sometimes!! I know, can you believe it?

Anyway, I have later said that since I had more of a motherly role with them I feel we are closer now than we would have been had we all been closer in age. This was a blessing in December of 2006 when our mom died. Because I was so much older, I feel like they were able to look to me as a strong comfort and almost maternal figure. I was able to comfort and hold them in a way that no one else could, not even our fathers. I am thankful to God for His wisdom and His blessing upon our family and birth order.

I look now to Emma and wonder how God will use her as the oldest child in her family. I pray that God blesses her and reveals His plan to her. God bless all of you, my dear friends and family today!

Good morning

2008-05-31T11:50:00.002-05:00

Ahh. It's been a great morning. First, Emma slept in until 8:30! She's starting to sleep longer and longer and that is amazing. I haven't slept pass 6:30-7 in forever. Kevin went to play frisbee golf this morning and I sat around in my house robe until noon. Actually, it's noon now and I don't plan on changing out of my robe any time soon. We kept the curtains drawn and watched Mona Lisa Smile and drank coffee. Emma played with a new toy and took a long nap in her swing. I love days with no agenda...

Cramming

2008-05-26T18:01:00.003-05:00

So, I plan on cramming lots of info into this post (in a condensed manner.) Sorry it has been so long since I have posted but we have been busy!

On May 16th Kevin graduated with his BSN!!!! yay!!!! I'm so proud of him and so excited as he starts this new endeavor. Tommorow is his first day of work as a nurse. He accepted a job at Cox South's emergency department. A nice perk is that he'll get to work with a good friend ours, Dr. Lee, that we go to church with.

We had lots of family in town for graduation (Kev's brother also graduated with his MSW). Kev's sister Mae came to visit from Charlotte. She is expecting her first baby in December. We're all betting that it will be a little boy. She's starting to get a little baby-bump and we had a lot of fun shopping for maternity clothes.

Also that weekend, Emma hit a lot of milestones. She learned how to clap her hands, she learned how to make kissing noises AND..........she learned how to crawl!!! It's more of an army crawl than a hands and knees crawl but that's okay. The whole family was standing around her as she made her first lunge. It was such an awesome thing for all of us to witness. My next project is to do some baby-proofing (I've put this off too long.)

Kevin's older brother Joe and his wife Jill came to visit for Memorial Day weekend. Joe is in the Army physician assistant program and will be finished this January. They are currently stationed at Ft. Campbell but we are hoping there's a chance they can move closer after he graduates.

Are house is still on the market for sale. We've actually had an offer from a buyer but it was a really horrible one so we turned it down. We've shown the house 5 or 6 times now and are hopeful the right buyer will come along before the end of summer.

For Sale!

2008-05-07T22:20:00.002-05:00

We officially listed our house on the market today. It was a fairly lengthy process with lots of papers to sign. I'm glad to finally have it done, though and now we can relax a little bit. Kinda.

Part of me is naive and thinks the house will sell in a month or two. The other side of me is playing worse-case-scenarios and thinks that with the market being so cruddy it will be a year before it sells. Hopefully reality will fall some where in the middle.

Turns out realtors jump on new listing pretty quickly. The first 4 weeks a house is on the market are the most important. Everyone wants to see the "new listing" and so we should expect high traffic over the next month. Our realtor said we have to make sure that we keep the house in "showing condition" and be prepared to start fielding phone calls from other agents who want to show the house. We picked a pretty dumb month to finally move forward with things. This weekend we have family in town for Mother's Day, next weekend family is in for Kevin and Dave's graduation and the following weekend we have family for Memorial Day. Figures.

I'll keep you posted on our progress. Hopefully we'll have a SOLD sign in our front yard soon!

Emerging from the cave

2008-05-05T22:21:00.003-05:00

That's what I felt like this morning. I woke up with no headache. At lunch, no headache. Tonight, no headache. Praise God Amen! Woo-hoo. Thank you for your prayers.

My day wasn't all smiles and rainbows. My cell phone was stolen today at work. The biggest bummer of it all is that I've always been one to have cheapie, bottom-of-the-line phones. But on this past Saturday, Kevin got me a new Katana II from Sprint as my Mother's Day gift. It was fabulous. It was sleak and light and had some pretty cool features. But now it's gone. I'm very sad. We have insurance on our plan so I have a replacement on the way but we had to pay a $50 deductible. It's partially my fault for leaving it on my desk. That will teach me.

The girl was great today. Kevin brought her by my work at the end of the day and she was quite charming for everyone. I meant to weigh her but forgot. Maybe later this week...

Another tidbit of news, we are meeting with a realtor on Wednesday afternoon. We have decided to sell our house. The truth is, we really love our house but we hate our neighborhood. After 2 years of dealing with all-night parties, bickering, disputes, frequent police visits, and questionable behaviors of our neighbors- we're leaving. At least, we hope we are. I am praying that our house will sell quickly in this crummy market. It makes me sad to give up our house but we're confident that it's the right decision for our family.

Prayer Request

2008-05-04T15:22:00.003-05:00

I could use some prayers. I have had a migraine every day for over a week and it is really starting to wear on me. Some days the medicine works, some days it doesn't. I stayed home from church today because of it, which really has me bumming.

I've had migraines since I was 16 but it's rare that I have one that drags on for days and days like this. I'm kinda thinking an adjustment to my braces has triggered it. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow.

Emma was SO good this morning and let me lie on the couch for a few hours so my medicine could take the edge off (kevin was at work.) She was being so cute, I had to grab the camera for a quick picture!

Happy Birthday Lindsey and Eric!

2008-05-01T20:08:00.004-05:00

My brother and sister turned 12 this past Sunday. We were able to go to Farmington for their party and it was lots of fun. Eric, my brother, kept yelling, "Cake! Cake!" He was not at all interested in candles, presents or singing songs. Eric has spastic type cerebral palsy. He is our little miracle baby and such a blessing to every life he encounters. Eric is always happy and always friendly. He never complains about anything; not even when he must endure painful surgeries and therapy treatments. He is an inspiration in my life.

Lindsey is your typical tween; she L-O-V-E-S Hannah Montana, she has posters of cute boys all over her room and her earrings always match her shirt. But, she's so special, too. Lindsey has a heart of gold and is full of love. She is my snuggle baby. Even now, she will curl up beside me or on my lap and rest her head on my shoulder. She still wants to hold my hand and gives lots of hugs. She wants to help with everything. Cleaning, cooking, folding laundry, changing a diaper. She doesn't mind, she just wants to help.

I love them both so very much and it breaks my heart that I can't see them as often as I would like. I hope they had a really happy birthday and that they feel surrounded in love.

"I said I wanted brownies!"

2008-04-22T21:12:00.004-05:00

Sorry, I had to change the template again. I didn't really like the other one but have been too lazy to look through my options again.

Emma cracked me up tonight. She was sitting in her bouncy chair and I was feeding her some veggies. About half way through, she put her hand up to her mouth and spit a big bite out; then she threw it at me. She didn't mean to throw it at me, or at least I hope not. It was just so funny because she seemed so deliberate and then laughed about it. I'm sure I won't think it's as funny when she's throwing plates off her high chair and flinging spoons across the room. Maybe she just didn't like Beech Nut Vegetable Medley...

Great News!!!!

2008-04-21T22:30:00.003-05:00

The cat is out of the bag! I can officially announce that I'm going to be an Auntie!!! Kevin's sister, Mae and her husband Ian are expecting a baby in October. We are so super excited to welcome baby Villanueva!!!! Please send up some prayers that the pregnancy continues to be healthy and Mae gets over morning-sickness!

Everything's good on the homefront. I'll post more later when I have time. I'll leave you with a cute pic of Emma.

Play Date

2008-04-19T23:21:00.002-05:00

Emma had a play date with her BFF Erin tonight. (Actually, Mommy and Daddy had a playdate with Erin's mommy and daddy, Carrie and David.) Carrie had Erin almost 6 months before Emma was born. Throughout our pregnancies, we joked that Erin and Emma would be BFFs.

They were so cute tonight! David grilled us some awesome steak and asparagus at their house. Emma thought Erin was so cool; she laughed and giggled hysterically just watching Erin run around and play. By the end of the night, Erin was patting Emma on the back and giving her hugs. We had a great time.

"Please, no autographs; I can't read yet"

2008-04-15T22:12:00.002-05:00

This is kinda long, but bear with me.

So, I know it's cliche when people always say, "I know I'm probably bias but my baby is the cutest baby in the whole world." I'm beginning to think Emma really is the fairest baby in all the land.

People are constantly telling Kevin and I how gorgeous Emma is, how long her eyelashes are, how blue her eyes are, what a pretty smile she has, blah blah blah. I truly feel burdened by it sometimes. I hate it. Now before you start thinking I have nothing to complain about and I should be thankful, let me explain a few things. Lets go back to when I was pregnant....

**Imagine Wayne and Garth wiggling their fingers and saying "Dodudo, dodudo, dodudo"**

Kev and I teased each other constantly that we were probably going to have an ugly baby but hopefully she'd have a great personality to make up for it. Our "joking" escalated to the point that I was actually afraid we really might have an unattractive baby which would lead to no one liking her, she'd never get picked for dodge ball, no date for prom, no college scholarship, etc. (You can see I easily let things snowball in my mind). Anyway, I had a dream one night that totally changed my fears. I dreamed that I had just had the baby and was still in the hospital with her. I was holding her swaddled in my arms just staring at her. I was overcome with this sense of joy and pride and peace. I look up at my friend and say, "Wow, what a beautiful baby." "Yeah," my friend says, "you hardly even notice she only has one eye." What!?!?! In my dream, my baby was a Cyclops. The thing is, she was mine so in my eyes she was flawless; I truly didn't even notice that she only had one eye! I realized that, as a mom, I'm never going to look at Emma and worry about whether or not she's pretty nor will it matter to me.

Ok, now fast-forward to today. Emma's daycare sends little "report cards" home telling us about her day. Today's note said, "I should be in a fashion show with my pretty purple outfit and gorgeous blue eyes!" Now I know that they are just trying to give a compliment. Or, maybe they couldn't think of anything productive from the afternoon so they were making something up. The point is, I fear that she will continue to be so beautiful, that's all people will notice. Again, I know, I know, I'm snowballing. I know that beauty is from God and beauty can be part of God's plan (just ask Esther). I just pray that Emma will have a heart for Christ a and soul as beautiful as her dimples. I pray that people notice her for her character not just her cuteness.

I know I'm just on a rant. (Thanks for listening). And please, don't stop telling me Emma is cute. I always love to tell mommas how precious their baby is, too. Maybe I've had too much coffee today...

Knock on Wood...

2008-04-07T20:28:00.002-05:00

...but I think everyone in my house is healthy now. Kev's bug only lasted about 12 hours and Emma's was pretty much gone by yesterday. I had a little bit of stomach flu several weeks ago and it is miserable! I felt so bad for both of them; it stinks when you can't do anything to make it feel better!

Things have been pretty busy in our world. Kevin is trying to finish last-minute projects that need to be completed before graduation. My new position at work has been a little stressful and Emma is growing and changing every day. She wants so badly to crawl. I think it's still going to be several weeks before we see any creeping but she has her eye on the prize. She will stretch and reach and grunt trying to get a toy. She high-centers on her belly with her hands and feet in the air; she almost looks like Superman!

Today was Emma's first day at a new daycare. Ugh, that's not fun. We got a call a few weeks back from Cox's daycare (local hospital where Kev works) saying that our name had come up on the waiting list (we were put on when I was 6 months pregnant.) At first we totally dismissed it, thinking, "We already have daycare." But then, we started weighing the pros and cons of our current vs. potential situation. We don't have any real gripes with the lady who had been watching her, (well, a few but not worth the details) but we felt like Emma could benefit from a little more structure and curriculum. It's more expensive but the hours are more flexible, it's closer to home, they provide more supplies, and most importantly: they make a true effort to work with the kids to meet goals and develop skills. Even 6 month old Emma has goals they will consciously work on with her. She's starting to sit without support, drink from a sippy-cup, and is wanting to crawl.

She had a bit of a rough day. Apparently she cried a bit and wouldn't let the photographer take her picture (today was school picture day). When I called to check on her at lunch, she was in the middle of a melt down! Apparently, she had a dirty diaper shortly after that and was in a much better mood :)

Kevin's at a Cards game tonight with his brother David. He just texted me to say they were losing. Bummer. I'm going to a game tomorrow afternoon with my work. I heard it might rain. Bummer. Oh, well.

Poor hubby

2008-04-05T23:00:00.001-05:00

Emma has passed the torch on to Daddy. Today was the first day she hasn't thrown up...and the first day Kevin has. Poor guy. Hopefully Kevin's will be shorter lived than Emma's and I won't catch it!

Poor baby: part deux

2008-04-02T17:52:00.002-05:00

Last night, she had another vomit/heaving spell around midnight. After that, though, she slept through the night until about 7:30 this morning. I went to work while Kevin stayed home with her. He introduced liquids a little at a time and she seemed to be doing better. I came home for lunch to check on her and decided I'd feel better if we had her looked at (just in case.)

Even though she had managed to keep everything down this morning, she was kinda listless and her eyes were a little gunky. She also had a low grade temp and a little diarrhea. So we loaded her up and headed for my work to see the doctor. Something told me to sit in the back with her on the way there and am I glad I did! She started vomiting everywhere! We were almost there when this started so I told Kev to not stop, just get there. Then I realized that we hadn't packed a change of clothes. Nice. I ususally have some random clothes/blankets in my car but not today. Nope, that would have been convenient. There was puke ALL over her, her carseat and her blanket. Yeah, good times. Luckily, my work stocks packages from Newborns In Need, so we borrowed one of those when we got there.

After her exam, the NP said it's probably just a viral bug that's got her. One of her lymph nodes was a little swollen so we started her on an antibiotic just in case it's bacterial. Sweet girl, she's decided that amoxicillin tastes fabulous and takes it like a big girl. She and I took a nice long nap when we got home and she seems to be doing better. She just took some Pedialyte and some diluted formula. Cross your fingers that it stays down!! I'm hoping she'll be fine tonight and able to return to daycare tomorrow- she only has two days left at her current babysitter. Oh, did I forget to mention? We're switching daycares. More on that later...

Poor baby

2008-04-01T22:18:00.002-05:00

My poor baby is sick. Projectile-vomit-high-fever sick. Turns out, two kids at her daycare went home puking today and she has started with it tonight. We called the on-call doctor because I was worried; she's never been sick before and her temp was 102.9! He wasn't too concerned and said it was probably a virus. Kev's going to stay home with her tomorrow and keep an eye on things. We set the pack-n-play up in our room so we can keep her near us tonight. I had put her to bed in her crib earlier, but she woke up after about 30 minutes from puking everywhere. I had to give her another bath. Say a little prayer for my poor baby. I'll update you tomorrow.

Happy late Easter

2008-03-27T18:25:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't got anything up here sooner. We had an awesome Easter. After an uplifting sermon at church we spent the day with Dave and Cort. Emma had an adorable Easter dress. So cute. For Lent, Kev and I both decided to give up TV. It has been awesome. It's now 4 days later and we still haven't turned the tube on. I don't know that we will totally give up all television forever (we really love a good movie...and Guitar Hero) but we have learned alot about our priorities and what can give.

Kev's mom came for a visit Monday - Wednesday. That was really great because we hadn't seen her since January. And, I'm excited to say, we're going to Farmington this weekend. We haven't see my dad since the first week of December. That is entirely too long for a grandpa to go without his baby granddaughter. We're also going to meet up with my Aunt Cindi and cousin Lesley. I'm really excited and will hopefully have some fun family photos to post.

Hope you're all having a great week!!

TAG!

2008-03-21T20:35:00.002-05:00

I've been tagged by my dear friend Laura.

You have to tag 5 people (you can't tag the person that tagged you)-You leave them a comment on their blog (‘you’re tagged’ and ‘why’)-Direct them to your blog for instructions…when you get tagged, you post ten fun facts about yourself!

So, in no particular order, here are my 10:

1. I love coffee. I drink it every single day and feel miserable if I don't. I tried desperately to give it up when I was pregnant but then I was getting caffeine-withdraw headaches! I love it with lots of cream, no sugar. I am totally happy to pay outrageous prices for Starbucks and Churchills. Coffee is how I socialize, it's how I work, it's how I worship. You'll never see me at work, with friends or at church without my trusty travel mug.

2. I love video games. Mainly in the Nintendo family. Recently, however, I've developed a love for PS2 Guitar Hero. Rock on, baby. I grew up playing Mario and Zelda with my mom, who was also a video game nerd. Before miss Emma came along, I could completely lose myself in Zelda Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask and an entire day would pass before I realized it. Unfortunately for me, I'm really good at getting all the way to the end of a game but then not having the skills to beat "The Big Boss." Oh well. One of these days when I have some free time...

3. I love naps. Sometimes on the weekend, I will mentally "schedule" a nap. I like to stretch out on our couch with a blanket and pillow and crank the ceiling fan and snooze away. I was one of those weird kids that always asked if it was nap time yet. I've always been a person who needs plenty of sleep to function but I always seem to come up short. (Maybe that's the reason for my #1). I like to take naps outside, too. I grew up on a country road with no neighbors in sight. I would lay on our picnic table and sleep under the sun. Those are some sweet memories.

4. I love my husband. I've known since the day I met Kevin, when I was 15, that he was the one God had for me. We have so much fun together and think the same things are funny. He lets me be a dork and clumsy and awkward and then tells me I'm beautiful. He picks me up when I'm weak but still allows me to be strong. He can read my heart and knows all my secrets. He is gorgeous and romantic and funny and smart and faithful. He is my everything and I am thankful to God for blessing my life with him.

5. I love my baby. She is my joy and my earthly purpose. I never tire of staring at her or snuggling her or comforting her. My biggest fear is that I will fail her (which is probably inevitable to happen at some point). I daydream about the plans God has for her life and the great things He will do through her. I hope she loves God. I hope she hates scary movies. I hope that she will let me hug and kiss her when she's 14 and I hope that she can come to me with any problem. I hope she is athletic like Kevin and has a heart for people like me. I hope she keeps her blue eyes.

6. I love God. I've always known He was there but I ran from him for a long time. I didn't discover a personal relationship with him until about 3 years ago. I am thankful for his mercy and grace; without them, I wouldn't stand a chance. He has proven himself faithful in my life, has blessed me beyond what I deserve and gives me a hope.

7. I am domestically disabled. I want very badly to be June Cleaver, but it ain't never gonna happen! I know how to cook but I absolutely hate to do it. I can often be pretty lazy (see #3). I hate to run errands. I hate balancing the checkbook. I leave laundry in the dryer for days and pretty much refuse to clean the litterbox. That being said, I do clean quite a bit (the kitchen, bathrooms, sweeping, dusting, etc.) The problem there is that I don't pick up after myself once everything is clean. It's kind of a never-ending battle. Thankfully, Kevin is a great and willing cook. He reluctantly but faithfully cleans the litterbox. He's good with the money and doesn't mind running to the Post Office.

8. My name is Mandy, and I am a Shopaholic. Just ask Kevin, the one with the checkbook. I love to buy things. I love shoes and clothes and purses and baby stuff and home decor. I love scrapbook stuff, electronic stuff, and pet stuff. If there's a sale in a 40 mile radius, I'll find it. I'm exaggerating a little, but not much. I think I've gotten better since Emma has arrived. I really really really hope that I don't pass the shopping gene on to her.

9. I love to read. I used to read borderline romance novels by Jenny Crusie. I have most of them. My latest passion has been Christian stuff. I really like Max Lucado, John Ortberg and Gary Thomas. My favorite book of late has been Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This book was totally written for me and has changed my life and my relationship with God. If you've never been into Christian literature or if you've ever struggled with your faith on any level, I totally recommend it.

10. I really enjoy my life. I don't have much room for complaint. I have an awesome job with Jordan Valley Community Health Center and recently got a promotion. I work with amazing people who are totally dedicated to serving others. I have an awesome church that lifts me up, inspires me and refreshes my soul. I have some amazing friends who've become like family and are always around when I need them. My family is amazing. Both my natural peeps and my in-laws, I am truly blessed with a circle of love. My husband and daughter complete my happiness. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

So, I can only tag 2 people because everyone else I know has already been tagged! I'm going after Mae and Jill.

6 months ago today

2008-03-19T20:48:00.002-05:00

my baby girl was born. Wow. Half a year. I can not believe that so much time has passed already. In a sense, I feel like I have loved and known her forever. Other times, I feel like it was only a month ago that our lives changed.

I had my first date with Kevin 10 years ago and feel like we have a solid relationship. Boy, has Emma put that to the test. It's amazing how conversations with your spouse change when it is 4:30 in the morning, and you've both been surviving on 2-3 hours sleep for over a week. Or when you're in the middle of a restaurant trying to decide the course of action when you have a screaming child, but your food hasn't arrived yet. Or when you just know if your spouse would bounce her this way she would stop crying but you can't say anything because you're BOTH the parent and you BOTH have to learn your own ways to care for her and your way is NOT the only way. My life is changed forever, and so is my relationship with my husband.

I never knew how sexy a man could look with a child sleeping on his chest. I never knew my heart could skip a beat from seeing my husband brushing our daughter's hair. I never knew I could laugh so hard by watching a man make silly faces and noises, just to make our girl smile.

I know I have changed, too. I can't tell you how, you'd have to ask Kevin about that. I know I have more stress and chaos in my life than I've ever had but that comes with more love and joy and kissies and laughter too. My life is awesomely blessed. Thank you all for being a part of our daughter's life. There's more to come.

Overheard in the nursery...

2008-03-16T20:44:00.002-05:00

Today at church, I had the joy of volunteering in the nursery. So after Sunday School, Kev took Emma to service and I hung out with a bunch of 3-4 year olds. It was a blast! It's been awhile since I've been around kids that age and I had forgotten how funny they are. But, today I remember. Here are some things I overheard today:

"Jesus should have shot a web at the mean men!"

"I have to go potty!!!!........Nevermind."

"I got a tattoo on my chest, like Daddy."

I'm sure there were more mention-worthy conversations but I was too busy chasing after them to remember.