In Heaven

Some of my favorite conversations that I will ever have with Madison must be occuring now, at age 5. Her topic of interest lately has been Heaven and God. I've finally gotten her over the fear she had at age 4 of dying, and HAVING to go be in Heaven without us, and being terrified of God. (long story.. another day lol) Now she is so excited about God and all that goes with him. Today, on our way to dance/tumbling class, we were listening to one of our million kid's cds and it happened to be one about dinosaurs. Before one of the songs the singers asks, "What do you think happened to the dinosaurs?" Madison's responce, which I thought was oh so smart (of course) was, "Mommy, I think the TRex ate ALL of the other dinosaurs.. and then he died because he was all out of food." So matter of factly she states this to me... and I tell her, "Maybe, no one really knows."
Madison: "God knows, he knows everything."

Me: "Yes, God knows."

Madison: "Maybe when we get to heaven we can ask him and he'll tell us."

Me: "Sure, I bet we can ask him!"

Madison: "Will there be roads in heaven? How will we get to God?"

Me: "The Bible says there are streets of gold in heaven... cool hu?"

Madison: "Woah, yeah! Can we drive our van on them?"

Me: "Umm.. I have no idea if there are cars in heaven. We might just have to walk..or maybe ride a horse."

Madison: "Or maybe a donkey..."

Me: "Why a donkey?" (almost laughing.. thinking this is random!)

Madison: "Well, Mary rode on a donkey when she and Joseph went to have Jesus.. so I bet God likes donkeys."

SMART GIRL :)

Bump, thump, roll, kick

I'm finally feeling this baby!! I've been feeling light flutters for several weeks.. but they were very sporadic and so light that I often wasn't sure if it was the baby or not. Well last night I was laying in bed and felt a BIG kick.. I even felt it with my hand! I couldn't stop smiling! I wanted to call someone and tell them but it was too late and I knew Clayton was busy at work.. so I just thanked God for allowing me to have that huge blessing before I went to sleep. It just puts so many fears to rest for me. Then as I was just sitting here reading other people's blogs I felt several little kicks.. and I had to post about it! I cannot tell you how THRILLED I am to finally have some sort of 'relationship' with this child. It's almost like a little game when you can lay down and poke your belly and they start poking you back. (probably scaring the poor thing to death doing that! lol) I'm just getting insanely excited about this baby now. Really.. it's almost overwhelming to me how intense my excitement is at times. My ultrasound is in 2 weeks.. so close, yet so far away! I've had two dreams now that this baby is a boy.. so we'll see if that holds true if the babe cooperates! I think I might go crazy once we know if it's a boy or a girl. I already have started eyeing baby clothes when I'm shopping.. it's going to be really hard to resist not buying EVERYTHING I see once I know if I should get pink or blue! Lord help my brain be calm for the next few months! It's starting to go insane already!

"I want to be JUST like you!"

Yes, this is my little BOY. The little boy who loves and adores and admires his big sister and all that she does. You can see that by this picture. She often wears those pink gloves and the pink hat to school when it's really cold out, and so he loves getting them from her as soon as she gets into the van and putting them on. He then says, "Look Madison! Look at my hat! I'm pretty too!" He wants nothing more than to be like her and impress her. She just giggles, tells me, "Mom! Look at Carter!" and then quickly loses interest in his cuteness. I can remember growing up and feeling the same way Carter feels about Madison about my sister. She is 6 years older than I am, and often times she played the part of my mother after my parents divorced. I thought she made the earth spin. Sometimes she would play with me and light up my day, but often times I was a pest to her and she would rather be on the phone, going out with friends, or having friends over and NOT wanting me around. How heartbreaking it can be for the younger siblings when the older ones grow up and "leave" you behind. It's almost like you're forced to find a new idol. Other than God, I've had several people I've looked up to in life. Some of them were people I wish I'd have known better than to want to immulate... but you live and you learn! Thinking about myself now, I really cannot think of anyone that I totally look up to, that i think I can learn great deals about life from. Maybe it's because I've finally grown sure of myself and my own abilities. I don't need others to tell me that I'm a good mother, a good wife, or a good person in general. I think it about myself, and I know my husband and kids think it of me, so what more do I need? It's so freeing to FINALLY not care what "someone" thinks of every decision I make in life. I'm sure the fact that I have a few very close friends now make all of the difference. Friends that, though we don't always agree, they always support me and if they feel I need to be knocked down a peg or two, they know how to do it without stirring me all up. Now i look at my daughter and I wonder if she looks at me the way that I always looked at my sister. If she has those "I want to be JUST like you" feelings. Scary thought that our children often do grow up to make the same mistakes and choices in life that we did. The saying "Do as I say and not as I do" just doesn't work does it? It makes me parent differently than I EVER imagined I would, it makes me treat other people much better than I might have in the past (not that i ever think I've been a mean person.. I just think a lot more about what my kids see me do now), and even the things I EAT have changed. IF my children want to want to grow up to be just like me, I pray that God helps me be a good role model for them. That is a huge responcibility! I have to say that Madison did tell me the other day, and it nearly made me cry, (pg hormones at play I'm sure) "Mommy, when I grow up and I'm a mommy, I want to be a mommy like you are and read and play and do playdough with my babies..." Maybe it wasn't, but I felt it was a great compliment. :)

The Religious Type

So.... I don't mean this post to offend or be mean... but after a phone conversation with a friend this afternoon.. I just had to say this. She typically drives me batty, yet I love her dearly as she honestly is the ONLY friend I still speak to from high school. Actually we've been friends since Kindergarten. Having said that, she constantly leaves me rolling my eyes. (and no, she'll never read this.. unless someone snitches on me) She and I have had several "religious" debates. She, I would classify, as a 'religious type.' Someone that takes the Bible to be completely literal even if it makes no sense that way... and someone that believes anything and everything her preacher says b/c.. well.. he's the preacher. He MUST know. Many of the interpretations she's told me of certain Bible passages leave me scratching my head, reading the Word, calling my reliable Christian buds, and asking them if I've been misled all of my life or if she really is insane. (she's insane...) Today she told me about this book. Her exact words, "Oh my gosh, Mandy, you have GOT to read this book... it is incredible.. and it REALLY happened!" (I, immediately, start the eye rolling) I say, "Cool, what is it?" Her: "It's called 90 Minutes in Heaven, written by 'someone's name I cannot remember' and it's about this guy that got killed in a car accident, like 4 ppl checked his pulse and he was DEAD, but he came back to life after 90 minutes and tells the story about going to heaven and what it was like! You HAVE GOT to read it!" Ummm.. no thanks. Now, before those who might have read it jump the gun... seriously... this story is far fetched to me. I don't know this fantastic so called Christian author that wrote it... and she doesn't either.. he could be a big fat liar! Maybe I lack faith... but I don't believe many books like that. I believe that God absolutely has the ability to make something like that happen.. I mean.. come on.. he's God! But I just can't bring myself to trust ppl I don't even know that tell stories like these. And, to be honest, people that do believe these kinds of books I typically see as gullible. As grasping for a real life sign of God's awesomeness because just being alive each day isn't proof enough of what he can do. Why do you always want that BIG story about a HUGE miracle? I find the fact that I'm an American a miracle.. thanks be to God! That i have 2.. and hopefully 3, perfect and healthy children... that the sun is there every single day, and the moon there each and every night.. and that gravity actually works and we, as a planet, stay in orbit like we're supposed to. What great works are those, right?! This post might make no sense... I apologize if so. I suffer from pregnancy induced insomnia each time i'm pg... I'm on week 2 of no sleep. But these things can get to me. I hate to see 'religious' people get a bad rep because we fall for anything that says it is written by a Christian or it's based on the Bible. I'm a Christian.. but I sure don't think I should become an author, write religious words, and try to lead others in the way of the Lord just because I own a Bible. Hopefully many writers that are out there truly are led by God.. I know several that I stay true to because I've never seen them go "astray"... but so many people out there are bad! We, as Christians, can't be made fools of! We have to keep things in perspective... and use that brain God gave us.

Presenting... "the bump"

Here I am... 15 weeks pg. Yes.. not the best of pictures. Realize I'm often here alone and had to take this myself.. and since I could not figure out how to turn the flash off (if you even can) I had to hold my finger over it like a moron so it wouldn't glare. But, anywho... for those who don't get to see me, this is me and the babe thus far! I'm happy to mostly be into my maternity clothes now.. that's for sure. A few pants still don't fit.. and a lot of my shirts look way too big, but who cares, right? A girl's gotta be comfortable! Going bra shopping would make me much more comfortable at this point.. but I figure I might as well tough it out for another month.. they're just gonna get bigger and who wants to buy 5 different sized bras for one pregnancy? Even if they are walmart cheapies... seems like a waste of $10 to me. I'm pretty sure I'm about to gain about 5 pounds this month... or more. My appetite is slowly picking up. I still can't eat very much in the morning... but I can eat semi okay at lunch.. and from there on out I'm starving! I keep asking myself if I should eat EVERYTIME I'm hungry or if my brain is totally warped with pg hormones and has no idea what's good for it anymore. As I said.. a girl's gotta be comfortable... eating everytime I'm hungry it is!

Dr's appt update

I went to the doctor yesterday for another checkup. (15 weeks) All was great! My blood pressure was perfect, I've finally gained 1 pound, putting me back to my prepregnancy weight, and baby's heartrate was 138bpm. (baby was snoozing it seemed) For some really exciting news: we get to find out if we have a boy or a girl on February 7!! Omgosh I cannot wait! And, I think we're going to spring for the 4D ultrasound. When will I ever get this oppertunity again, right? I can't wait to see the baby... just to see fingers and toes, and hopefully a great face shot. At this point I'm less concerned about the sex of the baby.. I just want to lay eyes on him or her! So next month I'll hopefully have some gorgeous baby pics to share with you all.

On the subject of babies... I finally found a sling that I want. I've been searching for them online and talking to other women about them forever.. and it's a pouch style sling from Slinglings and it's got RAVE reviews. The price is fantastic at right around $35 (much cheaper than a maya wrap and other styles that are similar to the pouch system that I like) so I could even buy one now and one later! My only dilima is whether or not to spring for the padded kind, that is good for leg support of older babies/toddlers in the hip hold. Might as well I guess.. I'll probably regret not getting it if I don't later on. I think it's like $10 extra. Considering I plan to be using it for 2+ years.. that's probably a small price to pay! I don't know if any other mommies are into babywearing/slinging but the sling I'm looking into I found at slinglings.com and you can read other types of carrier/sling reviews from thousands of other "earthy" mommies at thebabywearer.com

Happy New Year!

First off, huge thanks to LeeAnn and Taylor for having all of us (minus Clayton, who was working of course) over for a few hours of fun tonight! It was much better than the original plans I had made of sitting home with the kids alone all night. lol No New Year's Eve kiss for me this year I guess... ah well.. a belated one will have to do.

So is anyone else always a bit sad when a new year starts? I hate to admit it, but in general I have a really hard time letting go of things. All kinds of things. Papers that Madison or Carter have drawn, old clothes (just the kids'.. not mine), even things that you wouldn't think you'd be attatched to, like my now old cell phone. I miss it... I have a hard time moving forward. Before the ball dropped Dick Clark said something along the lines of "these are the last few seconds of 2006..." and I got a bit sad. 2006 wasn't the best year of my life, but it was a good year. Madison even said to me, "When it's 2007 I'll turn 6 years old!" Ugh... thanks for that reminder! I just got over the shock of her turning 5. lol Instead of focusing on what all I feel like I'm leaving behind in '06.. I'm trying to focus on my goals and what I'm looking forward about '07. Obviously, our long awaited baby will arrive in June.. and to be totally honest I CAN'T WAIT! :) Clayton and I are on our way to working our way, slowly but surely, out of debt. Madison will play in her second year of Tball, in which Clayton plans to coach, this summer... and we're all really excited about that. Carter will turn 3 and I plan to start a more structured preschool routine with him sometime following that. So, there are those things plus so many more that will come that are so very worth being excited about! Even in the short term.. like this Wednesday I go for my 4 month prenatal checkup.. and I'm super excited! Then, in February, we should get to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl. (can't wait to buy the first blue or pink item!) And, I'm feeling the baby move some now.. and I know it'll just get better and better as the days go by. And, hopefully in 2007 Clayton and I will be able to agree on a name for this new one.. so far no luck! Just for those that are curious.. the names I like are as follows:
Girl: Sophia, Olivia, Ava, Mia, Victoria
Boy: Samuel (favorite), William, and I'm liking the names Dean (my dad's middle name) and Charles as middle names for SOME first name..

clayton has said he likes Samuel... but hasn't said he's sold on it. The only girl names he's thrown out are Megan (no) and Morgan (cute.. maybe). So... we're basically at square 1. Oh the name game... it's all part of it! I wonder if my parents gave much thought to my name. I know my first name is from the song "Mandy" and my middle name is after my Mom's used to be best friend. (Beth) Cool tidbit: If I'd have been a boy.. my name would've been Clayton. :)

Yes, I realize I've rambled on about nearly nothing.. forgive me. I'm home alone and my kids are asleep! I haven't had this much internet time in.... weeks! I'm off to lay on the couch and poke at my belly in hopes that the little bean will poke back so I can go wash my face and brush my teeth in pure joy. As long as the monsterous spider I saw run behind the desk earlier doesn't show back up.. my night will be good! (Suzanne... I feel a battle cry coming on...)

Visit with the Parkers!

I meant to post this last week, after their visit last Thursday, but my poor little man got sick that night with a horrible fever, and STILL HAS IT a week later. Found out he has a bad cold which has caused his very first ear infection. We've NOT had a good week. Fever in the 103-104.5 degree range all week, and no sleep for any of us b/c of his pain and night sweating. He's been on antibiotics for 3 days now, and today he's showing some signs of improvement. It's kind of hit and miss. Anyway...


Isn't this a GREAT picture of Suzanne? She is so darn cute. I couldn't get over her belly and I even got to feel the baby rolling and kicking! It was so amazing. I can't wait to feel that in my belly! (I am feeling small flutters here and there now, so that's been really exciting!)


Here are all of the kids riding the two seater jeep. lol They rode that thing all over the place! Gracie laughed SO HARD when she first got on it, I don't know if I've ever seen her that excited before! It was so good to see them all together at our house again. That's the first time they've all been here together since the Parker's moved!


I just loved this one of Carter and Grace. I wish I had a comparison picture of them at this time last year... it would've looked nothing like this! (Carter would've been Grace's age, and she would've been an infant) They had so much fun together!

It was so good to see all of them. It made my day! It's been too long since we sat at the kitchen table chatting and eating chocolate chip cookies, Suzanne!! I knew I missed it, but didn't realize how much I really missed it until you were here. Hey, at least we have cingular now so we can talk without running up your minutes! Yay!

Kids 'make you' say the darndest things...

I so vividly remember the days, before I was a mother, even after I was a mother, but before I was the mother of a toddler, when I thought to myself oh so often, "I'll never say, or do, THAT." Don't we all have those memories? I never thought I'd repeat the phrases I hated so much from my own parents. I catch myself saying those same phrases now. Just Sunday at church, I said to Madison, "Stop rocking that chair back or it's going to fall over." How many times did I roll my eyes as my own mother said that to me? Or how about, "Carter, stop running with that stick!" Or, my new favorite, "Go out or come in but close that door!" Even the one I hated probably the most of them all... "because I said so.." UGH... how aggrivating is that one? I also find myself becoming "that" mother more and more though. The picture I put on here, I picked because it makes me laugh and think "My gosh I love them!" I never could understand how someone could be excited over a baby rolling over, eating solids, or standing alone much less why it was thrilling for a child to say "mamma" (they all learn to talk eventually...) or to say "I love you." These are, in general, everyday events. Even childbirth in itself is no big deal if you think about the headcount.. it happens every single day, just like anything else. Or so you might think before it happens to you. People always talk about the gift of children.. but you really can't understand that until you're granted that gift. Why DOES it make us so excited when our newborn first smiles at us? Did we think he or she wouldn't? Did we think our kid would end up the smileless wonder? I'll never forget my squeel of delight and giggle and "get the camera!" responce to both Madison's and Carter's first smiles. It just melts you doesn't it? Everything they do can melt you if you really ponder it. It gets harder as they get older sometimes to really stop and think about how wonderful they are... but they ARE wonderful. Sweet, silly, innocent... and the fact that they think we, their parents, are the most fantastic thing on the planet makes it even more powerful. Madison's new phrase is, "Mommy, guess how much I love you." "How much, Madison?" "One hundred and ten!" (she's 5.. that's almost an unimaginable number to her! lol) My favorite part of that phrase is..."Daddy, guess how much I love you?" "How much?" "One hundred and nine!" That's mommy's girl!

Forgot to tell ya

I had my second dr's appt on the 6th and all is well! We had to get another ultrasound because the nurse couldn't find the baby's heartbeat on the doppler. (which had me in tears!) It was AMAZING how much bigger the baby was on the screen. She didn't give us much of a look though. :( She just zoomed in on the heart and it was pounding away at 156bpm! I did see the baby wiggling all around, and you could see long arms and legs, knees and elbows, all moving and waving. I wish we could've gotten a longer look. So I'm 11 weeks, 4 days today. Closing in on the second trimester. (already?) Now it seems like this pregnancy is flying by! I know I'm hormonal and emotional but lately I've had a really hard time looking at Madison and Carter and seeing how big they're getting. Just tonight I looked at the living room, once they were asleep, and right in the middle of the floor there was a toy vacuum, a wooden board with games on it, and a plastic dinosaur all sitting next to each other as if they were purposely arranged there. I started thinking about how, sooner than I'd like, those things will be a thing in our past. Toys will be replaced by all kinds of big kid things. :( I just love my kids being the ages they are... it's so hard to let go of what we have right in this moment, even though I've learned from experience that they just get more fun as they grow. I guess knowing that I'm pregnant for the last time, and I'm getting ready to go through the baby phase for the last time, is getting to me. I'm pretty sure our family is totally complete with 3 kids... it's just hard to think that we'll never go through this again. Do you ever get over wanting a young baby or child around? Do you just have to continuously push those feelings down no matter how old your children get? Maybe once this one gets here my feelings will change and the "completeness" will set in and I'll be just totally content with life and how it's going to change in the future. Right now, as I said, I think I'm just a bit emotional!

Approaching holidays

How the holiday season changes for us as we grow older! When I was a child, Thanksgiving and Christmas were the less stressful times of the year. They were full of family, friends, and fun. My job was to arrive with my parents, not get into trouble, play all day and all night long, and eat and open gifts. Nothing could have been better! Now, the holidays bring forth some of those same feelings, mixed with a feeling of stress! Christmas especially. Clayton and I both come from divorced homes, so that makes 4 sets of just our parents houses to make sure we visit, or visit those parents at SOMEONE'S home. Add grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and friends... and wow! You could really make yourself crazy if you chose to visit everyone. My main form of stress right now is the gift buying. I'm not sure when it became tradition to buy everyone a present... but I sure feel the pressure to. I really wish we could just buy for our children and be done with it to be honest! Well, of course my nephews and neice too... I could never not buy them something. :) I find myself asking our huge families to please not buy us gifts, b/c we then feel the pressure to buy for everyone, and we just can't! Not to mention, with just the kids new toys we always have to overhaul the house to make everything fit! lol So, this year, I really want to stive to have a fairly stress free Christmas. To see it like I did as a child. Just show up, eat, "watch" as the kids open gifts, and enjoy the time with friends and family, rather than worrying about who bought what and who offered to help clean up first and did the most afterwards. (yes, things can get competative with those types of jobs) Hopefully the weather will be good to us so we can all travel to visit, since I know a lot of you will be doing even more driving than we will be. Here's to enjoying Christmas like it's meant to be enjoyed this year!

Baby's first portrait

Here is our baby! We had our first doctor's visit today and it went great! I was a nervous wreck.. thankfully they got us in quickly and the very first thing we did was get an ultrasound. I realize this picture is hard to make out, but the actual ultrasound was AMAZING! The baby was wiggling a little and even moved it's arms around! I cried during the whole thing. I couldn't stop! Even once it was over if I'd look at our pictures that we got I'd start tearing up again. I feel like the most blessed person on earth. I'm 9 weeks and 1 day, and the baby measured exactly 9 weeks and 1 day.. it really doesn't get any better than that! My official due date is now June 28.. though with a scheduled csection baby will be born about a week before that. To help those of you unfamiliar with ultrasound pictures, the baby is laying on its back, looking up at us when the picture was snapped so you're seeeing the baby's face and belly, face up. The head is on the left, right below the head you can sort of see the two small spots that are actually the arms.. then the body, and the legs are the other two small spots. :) Madison was so excited when we showed her the pictures... she is thrilled about this baby. Clayton was trying to get me to talk about baby names on the drive home.. but I was too excited about our appt to even concentrate on that. lol It seems too early to talk names, which is strange because I was thinking up names for madison and carter basically from the day we found out we were pg! I guess that the ones I really like I know Clayton doesn't really want... so I'm actually going to have to go searching for names this time! I'm too tired for that right now. lol I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!! Eat lots of turkey for me, just in case I'm not able to. :)

Christmas!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? we don't "do" Santa.. but we wrap or bag most gifts.. except the one that we know the kids will like best.. I love seeing them run into the living room and set eyes on that gift they've been wanting first thing!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Never have.. but maybe I will this year!

5. When do you put your decorations up? we've been saying we were going to put them up for a week! At this rate who knows! lol Typically the day after Thanksgiving

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? broccoli/rice casserole

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Sneaking around the house with my brother finding the presents that were hidden waiting to be wrapped.. what fun!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I was 5 or 6... I asked my stepmom if he was real and she said no.. I was crushed b/c I really believed. I kept asking her if God was real or a story too... I was PO'd that I had been lied to about it and never intended to tell my kids that Santa was real.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? we open them all December since we have so many sets of family to visit.. but here at the house we open on Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? White lights, gold, silver, and white ornaments, and some of our family decorations. Angel at the top
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it.. but we never get any lol
12. Can you ice skate? Yep... love it!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A Baby Alive I wanted for a really long time when I was little!

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? seeing family and spoiling the kids
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? 4 layer delight (sort of like chocolate pie.. only better)

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? it would have to be decorating the tree

17. What tops your tree? angel

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? giving

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? What Child is This
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum!

I tag K.T. and Brandy to do this!

Snickerdoodles and Merry Berry

We had another "Settlers" party last night and it was a great time. Lots of good food, which I was actually able to eat and hold down, and just a ton of laughs and fun. Taylor walked away "Lord of Catan" (did you know that's what it says? Not "King") and I'm sure in a few days Clayton will be dying to play again.. he can't stand to be beaten at anything, don't let him tell you otherwise.

I think we're going to put our Christmas stuff up tonight. Clayton and the kids are begging to do it, even though traditionally we always do it the day AFTER Thanksgiving, I figure what they hey, let's do it early! I just hope I can keep my boy child out of the tree and other pretties that will be all around the house. We usually hang candy canes all over the tree, but I'm not sure that will be such a grand idea right now. Maybe later on.. like the last week the tree will be up! I can't believe it's almost 2007! Where does time go?

Making it!

Sorry for not posting lately. Clayton left Thursday to go to Iowa on a hunting trip and he's just now going to get home today. (Tuesday) Handling the kids totally alone, on top of throwing up constantly has taken its toll on me. I'm just sick and tired and tired of being sick and tired. lol I think when he gets home and takes up his normal 'jobs' I'll feel a ton better. Hats off to single mothers.. though I feel like a single mom a lot of the time... when Clayton's actually totally gone like this I realize how much he really does do around here!

So, an update on me. I'm 8 weeks along TODAY and though I'm pretty sick it's still nothing that I feel I can complain about. I guess once you've been in the depths of morning sickness hell before, the 'normal' morning sickness just isn't a big deal to you. I'm anxiously awaiting my Dr's appt next week. It can't get here fast enough. I have butterflies in my stomach thinking about it.. I'm a nervous wreck. I just pray I get a great ultrasound that shows a perfect healthy baby. I also hope it makes this baby real to me. I still am just feeling numb to all of this. I figured by this point it'd have sunk in but it hasn't. When anyone asks me about being pregnant I almost forget that I am! I'm just ready to start showing and feel the baby move and all of that stuff. It'll be a while before any of that happens though!

Well, I officially became "that" mother. I sent an email to Madison's teacher about the little (okay.. he's huge) boy that sits across the table from her in class. He's a big bully and I'd had enough of it. He was tearing up Madison's things, physically hurting her, and calling her a "crybaby" if she'd get upset about it. So I asked the teacher (in a very nicely written way by the way) if she would please move one of them to a different table because madison was terrified of this child and was crying every morning not wanting to go to school because of him. The very next day the teacher moved him! Now a sweet little girl sits across from Madison. :) Thumbs up for a quick action taken on the teacher's part! I don't know why I hesitated to write the letter... I guess i didn't want to step on the teacher's toes by making suggestions about how she runs her classroom, but enough is enough. Momma Bear eventually has to come out and not worry about anything other than her child!

Pickles anyone?

This is a 3-D ultrasound image of a baby at 7 weeks.. that's how far along I am now and I find it incredibly cool to imagine that's what my baby looks like. Isn't it amazing how quickly babies grow?! I heard on Discovery Health that if a fetus grew as quickly the entire 9 months as it grows in the first 9 weeks, it would be as large as THE SUN at birth! Talk about a growth spurt! I'm feeling pretty well for the most part. I do have all day sickness.. but nothing horrible to be honest. I haven't thrown up in two days, even though I tried b/c I felt awful and hoped it would make me feel better! It's just a bit funny to me that I couldn't STOP throwing up with Carter, and I can't even make myself this time! Another funny thing, to me, is that I actually have found that eating a dill pickle helps me feel better. Okay.. does that not sound like something that would send you over if you were already feeling sick? Don't ask what made me think that would work... but I just wanted one the other day and it did the trick! This is the first time that I've been pregnant that I've wanted to eat pickles... God is ending our family on a good and semi funny note.

Thanks to everyone who came over and played with us Sunday! Clayton is ever so grateful that he got to play Settlers.. and that he held his crown once again. Someone better beat him soon before he stars thinking he really is the King of Sadan. (or is it Knights of Iran? lol) Inside joke.. I realize it makes no sense to most of you! Hope we can get together again soon! And I am ever so thankful to LeeAnn for brining me salad! I swear, I have never enjoyed a salad so much in my life! lol I'm never going to gain any weight if I keep these kinds of cravings up!

There's that reassurance!

I knew it would show up eventually! Almost right on 'textbook' time! I'll be 6 weeks tomorrow.. and I've felt like crap ALL DAY! yahoo! lol I think I'll be spending a lot of time with the toilet in the next few months... it's only a matter of time before it progresses to that! lol Kristy.. if you read this.. go ahead and let me know those remedies you said you know! I'd really like to avoid a) taking the meds again and b) being in the hospital! Hook a sista up! Good news is all of my clothes still fit the same.. and so hopefully I can make it another few weeks before I have to bust out my stretchy, almost maternity, pants! We'll see!

Halloween again!

How is it time for Halloween again? These are the costumes the kids have chosen for themselves. Madison is a fairy princess and Carter is an Incredible. (his favorite movie!) I think it's going to be so much fun trick-or-treating this year... both of the kids are old enough to really enjoy it now. Speaking of, any word yet on what night we'll actually be going house to house? It's sure to be a lot of fun and I'm sure to be able to find any kind of candy I want to satisfy any cravings I might suddenly get in the kids pumpkin buckets! (you know you eat your children's candy too... don't act like it's just me!)

A quick update on me. I'm 5ish weeks along now.. and besides being extremely tired I feel fine. I keep waiting to wake up feeling sick any day now.. and sometimes I almost wish I would be sick at least now and again for some reassurance. It worries me that I haven't been sick really yet. Next week I'll probably be posting that I'm so sick I can no longer leave the house.. so I better be careful what I wish for! I'm just ready to get past this first trimester.. it's so very scary being early pregnant. My first doctor's appt seems like an eternity away.. I'll be 9 weeks when I go. Should make for a great ultrasound then though! Anyway.. just wanted to update anyone who was curious! I'll let you know if my lack of illness changes. ;)

Party update!

Well, the Parkers ended up not being able to make it to the party... but we partied anyway! To say we had fun is a huge understatement! We all hung out, ate, and played games from 11am until 10pm!! yes.. you read that right! My stomach is sore from laughing so hard. Thanks everyone for showing up even though the Parkers couldn't come. It was really so much fun! We'll have to all do it again sometime soon. :)

Any men that are up to driving out for a game of "settlers" please call my husband... he is addicted to it after playing it just once! Taylor, you better bring some friends over soon to do that again! :) Clayton's already itching to beat you all another time I think. Just kidding... kinda.

I'M PREGNANT!

Yes... you read that correctly! I... finally.. am pregnant! I took a test this morning, not thinking it would be positive, because they never are... and it was! It came up almost immediatley!! I am in shock.. I am thrilled, and I don't think I could thank God anymore than I already have so far today! I'm a nervous wreck... I find myself doubting the test now. I plan to go buy more and retest.. if I see several positive tests it might seem more real. Thank you God.. you heard me, you helped me! Now just stay here with me! Clayton is away in Little Rock all week for training so I had to tell him over the phone. He is shocked and happy too. He told me to not to walking this morning, I don't need to move around at all, to come home and sit down. He's so silly... but it's sweet that he's already so concerned. Thank you for all of your prayers.. keep them coming! Now, just pray for a healthy mom and baby!!! I cannot believe this... I really can't!

Just a reminder.. Saturday will be party time at our house. THe Parkers will be here around 11am, we plan to grill out for lunch around 12 or 1, and they are just going to hang out all day/night so if you get a moment to stop by at ANYTIME of the day or evening please do. I know that they'd love to see as many friends as possible while they're here. If you'd like to bring something to help with lunch let me know and I'll give you an idea of what we need. :)