Five years!?!

Five sweet years ago today, I found out I was going to be a mommy! I cannot believe it has been that long since I first saw those two little pink lines. That moment was such a special time that I will never forget. I squealed, jumped up and down, cried, and rejoiced. And that was just a small glimpse of all the joy that my precious baby would bring to my life. And then I got to experience the excitement again two and half years later! Sometimes when I look at my family, I think "why me, God?" Why did You choose to bless me so richly? I have done nothing to deserve any of it. And yet, I am blessed beyond measure. It is so humbling and overwhelming at times. The first moment I held my babies was such a powerful reminder of how much my heavenly father loves me. When they were born, they had done nothing to "deserve" my love. They were helpless, needed everything from me, and had not much to offer in return. In fact, they had kinda made me quite sick at times for the last nine months. Yet when I held those girls, I loved them more intensely and quickly than I had ever loved anyone. I loved them because they were mine. And to think...God loves me even more than that...just because I am His! Isn't that amazing?


Besides showing me love on a whole new level, being a mom has taught me and changed me more than anything else. It has been such a fun and full five years! (yes, I am counting from the time I found out I was pregnant...) I thought I would share ten things I've learned or discovered about motherhood as I reflect back today.


1. There is pretty much nothing sweeter in the world than rocking a clean, lotioned up baby in their little pajamas. I love singing and rocking my girls nightly. I still rock Lily. She's four. I plan to continue this until high school. Patrick and I have to take turns, or we would argue about it. :)


2. When I first held Lily and Evie, I thought "there is nothing they can ever do that will frustrate me or make me mad" and "I'll never lose my patience with this precious baby." ....um, wrong.


3. If I don't depend upon the Lord, I will lose my patience all.of.the.time. I pray about this a lot. And He gives me many, many chances to work on it ;) Basically, to be the mom I want to be, my focus cannot be on my children. It must be on God. The rest will come naturally. And this is an everyday thing/struggle on which I need to work.


4. My kids poop really doesn't smell as bad as other kids'. I have the weakest stomach ever. So either my gag reflex has been fortified, or my children smell like roses.


5. I know not everyone is cut out to be a stay at home mom, but I really feel like I was born to do it. I love it. I am SO thankful that I am able to, and I love, love spending all day, every day with my children. That's not to say everyday is "wonderful" or even close, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.


6. Having a cookie or a piece of candy will NOT, in fact, kill my children.


7. It's best if their daddy never dresses them unless I lay out the clothes. This has been proven time and time again. He's amazing at just about every aspect of parenting but not this one. :)


8. Having two kids is not double the trouble. It's like...quadruple. Something about going from one to two ROCKED MY WORLD.


9. Just like having two is wayyyy more trouble, it is has been four times the fun. There is no sweeter sound than that of my girls laughing and playing together. Watching them become best friends brings me endless joy!


10. It all goes too fast. Do I really have a four year old? Is my baby really almost two?? It seems like yesterday I was rocking them to sleep....wait, it was yesterday. But you know what I mean. They are little for such a short, short time. I don't want to waste a second of it. I cherish everyday that I get to spend with them. I know a day is coming when they would probably rather be with friends. Until then, I want to live each day to the fullest...just being their mommy. Their playmate. Their teacher. Their friend. Their cuddle-bug. Their boo boo kisser. And yes, even their little booty wiper:) This stage of their life (and of mine) will be over in the blink of an eye.


Thank you, Lord, for trusting me with your two precious little girls. Thank you for the gift of motherhood. Thank you for each day I get to spend with them. I truly love it...

Happy Halloween!!!

In honor of this crazy fun holiday- I felt the need to write a blog.. Finally! Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Maybe because I feel like it is the kick start to the whole holiday season-- the best time of the year! Maybe because it is in the middle of the fall-my favorite season. Or maybe I am still too much of a kid and I LOVE the fun decor, parties, and candy. Yeah, probably that.

Anyway, it is a wonder I even like this holiday. I am somewhat surprised I don't despise it based on Halloweens past! You see, most youngsters put much thought into their costume... some even think on it all year long. Then, finally the day comes where they get to actually BE their heroes. Cinderella, Robin Hood, Spiderman, cheerleaders, football players, rock stars, etc...

Growing up in my house, it was different story. All of the "cool" costumes were no where near original enough for my eccentric mother. Never did we wear a store-bought costume! Every other kid would be wearing those. Mom spent many hours picking out and putting together our costumes every year. It didn't matter if we were cute as long as we were the funniest little ones walking around. Actually, it didn't matter if I was cute so long as I was funny. Somehow, every year, Corrie got to be the cute one and me- the funny one (for the most part).

Let me just give you some examples to back my argument up:

Corrie- Dorthy

Me- Auntie Em

Corrie- Scarlet

Mom- Rhett Butler

Me- Ms. Prissy (Scarlet's maid)... also, I must add, I had to go to every door and say, "Oh Ms. Scarlet, I don't know nothin bout birthin no babies"-- I was five.

My best friend- Raggedy Ann

Me- Andy

My best friend- a pumpkin

Me- Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater

Me- The Wrinkle Fairy... dressed up like a really old lady with gray hair, a pillow butt, and bags of "crows feet" and "cellulite" (I didn't even know what those things were at that age!)

Corrie- Al from Home Improvement

Me- Wilson from Home Improvement

Despite all of the crazy costumes- I never did mind it. Okay-- when I had to wear panty hose on my head for a wig and then someone took off my wig and I was just a panty hose-head, I did cry. But other than that... I still loved it all.

And now as an adult, I'm not scared to just be "the funny one" and not the popular "sexy one"

(as I have recently been Michael Phelp's mom and Meredith from The Office).

Whatever character you may be this year, I hope you have a fun, safe, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Oh, Baby!

I haven't blogged in so long... I have thought about it many times, but just couldn't do it. For the past 5 months (well, ok really 4) I have been very sick. As most of you are aware- I have been sick for good reason! I am expecting a little one on February 17, 2011. Nathan and I weren't even trying to have a baby, but through God's graciousness, He saw it fit to bless us with a wonderful surprise! We weren't even sure of our chances of conceiving. I have had "issues" since puberty- but more so- Nathan was diganosed with and treated for testicular cancer 3 years ago. GOD IS SO GOOD! And even though this came as a complete shock- and even though it took a minute to get used to the fact that I am pregnant... I couldn't be happier! I will be 20 weeks this Thursday, and we find out the sex of the baby TOMORROW (Tuesday)!!!!! I probably won't even be able to sleep tonight, I am so excited! And even though I am just ready to know what we are having, I am more anxious to hear that the baby is wonderfully perfect!

As I mentioned before, I have been very sick. This has been the hardest 4 months of my life! I started throwing up the day I turned 6 weeks, and I am still getting sick! In the beginning, I lost 8 lbs. due to how sick I was. I have made that weight up though- haha! I am not nearly as sick as I was just a few short weeks ago, and I am so very thankful for that! I have hyperemesis gravidarum, and unless you have been there and have been that sick (which many of you have), you just have no idea of the level of suffering. I know there are a lot of people in this world that have truly debilitating diseases that cause a lot of suffering, and I am not at all trying to say what I have is worse. Completely separate from that- I'm just saying- it has been rough! But at least I have a wondeful bright light at the end of the tunnel! Now, I am not bringing all of this up to have a pity party.. and I am quite sick of complaining about it (haha), but I am just wanting to bring you up to date.

On a brighter note, I have been feeling a little bit of movement for about two weeks now. It is not all of the time- but occasionally it will happen. Every time it does, I am amazed that there is something alive inside of me! It makes me feel like I am the only perosn on earth that has ever experienced something that special!

Don't worry fellow blog readers, this blog is not about to become a pregnancy/baby/family blog- we plan to write as usual (except hopefully a little more often!), but I will share any funny/special stories that this experience may bring to my life!

I will ask now for a special prayer tonight for my little one. First and foremost, please pray for a healthy baby to be shown on the ultrasound tomorrow. Secondly, pray that this baby will cooperate, and we will be able to catch a glimpse between those sweet little baby legs!

Disney!!

I need help, advice, tips...whatever you call it. Patrick and I are going to Disney World in two and a half weeks. We have been SO excited about this trip! We are actually going without our kids...I know, I know. Who goes to Disney World without their kids? Isn't it made for kids?? Well, we are basically twelve years old at heart, so it's actually quite fitting. We've been wanting to get away (just the two of us) and take a little mini-vacation. Everything we came up with just paled in comparison to the glorious fun that is Disney. So...we booked it and haven't regretted our decision on the place at all. I would like to add that we are planning on taking the kids in a year for a big, huge vacation with my whole family. Can't wait!! We are telling ourselves that we're just going to "check it out" for everyone. haha:)


Anyway, back to needing advice. You see, the closer we get to leaving, the more anxious I am getting about leaving the girls. I have been ridiculously looking forward to this, and now all I can think about is how much I am going to miss them. We will be gone four nights, and I've never ever been away from them for more than a night. (Well, Lily went to Alabama with my mom for two nights, and that was tough!) So...I need some words of wisdom from my friends who have been on a mini-vacation without their kids. Will I have fun?? Or will I miss them terribly and be miserable?? Is there anything I can do to help me NOT sob the whole time? Does it get easier each time? I know this probably all sounds silly. I mean, it is only four nights. But...it's our first time. And I really love my girls:) So, please...give this nervous mother some encouragement!! If you read this and do not have kids, any tips on Disney World would be appreciated too. Favorite restaurants? Best rides? Skip this? Don't miss that? I'm desperate for some sort of feedback.


Thanks for reading, and thank you for the words of wisdom that I just KNOW you will leave me:) And now I leave you with these two adorable little faces: Can you see why I'm not looking forward to leaving these babies?? Oh, I love them so!!

I love my first friend!!

Due to how very sick I have been, I am late on a very important blog! I will be blogging about all that goodness in a later post (no promises to when because it is REALLY hard for me to even look at a computer these days).

I missed Corrie's birthday blog.. a while ago. It was not forgotten about. In fact, I had been excited all year to write her birthday blog. But I missed it :( Not on purpose, but I still missed it. Before I can write another single blog about anything, and although it is not her birthday anymore, I still want to say a word about my first friend. I knew it would kind of be a hard one for me to write because it is hard to say how much I love her- and the reasons why.

She is my best friend. All of my life (even when we were fighting like crazy as teens) I have looked up to Corrie. To me, she, almost always, knows best. She has, almost always, done what is right. She truly was my first friend. We have always been very close, but there were a few years (those preteen and teenage years) that I highly doubted we would ever be best friends. But as the years went by and as we both matured, we became super close. I can't even remember the last time we argued. And now, there is not a day that goes by that I don't talk to her at least 3 times. Most days, I even get to see her! I have so much fun with her every time we are together- even if we are just sitting on her couch talking. It never gets old or boring. And it is our dream to live next to each other... hopefully that dream will come true sooner rather than later :)

She is so wise. I know that I can go to her for the best, most God-centered advice- always with my best interest at heart. She isn't scared to tell me things she knows I will not want to hear. She is the best mediator when I am upset in situations involving others.

She is the best mom. I adore watching her with her girls. Luckily, we had a wonderful mom growing up that taught us well. But now that Nathan and I are so close to parenthood, I pay close attention to the details of parenting. Corrie (and Patrick) are such awesome role models in that area. I ask Corrie all the time if she cares if I copy an idea. I am literally writing them down. I am constantly impressed with her.

She is a godly woman. Again, in every aspect of her life: marriage, motherhood, friendships, etc.. she shows God's love in an awesome way. There is no doubt who comes first in their household! I love that we can talk about all that stuff together! -- it is so encouraging and it keeps me held accountable! I love it!

She is so fun. She is crazy and so funny and a little nerdy. haha. She always makes me laugh. Sometimes, I am laughing at her... but laughing nonetheless!

So.. in a nutshell. I love my first friend! I just wanted to post a short little note about her greatness :) I think she is great- and anyone privileged enough to know her loves her too! You just can't not.

Sorry...but it's my blog, so I can

Hey blog readers! Okay, so we decided to sale our house. We're going to try the FSBO route for a few weeks before actually listing it. So...yes, I am about to post a link for all of you to view a few pics of my house. I realize that probably no one that reads this is going to buy our home, but I'm going to give this "for sale by owner" thing my best effort. Besides, if someone comes soon...we can certainly negotiate a little more if we don't have to pay a realtor a large chunk of our cash. So people, if ANYONE you know is interested, please give me a call or send me a message!! Okay, that's all of the soliciting I will ever do on this blog. I promise. I think. Unless I need to again... Oh, and if anyone brings me a buyer without a realtor involved, I promise you I will literally give you a thousand dollars. We are willing to co-op with a realtor if necessary, though. However, I cannot guarantee $1000 at that time. :) Okay, I'm shutting up.

http://www.forsalebyowner.com/listing/RRGWT

Check us out! Have a GREAT labor day weekend! I know I will as we make small, but necessary, improvements to our house :/

The Liberation of Organization

Hello blog-readers!! Did you think we fell off the face of the earth? I know, I know...it's been too long. I'm sure you were sitting on pins and needles, just waiting on the next post ;) There has been a LOT going on lately, and we've both been busy (or sick). I'll let Anna update on more details. Anyway, I thought I'd just drop in and say hi to everyone. I think I'll just fill you in on what's going on in my world. It's really not that exciting.


First up, we got cable!! Yes, television cable. We were hooking up the internet, and since dumb Comcast is the only one that runs lines to our neighborhood, we had to get basic cable. No frills. We were supposed to pick up only about ten channels, but when we switched, we ended up getting about 75!! This is the first time in seven years we have had more than seven channels. We don't watch a TON of television, and what we do enjoy comes on network tv. But now my whole world has been opened up to the beauty (and pitfalls) of a LOT of programs. I have discovered that there are MANY times when there is STILL nothing good to watch. I just grab a book and read instead. But I have to say, I am loving Discovery Channel, TLC, and HGTV. The Cake Boss is amazing. Even Patrick loves it. We also got to participate in SHARK WEEK!! Can I get a WOOHOO?!? I'm somewhat (okay, very) obsessed with The Little Couple. I love them. If I were a little person and Bill was single....okay, there, I said it. Patrick is enjoying a few sports channels. He will REALLY be excited in a few weeks when college football starts. I, however, can cry now just thinking of it. We also like Mythbusters. Okay, that's all I am going to say about television. It probably sounds like that's all we do now. Not true. Just maybe a little more true than, say, two months ago. :)


The other thing I have been doing lately is methodically going through my house and organizing each and every room, drawer, closet....etc. Okay, I should back up here and say that I have been fetching the vacuum, various boxes, and cleaning supplies while my friend, Hollie, has been working away to make my home clutter-free! I am not really a pack rat (cough, cough, Anna and Patrick), but I am just not that good at organizing. Sure, there are areas I do okay with it. When I was in school, my work was very organized. But somehow, it didn't translate to my closets. And when Hollie saw them (after a minor stroke), she decided something had to be done. We started in the pantry and fridge, then went to the laundry room, the kitchen, my bedroom, my closet, entertainment center...it's been weeks of organizing. I'm telling you, the girl has a gift for it. I promise my house has gained all kinds of square footage. I know, you're probably thinking..."this will never last." But something amazing has happened in this process. She made a place for every little thing, and I now WANT to keep it that way!! Hooray!! So...where as in the past, I would blow dry my hair and then leave my blow-dryer plugged in (because I would be using it again tomorrow), I now just go put it in it's little drawer! It takes ten seconds. And my house looks so much cleaner! AAHHHHH!!! It's is truly freeing and liberating. I've also discovered that when everything is put where it goes, then it takes no time to actually clean. You probably all already know this. I'm just 27 years figuring it out. Thanks, Hollie!


There are some other things going on that I will blog about soon. But this one is getting long...and probably boring. Oh!! Coming up soon: I saw a show on my beloved TLC, and I really, really feel that somehow they got some information on me and put it into Untold Stories of the ER. I am currently trying to figure out how to make some kind of money off of this. I just KNOW they used my story.