Sunday, October 31, 2010

Trick or Treat!

We just finished up an eventful evening of trick or treating. My little Eeyore and beautiful princess had a great time but I think I had even more fun watching them. Not to mention, John's aunt made their costumes and they were absolutely gorgeous! If I had my camera cord I would upload some pictures but it's still MIA.

I had another nasty asthma attack this weekend and am currently dealing with bronchitis, along with the regular asthma stuff, so I was debating whether or not I would go out tonight. Cold air does NOT mix well with asthmatic lungs! However, armed with lots of good medicine, I roughed the cold night and had an absolute blast with my beauties. It was also great because John had his first Halloween off in 5 years so he could be with us the whole night. John's dad passed out candy out at our house for us while his mom and sister came to help out with the girls. We got tons of candy and we were only out for an hour! I'm not sure what we would have done with all of the candy if we had stayed out for the full 2 hours.

Growing up as a pastor's daughter we never celebrated Halloween. We would pass out candy and go to church Halloween substitutes but we never did full on trick or treating. The first year that Brooke was here we dressed her up as a ladybug to pass out candy and honestly, it was a blast. We've carried on the tradition and in my opinion, allowing your children to dress up and get candy from church is just a compromise. Either you agree with the holiday altogether or you don't. We don't celebrate Satan or compromise our beliefs on who Jesus is or what He means to us at all.. We just let our children look darn stinking cute and get a boat load of candy. That's what MY family believes and we are no less Christian or spiritual for our opinion... Just like we don't judge people for not taking their kids out. It's a fine line, I realize.

I just don't see Halloween as an issue of the heart so I'm not sure why so many people get hung up on who's celebrating it and who isn't. We're not saying that we don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah or that Jesus didn't die on the cross for our sins. To me, those are issues WORTH fighting over. Those actually matter. But if we're going to fight big on matters of opinion then when the big things come, how will handle them? I choose to pick my battles.

So, yeah, sorry for the rant. We had a great night and I'm happy that my girls had a special time with us!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Is It Christmas YET?????

My silly Brooke has been hilarious today! Well, everyday but especially today. She's been asking a lot of questions lately about the upcoming holidays and she's REALLY excited about everything coming up. We've been trying to explain that Christmas is pretty soon but it's not quite here yet. Yeah, kind of hard to explain to a 3-year-old who wants everything NOW.

This morning Brooke woke up and said, "It's Thanksgiving today!" When I told her no she said, "Oh that's right... It's Christmas today!!" She was REALLY excited about it. You have no idea! I told her that in about two months it would be Christmas but we had the whole holiday season to enjoy it so it would be here very soon. She bought into that and kind of settled down.

Then, on the way home from some errands today she said, "Christmas is on Saturday!" Again, we had the talk and she cried when I burst her bubble. I put her up in her bed for nap time and she drifted off to sleep singing, "Christmas is only 2 mumps away!" Hahahaha! I love that girl:-)

I can't really blame Brookie for being so confused. After all, I've had Christmas music on in the house for over a month now and all the stores have their decorations out. She has every right to be frustrated that it's taking so long!

I'm SO excited to experience Christmas with my girls this year. Obviously I'll love watching Adrienne but Brooke has such a huge grasp and understanding so it's going to be real blast to see it through her eyes. I'm with Brooke.. Get here already, Christmastime!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

And Another Chapter Closes...

My sweet Adrienne is officially weaned. 17 months is a long time to nurse a baby (according to most people's standards) but I nursed Brooke just shy of two years so I feel so weird that we're done already. It's always bittersweet when one of my kids moves onto the next step but she self-weaned and it was done in the most natural, healthy way. For that I am extremely happy!

Adrienne was never much of a nurser anyways so really, it's surprising that she nursed for as long as she did. I always said that my goal was to get her to a year and anything past that would be a bonus. Well, I got 5 months worth of "bonus nursing" so that's definitely a good thing. She always associated nursing with eating (go figure!) while Brooke associated it was comfort and security. Those 2 girls are so different so would I be surprised by them being opposites here??

Breastfeeding is such a beautiful, amazing thing. I have had countless hours of precious time feeding both of my girls. I have sacrificed my body, my time, and my ability to be away from them for many, many months. I am so thankful for all of that! It's crazy to think that I have been either pregnant or nursing since June of 2006 with no break. If this next baby nurses for at least a year then I will be done nursing in March of 2012. That would be 6 continuous years of having my body of "loan." Wow... CRAZINESS! Maybe this short break from breastfeeding won't be so bad after all:-) Lol

I still can't believe that Adrienne is officially done! This time last year she was just tiny and now she's completely weaned and very much a toddler. Oh how the time flies!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Talk About Romantic!

Can I just say that I love my husband so much?? That man is the best thing that's ever happened to me! He lives to please me, walks all over himself to help me, and continually amazes me with his thoughtfulness and sensitivity to my needs. You can go throw up now:-)

He took last night off to go to a hayride with some friends up in Rochester. It's about 2.5 hours from our house but he said that we would just drive back that night to save money. Honestly, I was dreading that part of it but I didn't want to spend the money on a hotel either. John made arrangements for the girls so we could get
up there early before the hayride and go to dinner and the mall first. When we pulled into a hotel I said, "Are we lost?" Then he told me the news that he had gotten us a hotel early in the week but he wanted it to be a surprise! He then said that our friends had cancelled so we were just going to spend the night doing whatever I wanted! It was just perfect:-) We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, which a HUGE treat because we don't have one where we live, and then to the mall, where I tried on lots of clothes but found nothing I liked. We went back to the hotel and snuggled up to a good movie and relaxed. It was such a blessing to have that time alone with my man!

We got back this afternoon about 12 so we weren't even gone for 24 hours but it sure felt like a nice long break. We LOVE our girls but we are the best for them when we are first best for each other. We came home and had a quiet afternoon and evening at home with out babies and it was just an overall a wonderful couple of days! Life is so incredible awesome:-)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Down A Van

We have prided ourselves on saving money by driving inexpensive used cars. We paid $2000 for our van and it wasn't the most glamorous van or our dream car but it worked. It got me where I was going and it even provided transportation for several vacations. I stay home with our girls and for us, that means sacrificing some of the niceties in life. Obviously it's worth it because you can't put a price tag on being able to raise your children yourself!

Anyways, our van has been on the fritz for a while and my father-in-law (a mechanic) has been trying to figure out what's going on with it. There's a good possibility that the problem is with the engine.. So yes, for a cheap van, that's a cataclysmic blow. On top of that, we need new tires. Hardly sounds worth repairing at this point, huh? It's also got 130-some-odd-1000 miles on it so it's not like it's got a lot going for it.

I am SO thankful because John working nights frees up his car during the day so I am rarely inconvenienced by all of this. I have friends who only have one car and their husbands work normal hours, meaning they never have a vehicle. For this, I am extremely blessed. I never knew how much of a perk John working nights would be! I am also extremely grateful because my parents have been so accommodating letting us use one of their cars whenever a need arises. That has also been wonderful!

Of course we want to run out now and get a new van. I think we've pretty much decided, however, that we'll save money and wait until March (when the baby will be here and not fit in our car) to buy another vehicle. Somehow I am very content in this. Even though I know that when John does overtime during the evening hours that I'll be stuck. I need to be content in my own home and if I can't be then that's just not right. We don't always have to go somewhere or do something!

I am so thankful that God has promised to provide for all of our needs. I know that He knows we'll need a car that will fit the baby in March so I'm not going to sweat it! One day at a time!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Language Explosion

It's amazing to me how even though Adrienne is my second born, everything she does is just as exciting as it was when we experienced it for the first time around with Brooke. When I was pregnant with her I was a little curious about how that would all work out but I quickly learned that new developments never, ever become mundane when they involve my children!

Lately I am shocked by Adrienne's vocabulary. She says just about anything she wants to say and she can repeat anything and everything. It was so sweet because John gave the girls a bath last night and when she came out of the bathroom she said, "Dressed!" She was SO excited, too. I would have never thought that a one word declaration could make me smile so much but trust me, it does over and over.

Another thing that John and I find quite impressive about Adrienne is that she really loves people and is very social. In fact, there are several people at church whose names she blurted out tonight and we were in shock. Of course she knows how to say every family member's name (even our large extended family) but when she moved on to saying names of people she only sees once or twice a week, we were surprised. That's my girl.. Such a people person:-)

I am finding the experience of having a second child to be blast! I really think that Brooke's enthusiasm and excitement over Adrienne's achievements is partially what makes it so awesome. She is the first one to say, "Mommy, Adrienne said a new word!" Or, "Look what Adrienne's doing!" Brooke's love for her sister is something special and I hope it always, always stays that way.

These fun days that we're living in are what make it all worth while. Ya know? Motherhood is an exhausting, never ending job and sometimes life can seem pretty routine. However, one little smile or a new word out of the mouth of your baby can instantly cure all of that!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Dread

I feel so guilty because whenever I think about this baby, all I think about is how much I'm dreading the delivery. I'm excited to be a mommy again, I'm thrilled to add to our family, and I'm ecstatic when I think of a new person that I will get to discover. I just can't seem to get past that C-Section...

I've been down this road before, I know. My first C-Section was an emergency type situation so I didn't have time to process the "what ifs" or the magnitude of what I was about to go through. Then, when I made the decision to opt for a repeat C-Section with Adrienne (for safety reasons, combined with my doctor advising me that I was not a good candidate for a successful VBAC) it hit me hard. The main reason that that C-Section bothered me was because I felt like I was giving up that part of my womanhood and that I wouldn't be able to experience birthing babies naturally. I was afraid of the surgery, but my main feeling was guilt that I couldn't birth babies. Silly, I know. I realize that now. I dealt with those feelings and then, her birth was horrible. Being coherent and so aware of what was going on made the actual procedure ridiculously horrible for me (high blood pressure from freaking out, constant vomiting, you name it...). Then, to top it off, she was sick and in the NICU for the first 24 hours of her life so I couldn't even see her.


So, that leads me to now. I'm in a better place than I was after birthing Brooke... I realize that I am not any less of a mother or woman because I can't naturally deliver my babies. Would I LOVE that experience and prefer it? Absolutely! But it's not a statement of my character. However, I just want to look forward to the day I meet my baby and not dread the whole delivery and recovery experience as much as I already am. I think that my experience being so scary last time is lending to these fears and I just need to focus on what's important... And that's a healthy mom and a healthy baby!

We'll be scheduling our C-Section at our next appointment so I'll definitely have plenty of time to prepare for the date and time. I think that may scare me even more! I know that I'm being irrational and worrying about it now is only going to make the actual day that much worse. As my parents always told me growing up, "Think happy thoughts!" I'm sure trying.. But this C-Section is kind of a big deal!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Lots Going On

The last couple of days have been jam packed but wonderful! John was off so we got lots accomplished, as usual. I'm always exhausted after his days off so I don't know how he does it because he doesn't get to rest like I do. What a man!

We took the girls to the pumpkin farm on Thursday and had the best day! We just enjoyed feeding the animals and picking out our pumpkins. We told the girls they could get whatever they wanted and Brooke picked out a small pumpkin while Adrienne went over to a 20 pound pumpkin and attempted to pick it up. She was SO mad that it wouldn't budge. Hilarious! We came home and put the girls down for their naps while I ran out to an allergist appointment (more on that in a minute). John and the girls made a homemade lasagna while I was gone so I even came home to dinner! It was John's fist attempt at lasagna (as I do all the cooking) but he followed my directions and made a WONDERFUL dinner. What a man! After we ate, we carved our big family pumpkin, made caramel apples, roasted pumpkin seeds, and watched a pumpkin movie. It was the PERFECT night as a family! I'm a little bummed, though, because I can't find my camera cord to upload my pictures so I haven't been able to do that yet. My brother-in-law stopped by while we were doing our pumpkins and sent me some pictures of that part so I can at least post a few of those..

In other exciting news (to me!)... After 12 years at the same allergist, I made the switch to a new doctor. I am THRILLED because I seriously think he's going to make me feel human again. Asthma and allergies are severely interrupting my life and I'm just so fed up. I'm on 10 daily medications, 2 allergy shots a week, and I still am up all night not being able to breathe and just altogether feeling like garbage. He said that that's just not normal, which my other doctor never told me, and the technology in his office was incredible. He wants to do a CAT scan of my sinuses, among other things, and he changed up some of my medicines. I'm also going to be starting a new round of shots. He also did a test of my airways and discovered that out of like 2.75%, my airways are functioning at .56%, meaning that I have really small airways so I have to work that much harder to breathe. I knew it wasn't in my head! I've had asthma forever and I'm just learning this! He said he can treat me much better with that knowledge. So yeah, it sounds silly, but I feel like I'm getting my life. What a BIG deal!

On Friday I had my 15 week appointment and I heard the precious baby's heartbeat. It never, ever gets old:-) We have our big ultrasound on the 12Th of November and I'm EXTREMELY excited! I can't wait to have an identity for this baby so we can start planning better. I'm telling you all, though, it's a girl. I don't doubt it. Maybe I'll be wrong and get a boy? I win either way!

Today I went to New Jersey with my sister for the day. Her sister-in-law was having a baby shower and she was just going to drive up and back by herself but I made arrangements to keep her company. We have 4 kids in between the 2 of us (almost 6, in a few months) so even being in the car for that long was enjoyable because we could actually talk and listen to good music. It was a long day and of course I missed my family but it was very refreshing to get out with her and be able to spend quality time with her! It's rare that we have times like that so it really was a great day. John was amazing and held the fort down here and I came home to 2 gorgeous, happy, and CLEAN girls, along with a spotless house. It was wonderful!

Alright, here are a few pictures to leave with. Enjoy!





Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Blogging Burn Out

Wow, after 3 and half years of blogging I think that I just got burnt out. Day in and day out of faithfully sharing my thoughts turned into me having nothing to say. How could that be? I'm rarely without words! Haha. I've said it a million times... I love my blog and I love being able to look back through the years to remember things so I'm going to try to be more faithful to update.. For MY sake. Anyways, to get me back on track, I'll just do a bullet post today. I'll throw a nice formatted, paragraph-form post out the window.

*Christmas Play... I have been so busy thinking about, writing, and planning our church's Christmas play. We haven't done a play in several years so I decided to take that project on. I just wrote a really cute musical with some songs and stuff so I'm excited. A lot of people are helping out at church so it should be fun. I just have to figure out how I'll play the piano for some of the songs, "direct" it and organize it. Yikes. I wish I could split myself down the middle!

*The girls are doing fantastic! This cooler weather has brought on lots of nice days at home baking and playing. Those are my favorite moments that we have together!

*Brooke's been keeping her regular nap AND going to bed great lately! YES! For a while there she would be awake in her room really late if she had a nap but now she's still out by about 8:30. For this I am EXTREMELY grateful! She has had a little streak of an attitude lately but she really is a great, affection, kind-hearted little girl. What child doesn't have an attitude sometimes?

*Adrienne is still the most content creature I have ever met. She continues to "go with the flow" and rarely gives me a problem. Sometimes I feel bad for her because she's so easy but she's VERY happy that way. I guess I just don't identify with her quiet, easy-going nature so it's hard for me. We're polar opposites! Lol. She is saying a countless amount of words now and her favorite game is identify her eyes, ears, mouth, nose, chin, and hair. It's so cute!

*I am going to be 15 weeks pregnant tomorrow! I have just started getting REALLY bad headaches (that I always get in the second trimester) that have been rough but I'm pushing through! I go to the doctor on Friday and I'll get to schedule the BIG ULTRASOUND! What's your guess? Boy or girl? I've also started to get a little belly. I just made the switch to my maternity jeans because the others were just getting too uncomfortable. I guess I could take a picture of my growing self but it might depress me. Lol. I had just lost 16 pounds before getting pregnant but I know this is a good cause:-)

*John's off for the next 2 days. YAY!!!!!!!!! We're taking the girls to the pumpkin farm tomorrow so I'm really looking forward to that. We're also excited to watch the Atlanta Braves in the post season over the next couple of days (and hopefully weeks). Let's go Braves!

So that's about that. Life is great and I'm really loving it more and more with each day! It's been especially nice to start slowing down after the summer rush and I am happy to be laying low these days.