Just the three of us

We huddled them altogether on the couch before church yesterday and by some miracle they did great! The other miracle was that we still made it on time for church!

Merry Christmas!

We just got a new computer and have not transfered our pictures yet but I did get our Christmas pictures downloaded from the cd to share. I just love them!









This outfit and blanket were Ricky's when he was a baby. I wish his eyes were open but he was a sleepy boy.

What a great day!

The last few days have been nothing but God's goodness to me! I know you are probably wondering what has happened that has been so good but I don't have any one particular thing or a sweet story to share. I just finally feel like our family has some solid ground to stand on and that we are finally conforming to a family of 5. The last 10 almost 11 weeks have been nothing short of choas and disorder and if I am really honest with you (and myself)I have to say I do not work well with choas and disorder. We love our sweet little Titus but the beginning of his days were not so sweet. Not only does just adding a third child complicate things by itself but a very fussy, very cholic baby takes it to a whole new level. He ate every 2-2 1/2 hrs around the clock and cried inconsolibly every night and most mornings for about 2-3hrs. I was exhausted and weary. But in all of this I could not love him any more than I do today, now is that not God's doing or what? Ricky said the other day that we just have this bond (Tius and I) and I really do feel like we have from day one. Maybe because he hasn't left my side since he was put in my arms. He loves me and I can tell that he does when he looks at me and stares straight into my eyes. He will be 11 weeks old on Tuesday and I feel like I am just introducing you to him. He was born Sept 29 at 2:19pm and was 7 lbs. 15 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Our shortest out of the three (that has Ricky just a tad worried :). At 6 weeks old we began to supplement breast milk and formula and no kidding yall, the very next day we saw improvment in his crying fits. Within a week it was night and day difference. I just think the poor little guy was hungry, even though I nursed him about every 2 - 2 1/2 hours I just don't think I was enough. Eventually I quit nursing and he is now totally on formula and a very happy very sweet loveable little man who warms my heart with his cooing and smiles. He is sleeping about 8 hrs at a time at night, thank the good Lord! The girls just love him and even though I have the most Titus time and Ricky takes on the girls most of the time, he loves his little "T-man" bunches! Today Ricky was changing Titus' diaper on the floor and Titus was not happy about it so I watched as Leigh and Avery gathered around him and Leigh said,"what's a matter Titus" and then Avery said, "what a maner Titus?" So sweet! Avery also likes to give him is pacifier but in the process almost shoves the whole thing in his mouth so we have to watch her a bit. Things are still rocky and every day brings on more challenges but God has been good to us! I prayed a few days ago as I was sitting one late night in the recliner feeding him, all was quiet and I just prayed that God would help me to be happy and content right where I was and to enjoy these days even in the hard moments. I was feeling so frustrated with just about everything. I prayed he would help my stressful and uptight ugly heart to love this calling in my life. This has been probably the hardest time in my life, totally sacrificing myself and my agenda, (and a clean house now lets just be honest!)I prayed that instead of resenting the fact that it is not about me at all right now I would embrace it and love this time in my life. The next two days we did not get out of our pajamas, I got lots of overdue piles picked up, Titus and Avery napped very well, I felt rested, our neighbor picked up Leigh from school to play for the day, and I cooked dinner the last 2 nights. God was good to us in the very simpliest ways! It is still down right hard managing 3 little ones and I'm not about to say we have a handle on it, but God has given me grace the last two days to keep on going! What a great God we serve, I just wish I was a better servant but isn't that why WE HAVE THE CROSS! God Bless you this Sunday and hopefully I can blog more!

Why Not?

Here is a little glimpse of what a great guy and dad Ricky is. This picture was actually taken about early May when it still wasn't quite time to swim and the cover was still on. I remembered it and thought I would share it with you. The neighbors and cousins were over at our house and they all wanted to go swimming so bad so Ricky let everyone get down to there "skivies" (spelling? his translation)and take a dip in the pool. Of course they all just love Uncle Rick, Mr. Rick, and daddy! He is so great with the kids and includes them in all his little endeavors!

Waffles!

Leigh accompanied us in church again today. This has not been the easiest transition but to be honest transitions or change are never easy with Leigh. She will be 4 in 8 days so she has been trying to sit in church with us because for one she does not want to go in the nursery class anymore (that has always been a big fight) and we think that its probably time to learn to sit with us. This morning did not go over well which resulted in a spanking after church because of her disobedience but there was one funny moment in the middle of losing our patience. I leaned over and whispered to Leigh that this was the time that we needed to sit still and be quiet while we learn about Jesus and this is what she said to me:

Leigh: "momma did you have waffles for breakfast?"
Me: "no"
Leigh: "because you smell like waffles."

(Avery had a waffle with syrup this morning that I fed to her so apparently I smelled like waffles.)
I had to just laugh then I leaned over and told Ricky and he laughed too.
Thank goodness for their sweet little interuptions every now and then or I think I would totally lose my cool!

Growing Up and Dressing Up!

It has been so fun for me lately to watch the girls play together. Avery is getting bigger and Leigh and her are interacting so much more. They have enjoyed playing dress up. Leigh usually tells Avery what to wear but Avery's favorite thing are the dress up shoes. She is definetly my shoe girl.

New Bedding

I just had to post some pictures of my new bedding because, well, for one I just love it but mostly because my mom made it!!!! Didn't she do an amazing job?! I was inspired by some very outrageously expensive bedding that I saw at a fun shop here in Waco called "Spice" (one of my favorite shops) so I went to different fabric stores, mostly just JoAnn's and got scraps to coordinate for pillows and the velvety brown fabric you see for the duvet cover! I wish I could say that I made it but it is more fun for me to design it and then give all the kudos to my wonderfully talented semstress mother!! I love it Mom thanks!

Jennifer Garner?

I put sweet little Avery's hair back in a pony tail for the first time the other day and when Ricky saw her he said she looked like Jennifer Garner the actress. Now when I put it back he says "hi Jennifer". I think she looks so sweet with her little pony tail so I wanted to share some pictures. You can decide for yourself if she resembles a very young version ofJennifer Garner.





Here is a sweet one of Leigh too! I love my Girls!

Proud of my Hubby!

I have to brag on Ricky. He has always enjoyed riding his bike but now he is officially a true cyclist! He has been training very hard to compete in races and is loving it. Its kind of fun for us to be apart of this with him. The only down fall is that now that he is the real deal he has to shave his legs :(. All the guys do it, its just a cycling thing. Our last trip to visit family in Duncanville, the girls and I drove up on Wed. and he rode his bike to Duncanville on the following sat. morning! Can you believe that - 5 hours and 107 miles later! He left just before 6am in the morning and arrived at my parents house at 11:30am. He has been training and riding about 60-75 miles at a time so this was just a little longer stretch. We were very proud of him. Here are a couple pictures of him at a race Leigh and I got to attend!

Here are some summer pictures!
Look at our new sand box that daddy rigged up for us!

Leigh is now floaty free since this picture was taken. She really is a fish in the water!





My mom made these cute shirts for the grandgirls!

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe that it is the middle of July and I have not posted since April. Honestly I contemplate keeping up my blog since I really can't seem to keep it updated, then I read all of yours and think, ok I can do this. But you all are really much better than I am.
I am now 28 weeks and can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I only have about 10 weeks left and to say it that way does not seem very long. This pregnancy has certainly been different from the other two, mostly because we do not know what we are having. This little one does not have an identity from our perspective yet anyways but we know God has already established this child in His heavens long before the world began. We have two names ready but honestly do not feel strongly one way or the other. I am so excited to be surprised and I can't wait to welcome a little Ricky or another little girl! Everything has been so different. Usually I am in a dither at this time trying to get the baby room ready, trying to figure out how our family will change or the car situation but I haven't done a thing. I think along with our decision to not find out that the Lord has given me a peace about all the new changes. I just want to accept this new little one with love and patience and love my girls and their difficulties of adjusting if that may be the case. I really do not want to rush and I realize how much time I have to get the room ready and move Leigh and Avery in the same room to share after the baby comes. We really want Leigh and Avery to grow closer even though they are 28 months apart. I think sharing a room will be great for them! Leigh will also start preschool on August 20 and go 5 days a week from 8:30-11:30 with extended days on tues and thurs until 2:30 when Avery goes to Mothers DAy Out. I think this will help the girls have their own thing and keep some consistency with the new baby. I will post pictures of the girls room when they do begin to share because I got some fun new bedding for them awhile back just waiting to get out!
We still have a busy summer yet. I am excited about our annual girls weekend with all the women relatives on my dad's side of the family. That is the second weekend in August and then our family (Ricky, myself, Leigh, and Avery) will be spending Aug 9-15 at Pine Cove Christian Family Camp in Tyler, Texas! We can't wait!! Even though I will be 8 months pregnant and it will be hotter than hot it will be such a relaxing vacation! It is totally a place that we will be ministered to and our children will be cared for and I will not have to prepare any meals! I can't wait to share about our time there! Hopefully I will not stay away so long next time.

Much Better!

Hello everyone! I apologize for my absence! I have been doing much better it has just been difficult finding the time to get to my blog. I am 16 weeks now and feeling great! The girls are doing great although I think a cold is trying to creep up on us. We had a great Easter with my family and got some cute pictures that I will hopefully post soon. Ricky and I also went to a marraige conference with my sister and her husband as well as my cousin and her husband! It was at Park Cities Prebyterian Church in Dallas and the speaker was Paul Tripp who is a wonderful gifted speaker. He wrote "Sheppherding a Child's Heart" along with his brother and has other amazing books as well. It was such a great conference and a heart changing time for myself. I would also love to post some of my notes as well. Hopefully I can get back soon! God's greatest blessings!

A little tired these days...

Hello all,
I thought I would just pop in to say what is going on with us these days. I know I have been slow to update but when I tell you why you will understand, maybe, or the mommies will! We are expecting child #3! I am about 10 weeks and smack dab in the middle of the sooooo tired, no energy, everything is moving in slow motion, can't think clearly, can't think beyond just taking a shower, no make-up, who knows whats for dinner, laundry yeah right, movies alot for the other two ,bad mood, just trying to stay afloat time of the pregnancy. I don't remember being this tired with the other two pregnancys but maybe its just because now I have two to chase around. Seriously, all I want to do is crawl up in my bed and sleep. I even dream about sleeping and I try to catch a nap anytime I can. We are excited about baby number 3 and we have agreed to not find out the sex of the baby, especially after a bet involving money that my father-in-law offered up. I am excited but sometimes I do think that maybe we are crazy, I mean Avery won't even be 2. All I seam to think about right now is the negative and the hard times like, no sleep again, no social life, more laundry, more stuff, being out numbered, going to the grocery store - yuk! I know I am just complaining right now so please excuse me, give me a few more weeks and maybe that glow they are talking about will find its way to this mommy and give me some cheer! Until then, heres to a litle more sleep!

The Polar Express!

I meant to post some pictures from our trip to see The Polar Express in Imax over Christmas. We met at the train station and then we rode the train to the theater. I had never seen a movie in an Imax theater so it was quite an experience! I think the adults had just as much if not more fun than the children! I love these times when you can, just for a moment, revisit your childhood and dream big!!

Hope everyone is having a great Lord's day!
I was just trying out my signiture :)

Give me a skirt and a t-shirt!

Leigh's choice of clothing everyday is a skirt and a short sleeve shirt. It doesn't matter if it is 80 degrees or 30 degrees, after breakfast she goes in her room and finds what she is looking for. I've kind of come to love it because she is totally expressing herself. I usually have to tell her she can wear it until its time to leave if we are going out , but if we are staying in for the day, it's give me a skirt and a t-shirt!

Happy Birthday Avery!

December was a crazy month for us but we couldn't forget Avery's 1st Birthday. There was little planning on my part, really zero, other than deciding to pick up 4 blueberry muffins at Walmart for breakfast and ordering pizza for the party. It was just family but it was so nice. The morning of her birthday, the 3 of us (Ricky, Leigh, and myself) sang Happy Birthday to her and sat her in her high chair with a party hat and a big muffin. We had the video going and took some great pictures. We even used the self timer on our new camera (please forgive the pajamas and no makeup pictue of me and the 4 of us! yuk!)
Her actual party was so layed back and relaxing. My sweet mother-in-law made the cupcakes and most of Ricky's immediate family was there to celebrate! We didn't do anything special just enjoyed Avery and it really was the nicest time. She turned one December 10th but I thought I should go ahead and share some of the pictures with you. Enjoy!

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Washington D.C.

I thought it would be appropriate to share some photos of our trip to D.C. because of the upcoming inauguration. We had a great time and walked the same steps that so many will in a couple days. We also stayed in a hotel that was one only a few blocks from the White House. One of the highlights was the Arlington cemetery and the changing of the guard. Its was a great relaxing time for Ricky and I and it was great to see family at Jon and Kelly's wedding!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy New Year!

I am finally sitting down to update my blog. I feel like it has taken us a little while to get back to a normal routine after the holidays. The holidays, boy were they busy for us! Ricky and I both feel as if we had never been busier. The first week in December, Ricky and I took a trip to Washington D.C. One of his cousins got married and we decided to stay a few extra days to tour the city! It was my first trip to D.C. and it was just a great realxing time! My sweet mother kept the girls at our house and we spent 5 days walking and touring and taking pictures (on our new camera)!

The next event was a Christmas brunch at our church which was so fun to plan with friends and turned out to be such a wonderful event. The theme was "Emmanuel - God with us" and we focused on how God is with us always, at Christmas and throughout the whole year. We had wonderful speakers share what Emmanuel means to them.

We had a great time with family in Duncanville and are so greatful that all of our family is so close that we can see them all! Ricky and I are thinking, though, when to establish our own family traditions with our children and what that will look like. While visiting family, we got to see Polar Express in the IMAX theater. We went with my sister and her family, my brother who is in the Army and has been stationed in Italy, and my parents! We rode the train to the theater and we all had a great time! Santa came early for the girls since we spent Christmas Eve and the week following Christmas at Grandma's house. He left a note by a brand new trampoline that said, "Leigh and Avery, I heard you were spending Christmas at MeMaw and PaPaw's house so I brought your gift early so you could play with it! Merry Christmas, Santa" Leigh has had more fun on that trampoline and I'll have to say so have I :)!

My prayer lately has been to simplify our lives and make things less hectic. I want to slow down and make my home a pleasant and peaceful place for my children and my husband. I believe alot of that responsibility as a wife and mother is mine. I think the first place to start is in my own heart.

I wanted to recomend a great movie. Last night we watched Peaceful Warrior and it is by far one of the best and most soul stirring movies I have ever seen! It really is a must see and probably more than once! It will cause you to examine your own heart and life!

I plan to show pictures of our trip to D.C. soon!

Happy New Year and God Bless!

Make a Smilebox slideshow