A Peek Inside

So, we had our 21 week ultrasound today. I simply love to peek inside the womb and catch a glimpse of the new life!

She was such a mover and making it so difficult on the tech to look around. It was fun to watch!

Here is a picture of her profile. She looks so much liked Jaxon did at this time. The only difference I can see right now is her chin and bottom lip. Ooooo ... I can't wait to see her in the flesh!!! :D :D : D

Just before this picture we caught site of her 'flipping us off'. LOL Then she did the 'Peace' sign ... nice recovery!!! LOL

So, the doctor said that all looks great. She is very healthy. He is only slightly concerned with her kidney's. He said that they were slightly enlarged. This could be as simple as the the 'valve' that goes from the kidney's to the bladder may not be fully developed yet. So, her urine is getting a bit backed up. He wants to see me back at 28-30 weeks to check on them again. We are praying for shrunken kidneys. However, he says that he isn't overly concerned with it, because there is a lot of amniotic fluid, and this is a good sign. The good thing ... I get to see my baby again!!!

Thanks for reading!

Blessings!!!

My Baking Buddy

Jaxon really loves to be in the middle of what ever is going on. He always wants to be with someone and helping them in some way.

He helps clean the mirrors, do laundry, dishes, and I think his favorite is helping cooking or baking.

Here, he wanted to help me so bad, but I was working a

t the stove and there really wasn't anything he could 'help' with. So, I gave him these items, and he had a great time.

Another day I was making some biscuits, and of course there were many ways he could assist me here! As you can see he was hard at work. He like tasting the dough as well. Not sure how it was, but he kept coming back for more! And don't fret, the dough he was making didn't make it into the batch. The piece of dough he was working with however, became a nice little biscuit which he enjoyed at dinner!

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Blessings to you!

Another Change

Well, I have decided to venture into the potty training phase of Jaxon's life. We are on day two and he is doing real well. I put a diaper on him at nap/bed time and when we go out.

Yesterday he came running to me from the living room yelling, "Mommy! Spilled!" I asked him what he spilled, he said "Pee-pee. Leaked." I laughed and asked him to take me to it so I could clean it up. Thankfully he peed on the wood floor and not the carpet! ;o)

So far for nap/bed time he stays dry and when we go out. But our outings have been so short. I'm not really looking forward to a trip into Flagstaff! LOL I have to admit. I didn't really want to venture into this quite yet, because changing diapers is so much easier than running to a public restroom or cleaning up an accident! But ... here we are. Besides, it'll be nice to have him out of diapers before our baby arrives! ;o)

Thanks for reading!

Blessings!

Gummy Bears

I don't understand it at all. But Jax has this fascination with Gummy Bears. A few weeks ago we bought some and he enjoyed eating them ... of course. But now it has become one of his favorite phrases. You can ask him a question, and often times the answer is 'Gummy Bears'.

Yesterday we were outside kicking the soccer ball around on our porch. Then he stopped, looked through the railing and started shouting, "Gummy Bears!!! Come back!!!" I couldn't help but laugh. Then I asked him what they were doing, "Running away." he says. I asked him what color they were, "Geen", he reply's.

So, for the next several minuets we ran back and forth asking the Gummy Bears to please come back. It was so fun & funny!!!

Blessings!

Proud Parents

Tonight was Open House at the girls' high school. I was looking forward to going for a few reasons. One, I like to go to these kinds of things. Two, being a new school for us, I wanted to check out the campus and the teachers. Three, it's a good opportunity to 'hear' from the teachers.

All I have to say is, I am so proud of our girls! I know this hasn't been the easiest transition for them, and they are having to make all new friends. But, it sounds like they are doing an amazing job. Every teacher we talked to enjoys having them in their class and says that they bring a lot to the classroom. They are passing every single one of their classes. And in some of them they are going above and beyond and are at the top of the class!

Sorry to be going on about them, but like I said, I am so proud of them.

Thanks for listening to me brag! ;o)

Blessings!

Pretend

This afternoon Jax was pretending with his zebra stuffed animal.

He put it on his Mater car to give him a ride. The zebra fell off and he repeatedly said, "So sorry!". It was so sweet!

Then he wanted Zebra to join him for lunch. So, we put him up on the table on a place mat, and Jax shared his cutie with the Zebra. He would also talk to him a little bit, basically one word conversations, but it was so cute!!!!

Blessings!!!

Tough bed time.

So, last night I had a wonderful video chat with some of my family. It was so good to see them and talk to them!!! Jax even got in on a bit of the fun. He didn't quite know what to think about it all, but he was seen. ;o)

I think seeing the family brought some fear into him however. When we were trying to get him to go to bed, he didn't want us to leave him at all! He even had trouble falling asleep. His eyes would get heavy and start to fall, then he would whip them open and look around making sure I was still holding him, or J was still laying with him.

I think he was afraid we would leave him like we left our family in CA.

However, we woke up in a great mood this morning and was ready to start the day!

New Home

Well, it has been a rough month or so. All in one week we found out we were moving to Williams AZ, and going to have another baby! The move we had been working on for a while, but the baby was a new factor in the equation! ;o)

We had four weeks to pack up our home and say good-bye/see ya later to our family and friends. It has been a bitter sweet experience for all of us. Most of all it's been hardest on our kids. But, after some tears and honesty we have all been able to help each other adjust to our new life.

Moving out here hasn't been as smooth and 'fun' as we had hoped. From the time we left our drive-way in San Marcos till now we've had hurdles and new 'opportunities' to deal with.

First off, we had all of our home and day to day things loaded and ready to go. Only leaving a few items we can 'wait' on behind. Hit the road to find out that one load was too heavy and we were going to have to leave half of it behind. My brother was kind enough to let us use his garage to store those boxes in. So, instead of leaving at 6am like we had planned, we hit the road about 9am. 10.5 hours later we were at our new home and it was time to sign the lease and unload the boxes.

Things seemed to be going pretty well. Jax had fallen a few times whacking his head on the floors and walls, slipping in the shower (over the excitement of the new shower), and then the biggest one ... hitting his tooth on the hearth and moving it quite a bit! Thankfully by the next day it had straightened out all on it's own. It was scary.

Then the box we had all of our important papers in, papers we needed to register the girls for school with, had been left behind. What a panic that started. The girls were scared they wouldn't be able to start school on Tuesday and didn't want to start any later than they already were. Thankfully the school allowed us to enroll them with out the paper work, knowing that we would bring it in by Thursday!

Then, J headed into Flagstaff one day in the BMW. About half way there the darn car broke down!!! Oh I forgot to mention that we had to sell T's truck the day before the move because there was an issue with the back end not being 'conected' to the rest of the frame! Down to 2 cars. Now, down to 1.

What a week! We decided to not go to church on Sunday morning (our second Sunday here. Our first week we attended Grace, in Flag) for some much needed down time. Through all of this, trial and challenge after another, God reminded me of Jeremiah 29:11. It was so comforting to be reminded that He has our best in mind and His plans are for our best, no matter what the present may look like.

So, last night we headed down to the American Flyer Coffee Company for their Sunday night worship. What a great experience it was! The owner, Brad, reminded me so much of my brother Nick. I had to fight back a couple of tears stinging the back of my eyes, because I was beginning to miss him. Brad's wife Cara, is very sweet and home schools her five kids! One of their daughters, Molly, was so excited about meeting T & K she was jumping up and down exclaiming, "Friends!" They are all looking forward to spending more time together! As we were sitting there visiting with this new couple, enjoying a cup of coffee, and worshiping, I felt God impress upon my heart that from this moment things are going to be different! Things are going to get better! How exciting!

I wanted to keep this short as to not overwhelm you, the reader, with all we have going one. Sorry! LOL I am going to try to post more frequently and in shorter amounts!

Blessings!!!

Old Overalls

As stated in the picture these overalls were first my older brothers. I'm not exactly sure how old they are, but they are between 35-40 years old!!! WOW!!!

You can't really tell in the picture, because my son is short, but there are holes in the knees. And they are a very well broke in pair of jeans ... hence, very soft!

Jax has never really liked overalls, and wasn't happy that I made him wear them for a few minutes while I took some pictures. However, with the legacy of these jeans, I knew I would regret it if I didn't 'make' him put them on and pose for some pictures. Okay - well, I didn't make him pose, but I did soften the 'blow' with taking him outside, one of his favorite places to be.

Always Near

I was reminded this weekend that God is always near.

Sometimes when I pray I'll 'invite' Him to be with me. Which makes me laugh at myself because it's really the other way around.

God has invited me to be with Him and a part of His story!

He is always around and always with me. Even when I feel like He is so far away I only need to open my eyes, ears, and heart then I will see Him!

I love that He is always near and he never leaves us! This is one of my favorite promises of His!


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Right Now

One of the photography gals I follow, "Willette Photography & More" is starting a new thing called 'Right Now'. It's an opportunity for us to post a pic of what is going on right now. Never-mind the mess, the clutter, or the posing.

So, here is my 'right now' post.

My oldest and youngest were playing Bey-Blade together ... well Kirstie was ripping them, and Jax was watching! ;o)

Celebration Weekend!

What a day we had yesterday! Actually the weekend was full of celebrating!

On Saturday we celebrated my nephew, Ezekiel, through dedication! It was a great party and it is always such a blessing to be a part of dedicating a child to the Lord. What a beautiful site! It has been so exciting to watch God work in the lives of my brother and his family! :D

Yesterday, Sunday, we celebrated the adoption of our daughters by J. We had 39 guests in our home! My mom rented a bounce house for us and the teens occupied it just about the entire time! There were a few injuries due to their rambunctiousness! But, all in all everyone was fine!

A friend of ours, Denise Bradshaw, made up labels for Hersey bars. There were so precious and very thoughtful! Kinda like a cigar for the dad to pass out when he has a baby. In this case it was for J to pass out for having teenagers! ;o) Thank you so much Denise for this wonderful gift!!!

I am still on a party high from the weekend. So filled with joy and happiness! So thankful for all that God has done in our lives! Now ... on to real life and back to the laundry! ;o)

God moment ...

... in the shower! LOL Now I know to you moms out there this won't sound so strange. It's not often I get alone time even in the shower, but when Jax was napping I jumped in!

It's a great time for me to pray. During my prayer I was apologizing for not spending as much time with Him as I should/ or even want to! Then in came God with His amazing love and faithfulness!

I realized that even though I haven't been as faithful or committed as I should be these past weeks, that didn't change Him! He has been there every step of the way, holding me up, providing for me, and ever holding on! He NEVER LETS GO! Even when we fall away or allow this world steal our time away from Him, He NEVER LETS GO!

I was in awe - and in sobbing tears - at the newness of this old understanding! I am so thankful that He never lets go - and is always there - no matter what!!!!

If you get the chance find the song, "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman. Here's the chorus:

Oh no You never let go

Through the calm & through the storm

Oh no You never let go

Every high & every low

Oh no You never let go

Lord You never let go of me!

I pray you are able to take this with you today - and walk in confidence, knowing that He never lets go!!!!!

Sing your heart out!

As I was driving to pick up my daughter from school today I was singing along with one of my favorite songs. (ok it was a Chris Tomlin song and most of his songs are one of my favorites!)

Anyway, as I was singing it became clear to me that I am not a good singer. No new news to me. Then I thought "I'm sorry God, that can't be pleasant." Then I heard Him say to me, "You are my daughter. And just like you enjoy listening to your kids sing I take joy in your praises!"

It was a nice reminder for me. God is our Daddy, and He looks into our hearts and smiles down at us as we do to our own children in times of joy!

So sing your heart out and know you are loved by the King of kings!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Forward Facing!

Well! It was a long time coming, but we were finally able to turn Jaxon around in the car. He is no longer a rear facing passenger! :D

We did this last week on the 31th of March. I was so excited and couldn't wait to do it.

Well, it's been almost a week now, and I am not sure he likes it so much. He really isn't acting much different, but just about every time we turn around to look at him, he slowly moves his eyes away, and turns his head and looks out the window! LOL

Also, now that he can see me while driving, I hear, "MomomomomMOMOMOMOMmomomom!!" until I answer him or get the music right! LOL

All in all - I am really happy with it, and it's yet another milestone reached!!! ;o)

Big day for us!

We have been a family for almost 9 years now. God has done an amazing job knitting us all together. Today, we finalized the adoption of Kirstie & Kyle by Jeremy ... their dad!

I know we didn't need a piece of paper to make it real, but it sure brings a sense of togehter-ness in our family!

15 years!

15 years ago today I had our second daughter. I can't believe it was that long ago already. It's funny, 15 years to think of it sounds like such a long time. But when I think of it in terms of age it's still a baby to me. (Sssshhhh, don't tell my daughter I said that.) ;o)

Seriously though, 15! In three short years she'll be considered an adult. Still young, but legally an adult! When I think about how fast the past 15 years has gone, I know the next three are going to be a blink! ***sniff sniff***

I am very proud of our young lady. She has endured great hardships, but has prevailed!!! I know she is going to be a strong one, and will succeed at anything she puts her mind to!

Love you Kyle!!!!!

Gag reflex!

Okay, each of our kids has something we won't make them eat. Due to the item making them gag when trying to eat it.

With Kirstie, it's salmon. We always make our kids try something at least twice. With Kirstie we forgot that she had tried it once before, so ended up trying it three times!!! LOL Anyway, when she eats it, she literally gags, almost to the point of barfing! It's funny to watch! LOL

Tonight, we found Jax's 'salmon'.

EGGS!

He wanted a bite of bacon, and I told him that he had to eat one bite of egg first. This after he tried it a couple of times, but didn't swallow it, he spit it out. He took the bite into his mouth, chewed a couple of times and attempted to swallow it. LOL He gagged so bad, and out came the eggs!

Needless to say, I won't make him eat egg again ... at least for a while! ;o)

On the mends

Finally starting to feel better! What a relief!

I did realize though ... I do a lot more around the house than I thought! With a toddler running around I feel like the house is never clean ... but ... as it should be!

While I was sick we watched a movie called "Motherhood". Not the best movie, but I liked one of the last lines. "As a mom it's important to not loose your self. Because if you aren't yourself, what kind of a mom can you be?"

Sick of being Sick

Okay, so I have been sick since Sunday ... that's only two days ago. However, I have been bed-ridden sick. I am so out of it and achey all over.

I am done being sick, one: I plain ole don't like being sick, and two: I don't like the extra burden I place on the family.

I am feeling slightly better today than yesterday - so I am praying I am on the upswing. I hope Jax will follow soon, as he seems to have caught what I have. :o(