Pictures as Promised

   I haven't uploaded any of the nursery pictures yet because I want to finish decorating it first. We are loving our new home and so are our little ones! *grin*  Poor Caleb and I are sick with some sort of virus, though, and haven't felt well today. Anyways, here are a few pics...and still more to come later.

Moving stuff out of our old apartment.

Dining room/living room at new apartment.

New kitchen (beach theme)

Living Room window (beach theme)
Found the curtains at Goodwill for $1.00

Pictures to Come

    We are officially moved in and I am so thankful. We have so much more space here and it makes me so happy. I did THREE happy dances today...yeah, I'm a dork, lol. Anyways, I'm totally exhausted and getting ready to head to bed (Caleb worked really hard to get our bedroom in good order) but I will try to post pictures at some point tomorrow of the moving process. Anyways, hope all of you had a great day.

Tomorrow is the Big Day

     Well...the moment we've been waiting for, for months has FINALLY arrived. But with it comes mixed emotions. I am so thankful to God for providing our family with a bigger home (with lots more space) and providing for us financially. The kids will have their own room and I cannot wait to get started on decorating, lol. We seriously went "window shopping" today to pick out all new decorations including lamps, curtains, bedding etc. I'm totally going overboard and I love the fact that God has provided the funds for us to do so. :-)  There are so many positives that come with this move, and only a couple negatives.
     For starters, this is going to be a very hard move on Caleb and I because this is where we started our lives together. This was the place he carried me over the thresh hold when we got back from our honeymoon. This is where we came and ate cake and celebrated with family and friends after graduating from college. Here is where we brought home our little Noah Bug and our newest member of the family...baby  Halebop. It makes my heart ache to leave this place we've called home for so long. And then, the move also comes with having to say goodbye to my best friend. She is moving a few hours away and I'm going to miss her and her little munchkins like crazy...(love you Becca with all my heart).  But, I've already told her that I might have some "splainin" to do when hubby discovers $100 in gas has been charged to the credit card...on all the days I decide to up and drive to Richmond while he is away at work. *giggle*  No, but in all seriousness, this is SOOOOO hard.
      I have had my moments where I've just weeped because I've felt so overwhelmed and sad but those are becoming few and far between. Instead of focusing my energy on being sad, I've started to thank God for this rough moment in my life. Yes, I feel like my friend will be really far away, but through this, I know He is preparing my mind, body and soul for something greater to come. This is His will and I accept that with my whole being...God will never give me more than I can handle and for that I'm grateful. I pray that He uses this experience in my life to somehow be an example to others. That, yes, there are moments in this life which are painfully difficult, but our lives aren't mean to be happy, but holy. When I take my final breath, I want to know with my whole heart that I looked at every situation as an opportunity the Lord could use in my life. God bless you all.
    The next post I write will be from our new home...with pictures to follow.

Friends for Life
Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Attack of the Allergies

   Beginning to wonder when i'll stop being attacked by my allergies. I seriously wake up every day with a runny nose, scratchy/itchy throat, and the inability to breathe right. I even have a humidifier hooked up which is doing absolutely nothing. And the thing is, I'm not the only one they are affecting...poor little Haleigh gags when she eats because of her constant nasal drip (thank God for Simply Saline) and sneezing; Noah and Caleb have it too. At first I thought it was a virus, but I have a tendency to think not. None of us are running fevers or really feel bad...just a family full of sneezers, lol. 
     We have officially packed up almost everything we own...except for the bare essentials. I had forgotten how exhausting it is to try to pack...and Saturday is going to be even more hectic. Hopefully, it will remain fairly well organized since we labeled each of the boxes with the room they are supposed to go to and what each one contains. Anyways, please be praying for us that all will go well and that the Lord will hold off the rain...and also that it won't take the kids too long to get adjusted to being somewhere new. :-)  Have a great day!

Blessings

Just heard this on the radio. AMAZING!!

Hales and Noah

 

Sunday is the Bestday!!!!

     Woke up this morning not feeling too well again. Turns out this is the worst experience with allergies I've ever had; most days begin with a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes...and my most recent sympton...a sore throat. Sheesh. Anyways, I didn't let that stop me from enjoying this wonderful Sunday. After listening to an amazing sermon on chapter 17 of Judges (a story about Micah and his mama) which teaches that as God disciplines us because he loves us, we should bring our children up in the same way...and even though punishments aren't fun for anybody, it teaches our children obedience and respect; not only to us, but also to God.
    After this, we discussed what to do for lunch and my awesome husband said he would make us bacon/cheeseburgers. YUMMY!  They were delicious. While he did this I started up the crock pot to make homemade vegetable soup which was also yummy. After lunch we decided to take a trip up to the parkway...something we haven't done since last summer (about two weeks after finding out I was pregnant with Halebop).
    We went for a nice hike...which three of us enjoyed. Our little Hales was less than thrilled but after she got comfortable she spend the majority of the hike snuggled up sleeping close to her Mommy. I am addicted to photography so I took a ton of pictures of the day...and I'm glad I did. This is one memory I want to remember forever and I'm glad I had my camera with me to capture the day. Needless to say, I've had an awesome weekend and am looking forward to the big move next Saturday.

"Livin' Outta Suitcases and Packboxes"

     I'm currently sitting on my bed...surrounded by boxes, lol. Here are a few pictures of our progress.

    It's a work in progress but it's coming along. :-)  More pictures to come as the week progresses and moving day gets closer. 

Getting Crafty

      I've had the idea in my head for quite some time how I wanted to decorate the nursery when we moved into our new place. I had decided to get the big letters N and H to hang above Noah and Haleigh's cribs. Becca and I went to Michael's today (seriously the greatest store EVER) and I ended up going a bit overboard, lol. But even so, I only spent $20 on 4 containers of acrylic paint, the letters, paintbrushes, super glue, wooden shapes to decorate the letters with, and sponge brushes. So seriously, twenty bucks was an awesome deal. I couldn't wait to get started on them when we got home and I managed to hold myself back until after the babies went to bed. I don't want to brag on myself, but I think they turned out to be pretty awesome. In fact, I like them so much I think this may be my new hobby; painting. Anyways, I took a few pictures but I will just post ones of the finished project! (My next idea is to buy wooden frames, paint and decorate them, and find cute ribbon to hang them with...these will go beside the letters....one on each side) SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

Working on my Walk

   Sacred Marriage has been such a blessing in my life. This book is an incredible read and it is teaching me how to be more humble and respective in my marriage and my everyday life. :-)  One of his main points is something I've been struggling with recently:


     "Don't give into temptation to resent your partner as your own weaknesses are revealed". 
   
I sometimes ask Caleb to tell me if/what I'm doing is hurting his feelings or making him feel not as respected or admired as what I should be making him. He is always honest with me and I truly respect that. But somehow, hearing my sins stated out loud feel much harsher to me than when I simply address them in my mind. Then, I get embarrassed which leads to anger and resentment...when instead, it should make me pray for forgiveness and understanding. Forgiveness for sinning against God by disrespecting the other half of me (my incredible husband) and understanding of how I can work on my behavior to not only better myself, but to better my husband. 


As I delve deeper into this book, I am beginning to understand what the author means by our marriages being meant to make us holy, not happy. It's almost impossible to experience true happiness outside of Eden. The only place that we will be truly happy is outside of sin...which will not happen until our souls go to be with the Lord. Then, we will have the experience of enjoying true love and happiness for all eternity...and when I think with this mindset, it makes loving my husband so much easier.

I've also learned that when I practice total devotion and admiration for my spouse, it makes it easier to love my God...and vice versa. The marriage relationship and the spiritual relationship with our Savior aren't two separate entities, but go hand in hand. :-)  The way that God loves us is the way that we should love our spouses...with total commitment, adorning, and humility.  If we can strive to be like our Savior in every way, it makes daily life here on Earth so much more enjoyable. Not "true happiness" but definitely as close as we can get before going Home to be with our Savior. 


God bless you all and I hope each of you has a wonderful weekend. If you get a chance, you should definitely take some time to read this book. 

MOVING

....in 9 days!!! HOORAY!!! :-)  Caleb and I spent last weekend packing while my parents watched the kids, and we will be doing the same thing again this weekend. I hate living surrounded by boxes (because silly me has packed several needed items which I've had to dig around for). But, I know that this time next week we will be SOOOOO close to our new home. :-)  Anyways, just wanted to update about that.
     Noah and Haleigh are doing awesome. We are finally adjusted to our new addition...and she is even "almost" sleeping through the night at only 7 weeks. She normally falls asleep around 8:45-9:15pm and sleeps 'til 3-4am. She eats (which normally takes about 30 minutes or so) and then sleeps again until 7:30 or 8am. Needless to say, we are truly blessed and not missing out on much sleep at all. *grin*  
     Caleb and I are currently discussing a weekend away...without the children; which will probably happen sometime in the next couple of months (after we've gotten used to our new living arrangements). I have no clue where we will be going as of yet (much discussion still needed on the subject) but I'm really looking forward to it. Being parents is incredible, and I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world (LOVE MY BABIES) BUT, amongst all the diaper changing, tantrums, and crazy fun kid chaos...we forget that we aren't just parents, but husband and wife too. 
    Anyways, enough with the rambling, lol...off to do yet another load of laundry. I promised myself I wouldn't be doing any dishes or clothes today, but the two huge piles of clothes that desperately needed to be folded kept calling my name....louder and louder as the day went on until I eventually could no longer ignore it. And thus, here I am....yet again. *grin*

Sacred Marriage

"{Marriage} is the merciless revealer, the great white searchlight turned on the darkest places of human nature."

~Katherine Anne Porter~

     My friend Rebecca recommended the book, Sacred Marriage, and let me just say...I CANNOT PUT IT DOWN! It is truly that good. Even though I've only made it a couple chapters in, I am already embarrassed and feeling that my duty as a wife, a friend, a follower of Christ, is NOT where is should be. This book poses and picks apart the question, "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?"  Honestly, I have NEVER looked at my marriage this way before reading this book. I am constantly asking my husband, "Where has the romance gone?  You used to be so sweet and romantic ALL THE TIME, and now, you just don't act the same way."  
     Focusing on a romantic relationship rather than a mature (and spiritual) relationship is a major cause of tension in marriage. We are so busy trying to do romantic favors for one another, and focusing solely on that, that we refuse to reveal those true human emotions that we often feel. We DO sometimes get angry (and even "almost" hate) our husbands/wives. With a romantic marriage, we feel a need to hide these feelings...ones which cause embarrassment. If we instead involve ourselves in a mature and loving marriage, we can easier discuss these true thoughts and emotions which sometimes overtake us...thus resulting in a honest union; after all, our spouses are the other half of us. :-)  
     Anyways, just wanted to let ya'll know what a fantastic read this is. :-)  Just another reminder that God sends us storms, not to harm us, but to make us stronger. 


"Through the experience of being married, we can come to know God in new ways!"

This Song Gets Me Through the Day

     Sorry I haven't been blogging quite as often recently. I really haven't had much time. We are moving in less than two weeks and pretty much have to pack up three years worth of stuff, lol. I am so excited to be getting out of this tiny place and moving into somewhere bigger soon. :-)  And so thankful to the Lord for blessing us with such a great opportunity.
     Wednesday our little Haleigh will be seven weeks old and Noah Bug will be 16 months on the 21st. I just can't get over how fast they are growing up. I'd better stop before I get too teary-eyed, lol. Anyways, hope each of you are doing wonderful and I will write again soon. :-)  Have a blessed day.

A Bit Busy

    As you can tell, I've fallen behind on my blogging. :-)  I have a very high matienance little girl and an adorable little boy who is teething. AND, who has learned to throw temper tantrums quite well...welcome to the terrible twos! *sighs*  I know this will get easier and these phases will pass (and I will probably miss them very much) but for the moment, it simply means one VERY EXHAUSTED MAMA!!! I've been praying for patience every day and I can feel the Lord giving me the strength to make it through the days.
    But, speaking of Mama's...I haven't had a chance to write about Mother's Day. Let me just sum it up by saying this...I am very BLESSED!  I woke up to the smell of hubby cooking breakfast which he brought to me to eat in bed. The kids got me a card and five free cupcakes to Bubblecake...YUM!!! *grin* We spent the day with family and it was truly a wonderful day.
     I hate to rush this but I am so exhausted...imagine nonstop crying/fussing from 7am until 8pm. And no, I'm not exaggerating. As soon as Haleigh would stop fussing Noah would being...either because his teething was bothering him or because he would throw a world class tantrum. I have to admit, that kid is extremely strong willed...which will come in great in the future but for now....sheesh! *shakes head*  I will either have an extreme amount of patience by the time these terrible twos end, or I will have a head full of gray hair...we shall see. Hope each of you has an awesome night!

Puke, Poop and Parties

     It has been quite the weekend as I'm sure you gathered from my blog title. *grin*  It is Mother's Day weekend...the two days I've been looking VERY forward to for quite a while, lol. But you can just bet, the weekend intended to celebrate Mom's usually ends up being the most stressful days of the year for...guess who? You got it...the Moms. :-)  But, stress isn't always a bad thing...children are a wonderful kind of stress and it's great to know Caleb and I have gotten so good at parenting we can laugh through the disasters without having major breakdowns.
    Now, for the lovely events of the day. (And mind you, it's not even Mother's Day yet...I can't wait to see the craziness the Lord has planned for tomorrow!!!)  Caleb decided to work this morning to make a little overtime moolah since we are moving in a couple of weeks and want to have extra money to buy new things for our new place. HOORAY!!! When he got home he surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and I was thrilled since I hadn't even asked for them this year. Instead, I asked that he and the kids just take me out to Panera for lunch since it's one of my favorite places to eat (thanks to my awesome friends Sam and Becca who introduced me to it in Richmond).  Well, we get there, start eating our meal, and Noah gets choked...and throws up everywhere. Now, us as new parents would have TOTALLY freaked out...and probably ran screaming for the exit. But today, we handled it like pros; we looked at each other, grinned and started in on the cleanup. I grabbed a diaper, wipes, and a new outfit (yes, I am proud to say I am a very prepared mommy) out of the diaper bag while Daddy mopped up the floor and picked Noah up. He calmly took him to the bathroom, gave him a quick bath in the sink, and got him diapered and dressed. While this was going on, I am happy to report that I handled the stares from strangers quite well while I finished eating my meal. I can only imagine what they were thinking but I wasn't at all embarrassed like I used to get when things like this went down. I returned their stares with smiles and went on about my business...we walked out of the restaurant together, as a family...and it was only when I got to the car that I got flustered thinking at the realization of what had just happened. It was a fleeting moment and in a couple of minutes the hubby and I were laughing again...well on our way to the Strawberry Festival.
     We got there and it was crazy as usual, but I didn't mind all the people because I was enjoying the day with my awesome family. We even ran into a couple of our friends which made the day even better. We shared a shortcake which was absolutely delicious. They not only put strawberries and whipped cream on it, but ICE CREAM too...that totally makes it the perfect dessert. Well, by this point, Noah was getting a bit fussy so we decided to head back to the car; we had a couple of stops to make before we headed out to the park to celebrate our friends daughter's first birthday party.
    But, before we got there we decided it would be a good idea to head back home to change the kids diapers and feed Halebop (Caleb's nickname for little miss Haleigh). Well, while she was eating...SHE POOPED ON HER OWN!!! I know this probably doesn't seem like a big deal to any of you, but to us, it was everything. She hasn't been able to go on her at all because she had to learn how to. (As the doctor put it, she pushes but won't release so "it's like pushing against a closed door") She would scream for hours because her tummy hurt her, so now we give her a suppository each day to help clean her out. Today was such a great sign that she is FINALLY learning and we will no longer have to guess when she needs to go. YAY FOR POOPIE!!!
    After we had our happy dance we went to "M's birthday party. It was so much fun and I had a great time hanging out with other adults who are in the same place in life as us...couples with young kids, in other words. Little M was adorable in her cute little birthday hat and I am so thankful that we were able to share in her special day. Noah had a blast at the party, too...little man played in the bubbles and was all over the playground. He wore himself out so he was ready for bed as soon as we got home.
     Now, we are waiting on sissy to get to sleep and then hubs and I are cuddling up and watching The King's Speech...hoping it's a great movie. Night to all!!!

The Gift of Motherhood

     As Mother's Day approaches I am constantly reminded of the gift I have been given. The Lord has blessed me and trusted me with this incredible task of motherhood and I thank Him daily for it. I know that these children are His and I will raise them up to know the Lord. They will be active in church activities, we will study the bible together as a family, and then one day (a day I am very much looking forward to) I pray that each of my children will accept Jesus into their hearts...so that I can spend eternity in Heaven with them. This is a constant prayer that I lift up to my Lord...that He will provide me with the patience and knowledge I need to teach my children about Him. Thus far in life, becoming a mother has been my greatest achievement and I am so thankful the Lord has trusted me with it. Praise be to God!

Haleigh's One Month

     Let me start off by saying that I am SO thankful for my husband. He is amazing...end of story. :-)  And let me follow that up with taking a toddler and a newborn to the doctor's office is a nightmare. Imagine sitting in the waiting room for almost 30 minutes while your hyped up child goes crazy over the fish tank (which would have made me smile except that some little girl kept shoving Noah out of the way because she wanted to watch the fish too) *sighs*. Then, when we are actually called back to the room, Haleigh wakes up and is ready to eat, Noah is screaming because he is teething and his dope of a mother forgot to give him Tylenol before we left the house (bad Mommy award). 
     Things settled down a little bit when our amazing Pediatrician came in and told us what a wonderful job we are doing with our daughter (have I mentioned how much we LOVE Dr. Beazley?). She left the hospital weighing 6lbs 2oz and today weighed in at 8lbs 5oz...what a little chunker, lol. At least we finally figured out what was causing her tummy troubles so she is thriving. She isn't only growing out, but up, too...left the hospital at 18.75 inches and now is 21.5 inches long. WOW! I am just so proud of our little girl...she gets more beautiful by the day and I can't imagine life without her in it. *grin* 
     And to end this, let me just say again...LOVE MY HUBBY! :-)  I couldn't have made it through the doctor's visit without him (or maybe I could have, but would have ended up losing my sanity). And even more than that, I couldn't go through this life without him by my side. Thanking God for a wonderful hubby and daddy to our little ones!!!

ZUMBA!!!

     The new class I've decided to join at the Y. :-)  I've heard so many great things about this dance/workout class. I'm so worried I will look silly but hopefully after a few times there, I will get into the "swing" of things, haha. Anyways, be on the lookout for a blog post in a week or two describing my experience. I go back to the doctor for my postnatal checkup on Thursday and if all is looking well, Dr. Clapp will lift my restrictions and I can start a more strenuous workout...because let me just say, this whole walking thing isn't dropping my weight as quickly as I would like, lol. Anyways, have a nice night and great start to your week, everyone!!!