Merry Christmas!!

Baby Boy Has Arrived!!

Caleb Michael made his appearance on Sunday, December 13th, at 4:25pm. He weighed 8lbs 14oz. and was 21 and 1/4 inches long. He had a rough first week of life being under a bili-blanket for jaundice, but now he is on the road to recovery. He has been putting on a lot of weight and is already well over 9lbs!

Proud siblings and Grandma

Proud Mommy


We have so much to be thankful for. Caleb is here, he is healthy, and now we can just settle in for a relaxing Christmas. We are extremely grateful to my parents who have been here helping us out tremendously since Caleb's arrival. They plan on leaving on the 26th and then Phil's parents will be arriving to take over. :) It has been a challenge adjusting to 3 children's needs especially since Andrew is on Christmas break.

Here is our first family photo together. Merry Christmas everyone!

And yes, I am aware that I need to change my blog title. :)
Maybe someday when life settles down. Ha!

October Update

Once again it has been a long time since I've updated this blog. I've probably lost all of my readers! :0)

I am now 32 weeks pregnant and very anxious to meet our little boy. I've had some complications and preterm labor is still a possibility. We are praying that he stays in until I am at least 36 weeks.

Here I am with my 32 week load. :O)

These ultrasound pictures are from when I was 31 weeks.
He looks like he is going to be quite the cute little guy!

About 3 weeks ago our pediatrician's office had a fall costume party. The kids sure had a lot of fun. They even got to have their faces painted. As soon as we got home Carole wanted hers immediately washed off. She didn't like the way it felt.




And now for the latest news. We had Andrew's first Parent/ Teacher Conference last night. We are so pleased at how well he is doing. His teacher said he is a very smart boy and has met the kindergarten expectations above and beyond. She said his greatest downfall is staying on task but he is improving. She also mentioned his favorite class is music. He loves to sing! The music teacher is very impressed with him. We are so proud of our special boy!

About a week and a half ago Carole came to me holding her throat saying her mouth really, really hurt. I also noticed she was struggling breath too. I got the flash light and looked into her mouth and was astonished at what I saw! Her tonsils were so swollen they were touching each other! I ended up taking her to the ER that night because we all know that if our kids are going to get really sick they usually tend to wait until the weekend or a late evening. :o) They put her on an antibiotic and said she had acute tonsillitis. Three days later she was not getting any better. Her breathing was getting worse. So I took her back in and they ended up putting her on a steroid to get the swelling to go down. All I have to say is that a 3 year old and steroids are not a good mix. She turned into a wild and crazy girl but the swelling did go down. Our pediatrician then referred us to an Ear Nose Throat Specialist to determine whether or not a tonsillectomy would be needed. He took one look at her throat and said that she would never get rid of the infection in her tonsils. The infection is so deep that no matter how much antibiotic they give her, it will never really go away. So Carole is scheduled to have a tonsillectomy next Tuesday, November 3. We are praying that she stays healthy until then so we don't have to postpone the surgery. We need to get this done and her healed before baby boy decides to make his arrival!

So now you are all caught up with us for now. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers! Life sure has been interesting this year but God has been with us EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!!! He will never leave us or forsake us. Thank you, God!

IT'S A BOY!

I had my 20 week ultrasound this past Thursday and we found out that we will be having a boy! Here is the proof. This is an ultrasound shot of his legs spread. :)
Note: These are scanned copies of the ultrasound pictures, so I realize the quality is poor.

These are his little feet.

And this is a shot of his head and spine.

These last two are 3-D ultrasound pictures of his face.

We can't wait to meet our newest addition! :)

Fun at the local County Fair

Yesterday we took the kids to the local county fair. This was their first time to ever go to a county fair. Of course the highlight was the farm animals! :) There were cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, pigs, and sheep. They were surprisingly very understanding when we told them that we didn't have any money to ride on any rides. My outrageous medical bills are starting to trickle in, so we are having to be very careful with our money.

Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying some of the animals.

That little lamb loved Carole. He even gave her a kiss a few times. :)

I think they were most impressed by the very big mama pig. She had her piglets with her too.

A fun time was had by all! Now Carole wants a bunny and Andrew wants a pig.
Sorry kids, I think we will remain pet free. :)

Still Alive

Wow! A lot has happened since I last posted. I had to go in a few times for IV hydration and the third time I went in I was admitted to the hospital. There I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. After trying many different medications I am now able to actually eat and drink and keep it down. I think I am finally past going in for IV's. I still vomit once a day and feel nauseated 24 hours a day, but at least I don't have to be in the hospital. I am now entering my 15th week of pregnancy and I am officially out of the first trimester.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. Keep them coming. This has been hard on all of us but we know it will be worth it all in the end. Phil has been awesome through all of this. I love him so much! I know this has been taking a toll on him.

While I was very sick, my wonderful mother-in-law drove out here to help us out. When she arrived she entered a VERY messy house. The floors had not be swept or vacuumed for weeks. The kitchen looked like a tornado went through it and there were toys EVERYWHERE! She just rolled up her sleeves and got right to work cooking and cleaning. She was such a lifesaver!!!! Thank you so much, Mama, for everything you did! We love you and really appreciate what you did.

After staying a week and helping out it was apparent that I was not getting any better. She had to get home to her family. She very bravely loaded up both of the kids and took them home with her. My parents live only two hours from my in-laws so they came and got Andrew. It was decided that each child would spend 1.5 weeks with each set of grandparents. It was really good for the kids to have that special one on one time with their grandparents. And it was really good for me to have three weeks of rest. It was during that time I was experimenting with different meds trying to find what would work best. One of the meds I tried made me so tired and I ended up sleeping the days away. So it was good that the kids were getting taken care of elsewhere.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO MY PARENTS AND PHIL'S PARENTS!! We appreciate everything you all have done for us during this time. We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents who dropped a lot to help us. We love you!

Well, now the kids are home and getting back into the swing of things. It has been a huge adjustment for all of us, but with God's help we will make it. We are hopeful that the further along I get the better I will feel. We are certainly praying that way. Only 25 weeks to go. :)

Here are a few fun pictures of the kids. Andrew bought a slip and slide with his money that he earned working at Papa and Nana's house. They got to enjoy it yesterday for the first time.

And here is proof that I am still alive. My little girl still is able to make me smile. She likes taking care of mommy and the baby. :)

The Secret Is Out

I know some of you are thinking, "Secret? What secret?"
Some of you know this and some of you don't.

*deep breath*

I am 6.5 weeks pregnant. Surprise!!! Back in March God laid it on our hearts to have another child. It was neat to see how God brought both me and Phil to the same page on this issue. We were ready to let go and let God. Since it took us nearly 5 years to conceive Carole, we didn't figure it would be in the too near future. We decided that if God really wanted us to have another He would open up my womb and make it so. Well... He must have really wanted us to have another because it sure didn't take long. :o) Phil and I are shocked and amazed at God's goodness. What a precious gift He has given us again! My due date is Decemeber 24th, so Christmas is going to be extra special and busy this year!

Please be in prayer for me. As with my last pregnancy I am VERY sick. Yesterday I could not keep anything down and was about to go into the hospital for an IV. My new OB, whom I have not even met yet, called in a prescription for me that stopped the continuous vomiting. Therefore I was saved from the hospital trip. I am still very sick. I have already lost 8lbs. So please pray that I will feel better soon. I need to start gaining weight, not losing it.

I do need to say this. I have a WONDERFUL husband. I love you, Phil!! He has been taking such good care of me and the kids. Not only has he had to be Mr. Mom but he has also had to prepare meals. Food and me just don't get along. So please keep him in your prayers as he balances his responsibilities here at home as well as at the church.

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

A New/Old Swingset, Two Injuries, Easter, and More

Wow! Once again, it has been a long time since I have posted. A lot has happened.

A New/Old Swing Set
One day I noticed the field across the street from our house had an old swing set in it. We inquired of the owners and they let us have it. Now the kids can enjoy playing in their own yard! I guess I don't really have a good picture of the swing set because this is the kid's favorite ride on it. They tend to fight over it even though two can ride it. :)


Two Injuries
Since my last post each child has had an injury. First of all, Carole decided to test to see if the burners on the stove were really hot. Her daddy told her not to touch, but when he turned his back she tested them out. The result... a very burned palm on her hand. I don't think she will ever EVER touch the stove top again. It is interesting how kids always have to learn the hard way.

The second injury was Andrew. It happened last Saturday the day before Easter. We were at the park (which is about a block from our house) and he was climbing and fell off backwards about 5 feet. The result... his teeth went completely through his lower lip. I have never seen so much blood in my life!!! Here he is on Easter Sunday unable to smile at all. You can see the holes in his lower lip. The poor boy was miserable that day, but by Monday he was pretty much back to normal. I am amazed at how quickly kids can bounce back from something like that.

Easter
On Saturday, before Andrew's injury, we dyed eggs. Andrew did the dying and Carole decorated with stickers.

Here are the kids on Easter morning.

Poor Andrew. :(

An Important Decision
It was after supper this past Tuesday night when we were having family devotions, and Andrew asked why we don't let him have communion. Phil had his illustrated Bible out and he was going through it explaining the pictures of Adam and Eve and them sinning and being sent away from the garden. So he explained how sin is in our hearts and because of that God has to send us away. Phil then explained heaven and hell. He told Andrew that because of the bad things we do, God sent His one and only Son to earth to die on the cross for our sins but then was raised from the dead. All he had to do was believe that. This time we could really sense God helping Andrew focus and stay concentrated on what was being said.

Our boy then made up a prayer in his own words: "Jesus I need you to wash all my sins away", and since then he has been telling everyone, "This is my born-again birthday and Jesus washed all my sins away!" And now he is praying for his 3-year old sister to become a Christian too. He has been so different since then too. Very respectful and obedient which was NEVER an easy task for him. Last night he told me that he is being good now because Jesus changed his heart. :)

Baby Bunnies and An Awesome Phone Call
Yesterday it was SO beautiful out. Sunny and about 68 degrees. Perfect weather to be cleaning out the dead growth in the numerous flower beds around the parsonage. While I was raking out one of the several beds, little gray things shot out from underneath my rake. I screamed! At first glance I thought they were mice but after surviving my shock I noticed that I had upset a nest of baby bunnies. The poor things were running around the whole yard. Carole noticed and began to chase them while joyfully squealing "baby bunnies!"

While all this was happening my cell phone rang in my pocket. It was Carole's allergist informing me that her blood tests were back from Mayo Clinic and that they found 0% peanut allergy in her blood. Praise the Lord! He was stumped as well and said he wanted to consult with a few of his colleagues to see what the next plan of action should be. He thought that we should probably have a skin test done next. Then if that comes back negative she will have completely outgrown the peanut allergy!!

When I got off of the phone I quickly told Carole we were going to the park. I wanted to distract her from the poor bunnies. When we arrived home about 45 minutes later, the poor bunnies were still scattered throughout the yard shivering. I had Phil take the kids in the house while I tried to reconstruct their nest. Then I went on a bunny hunt and found 5 little bunnies and placed them back into their nest. I don't know if they will live or not, but at least I tried. I told Phil that I probably should have killed them since they will probably be responsible for eating my garden this summer. But what can I say, I have a soft heart, and they were SO cute!!!!

Funny Stories

Life with my two kids...

A few days ago Andrew and I had a date. We had not spent any time alone together in a very long time. Here is how I told him...
Me: Andrew, do you want to go to town with mommy?
Him: Nope. I want to stay here and play.
Me: Well, then I guess I will have to eat out by myself.
Him: YES MOMMY! I DO want to go to town.
:)

We had such a good time together. I managed to convince him that we didn't have to eat at McDonalds today. I told him that it wasn't good to eat there too much because their food is not good for our bodies. He chose to go to IHOP. He told the waitress he was on a date with his mommy and that he was having fun. While we were eating he said, "Mommy, I'm glad we are eating here because if we eat at McDonalds too much we could die. I wonder why people like to eat there so much?" LOL!!!

When we left IHOP we happened to drive by the mall. He asked if we could go there so he could play at the play area. I told him we didn't have time to play because we had to get all of our shopping in and get right home because daddy had a meeting at 5 o'clock. He sighed and replied rather sadly, "Okay."

When we were in Target he out of the blue apologized for not getting me flowers for our date. He said, "Mom, I'm sorry I didn't get you any flowers for our date. I'll have to tell dad to get you some next time you go on a date with him. So you'll just have to wait. Sometime you should get a babysitter to stay with me and Carole so Daddy can take you out and buy you flowers."
*sniff* My heart just about melted! What a sweet, tender little guy!

On our way out of town we passed the mall again. He said, "There's the mall. You know what? We didn't go to the mall and play and I still had a lot of fun today. I love you, mom!"
*sniff, sniff* My little boy is growing up!

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This past week Carole learned a new word from Barney. Yes, my daughter absolutely loves that obnoxious overstuffed purple dinosaur. She doesn't get that from me. :) Anyway, the new word she picked up from him was "stupendous." She was so proud of herself. She was running around saying it over and over again in a sweet sing song voice. And then, of course, everything became stupendous... "Mommy, you're stupendous. Daddy's stupendous. Ando, you are stupendous." On and on it went. Later in the day she asked to call her Nana so she could tell her the new word. When Nana answered the phone, Carole blurted out, "Nana, you are STUUUUUUUPENDOUS!" She said it with such great gusto. Of course we all laughed. Once Carole proudly told Nana her new word, she bounded off to play. While I was talking on the phone, I heard Carole scream in terror, "NO ANDO!! YOU'RE STUPENDOUS! GIVE IT BACK!" Andrew had taken a toy from Carole and shoved her and she became very angry. Apparently, Carole does not really know what the word "stupendous" means. To her it was like calling her brother a name. Of course we all laughed and then she got mad. Life with Carole. :)

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Phil left this morning to attend a funeral. While he was gone Carole asked me, "Where's Daddy?" I told her that daddy went to see "so and so" because she was sad. That answer seemed to satisfy her. Andrew suddenly blurted in and said, "No he didn't! He went to a feeder." Phil had a chat with him before he left and told him he had to go to a funeral. Apparently Andrew couldn't remember what it was called and the word "feeder" came out. :)

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Here is a conversation that happened at supper time tonight. The difference between boys and girls is very evident.

(while looking out the sliding glass door in the dining room)

Carole: Look Mommy! It's a squirrel! Awwwww. Look at him. He's cute.

Andrew: Bang! Bang!!!

Carole: NO ANDO!! (yelled very loudly) Don't shoot him!

Andrew: Don't worry Carole. It's just water. It's okay.

Carole: Oh. Okay. But it still scares him.

The Joys of Playing Outside!

We have recently had a few really nice days. By nice I mean it has been in the 50's and 60's. Although many young people around here think that this is shorts and sandals weather, I beg to differ. But it is a welcome change from our very cold winter. It has been nice to be able to get out and get some fresh air.

Andrew loves riding his bike. Last summer he learned how to do it without training wheels. This year, he is trying tricks. Where did my baby boy go?? In these next two pictures Andrew would ride up the street and then coast downhill yelling, "Look Mom! Look at me! I can do tricks!" LOL! I don't have a good picture of it, but he was also driving one handed and saying, "Mom! Look! I can steer with one hand!" So far there have been no injuries, but we are stocked up on band aids and antibiotic cream. :) He is such a rough and tumble boy! All boy through and through!




Here we have Andrew "trying" to teach Carole how to pedal. I was laughing the whole time. Andrew said, "Mom, I have been teaching and teaching her but she just won't do it!" I quietly replied, "You did the same thing when you were three." He said, "Oh. Well, now I am five and I can pedal and do tricks!"



Carole loves to sit on her bike but so far she just can't get it to go anywhere. She is happy to just sit on it knowing full well that her big brother will soon come along and give her a push.


I just LOVE this next picture. We have a bunch of these dead flowers along the side of our house. Carole thinks they are something special. Everyday she brings me a bouquet of them. It is the thought that counts, right? And who can resist those eyes?? :) I know I can't.


Those of you who know Carole, know that she just does not have a lot of hair for a three year old. Lately, she has been asking for ponies (meaning ponytails). It is so hard to get her thin hair into one ponytail so I started trying pigtails. She loves them! She sits so still (well, mostly) while she waits for the finished product. Yesterday I braided the pigtails. Now she has a new favorite hairstyle. :) She is such a girlie girl.

One night Carole asked for sketty (spaghetti) for supper. I told her she could help me cook. She was thrilled! She ran and retrieved our step stool and set it up right at the counter before I could count to three. Her job was to break all of the noodles into small pieces before we cooked them. My kids have a much easier time eating spaghetti this way. So she set to work breaking each and every piece. I am sure we will be finding bits and pieces of broken spaghetti noodles all over our kitchen for awhile, but is was so worth seeing the joy on her face as she "helped" mommy.