Chest Complete

This is a bragging post about my husband.

Look how awesome my husband is, yall!  I swear, everything he decides to do, he does really well.  I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with his extreme perfectionist personality- lol.  He just bought wood working tools since moving here and the only other project he's done is a sewing/craft desk for me.  So for a second project, I am in love with this toy chest!

And to think of it's humble beginings...


I'm not going to go into too much detail since I really don't know what I'm talking about but I will tell the making of the toy chest from my eyes.

So first, after carefully studying each peice of wood he chose like color/pattern pieces and glued them together.  Then he had to take the larger planks and sand them down to make them smooth so you almost can't even tell it's more than one piece of wood!

Do that x 6 for all the sides, top and bottom.  Then he used a dovetail jig to cut dove tails into the sides.  He says that it's the strongest joint you can make...  this toy box is going to last!  Look how pretty the dove tails are!  I just love the details.  Once all the dove tails were cut, he glued all the sides together.  Then came all the finishing touches..  putting in a sliding dove tail key(?), varnishing, painting, and putting the super hard core hinges on and Voila!!!  He bought hinges that make it open and close like a laptop, so no pinched fingers here!

 Ahhh.  Now let's put it to use!!

 Next up, a bed for my little girl...  ahh hem, soon to be big girl (at least a little girl in a big girl bed).

I'm liking this hobby of his!

A little Catch-Up

John has been dying for me to get a blog up about our travels.  As you may have noticed, I've been such a slacker about the blog since I found out about Evangeline..  I guess I just associate blogging now with pouring my heart out and it's kind of exhausting.  So forgive me if I keep things pretty light for a while, I need the break.

Back in August, one of John's buddies from college was getting married.  The wedding was to be held in Whitefish, MT and as we google mapped the town we realized a couple of things. 1.) It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and 2.)  It was in the middle of nowhere with lots of mountains, valleys, rivers, gorges---  which makes it the perfect spot for a pretty amazing National Park!  Glacier National Park to be precise!  We had heard raves about the place and though we were able to frequent the National Parks in Utah when we lived there, Glacier was always high on our list!  So we RSVP'd a solid YES for just the two of us!  The kids needed some Nani time anyhow and we will always enjoy the "us" time!  We went out for about a week and around all the wedding festivities, we'd take day trips over to the park for hiking, rafting and picture taking.  The first night we got there, we rushed to the park for a 1.5 mile (one way) hike called the Hidden Lake overlook.  We ran into a photographer on the way in and my interest was peaked.  I love portrait and lifestyle photography but this was really a first when it came to getting serious with landscape photography (layman's speak for I have NO IDEA what I'm doing).  While we walked, I fired questions at the photographer in hopes to pick up some tips.  He fed me some info but said that he'd been coming to the same spot all week in hopes of getting "THE" shot but it just hadn't panned out for him yet.  John and I stopped along the trail and I started shooting the locals while the other guy continued on his trek.

While I was at that spot, the sun got lower and lower in the sky so we hunkered down for a bit in hopes of getting some good shots at sunset.  I felt like I was exhausting the panorama that I was working on so we packed up and started heading back...  About 10 minutes into our hike back, I turned around to see the sky doing some amazing things that hadn't been present just 10 minutes ago.  With John's encouragement, we turned and rushed back to the site we had sat before.  This was a lesson on patience for me because I almost missed the most amazing sunset I think I've ever seen because I just wasn't being patient.  Once I set up the tripod and took my series of the same panorama shots as before, I knew that turning around was a brilliant idea.  WOW!  The difference of colors was out of this world!  God blessed us with a perfect picture in which I was trying to capture!

This was the difference the 15 minutes made.  The left was the last shot I took before leaving and the right was the first shot I took after we came back!!  It only got more dramatic after this shot!

So the final panorama image result is this:

Taaaa daaaaa!  We blew this up to a 12x60 inch photo that will be framed and on our wall once we get a custom frame for it!

And that was only the first day in Glacier!

The rest of out trip I will sum up in pictures (because I'm tired of typing).

Kids at Play

Ahhh....  Childhood.  How I love reliving it's magic through my own kids (and a lens of course)!

Hope you have time to stop and enjoy this Christmas season!

Thankful for my kids...
and especially for His son whom we call Savior!

Peace in the Wake...

Today is my birthday.  It's been a month now since the birth of my little angel, Evangeline.  In another month is when Evangeline was actually due.  I would have liked to update sooner but life doesn't have the courtesy to slow down- which I guess is a good and bad thing.  Bad because I would like a little more time to myself to reflect and pray and just be in the presence of God after such a traumatic and life changing event.  Good because being back in the throws of life has kept me busy and not allowed me to be down.  All in all, I am at peace.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13

I finished "Heaven is For Real" and little Colton Burpo's account of heaven has helped my heart in the healing process by such a simple assurance that heaven is in fact for real!  It really is a beautiful thing to know that Evangeline is in a more beautiful place than we can even fathom now with God (sidenote: I love the name in the Bible used for God as Abba- translated "daddy"), and Jesus, and gosh my Pop-pop and Grand-dad and who knows who else!!  I pray at night for God to kiss my baby girl, and I know that he does.  I totally recommend that book.  It's a quick and easy read.  Short chapters- which I like because I don't have much reading time and short chapters makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere.  The book has revitalized my prayer life and my view of God even!

We have been so taken care of and so blessed through everything!  The night we came home from the hospital, empty handed and heavy hearted we walked into a clean house, a fridge stocked and a hot meal waiting for us on the counter.  That isn't light work...  I should preface that with the fact that John was on TDY and I tend to let house chores slide a little while he's gone, so that and feeling terribly uncomfortable the morning my water broke adds up to a pretty messy house.  We didn't have to worry about meals for a while with so many people bringing us food, enough for our family plus all the family and friends we had visiting!  We have felt wrapped in the arms of grace and we continue to be so blessed by the prayers of intercession.  We are touched by everyone who has donated to SOFT and by our squadron's 31 bags event which donated $700 to Trisomy18 Foundation.  This is so dear to our hearts and it means so much to us that people would make it dear to theirs too.  John and I have been brought together through this experience and are more passionately in love today than ever!  Everything that has gotten us to this point are things that I worried about.  And the love and compassion that we've been shown is just a beautiful testament to God and His perfect plan.  I believe that He's been preparing me for a long time to carry Evangeline.  Even back to my college days, I recall a friend of mine describing me as "boggled."  He said that to him it meant that I could have all my money stolen and gotten beaten up and still keep a smile on my face.  God built me so that this would not break me.   I was never a "kid" person but once Riley arrived God gave me an intense love for the precious life that He had given me.  He knew that I wouldn't abort Evangeline, that I'd love her and give her every chance.  Even with my scare during my pregnancy with Scarlett, when my 20 week ultrasound revealed some Choroid Plexus cysts and the doctor first informed me of Trisomy 18- that was God's provision to open my eyes to something I had never heard of before and learn about it well ahead of the time that I would need the information.  God has given me friends with resources that are invaluable- some having mutual friends who have had Trisomy babies and provide mutual support and encouragement, another with a job that deals with handling my other two kids and how to talk to them about Evangeline, etc.  God really is good.  Had it not been for Evangeline and the heart-ache and vulnerabilty I had to (and continue to) face, I would not have felt all the overwhelming love and support poured out for us and the deeper relationship I've gained with my Lord and Savior!

I added a couple of songs to my playlist.  There were a couple of songs that I couldn't add so I'll leave you with the lyrics to this song:

Strong Enough- Matthew West

You must  
You must think I'm strong  
To give me what I'm going through
Well, forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do  
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up I'm not stong enough  
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be  
Strong enough  
Strong enough For the both of us

Well, maybe  
Maybe that's the point  
To reach the point of giving up
Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom  
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

Cause I'm broken Down to nothing  
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God and you are strong When I am weak
I can do all things Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be Strong enough

Dear Evangeline

Dear  Evangeline,

This past year has been the biggest roller coaster ride of my life, marred with the highest of highs and lowest of lows.  Your daddy and I were so thrilled when we found out that you were growing in my belly, but  our love for you began even before that day.  As the weeks passed and we got glimpses of your sweet, tiny body on ultrasound and heard your strong little heart beating, we grew more and more enamored with you.  Then one day back in July, a 1 in 6000 chance turned into our walk.  We were the ONE!   Your daddy and I never even considered for a second to turn our backs on you and we knew that we were given the great and precious responsibility to love you wholly for every moment of your life- no matter how long or short it may be.  This diagnosis made me rethink so many things and your little life growing inside me inspired me to pour out all my love and hold nothing back for Riley, Scarlett, John and all the relationships in my life.  Last Saturday, the day you were born, I was shocked and scared and I wished that you could have stayed inside the safety of my womb for a few more months.  But when I took you in my arms, I was overwhelmed with complete love and adoration and I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.  You were so tiny and helpless.  With underdeveloped lunges, your sweet little face was a little purple but you kept on fighting, working for every breath you took.  I cherished every second I got to spend with you. 

Before you were born, many of my thoughts would  hover around all the hopes and prayers I had for you.  I had hoped that you would be a well tempered baby and toddler.  I prayed that you would be healthy.  I hoped that in school you would be driven and smart.  I mourned as I realized that these would not have a chance to play out.  But at the time of your passing, when I knew that you were no longer with me and now in the arms of our Lord I rejoiced that my biggest prayer had been answered.  As a parent I hoped and prayed that one day you would find a saving salvation through knowing Jesus Christ.  And I know that you are there with Him now.

In the past couple of weeks, I have had a number of people suggest the book, Heaven is for Real (by Todd Burpo).  We got it just the other day and last night I decided to open it up and read the prologue.  It was of a family who was driving by a hospital where an emergency surgery a year before almost claimed the life of their 3, almost 4 year old son. As they drove past, they were trying to light heartedly joke about the trip with the son and through this dialog, the boy begins to reveal his memories of his hospital stay to his parents.  He recalled angels singing at the request of Jesus, to calm the scared child and when prompted about Jesus, he matter of factly recounted that he sat on the lap of Jesus while these angels sang.  He recalled what he saw his parents doing while he was under anesthesia during the surgery which had shocked his parents since they were not in the operating room and their son knew where both of them were, even though they were in separate rooms alone.  I bawled, of course reading this detailed account of this little boy but what comfort that brought me.  I knew it!  I was right!  Every night when I pray that God kiss you and hug you and show you the love that I physically can not do anymore, how awesome is it to know that you are in the arms of Jesus and His love is far greater than anything I have ever known. 

You have made such a giant impact on my life, Evangeline Faith and I just praise God for allowing me to be your mommy.  I look forward to seeing you, whole and perfect, without sickness, or disease or disorder, one day when God takes me home.

Love,

Your Mommy

Back in the saddle again

Just a quick post to show you what we've been up to since we have been home...

 We've been going to the park and checking out (chasing and catching) the local wildlife

We've been taking lots of baths...

And we've just generally been cheesing it up in front of the camera!

Life doesn't slow down around these parts!

Long Overdue

... with blogging that is- not the pregnancy!  The last several weeks has been a flurry of activity for us.  Let's see...  at the time of my last blog post, I had just gotten back from Texas where I spent a week with my family, I then left for our trip to Whitefish, MT- just John and I without the kiddies for a friend's wedding.  Whitefish is a quaint little town on the outskirts of Glacier National Park and we were able to make the trip a fun and recreational adventure.  Once back from Montana, I had two days at home then got on a plane by myself with two kids- more adventure that I care to partake in again!  Traveling via plane with two very dependent little ones is quite the task, and being pregnant on top of it left me feeling completely outta fuel.  Not to mention that on the way there, our plane was diverted to Tuscon, AZ because of bad dust storms in Phoenix and oh, by the way as we were circling Tuscon our plane got struck by lightning.  I'll stop there but it sure made for quite the obstacle being stuck on a landed airplane at the Tuscon airport with two toddlers under 3 well past their bed time without dinner and no sight of actually getting up to Phoenix that night...  Oh shoot- I said that I'd stop way back there. Anyhow, thanks to the generosity and selflessness of great friends we managed and the trip to Phoenix was still a success!  I will say that unless it's an absolute emergency, you will not find me traveling alone with two kids through the airport again...  Not till they're like 5 and above.  I know my limits.  And to top off our travels, a few days after coming home again we loaded up the car and made the 12 hour drive (it really doesn't take quite that long, but with stops for a newly potty trained little guy with a small bladder, those frequent 15 minute potty breaks really add up!) up to Sumter, SC where we stayed with some good friends and attended another wedding!  I've been back from that for about a week and I am finally getting things back in order.

I've still got catching up to do with some photography stuff so a picture post will be at a later date.

As far as an update with Evangaline (or we like to call her Eva for short), I had an ultrasound about a week ago and things are about the same as far as her heart/head go.  Not getting better but so happy it's not getting worse.  The ultrasound tech was telling me that it was easy for her to read since I had more amniotic fluid than normal.  Initially I thought, "great!  I must be staying hydrated!" until the doc came in and cleared some things up.  He also told me that I had a raised level of fluid which is not a good thing since it can cause premature labor.  With my history of keeping the kids locked inside my uterus past the due date, doc said that it's probably less of a concern for me... although I did have a scare in which I woke up at night from cramps and it seemed rhythmic enough that I timed the contractions.  After a couple hours they subsided and I went back to bed.  The doctor said the cause of the high fluid was backed up by the fact that her stomach was not "full" which meant that Eva is having difficulty with her swallowing practice.  It is a problem that many Trisomy 18 babies are faced with, which brings John and I to some difficult questions and something that we have to really evaluate and pray on because starvation as cause of death does not sit well in my heart.  On the bright side, her weight seems to be keeping pretty steady with a normal pregnancy, which is truly a blessing since being underweight is a risk.  So we are doing alright.  I have never in my life been so covered in prayer and God is really carrying me (us) through this time with peace that is unreal.  Most days I am able to carry on my "normal" life and just pour love into my two little ones on the outside as well as lil Eva on the inside!  I feel like I am so full of love that it is overflowing into the the lives of my family members and that love is certainly from all the thoughts and prayers that friends and family have sent on our behalf!!!  I can't begin to tell you what a blessing that is to us as a family and especially to me!

I have been put into contact with another Air Force "mommy" who has been through the birth and passing of a very special little T18 angel and that contact has been a God send!  Talking with her brought much encouragement, but also some things that I didn't consider which has brought a little anxiety.  I guess after talking to her, my concern is how I am going to take care of Evangaline fully and also have something in the tank for my two already needy little leaches, Riley and Scarlett.  This question may just go unanswered until we are in the moment and when it comes down to it, I just have to rest in knowing that God will provide.  I am trying not to worry about it because of Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  I know that when that time comes, God will give me the strength, perseverance, and grace I need to get through it, and maybe a little help here and there from dear family/friends! 

Here are some scriptures that I have been meditating on lately:

Psalm 3:3  "But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head."

Isaiah 61:3  "... and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor."

Romans 8:18  "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

And as far as music, I haven't given up trying to get a player on my site to play some songs that are ministering to me so if you would like to hear the songs that mean so much to me during this time, press the play button on the player on the right.  I have found a couple other songs that are really good!  One in particular, I will carry you by Selah speaks to me exactly where I am.  Turns out they dealt with a very similar situation and wrote a song about it. 

As noted before, future posts will be more of my usual style- lots of pictures and less of me talking...  That's how I typically like it.  ;)  And I have a lot of pictures to catch up on!

Hope you all are having a blessed day!

Follow up

Today we had our follow up appointment with the maternal fetal medicine specialist.  Well, I guess it was really yesterday now.  They did another ultrasound with special attention to Evangaline's heart.  The doctor said that her heart condition most likely won't be her true limiting factor which maybe means to me that we can eek out a little more time with our precious little gift from God.  She looked perfect to me and although they said she still had the same conditions, I swear they looked smaller.  We were left last time knowing that she had a hole in her heart with a possibility of a worse defect that couldn't be ruled out at that time.   I usually really dig the medical aspect of things and would try to remember exactly what things are called (either VSD or ASD), but in this case I find myself looking back at the blur of an appointment and not really caring to remember exactly what it is..  the take home message for me was that she had a hole in her heart.  I remember having the impression last time that it may not be that bad.  Apparently it's not all that uncommon and many times the child can live just fine with this condition or it may heal itself in time.  After all the bad news from our 20 week ultrasound and even getting the amnio taken that day, I still left with hope that our baby may not have Trisomy 18 and that she could still lead a long and normal life.  In my heart I wanted to believe that the hole could close and the choroid plexus cysts (little fluid pockets in the head) would disappear.  After all, not many people know this but at Scarlett's 20 week ultrasound, they also found the choroid plexus cysts in her head which was the first time I had ever heard of Trisomy 18 as they gave me a very faint (but very real to an expectant mommy) warning that CPC's were sometimes linked to this chromosomal defect.  But my Scarlett is a very healthy and happy little girl, dare I call her a toddler now?!  After getting the lab results days after the amnio was taken, my hopes were dashed and thus my grieving truly began.   At first when I found out, I was devastated- naturally.  I remember my thoughts waving from pure sadness to anger to feeling ashamed for some reason.  I wished I could hide my pregnancy so no body would know and no body would cheerfully and unknowingly ask me when I was due, what I was having or how I felt.  We never considered terminating the pregnancy but  I truly realized the magnitude of our decision and the weight I was bearing to carry this baby to term.  I still wouldn't take it back for my own convenience or feelings..  I do believe that God has given, and God will take away and who am I to mess with His plan?  It is so much greater than my own.  Fortunately, these feelings only lasted a few days.  3 days after the lab results, we were off to the comfort of my parents ranch which had been planned for months.  What a blessing to have family surrounding me and supporting me so quickly after that kind of blow.  After my initial feelings subsided, I felt incredibly humbled like I never have before.  Nobody ever expects that something like this is going to happen to them, but not only did I not expect it but I pretty much just thought it wasn't possible.  After all, I have a degree in a fitness field, with a special interest in nutrition.  I have a gym membership that I actually use!  I have by-the-book pregnancies.  (can you hear the pride in those last statements?)  So this has definitely brought me back to reality and very much humbled my pride monster--  and I certainly realize that there are some medical conditions that can happen to anyone...  including me.  I've been doing a bible study that I had from a couple years ago that I started and fizzled out on because of the depth of the study.  It's called "One in a Million" by Pricilla Shirer.  When our women's group at church was doing this study, I was pregnant with Scarlett and John was in que to leave for the desert.  In one of the first chapters, she talked about Job and how he was an upright man, blameless in front of God and how God allowed satan to "test" Job by taking away all that he had and it asked us if we'd still praise God if everything were stripped from us, like Job.  I was so distraught about this concept that I really throttled back on my assignments and weekly readings and basically just showed up to the Tuesday morning studies to fellowship.  Picking this study up where I left it has been such a blessing and I am working through it this time with a whole new perspective.  I also just heard in the last couple of days a sermon from a woman who has already been through this exact thing, getting a diagnosis that her unborn baby has Trisomy 18.  She talked about grieving and how healing comes when your heart catches up with your head knowledge.  I find that to be so true.  I know that God has a plan and that His plan is perfect and to benefit and yada yada...  But I have flashes where my heart is in line with my head and that brings me true peace.  I'm not always there and I am sure my struggles will become much worse when/if Evangaline is born alive and I have to deal with her death.  But there is a silver lining which I have only seen glimpses of and wow is it beautiful.  I feel like I am in a good place right now.  I am praising God and celebrating each kick that I feel and each day that I know that she's still alive in there.  I have been able to be genuinely joyful for other people's expectant news, which surely doesn't come from me but from God.  The support and love I've felt from all of you has really blessed me- Thank you for that.  John and I have started praying together every night... something I think we've always wanted to establish but because of daily life busyness, that and laziness it's never happened.  I am so thankful for my husband, John.  He has been a true rock to me the way he's been supportive and empathetic.  I know he is mourning too but he feels that it's important for him to be strong for me, and he is.  He quickly and selflessly booked me and the kids a trip to Phoenix so that I can even more be surrounded by family and loved ones with our Lifegroup there.  They are our family.  Evangaline will get to go on quite a few trips before her birth and we will enjoy her presence nonetheless.  I desire to be as transparent as possible in this journey so if you have any questions, please just ask and I will do my best to answer.

Music has always spoken to me but during this time I find it is really ministering to me as well.
I've tried to include the playlist on this page that is facilitating in healing. I think it is a little music strip attached to the very bottom of the page and you can press play if you would like to hear it.
{I took the player off since I don't know if that's contributing to the problems some have had with opening the blog so I'll just list my short little playlist and I encourage you to look up the songs- they're beautiful!}

-Blessings, Laura Story
-Jesus Bring the Rain, Mercy Me
-Beauty from Pain, Superchick
-I Still Believe, Jeremy Camp
-Praise You in the Storm, Casting Crowns

Meet Evangeline...

Dear Friends and Family,

We wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to our daughter, Evangeline Faith Wilson.  She is our beautiful baby girl and her due date is December 1, 2011.   

We are introducing you to her now because unfortunately she has been diagnosed with a severe chromosomal defect called “Trisomy 18”.  You can google the details yourself to find out more about it if you like.  Trisomy 18 has a very high infant mortality rate and is “incompatible with life”, which is doctor-speak for saying her likelihood of survival after birth is very low.  We had a preliminary screening test done which showed we had a high likelihood of Trisomy 18 in our little girl.  These results prompted a special ultrasound at a neonatal clinic in Pensacola.  The sonogram showed large cysts on Evangeline’s brain and a large hole in the pumping chambers of her heart, both of which are indicators for Trisomy 18.  We had an amniocentesis performed that same day and we got the results a few days later confirming the presence of Trisomy 18.  This is a tough time for our family as we deal with the news and it’s consequences.  Cheyenne and I want to carry the pregnancy to full term and we will do all that we can to protect the beautiful life that God has given us.  We have many questions that have no definite answers.  There is no way to know when Cheyenne will go into labor or Evangeline’s health at birth.  It is a day-to-day journey right now and we are thankful for every tiny kick and everyday that Evangeline is still with us.  We are thankful that Cheyenne is in no danger from the pregnancy and that we have the opportunity to share our little girl with you, even if only for a short time.  We rest in the comfort of knowing that there are no mistakes; God has given us little Evangeline for a reason.  We do not know God’s plan, but we do know that he loves us and his plans are not to harm, but to benefit us (Jeremiah 29:11).  We rest assured in the comfort of God’s embrace knowing that Evangeline’s life is part of His design and something we view as a tragedy, God can use as a blessing.  A lot of folks have asked what they can do.  Honestly, your prayers and friendship are all that we ask. We ask for you to pray specifically for: Evangeline’s health, Cheyenne’s emotional strength, a safe delivery, wisdom and grace for Cheyenne and I, Evangeline’s life to lead people to Christ, understanding how God can use this in our lives to bring glory to Him, and trust and faith in God and His design.  If you feel led to do more than pray, there are several non-profit organizations for children with chromosomal defects that you can become involved in or donate to.  We will post on Cheyenne’s blog, www.cjwilson34.blogspot.com and send out more emails as information develops.  Thank you all for your friendship, support, and prayers.

& John

Jelly Bean

Warning:  Long videos ahead of a proud mommy's little girl just being a little girl. 

We have a walker on our hands.  She has been dabbling in walking for a while but we could only get her to take a couple steps and then she'd lunge herself forward right into our arms.  The day she turned 13 months, she decided it was time for her to let go of her inhibitions and officially join the land of the bipeds.

Scarlett loves being up on furniture.  When she get's the opportunity she giggles and throws herself into cushions.  I caught her on the tail end of her gleeful enjoyment so it's toned down quite a bit...  That's why it's so long because I was hoping to catch the excitement as from the start of it.  I can't help but call her my Jelly Bean as she flip flops all over on the couch.

Daddy's Importance!

For so many reasons, I think a dad is vital to a child being raised in our world today.  Well, really for ever and any time but especially today.  I am a stay at home mommy and I love my job.  I am so blessed to be given the opportunity and the heart to stay home with my kids and mold them with every chance I can have in a day.  That opportunity is given to me by none other than my loving and supportive husband!  Aside from Christ himself, my husband is our rock in our family!  But by the end of the day, I'm exhausted.  I'm pretty much ready to get them fed and put my lil' rascals to bed.  And then there's Daddy!

He comes home after his long day of work and what does he do?  He plays non stop with the kiddies until it's time for bed.  That hour or two of unsolicited love and attention would be void in their life without wonderful Daddy!  We love you Daddy!

And daddy's everywhere who are your family's rock and playful mate- a BIG THANKS!  You guys are awesome and we couldn't do it without you!

It's official

I've been lazy about my blog since facebook is so easy and quick.  But here is my official announcement!
We're expecting baby #3 in late November/ early December!  What a whirlwind my life will be the next several years!! 
Scarlett and Riley were 21 months apart and this one will be about 18 months from Scarlett.  That's three kids 3 and under!!  YIKES- putting it in writing is kinda scary!  But it was planned.  We love our children and have wanted another...  so here we go!