i me megan

EShakti FX

2018-12-05T14:30:00.003-05:00

Several years ago I posted about a company called EShakti. They sent me product (a dress), I reviewed it, and I quickly fell in love.

To date I think I have ordered about 10-12 dresses or skirts from them. They were a new company offering bespoke dresses... in other words, a company that would take your personal measurements and MAKE A DRESS THAT ACTUALLY FITS YOU. It was a new and beautiful concept.

Now they have come back to me asking for another review. Not a dress this time, but their website. They have added a new "FX" feature which allows you to see in real time what the alterations on a dress will look like!

I love this concept because I learned after my third or fourth dress that I could add sleeves, or lower the hemline to make it more modest. Now I can see exactly what I'm getting. How high will I need the neckline to meet my standards? Before it was a bit of a guess. Now I can SEE what I'm choosing for my dress.

For example, I am in love with this dress. The flowy skirt will hide my "mom hips," and the elbow length sleeves are perfect. Plus, who doesn't need a cute black dress?

My issue is, as beautiful as the neckline is, it won't cover my top half near enough...so I changed it to have a "high v neck."

And the hemline would be much more modest in windy Illinois if it was a bit longer. Plus, easier to play with little man-cubs if I don't have to worry about too much leg showing when I'm on the floor.

If you are interested in trying out EShakti's new FX feature, click here! Just be sure to click on products that include the FX label. Happy creating.

Samuel Glenn Biddle

2018-05-23T13:49:00.001-04:00

The fourth Biddle boy joined the tribe last week.

Samuel Glenn Biddle was born May 16th, 2018 at 2:57pm. He measured 19 inches and 8lbs, 4oz.

The rest of the man cubs were thrilled about meeting Sam.

Jonah, the old pro, knew exactly what to do, and when to do it.

Levi was over the moon to finally hold “his baby.”

Benjamin immediately upon meeting his little brother said “I don’t like IT.” But a few minutes later, he was all about holding “his baby Sam.”

Very blessed to be a mom to these four crazy boys.

A Healing

2017-06-26T14:53:00.001-04:00

God is so, so good y'all.

When Levi was about 4 months old I noticed that he spit up a lot... like more than reflux a lot. Took him to the doctor, and they said he just had reflux, and was fine. But he wasn't fine. So every check-up I kept telling the doctor that I really didn't think it was normal. They just kept assuring me that he was fine, that I was over-reacting. Finally just after Levi's 1st birthday, I happened to schedule with a different doctor and explained my concerns. The new doctor agreed that it wasn't normal to puke up an entire meal, and that his eczema was rather concerning too. So off to a gastroenterology pediatric specialist we went.

The specialist put him under, and scoped his esophagus. Turns out the poor kid had scarring in his throat from puking so much. And that he did in fact have something wrong. He was diagnosed with Esophagitis.

Esophagitis (uh-sof-uh-JIE-tis) is inflammation that may damage tissues of the esophagus, the muscular tube that delivers food from your mouth to your stomach.Esophagitis can cause painful, difficult swallowing and chest pain. Causes of esophagitis include stomach acids backing up into the esophagus, infection, oral medications and allergies.Treatments for esophagitis depend on the underlying cause and the severity of tissue damage. If left untreated, esophagitis can damage the lining, interfere with normal function and lead to complications such as scarring, stricture and difficulty swallowing. -WebMD

The specialist prescribed a steroid to bring the swelling down so the kid could swallow and not gag. The steroid worked, but he still had the crazy eczema rash around his mouth. The doctor didn't know what was causing the disease and basically just put him on the steroid for over a year... during that time we moved to Louisiana.

Picture of his eczema taken in December of 2014... on the steroid in this picture.

We ended up finding a new specialist in New Orleans, and she was amazing. Literally the first five minutes of our first appointment and she asked if we tried taking out dairy. We looked at her like she was crazy, but figured we could try. With in 24 hours of no whey, casein, milk, lactose, etc his eczema cleared up, he wasn't puking, he didn't complain of hurting. It was amazing. The NOLA doctor did another scope to make sure that the no dairy was in fact working and it was. We were so excited! No more steroids!

It was hard at first to keep him dairy free. We had to learn to read packaging, & teach others who would be caring for Levi; like nursery workers at church and grandparents. We learned little secrets like to bake with no milk, butter, etc. How to make pizza without real cheese. But we figured it out. There were slip ups along the way, like accidentally giving him goldfish crackers, or mashed potatoes... even McDonalds french fries. Each time a slip up happened the same thing would happen, red itchy bumps around his mouth (eczema), gagging, and complaining that his tummy hurt. And all that within 10 minutes of eating dairy. Thankfully we had emergency medication from an allergist. So we would give him that, and he was fine again.

At his one year check-up from his initial dairy allergy diagnosis, they explained with this type of allergy, how young he was when it started, and how intense it was, that the chances of him 'growing out of it' were so small that we shouldn't even think about it. And that he was more likely to become anaphylactic from dairy than to 'grow out of it.' So we filed that away in the back of our minds.

Then we moved again... to Illinois. I think this move has been kinda hard of Levi because he's been making a few bad choices. One of which was sneaking food... didn't really think too much of it until Benjamin was eating goldfish crackers, and was sharing with Levi. I kinda freaked out, and reminded Levi that he couldn't eat those. As I was digging in my purse for his emergency meds he told me he had been sneaking these crackers for a few days... I was kinda in shock. The next thing I realize is that he wasn't in pain, he wasn't gagging, and he didn't have any red dots around his mouth.... So I let him keep eating the crackers, I mean I had the meds in my purse, so if I saw even a single red dot, I could stop the reaction. But I never saw the dots. The next day I figured, okay let's try a little more milk. Gave him some yogurt. He was fine. Next day we tried a small glass of milk. He was fine. In the past week we have tried everything we could think of. He has had NO allergic reaction at all.

God healed Levi from his dairy allergy. We are so thankful. To celebrate we went out for ice cream as a family... something we haven't been able to do for almost two years.

Y'all, really, truly, God is good.

Settled.

2017-06-22T14:59:00.000-04:00

Been in Illinois now for two months. We love it here (Just don't talk to me in February... ha ha.) We have visited family several times, and many of them have come to visit us! It's wonderful being so close to family. Five and half hours feels like nothing compared to the eighteen hour drive it was in Louisiana.

Still unpacking boxes, but no longer living out of them. And lets be honest here.... I will probably be like Mrs. Incredible and call up my hubby at work in three years and tell him we are officially moved in because the last box is unpacked.

Since moving in we have painted the entire downstairs trim and walls, and even the trim in the upstairs hallway. We have gotten a fence, and even a new roof! As I'm typing they are installing a new A/C and furnace because apparently our A/C was broken when we bought the house (Its been a couple of really hot weeks here...) We painted the front door, porch posts, installed new lights, shutters, door knobs.... honestly the house is getting a major face lift. Even with all the stuff that we planned on (and didn't plan on, hello A/C!) I'm in love with this house. It's the same layout as Justin's childhood house, but it has five bedrooms upstairs. If it was on two acres, it would be PERFECT.

How the house looks now.

How the house looked when we bought it.

We have found a great Christian school for Jonah who starts kindergarten this fall, and a wonderful new church home (jfa.church). Both Justin and I start serving in different ministries this Sunday.

God has blessed us in this move, and we are so grateful.

Moving North

2017-03-28T15:17:00.000-04:00

Next month we will be packing up our family and moving to Illinois! We have been very blessed during our two years in Louisiana, but I am looking forward to being much closer to our families.

Michigan Christmas 2016

2016-12-31T15:11:00.000-05:00

We spent ten days in Michigan for Christmas.

Big Ben is ONE!

2016-11-30T15:24:00.000-05:00

Benjamin is 1 year old!

He's in size 5 diapers, with a Huggies nite time diaper at night. He's in size 18 month clothing with a few 24 month here and there.. He is getting whole milk in a sippy cup during the day, but still wakes for a bottle several times a night. He loves puffs, pizza, pears, blueberries and pretty much anything he can put in his mouth. Cake is now on the favorite list...He can feed himself as long as it's not liquid... He still won't eat peas.

He is crawling all over the place! I will sit him down by his toys in the living room, and two minutes later he is in one of the Big's rooms playing with blocks or hugging their stuffed animals. He LOVES water. Bath time is his favorite. He loves it so much, that if we don't close the bathroom door, he plays in the toliet...

He can pull himself up on anything and everything, and will cruise a tiny bit.

Benny's favorite toys are balls, anything noisey, stuffed animals, and really enjoying balloons.

He can say many things, but the newest addition is "more," usually in reference to food. He says it a lot.

Myrtle Beach 2016

2016-11-29T15:02:00.000-05:00

Every other year we go to Myrtle Beach with Justin's side of the family... like the whole family. It is such a blessing.

Ben is 11 months old.

2016-11-05T10:49:00.001-04:00

Someone asked me a couple days ago how old Benjamin was.... I said 10 months... then had to stop and think. NOPE! He was 11 months and I couldn't believe it.

Benjamin is 11 months and he's 25.6 pounds. I think he didn't gain any weight this past month because this kid is ALWAYS moving. He just goes, and goes, and goes.

He's in size 5 diapers, with a Huggies nite time diaper at night. He's in size 18 month clothing with a few 24 month here and there.. He is still eating 5 ounces of formula every 4 hours, and has solid food 3 times a day. He loves puffs, pizza, pears, and pretty much anything he can put in his mouth. He can feed himself as long as it's not liquid... His favorite baby food is banana pumpkin puree. He LOVES onion. He still won't eat peas. Tried canned peas instead of baby food... yeah, he threw them at me. Still not much interest in the sippy cup.

His "touchdown" face, while covered in pizza.

Still waking a few times a night, but he's a good boy and will go right back to sleep after a bottle. Mama is still tired, and we are still trying to figure out how to put a stop to this because he really doesn't need to eat in the middle of the night.

He is crawling all over the place! I will sit him down by his toys in the living room, and two minutes later he is in one of the Big's rooms playing with blocks or hugging their stuffed animals. He LOVES water. Bath time is his favorite. He loves it so much, that if we don't close the bathroom door, he plays in the toliet...

He can pull himself up on anything and everything, and will cruise a tiny bit.

Benny's favorite toys are balls, anything noisey, stuffed animals, and really enjoying brother's blocks right now.

He can say many things, but the one I'm most impressed with right now is "gentle." Apparently we've been saying that a lot to him.

Technically, this is the day after 11 months, but the cuteness factor overrides that. Also, the look in his eye... "Really, Mom?"

Recent Projects

2016-10-12T15:24:00.001-04:00

I have the best hubby. No, really. THE BEST.

Recently he has been going overboard helping me (or just flat out building for me) with a few projects I've had on my mind.

Project No. 1: Blanket Ladder

I saw a similar ladder at a friends house, and thought it would work a lot better for us than shoving our blankets in a basket like we had been. I also like how it balances out our living room a bit more. Justin took these plans, and altered them a bit to fit our space.

Project No. 2: Reclaimed wood sign for over our headboard

While we still lived in Tennessee, Justin had the opportunity to tear down an old white oak barn... and was allowed to keep the wood. Naturally we dragged all that beautiful wood to Louisiana. We ended up using a random piece to make this sign. The words are from a Louis Armstrong song that we danced to at our wedding rehearsal dinner. Super meaningful since our first kiss was the next day.

Project No. 3: A NEW TABLE

Our family has gotten bigger, and our old table was quickly becoming too small for us. I had found about three tables that I really liked, so my sweet husband created his own plans for a table that included the things I liked from all three. This table is so perfect. Even down to the fact that he can unscrew the top, and build a bigger top anytime! It cleans easier, is bigger, and fit our home perfectly.

So blessed to have a man that is creative, and handy.

Big Ben is 10 Months

2016-09-30T22:07:00.000-04:00

Benjamin is 10 months and he's 25.5 pounds.

He's in size 5 diapers, with a Huggies nite time diaper at night. He's in size 18 month clothing. He is still eating 5 ounces of formula every 4 hours, and has solid food 3 times a day. He loves rusks, puffs, pizza, pears, and soup. He can feed himself as long as it's not liquid... His favorite baby food is banana pumpkin puree. He still won't eat peas. Been working on sippy cup, and we are getting closer.

Still waking a few times a night, but he's a good boy and will go right back to sleep after a bottle. Trying to figure out how to put a stop to this because he really doesn't need to eat in the middle of the night. Its more of a comfort thing.

He is crawling all over the place! I will sit him down by his toys in the living room, and two minutes later he is in one of the Big's rooms playing with blocks or hugging their stuffed animals. I've had to start telling him 'no no' now, and he doesn't like it. He screws up his face and lets the tears fall. Oh my. We are in a for a treat when he's two...

He's been trying to pull himself up on the couch, and trying to stand in the middle of the room... which is hilarious. He also loves to clap.

Benny's favorite toys are balls, anything noisey, stuffed animals, and really enjoying brother's blocks right now.

He can say mama, dada, hi, bye, nana, bobs, le-la (Levi), jo jo, love, uh-oh, yay, and a few more words.

Girls Weekend: Magnolia Market

2016-09-21T16:04:00.000-04:00

A couple weekends ago I jumped on an airplane and flew to Dallas to spend the weekend with a GREAT friend of mine. It was her 35 birthday; so we had a girls weekend. We even went to Waco, Texas and visited the Magnolia Market at the Silos. It. Was. Awesome. Godly women, fellowship, road trip, girl time, cupcakes, etc.

Picture Dump!

Michigan Trip Picture Dump

2016-08-31T14:26:00.003-04:00

Airplane right to Michigan

Benny meeting Nana Wendy's parents

Great Grandma Joanie was delighted by Benny... I think the feeling was mutual.

Levi and Uncle Adam being silly at the Fair.

Brother Love at Dow Gardens

Dangling feet at Dow Gardens

Not a huge fan of getting a haircut from Aunt Sarah.

Visiting Amish country

Love my Sister-in-law. She's more like a sister!

Benny meeting Grumpy Grandpa's parents.

Shooting my brother's crossbow.

At the park with Nana Wendy

9 Months with Benjamin

2016-08-30T22:08:00.000-04:00

Benjamin is 9 months. He's 22 pounds and 1 ounce (86%). My tall boy is 2 feet and 6.5 inches (98%). And he's got a big noggin for his Biddle brains... 18 inches (72%). Basically, Benny is Big.

He's in size 5 diapers, with a Huggies nite time diaper at night. Benny is still eating 5 ounces of formula every 4 hours, and has solid food 3 times a day. He loves cherrios, puffs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, and smoothies. He can feed himself. His favorite baby food is pears. He gags when you feed him peas. Been working on sippy cup, but he's really not interested.

Still waking a few times a night, but he's a good boy and will go right back to sleep after a bottle. And to be honest, he's such a sweetie, I don't mind (too much) because he's such a sweet snuggle buddy.

Justin getting sweet snuggles on Benny's first airplane ride. Clearly this baby is a champ.

He rolls all over the place, sits up if you sit him up, and will scoot backwards all over. Yesterday he crawled for the first time. It was so slow, and almost painful to watch because of how slow and small his movements were, but he got where he wanted to go!

Aunt Sarah gave Benjamin his first haircut.

Benny's favorite toys are balls, anything noisey, his maileg puppy, a wobble fox and stuffed animals.

He loves it when people talk to him. He sings in a really high-pitched voice (we have Jo to thank for that one.) He imitates EVERYTHING... including Daddy power washing the patio and race cars. He can say mama, dada, hi, bye, nana, bobs, le-la (Levi), love, uh-oh, yay, and a few more words. He's first sentence was "I love dada."

The Great Flood of 2016

2016-08-28T15:12:00.000-04:00

I chose to take a while to write this post because I really needed to take some time and process everything. To be honest, I think I'm still trying to process it all.

When the rain started we didn't think much of it... our backyard is extremely steep to help with the fact that we are backed up to a bayou. When it rains, our yard usually has a little fast moving stream. But the rain didn't stop. It just rained harder. It didn't take long for half our backyard to be under water. Looking out our window, you can see our neighbors acreage with goats. Except that you couldn't see the goats, land, or even bushes anymore. It was very clear that the bayou was now IN our backyard. And that included all the water moccasins. Thankfully, Andy the 6 foot gator, decided he wanted to stay in our neighbor's backyard, and not come visit us 200 feet away.

As the water inched higher and higher, we packed. We packed a bug-out bag with a set of clothing, formula, diapers, baby food, and dairy free snacks. We also quickly packed for our Michigan trip that was suppose to happen a couple days later. We figured if we needed to be rescued by boat, we had the bug-out bag; but if we evacuated, we were going to take it all and just head to Michigan early.

After a while the rain stopped, but apparently that didn't mean the threat was over. Now we had to wait until the rivers crested to see if we would flood even more. The rivers did crest, and most of our parish flooded. So now, north of Baton Rouge was basically gone, most of Baton Rouge flooded, and our parish was flooding. To top it all off, AT&T went down, so all these people (including my hubby) couldn't contact anyone, or call for help. We were still ok, and still had one road open if we needed to evacuate.

Tuesday, things seemed to be calming. Cell service was back up, so Justin decided to go to work. Most of the roads were still flooded, so it took him a while to get there. He was there half a day, and realized that the flood waters were still moving. Our parish was closing down main roads due to the flooding. So he called me, told me to load up, he was on his way home, and that we were going to evacuate. He got home, we threw our stuff in the minivan, grabbed the boys, and left.

We spent that night in a hotel in New Orleans, and the next morning grabbed a plane to Michigan.

Photo credit to Bethany Church Instagram

Y'all. God. Is. SO. Good. When we left Tennessee, it was in complete obedience to God. I didn't want to leave Tennessee, but I knew without a doubt that God was calling us to Louisiana. Wasn't sure why, still not sure why. But I know that for walking in obedience with Him, He has blessed us over and over. We prayed a lot about the house we were going to buy here. We looked at houses in the middle of Baton Rouge, we looked at houses just outside of Baton Rouge. Then there was this house. We had it narrowed down to two houses: the house we currently live in, and a house we lovingly called the rainbow house because every room was painted a different primary color. We ultimately decided on our house. Every house, every neighborhood that we looked at flooded. Flooded big time. Some several feet. The rainbow house even flooded. Our house stayed dry. We lost nothing but a bit of grass in our backyard. Not even the soccer ball that Jo left in the backyard was lost. Half a mile away from us in every direction, people have their homes gutted, and sitting at the curb. As I'm typing this, people are still waiting for water to recede from their homes. So many of our friends are living with extended family because their houses are full of water, mud, and mold.

We are just fine. God is so good.

But you know what? Even if we lost everything. God would still be good. Our stuff is just stuff, and it all belongs to Him anyway. He is a BIG God. He blessed us with it all, and He can take it all away.

Our Sunday in Michigan we went to church with Justin's family. We sang a song about "opening up the flood gates." After actually experiencing a flood this has so much more meaning than God just filling you up with Him. When a flood happens it wrecks everything. The old must be ripped out, and replaced with new. When you ask the Lord to open the floodgates, you are asking Him to ruin you, and make you new with His power.

God, you are Good.

Benny is Eight Months

2016-07-31T00:13:00.000-04:00

Benjamin is 8 months, and over 22 pounds; but he's still in 12 month clothing... for now!

He's in size 4 diapers, with a Huggies nite time diaper at night. Though I think he'll be switching to size 5 diapers soon. Benny is eating 5 ounces of formula every 4 hours, and has solid food 3 times a day. We recently bumped down his formula because he'd rather eat solid food than formula. He eats canned green beans, cherrios, banana, bread, peas, etc. If it's small and will eventually dissolve in his mouth, he's into it. His favorite food is still apples. The boy ate squash! There is no food this boy won't eat now.

Still waking a few times a night, but we are working on that.

He rolls all over the place, sits up if you sit him up, and will scoot backwards all over.

He will reward anyone who talks to him with a big grin. His favorite toys are Sophie the giraffe, his Maileg puppy, and his buddy. He desperately wants to play with big brothers... to the point he will reach and scoot for them. He's always asking for his "bobs" aka brothers. Levi hates being called a "bob" so he yells, "I'm not your bob!" Benny just smiles.

Ben says "bobs", mama, dada, hi, and bye. But never when I want him too... He usually is a chatter box after we are done face-timing with someone.

Swimming Lessons: Show and Tell

2016-07-28T22:38:00.000-04:00

It's been two weeks of swimming lessons, and today was the "show & tell" session where they got to show everyone what they learned.

Here's Levi (remember, this is the kid TERRIFIED to let go of you in the water.):

And, Here's Jonah the fish (the child convinced he's the original Jonah that was in a fish...):

They did so well! I'm proud of my little swimmers. There are a couple areas that we still need to work on, but Jo learned a lot, and Levi is no longer afraid of the water. In my book, it was a success.

Swimming Lessons

2016-07-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

The Bigs have started swim lessons with Crawfish Aquatics in Baton Rouge. I use to swim on a team (both elementary and high school), but the hubby can basically just doggy paddle. It is important to me that my children swim, and swim well. I feel like it's a life skill they need.

Well, today was day one of eight. They LOVED it. Jo is my little fish, so I really wasnt too worried about him. Levi... He loves the water but only when someone is tightly holding him. So imagine my joy and surprise when his instructor tells me that on day one he was floating on his tummy, with his head in the water! Jo had a good first day too, he floated on his tummy with his head in the water, and even started kicking. I was so proud of big boys, that I bought them a prize: goggles.

While waiting for their lesson to finish, Benny and I were walking laps in the next door gym. My senses were overwhelmed with chlorine and rubber from swim caps. I love swimming, and I miss it. It was fun seeing all these little kids with swim caps and goggles. The flash backs to my days of swim kept me grinning.

Levi wanted to sleep with his goggles on... My Mother In Law has a picture of the Hubby doing the same thing.

Crawfish aquatics has an adult swim team... Gives me something to dream about.

Surprised by Motherhood

2016-07-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

I love reading. There have been so many nights that I have stayed up until the wee early morning hours to finish a good story. I read the entire Laura Ingalls Wilder series by the soft glow of my lava lamp in elementary school. Totally convinced that my mum was ignorant of it... I know better now (thanks mum for letting me read). When I was punished, I wasn't spanked, or grounded... I had my books taken away. I LOVE to read.

All this to say that I have consumed countless books, but I can count on one hand, the books that have changed my heart, my mind, and at the risk of sounding like a dramatic teenager, my life.

Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker is one of those books.

The best way that this mama of three can explain it, is reading this book was like putting neosporin on my heart. Justin and I have been raising these man-cubs hundreds of miles away from family. It's lonely. It's scary. It's hard. Lisa-Jo was able to put into words what my heart screams daily, and then wrap it all up with scripture and experience. She points the way for tired, Christ-loving mamas. She writes it in a way full of grace, and love.

A spot on quote from the book.

I wish this book was around for me to read when I was pregnant with my first. I would have been so much more prepared. Less naive, more ready.

Possibly my favorite quote.

If you are a mama, or soon to be a mama. Read this book. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll probably want to hug Lisa-Jo. But most of all, you will be changed.

Blog Update

2016-07-14T14:46:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I noticed that my blog design was not working. As in, all the special elements that the previous designer created (header, signature, about me, basically all the pretty stuff) disappeared. My lovely little nook in the inter webs looked wonky. So strange in fact, that even the hubby took one look and told me to get on etsy and find someone to fix it. Love that man.

Que Green Tangerine Design. Allison was wonderful. She patiently listened to all my quirky ideas and made them happen.... Quickly!

I'm so thankful that my little blog is functional and pretty again.

7 Months with Benjamin

2016-06-30T21:12:00.000-04:00

Well, Benny is 7 months old.

Benjamin is over 20 pounds, and he is in 12 month clothing. My baby is a beast.

He's in size 4 diapers, with a Huggies nite time diaper at night. Benny is eating 6 ounces of formula every 4 hours, and has solid food 3 times a day. He occasionally eats cherrios, bits of banana, etc. His favorite food so far is peaches with a close second of apples. He tolerates peas, carrots, and now green beans... but barely. Green beans are almost on the squash list.

Recently he's been waking several times a night, but I think it's due to teething. This sweet boy has ZERO pain tolerance. The Bigs had great pain tolerance... but they weren't as sweet as Benny is.

He has mastered rolling over, and is close to sitting up. If he cries during playtime, its usually because he has rolled onto the hardwood floors, and still can't reach the toys he's tossed.

He will reward anyone who talks to him with a big grin. His favorite toys are Sophie the giraffe, his Maileg puppy, and toy keys. He desperately wants to play with big brothers... to the point he will reach and scoot for them.

He says mama, dada, and hi. He also waves.

This child is such a joy.

Houston, TX

2016-06-22T14:52:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went to Texas. No reason really, other than we are four hours from Houston, and thought it would be a neat place to visit. Honestly, we realized that the likelihood of being only four hours from Texas again wasn't very good. So why not take the boys and see what the fuss was about.

Y'all. Texas. Is. Beautiful. Well, the one little corner of Texas we saw was. It was nice to get out of the swamp for a little bit, and we saw some pretty incredible things too! We were only there for a three day weekend, but we packed in a lot of stuff: Houston Natural Science Museum, authentic Tex-Mex, Space Center, and the Houston Aquarium.

My favorite by far was the Natural Science Museum. Dinosaur bones, wildlife exhibits, random artifacts the boys were able to touch, gemstones, and a whole second on ancient Egypt. Seeing Levi's face when he saw dinosaur bones was PRICELESS. I'm still kicking myself for not having the camera ready. Jonah was totally freaked out by the "moms" (aka mummies) in the Egypt exhibit. Both boys keep asking when we can go see the dinosaurs again.

At the Space Center, I touched the moon... or a rock from the moon, but same thing right? It was a little over the boys heads, but they both plan on flying to the moon now. Justin and I really enjoyed it.

Our little mini vacation was quick, but fun and relaxing. Thank you Texas for a lovely time

Memorial Day Weekend 2016

2016-05-31T14:56:00.000-04:00

Sarah and Ryan came to visit us this past weekend. It. Was. WONDERFUL. I love my sister-in-law; she is one of my best friends, and it was so nice to spend some time with her and her hubby. The boys adore Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ryan. There is something very special about people who love your children like they were their own.

They came in late Friday night, and left this morning. We spent a morning in New Orleans, spent a morning at the Oak Alley Plantation, played cards, had a couple water balloon fights, ate a LOT of Chick-Fil-A, and had some wonderful conversations. Sad to see them go, but we will get to see them again in August.

Half a Year with Benjamin

2016-05-30T13:02:00.000-04:00

Benny Bunny (aka Chubby Bunny) has been blessing our family for 6 months now!

Benjamin weighs 19 lbs and 4.5 ounces. He is in 9 month clothing... though it's tight. Most of his pajamas we have to leave the last few snaps open... 'cause his thighs are too big to snap! He is 27 inches tall. His head is actually off the growth chart... hahaha. He needs a big head for those big Biddle brains.

He's in still in size 3 diapers, with a Huggies nite time diaper at night. Benny is eating 6 ounces of formula every 4 hours, and has a love affair with solid food. He has even started to play with little bits of bread. His favorite food so far is peaches with a close second of apples. He tolerates peas, and carrots. But don't you dare try to make him choke down squash... Typically he wakes once at night to get a bottle. Big Ben no longer wants to be swaddled. He's sleeping in his own room now.

He has mastered rolling over, and is close to sitting up. If he cries during playtime, its usually because he has rolled onto the hardwood floors, and still can't reach the toys he's tossed.

He will reward anyone who talks to him with a big grin. He loves his lovey, bunny, and his play keys. He desperately wants to play with big brothers.

Poor baby is teething now, and it's kicking his tush.

Love my Chubby Bunny.

Benny has gotten so BIG!

All of my man-cubs at age 6 months.

Jonah Got Glasses!

2016-05-25T18:21:00.001-04:00

When we were in Gatlinburg I noticed that Jonah was holding his books and kindle really close to his face, he was complaining of headaches a lot, and then we were playing a letter game, and he couldn't tell the difference between a lower case "c" and a lower case "e." So I made an eye appointment.

Honestly, I was really just doing it to check off a list. I didn't think he actually had an eyesight problem. Boy was I in for a surprise! After a lengthy hour and half appointment, the doctor informed me that not only did Jo need glasses, he needed special lenses because normal lenses would be too thick for glasses!

I feel kinda bad that it took so long for us to figure out that he had an eyesight issue!

The boy can see now, and loves his new glasses. It's fun to see him actually see well for the first time. He is taking time to study all of his toys and books like they are new. So blessed by this boy.