tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74549578869503481222024-03-17T22:03:30.531-05:00Musings of a Farmer's WifeKaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.comBlogger438125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-37222211871624313222016-10-02T00:00:00.000-05:002016-10-02T00:00:00.164-05:00A Letter to my Baby<br />
My precious girl,<br />
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Today you would be two years old. I imagine you toddling around, attempting to chase your brother and sisters. I imagine the cute little dresses, hairbows, and boots. I pretend to know what your hair would be like. I like to think it would be like Caroline's when she was two - brown with little curls in the back. We would probably have had your birthday party today and you would have opened one present and not cared about the rest...because that's what 2 year olds do. I can picture you now, me tucking you in tonight, telling you that tomorrow would be your birthday. We'd have pancakes with a candle for you to blow out in the morning while we sang to you.<br />
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I see so many little girls close to your age, and I imagine they're you. I imagine you doing what they're doing. Running, playing, saying "mama" or "daddy" or "care-wine" like all your other siblings have said "Caroline." It feels so unfair sometimes. Well, it doesn't just feel unfair, it<i> is </i>unfair. It's unfair that instead of living out this year of your life with us, you had to leave us. <i>And yet....</i><br />
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I know you wouldn't come back if you could. You wouldn't <i>want</i> to. Why would you? You're in a place with no pain. A place where you have no reason to ever shed a tear. You're surrounded by love and peace. That's certainly not how you would feel here. You're with someone who loves you more than I ever could - which, to me, is unfathomable. <i> How?</i> How can He love you more than I do? It still feels so unreal sometimes. I see pictures of you scattered across our home, and I think to myself, "I still can't believe<i> we</i> are<i> those </i>people. We are the people who lost a baby." But it's true. You are gone. You're gone to a place where I can't get you back, as much as I've tried.<br />
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The first few months after you died I begged and pleaded. I tried everything I could think of to bargain with God. I hoped I was in some weird coma and would wake up and realize this had all been some nightmare. <i>(The truth is, I still sometimes wish that were true.)</i> But...in your death, I learned so much about myself. I used to read blogs of people who had lost a child. I would sob as I read their posts. I would try, for just a minute, to put myself in their position. The pain was too much to even imagine, and I vividly remember thinking to myself, "I couldn't handle it. I just don't think I'd make it." Here I am. Eighteen months I've made it. I've put one foot in front of the other and kept going. I'm so much stronger than I thought I would be. I don't say that in a gloating way - my strength is not my own. I am so weak when I try to make it on my own. I don't know how people make it through tragedies in their lives without Jesus. How do they do it? How do they manage these feelings without Him? He's my buffer...my comfort...my<i> peace</i>. If I truly thought your life ended and I would never see you again, I think the pain would be unbearable. I am so thankful that I know that's not true.<br />
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You changed my life. I had a relationship with Jesus before you died, but your death made our relationship into a personal relationship. An individual relationship. Not something that barely skims the surface anymore. I understand now. I understand His sacrifice so much more clearly. I understand how awful it must've been for God to allow His only Son to die for me...for all of us. I understand hope. Hope never quite made sense to me...until you. The hope that I have is beyond something I can comprehend. Because of His sacrifice, you are in His arms. And if you cannot be in my arms, you're <i>exactly</i> where I'd want you to be. Because of His sacrifice, I can hold you again one day. I can kiss your sweet face, hug you, and never let you go again. I can feel your precious little hands touching my face like you always did. <u>I can't wait. </u><br />
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Two years old. I can't believe you'd be two years old. I'm so sorry that you won't experience life with all of us, but I am so overjoyed that you'll never know all the sadness of this life. I hope you can look at us and know how loved you are. You are still so, so loved here. You're in my thoughts at least every minute. I've tried to be happy and joyful in the days that I have left. I've never wanted your siblings to look back on the day we lost you as the day they also lost their mother. I'm thankful for them. They all still pray for you, ask about you, remember you. Whalen didn't get to know you, but I will make sure when he sees your picture, he knows exactly who you are...his sister. You are so loved, so missed, so cherished. I cherish my memories of you. I covet them - hold them so close, because I'm always afraid to forget those details. Just a month or so before you died, I remember rocking you one night after church. Daddy was putting the other 3 to bed, and I was in our room rocking. I fed you and you fell asleep in my arms. I remember staring at you. I looked at your fingers, because you had them wrapped around mine. I remember looking at your eyelashes and thinking what pretty lashes you had! Daddy came in and I remember telling him, "I don't want to put her down - she's so cute." So I kept rocking for a while longer, just because I could. I'm so glad I did that. So many other things I probably needed to do that night, but I rocked you instead. Honestly, I'm not normally great at that...living in the moment. Maybe that's why I remember it so vividly.<br />
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Today, my heart aches for you. My arms want to hold you and smother you in kisses. I would give anything to snuggle with you...smell you...just hold you for a while longer. Since I can't do that, I pray that Jesus will snuggle you today. I imagine you putting your head on His shoulder and snuggling Him in a big hug. I pray you always know how much we love you. No matter how many years are in between us, you will always be my baby. You will always be a missing piece of my heart. I love you more than I know how to put into words. Daddy loves you too. Caroline, Amelia, Walker, and even Whalen love you so much. You are missed...<i>.not ever forgotten</i>. Rest in Jesus' arms today on your birthday. My precious baby.<br />
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<i> I can't believe you'd be two.</i> <br />
<br />
Mama<br />
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Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-8510744143151526312016-04-19T21:31:00.002-05:002016-04-19T21:34:34.401-05:00Kate's Anniversary<br />
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Most of the people reading this already know our situation, so I won't completely rehash it. But in case you've been a follower of my blog and are suddenly receiving the first update in 3 years, I'm going to explain why.</div>
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On October 2, 2014, we welcomed our 4th baby, a sweet baby girl into our family. It was a day filled with joy and anticipation - we didn't know if it would be a boy or a girl! We added our 3rd little girl and we named her Audrey Katherine. We all called her Kate. A couple of months later, Judd and I decided we felt like our family was "complete" and we wanted to move into the next phase of our lives. </div>
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On April 19, 2015, we lost our sweet Kate to SIDS. She was 6.5mo old, healthy, thriving, growing. Our entire world fell apart. </div>
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I am updating my blog today because I feel like I have a lot to say, and to make a FB status this long might annoy some of my friends or cause FB to implode, so I am updating here instead. </div>
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An entire year. A year filled with lots of firsts, lots of tears. Tons of change. Immeasurable growth. Grief. Sadness. Even some joy. I am sharing my feelings here because after Kate died, I longed for someone else. Anyone else who knew what it was like to put a perfectly healthy baby to sleep and never see her alive again. Someone else who understood the pain, the trauma, the heartache and helplessness. I've never in my life felt so helpless and defeated. My life got turned upside down that night. It was 2am, and the pitch black darkness outside echoed how my heart felt that night. Like a giant hole right in my heart...and my gut. I found her that night when I went to check on her. I kept thinking to myself, "how am I ever going to forget that?" and the best answer I have so far is that I won't. But somehow, I'm learning to live with it. </div>
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In the year since she's been gone, I have gone through the entire grief spectrum...multiple times. You always hear people say you go through the stages of grief until you reach the last stage - acceptance. I'm here to tell you, after you reach acceptance, you can easily start back at the beginning and go through them all over again. It's a never-ending cycle. If you are searching around the internet looking for someone else who has gone through this, know you're not alone. I am going to tell you some things that helped ME. Please realize that everyone is different, and everyone handles grief differently. These were just the things that helped me get through my darkest days. If this doesn't describe you, feel free to skip down to the end.</div>
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<li><span style="text-align: center;">We moved houses. This was probably our most drastic change. I heard from several people that it helped them, and several more who said it didn't make a difference, and a few more who said they couldn't bring themselves to leave. No matter which category you fall into, that's okay. I realized that it was making it harder because we would leave for a weekend to visit family and have such a great weekend. But the moment I opened our door and stepped my foot back into the house, it was like a flood of grief washed back over me. To this day, I can still walk into that house and feel the grief all over again. Don't get me wrong, I loved that house. We made some amazing memories there. I brought 3 of my 5 babies home to that house. But when I walk in there, I see the day we came home from our family's house the morning she died. I see all the people visiting. Her empty crib. The playmat lying unused on the floor. I feel the grief all over again. I'm thankful that moving had the effect that we hoped for. I think it helped for numerous reasons. It gave me something to focus on - a new house to decorate and make "ours" again. We had some projects we wanted to do, and those took a lot of time and kept my mind occupied. If you feel like this is something you can feasibly do, and you think it will help you, do it. I couldn't bring myself to open her closet door one more time in that house. I had someone else pack it for me. Do that, too, if you need to. Someone would love to do that for you. Let them.</span></li>
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<li><span style="text-align: center;">I made small goals for every day. My brother-in-law, Aaron, gave me this strategy. I still find myself using it when I start feeling down or defeated again. When I catch myself beginning the stages of grief again, I revert back to this. Make little goals for yourself. The first week is a freebie. Do whatever you want. If you want to lie in bed all day, do that. If you want to get out and go shopping, do that. Don't let anyone tell you how you should be grieving. Everyone grieves differently, so you have to do what works for you. As an example, some days my goal was simply to do the bedtime routine with the kids. We stayed at my mother-in-law's house for a week or so after Kate died, and for a while, I let other people bathe, dress, feed, and put my other kids to bed. Eventually, I knew I needed my routine back for myself and for my children. They needed THEIR home and THEIR mama to do the things she'd always done. Make goals. One day my goal was to call a grief counselor. One day my goal was to cook dinner. Eventually I began to make 2 or 3 small goals. Sometimes I'd add one bigger "weekly" goal. If you ever miss a goal, don't fret. Try again tomorrow. Give yourself some grace and wiggle room.</span></li>
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<li><span style="text-align: center;">I had family go take down her things. At first, in the first 2 or 3 days, I wouldn't let anyone do that. Then I realized that every time I walked into my bedroom, I was throwing myself for a loop by seeing her empty crib. I asked a few close family members to go over and take down her crib and some of the bigger items and put them in our shed. For me, seeing them empty was a harsher reminder of our loss than not seeing them at all. If you can't stand them being gone, put them back up. You have to do what feels best for you.</span></li>
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<li><span style="text-align: center;">Go talk to a counselor. I really, really, didn't want to do this. I'll tell you why. I was terrified I would have to rehash the traumatic experience of "finding" her that night. I was afraid (unnecessarily, I might add) he would want me to walk him through everything. In actuality, he didn't need me to do that at all. In my mind, I was terrified that I would remember something that my brain had forgotten - and I didn't want any extra memories of that night. I talked to him with what felt comfortable to say. For two hours, Judd and I sat and talked to this man we'd never met. We asked him questions. We listened to him talk a lot, too. He explained some stages of grief a little more in depth, but the most helpful things that he explained to me were about how the brain processes grief. He told me when I felt like I needed to cry, that I needed to go find somewhere to do that and let it out. Otherwise, that adrenaline continues to build up until I eventually explode and have a huge meltdown that could've otherwise been avoided. I took this advice to heart and I can say it worked for me. If I allowed myself to have little cries every day, it definitely lessened the amount of times I would lie in the floor and sob uncontrollably. (Please note I didn't say that it did away with the uncontrollable sobs all together, but it definitely helped.) We only went to our counselor once, but if you feel like you need to keep talking things out, keep going.</span></li>
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<li><span style="text-align: center;">I put everything I had into my prayer life. If you are not a religious person, I hope you won't skip past this part. In my opinion, this is the most important one. I wouldn't be where I am today if were not for the prayers offered up on my behalf or the prayers I prayed every second that I had. I prayed constantly. I begged others to pray for me. I asked them to pray for me in front of me...I wanted (needed) to hear what they were praying for. I needed to know that people were praying with me. Our family was so broken. We needed comfort, strength, and peace. The peace. The peace that came with those prayers was everything we needed. I cannot imagine how we would have gotten through those days without the peace that came from our loved ones interceding for us. </span></li>
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<li><span style="text-align: center;">If you have other kids, ask someone to take them every now and then. I'm still not great at this part, but most of the time, when I have some time to myself, I use it to grieve. A lot of days, I feel so busy with school and extracurricular activities, homework, dinner, bedtime routine, etc. that I find myself too tired to stop and grieve. But when I'm alone, I almost always take the time. Remember needing to let out the adrenaline? That's where this comes into play. I don't like to really let my feelings out when my kids are around. They know I cry, and they know I'm sad. But I never want to scare them or worry them. My oldest worries a lot, and I hate when she worries. I do let them see me cry, and I tell them it's because I miss Kate. But I always try to follow it up with something like, "But she's so happy where she is, in Heaven. I just miss her down here. But we will all be together again one day and that will be so wonderful!" I want them to know that Heaven is real, and she's there. I want them to know that's our aim. </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></li>
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<li><span style="text-align: center;">Talk to your spouse, if you have one. That's the ONLY person who understands exactly how you're feeling. He lost a child, too. His daughter died, too. Men want to be strong for their wives and sometimes they'll hold everything in. But talk to each other and make sure he knows that you won't think he's weak when he cries. I needed to see Judd cry. I needed him to cry with me...not us cry in separate rooms. He helped bring me out of this. I can't imagine going through this without him. I'm so thankful we have each other to share this burden with. </span></li>
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I will never forget the night Judd and I were walking opposite directions down the long hallway at his parent's house. It was days after she died. He hugged me and I admitted the truth to him...I wouldn't be able to go through life without having another baby. I needed that baby to care for. I needed my "baby days" to end on a happy note, not a sad one. We were fortunate, and the Lord blessed us with another baby. On March 21, 2016, we welcomed our fifth baby, Whalen Grey into our family. He has been such a blessing and a joy that we desperately needed. So here on April 19, 2016, one exact year since we said goodbye to my precious baby girl, I sit here nursing the baby I never knew I would need. The baby who is bringing joy back into our family. The Lord is so faithful to his children. </div>
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Kate is up there waiting for me. I can't wait to get to her. Whether I die tomorrow or 50 years from now, do not doubt my joy. When I get to scoop her into my arms again, you all might be able to feel the joy down here on earth. I have never been more thankful for my relationship with Christ. He alone has carried me through these dark days. When everything else around me failed and faltered, He was always there...nudging me on. The hope that we have in His promise is a powerful one. If you've never sat and pondered the hope that He offers you, please do. It is a hope of seeing Kate. A hope of a life with zero pain, zero death, zero grief. It's all the good things and lovely things that you love about this life with none of the bad, ugly things. It's so worth it. He offers you comfort, peace, strength on your darkest days. Unfortunately, we all will experience struggles at one point or another. If you're sitting here reading this thinking about how nothing bad has ever happened to you (thank God, first) be sure to prepare yourself. Eventually, it will come. Trials come to all of us - but there's good news!</div>
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Romans 8:18 says, "For I consider the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us." </div>
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Make sure you're there to witness that glory. Glory so amazing that things of this magnitude don't even matter anymore. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj8Dw0ksLkhsa8hbO_CezDj7X1pvV9-h9pTFksThiXulMWj2vmL0TCi-KOGYjb6s4toVc9cJOZoqCJImRjMbSMyTfZMLCbFzpxN78p-7YgfRCRVLCVPtj4LyPWdpemYyUUWTDOw_oTXywyddYnOQVX7yIk_IsFyDCnxL5qjGPa5r00bB-jSSNs2ncyH4WFSnqfSjQ-Z=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff499/SquiggleStitch/Blog/siggie_farmerswife.png" title="Kacie" /></a></div>
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border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DvjfhN1p5_8/UlYAEG73MQI/AAAAAAAAEac/ONzEQgHuwps/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  One night my number 2 item was:  “I had a delicious chocolate chip cookie today.  It was SO good!” and that’s okay!  Because even little things make a difference.  Some nights I go on and on about my kids and how proud I am of them, or how patient my husband is with me.  I’ve been doing this for 10 months now, and I’m on my 2nd book.  I love it!</p> <p>As I go through my day now, when something kinda cool happens, I instantly think to myself, “I’m gonna write that in my journal!” and my entire day is spent <em>noticing</em> the little things that I’m grateful for, rather than overlooking them.  And when I do that, I realize just how blessed I really am.  I always knew that we were blessed, and I was grateful for what we had, but I don’t think I was grateful <em>enough.  </em>I had somewhat of a sense of entitlement (and that’s a really hard thing to admit) and I knew that attitude had to hit the road.  Because truth be told, if God actually gave me what I deserve, I wouldn’t be living the life that I am right now – that’s for sure!  I am so undeserving of my life.  </p> <p>I still sometimes struggle with seeing people on Facebook have lots of vacations and family adventures and every single Saturday together, but I’m learning to be happy for them and move on.  My whole life has changed in the last year, and I hope that anyone who was feeling the way that I was will consider praying about it, finding things to be grateful for, and deciding to have a change of heart – because it’s totally up to you.  You decide your happiness with your attitude, not your circumstances.  </p> <p>We are so blessed, friends!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Q2vYH4RmgN4/UlYAXvhceiI/AAAAAAAAEak/ISxzDKjDpBc/s1600-h/DSC_0092%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0092" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0092" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SvkdVJ4VpmM/UlYAiFx4pOI/AAAAAAAAEas/eSwmfVl01_s/DSC_0092_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="490" height="333" /></a></p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-22544617729685236352013-09-30T16:10:00.001-05:002013-09-30T16:10:28.385-05:00Happy 4th Birthday, Caroline! (Rather Late!)<p>Well, I DO have an excuse.  September was CRAZY busy for us.  I hosted a shower, had my big twice-a-year consignment sale, AND was in a wedding.</p> <p>So, I apologize for how long it took me to get this video up.  Hopefully I’ll be a better blogger since we aren’t QUITE so busy this month.  </p> <p>Caroline L-O-V-E-S school.  Like, cries if for some reason she can’t go.  <em>Let’s all pray she keeps that enthusiasm…</em></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-M4LftJFRARw/Uknob4pzsLI/AAAAAAAAEYU/WlPT6WOprYE/s1600-h/DSC_0910%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0910" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0910" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SF_HXen4ohs/Uknoc7FTyPI/AAAAAAAAEYc/-YH6wm-fzpQ/DSC_0910_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="511" /></a></p> <p>She had her first “friend” birthday party and she loved it.  We had it at a pizza place in town (super easy!!) and lots of her classmates were there and her cousins from BOTH sides even came!  She was SO excited to have all of her “best friends” there.  <img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" style="border-top-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6-LCpzWQG0E/UknodX03rkI/AAAAAAAAEYk/NVb6u3404bs/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  I loved seeing her so happy!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xWs-N09_3e4/Uknoe-pZ3LI/AAAAAAAAEYs/Q5Z89oiVTP8/s1600-h/DSC_0912%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0912" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0912" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KUZhTfQ45Hg/Uknofz6_aFI/AAAAAAAAEY0/Ijf8heYOcwA/DSC_0912_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="466" height="315" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dg4og-acU0M/UknohawQ4LI/AAAAAAAAEY8/r7bVhCHdr7U/s1600-h/DSC_0920%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0920" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0920" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JQ9p7siIqRY/UknoiIBq7eI/AAAAAAAAEZE/oO5BC2TdSmM/DSC_0920_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="320" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pnOwy5wv2Fc/UknokqHLCwI/AAAAAAAAEZM/sw0pV-eRXOg/s1600-h/DSC_0917%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0917" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0917" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P40rc5BppGw/Uknol8RPjQI/AAAAAAAAEZU/4EBPEwkohzI/DSC_0917_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1KNxLuE6g30/UknooffyJuI/AAAAAAAAEZc/x6_G3te4Lbg/s1600-h/DSC_0931%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0931" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0931" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c79G0vhnjM4/UknopXhEwRI/AAAAAAAAEZk/i47VNrDTrHs/DSC_0931_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="481" height="325" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Y0uFCMBtMmI/Uknor5b_55I/AAAAAAAAEZs/hJ_29uHcdSE/s1600-h/DSC_0944%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0944" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0944" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8EFraITQibo/UknotYe2oTI/AAAAAAAAEZ0/6ga0b59NNz4/DSC_0944_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="480" height="324" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Q2V0qJBUvmY/UknoviFPveI/AAAAAAAAEZ8/QfsqSoudluM/s1600-h/DSC_0952%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0952" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0952" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Frl5eNALWFU/Uknowg594eI/AAAAAAAAEaE/RCM3_GHQRrc/DSC_0952_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="476" height="324" /></a></p> <p><iframe style="height: 324px; width: 485px" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/56s7bATWmvM" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-40462857898187147192013-08-08T07:00:00.000-05:002013-08-08T07:00:05.673-05:00Happy Birthday, Walker Man!<p>Someone pinch me.  My <em>baby boy</em> is one year old today.  Unreal.  I refuse to believe it.  But it’s screaming at me in the face with every little bitty step, splash in the toilet, bite of table food, new words said, and sweet little fingers and toes getting bigger every day.  </p> <p>It’s seems like yesterday!  All the contractions, the combine rides (that were just too smooth to do anything!) and the exciting ride to the hospital after my water broke and I knew it was time!  Then hearing his sweet voice and that adorable face when he was born.  He was sucking his thumb from the beginning.  My baby boy.  He has 1/3 of my heart.  </p> <p>He is a good mixture of the girls.  Not quite as socially outgoing as Caroline, but not as painfully shy as Amelia.  He (unlike Caroline) needs a couple of minutes to adjust to his surroundings, then he’s fine.  He laughs and plays and can just about RUN wherever he’s going.  Sometimes he gets a little ahead of himself and falls on his face.  Hence the large bruise on his face that he was sporting at his birthday party.  Poor thing.  </p> <p>Sweet boy is 25lbs and in a size 5 diaper – but it won’t be long and I’ll move him to a 6.  He’s in his 12m clothing, but it’s starting to get tight.  I haven’t tried his 18m stuff yet, but I have a feeling it’s going to fit.  He’s a big boy!  His sweet belly hangs over his diaper and it’s probably the cutest thing ever.  He recently has taken an obsession with Amelia’s pink blanket.  You can imagine how that’s going.  He grabs it and runs with it.  Amelia is not pleased, at all. </p> <p>He eats a lot of table food (and some paper off the floor) and does a pretty good job!  He loves to eat.  Ha!</p> <p>He loves:  his paci, his family, Amelia’s blanket, any toy with wheels, playing in the potty, pulling all the toilet paper off the roll, digging in cabinets, slamming cabinet doors, throwing stuff in the trashcan, playing in the dog bowls, splashing in water, sleeping in the corner of his crib, his bottle (soon to be ending!), being tickled, and EATING!  Did you see that most of that was something he shouldn’t be doing?!  He is a (loving) handful.  Ha!</p> <p>He dislikes:  Being sleepy (although he tolerates it), being hungry, being told “no” or moved away from something he’s playing with, teething, sitting in the grass, & being taken away from mama.  <img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" style="border-top-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BPl9Rj41VN4/UgFsrEIaQuI/AAAAAAAAEWo/azcs_J8Q9NQ/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p>He has 4 teeth and 2 more pushing through and couldn’t be any more curious and mischievous than he is now.  We love him to pieces!  Happy birthday, sweet boy!</p> <div id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:4bf88995-16eb-49d9-b293-e0dd0af14881" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><div><object width="448" height="252"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3yb9NlJwplQ?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3yb9NlJwplQ?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="448" height="252"></embed></object></div><div style="width:448px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Walker’s First Year</div></div> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-722452131442994152013-07-23T23:53:00.001-05:002013-07-23T23:53:02.611-05:00Our Life in Pictures<p>Click on any picture to make it larger.  (That’s for you, Deda.)  <img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" style="border-top-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6sQxOeXr2Mk/Ue9dD_b0YsI/AAAAAAAAESE/WiBjI9oTkCk/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PkcRonH3_A4/Ue9dFHB_aEI/AAAAAAAAESM/l5lSBj0LR6E/s1600-h/IMG_4827%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4827" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4827" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jEOp49dmEto/Ue9dFtQjWhI/AAAAAAAAESU/xclzgt8NVOs/IMG_4827_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9sh8U4P5h4Y/Ue9dJXKONAI/AAAAAAAAESc/f32CsyE546g/s1600-h/IMG_4830%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4830" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4830" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ieqIpP6ZcLU/Ue9dJ3NoZpI/AAAAAAAAESk/w1CSHHyiI0k/IMG_4830_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="180" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dMHzlsPHEaY/Ue9dLBj7ioI/AAAAAAAAESs/UjdNX4bRzdw/s1600-h/IMG_4839%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4839" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4839" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-w7RhZt6QNE4/Ue9dL_kiiRI/AAAAAAAAES0/eE1d1RYjDbc/IMG_4839_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="180" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9duXKzMRZ6M/Ue9dNLAwfJI/AAAAAAAAES8/dlvaOr6N3tA/s1600-h/IMG_4882%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4882" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4882" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LcJDXbSqxAY/Ue9dOOVXP1I/AAAAAAAAETE/f8_NQNMOTJM/IMG_4882_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4bD7h_hWbe4/Ue9dPF5ZbQI/AAAAAAAAETM/B3KzRZtm0FU/s1600-h/IMG_4894%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4894" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4894" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--DKinlrfq3M/Ue9dPunV0fI/AAAAAAAAETU/jNy9Wv7ebPY/IMG_4894_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-A3b9ki2zz9M/Ue9dQ5JBHaI/AAAAAAAAETc/XmGIIenZVYU/s1600-h/IMG_4976%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4976" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4976" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-i7F8SU4TgE8/Ue9dRkFgYWI/AAAAAAAAETk/PfKzJsYKh4s/IMG_4976_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="180" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Uvr7y9UE99A/Ue9dSo2AT5I/AAAAAAAAETs/9ublNXP26EM/s1600-h/IMG_4988%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4988" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4988" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KOrlKHW13Ys/Ue9dTfOesuI/AAAAAAAAET0/bc08Vq0eS-A/IMG_4988_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6NyqpqYBIEc/Ue9dUWPSR1I/AAAAAAAAET8/oxXvAFYPHHM/s1600-h/IMG_4995%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4995" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4995" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XjHH5ns8wzM/Ue9dU5lmqqI/AAAAAAAAEUE/AE5mKbDxPjo/IMG_4995_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Mek69Mrhn3I/Ue9dXN6x3jI/AAAAAAAAEUM/f0u84DyYuBM/s1600-h/IMG_5004%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5004" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5004" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BajN8uDMxzs/Ue9dX0FqLHI/AAAAAAAAEUU/mJ6ncJ4OyIM/IMG_5004_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="180" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CP6VfktU_Kc/Ue9dZSEs6iI/AAAAAAAAEUc/-xCx0fWrXLE/s1600-h/IMG_5027%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5027" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5027" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Cx3q2QEuNCE/Ue9daxic64I/AAAAAAAAEUk/qjgYnYJYQ8w/IMG_5027_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-d4PBXl3Ok4k/Ue9dcKSV0eI/AAAAAAAAEUs/Jtic02KqHvo/s1600-h/IMG_5071%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5071" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5071" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kfxOVhmRfyY/Ue9dc5M504I/AAAAAAAAEU0/MSA2-52kMvk/IMG_5071_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RpHyzA4TdUk/Ue9df1iPMUI/AAAAAAAAEU8/TgVVhaHhD6k/s1600-h/IMG_5080%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5080" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Tzrj1kXYOC-oOi3KBKWRt93HdcwNm7KFR8Z48TjT_0XD7DOLXPejiLUfoYfupsD5f9gwUWBBN9I72ztnI8ItsQl6Glnx4t41KMUO0p9HULxjvT4EvGhUvP9bR4WU_aQ9J0O0J7anSEM/?imgmax=800" width="240" height="180" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eKiRej6qwNg/Ue9dikNIWlI/AAAAAAAAEVM/0geN4CvGL78/s1600-h/IMG_5045%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5045" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5045" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ws42wOOkRjY/Ue9djfU9bqI/AAAAAAAAEVU/6Z_spME41eU/IMG_5045_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="180" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fmjXCmos9XE/Ue9dkKlw16I/AAAAAAAAEVc/d6GYyyaTj6o/s1600-h/IMG_5059%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5059" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5059" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eCx4gcQjiY0/Ue9dk45ri1I/AAAAAAAAEVk/1AUBgwhmIlg/IMG_5059_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="240" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_0PaiggFPgs/Ue9dmpBBnuI/AAAAAAAAEVs/w9014tk1THg/s1600-h/IMG_5068%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5068" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5068" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dt0gejI6Wnw/Ue9dndy_B4I/AAAAAAAAEV0/KXt_8MLHUJA/IMG_5068_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="180" height="240" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nDFoRcNHYlk/Ue9dplzraQI/AAAAAAAAEV8/y1dUBiuDkfU/s1600-h/IMG_5116%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_5116" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_5116" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YgKrySumzJo/Ue9dqYD9JII/AAAAAAAAEWE/eEs2tRwrZHc/IMG_5116_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="180" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Just for clarification for those who don’t know me IRL – that teeny tiny baby is my new nephew, Jonah – and he is super squishy and adorable.  Also, since I’m super proud of my hubby, the picture of him holding a frame is his shirt tail from his first solo flight!  He is now a licensed pilot – you can all start calling him Captain Judd or Captain Davis. <em>(Whichever you prefer, he’s not picky.)  </em>I framed his shirt tail (it’s a tradition for your first solo flight…they cut your shirt tail and write the date, etc. on it.) for Father’s Day.  He was really happy!</p> <p>We’ve had lots of cousin time the last few weeks and my girls have loved every second of it.  Sorry I’ve lagged on the blog lately, Squiggle Stitch has been B-U-S-Y and our summer has been pretty busy, too!  <img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" style="border-top-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" alt="Smile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ghah-Z3Zgys/Ue9dqtKXK6I/AAAAAAAAEWM/L8lao_H-qSU/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  Have a great week!</p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-24199310199555716352013-06-10T18:17:00.001-05:002013-06-10T18:17:48.870-05:00Happy 10 Months, Walker Man!<p align="center">Oh. My. Word.</p> <p align="center">  HOW?!?!</p> <p align="center">How is this possible?  His life has flown right by me.  It honestly does NOT feel like he’s been with us this long.  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-r8cTiAuR_Jo/UbZeMNxNfXI/AAAAAAAAEPs/nUUtYUFU8hU/s1600-h/IMG_4361%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4361" border="0" alt="IMG_4361" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SO58nbMXfoE/UbZeMw5wAkI/AAAAAAAAEP0/jH7BZGegibw/IMG_4361_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="358" /></a></p> <p align="center">Oh my.  He’s a mama’s boy.  And his mama EATS IT UP!  All I have to do is look his direction and I get a huge smile.  I love it.  He really is the happiest baby on the planet.  So laid back, content, and chill.  I love it.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IuVRyKgCZJQ/UbZeOA3189I/AAAAAAAAEP8/wMX1z-kxKLo/s1600-h/IMG_4705%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4705" border="0" alt="IMG_4705" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Zi-APZtaTYU/UbZeO43oXiI/AAAAAAAAEQE/GfS6JQIr2SY/IMG_4705_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="372" height="500" /></a></p> <p align="center">He loves: MAMA!, eating, his paci, splashing in the bathtub, getting in to everything, opening and slamming cabinet doors, his sisters making him laugh, anything electronic, daddy playing with him, rocking, “walker snacks” as Amelia calls them (Puffs)</p> <p align="center">He dislikes:  Diaper changes, changing clothes, not being able to crawl, rinsing hair in the bathtub, mama leaving, being hungry or tired.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IJD1ROAYe9M/UbZeP_c4QvI/AAAAAAAAEQM/t7YcW70ZrjE/s1600-h/IMG_4711%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4711" border="0" alt="IMG_4711" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-W6uPeYiZ7XA/UbZeREGVu2I/AAAAAAAAEQU/h8WYKyqbrPE/IMG_4711_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="379" height="511" /></a></p> <p align="center">He’s crawling EVERYWHERE and attempting to walk!  He can hold on and walk around things and he has taken a lot of unassisted steps recently!   I figure by his birthday he’ll be walking around with no problems!  He generally only cries if he’s really hungry or really tired.  But even when he’s really tired, he can push through and stay happy if someone will engage him.  He’s really independent when he’s playing.  He doesn’t care if anyone is with him or not – he’s busy!  He’s so much more “into things” than the girls were.  Boy thing?  He’s in my cabinets, in the dog food, in EVERYTHING.  He got a good bite of dog food yesterday before I could get it out of his hands.  He apparently thinks it’s delicious.  He isn’t really a fan of being outside, but I know that will come with age.  He hates sitting the grass and will usually start to fuss until someone picks him up.  He weighs a whopping 22lbs and is in a size 5 diaper.  Yep.  He and Amelia wear the SAME SIZE.  He’s been in 12 month clothing for over a month now…but they fit well.  Hopefully he won’t outgrow them too quickly considering we don’t have a single outfit in 18months.  Ha!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-STeqUu3jik4/UbZeT__SD-I/AAAAAAAAEQc/-O6JG3yyVAc/s1600-h/IMG_4505%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4505" border="0" alt="IMG_4505" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wKz7cwLjfJE/UbZeU7X7xmI/AAAAAAAAEQk/w1FpdBxRvEE/IMG_4505_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="346" height="465" /></a></p> <p align="center">He is mashing food with his jaws, so he’s been eating some table food!  He gnawed on a french fry the other day and did well.  He’s also been drinking some milk from a sippy cup.  Crossing my fingers that by 12 months old we can get rid of that obnoxious bottle and the expensive stuff that goes inside of it!  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DxbD5ke4bOs/UbZeWIt3klI/AAAAAAAAEQs/7gmLdQDV9a8/s1600-h/DSC_0397%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0397" border="0" alt="DSC_0397" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Fp38fxQPWKE/UbZeXDeiteI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/LrLELg0V1TU/DSC_0397_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="319" /></a></p> <p align="center">He LOVES music and starts bouncing and dancing instantly.  It’s adorable.  He’s waving and will sometimes say “bye bye” when he does it.  Today he clapped for the first time!  <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3q8tu-_bFHE/UbZeZMqf4AI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/qeMD7OeMon4/s1600-h/IMG_4712%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4712" border="0" alt="IMG_4712" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZP1szdpdSfo/UbZeeVNAHEI/AAAAAAAAERE/wdIizATEfgc/IMG_4712_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="364" /></a></p> <p align="center">He’s just like my other two in the fact that he doesn’t have many teeth yet.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-aRH12ioClnY/UbZefPv8IQI/AAAAAAAAERM/SfMFgXUnYZc/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  He has his two bottom center teeth and that’s it!  I figure those top ones won’t be much longer in coming in.  </p> <p align="center">That’s about it for a 10 month update.  Have I mentioned yet that I cannot believe that he’s 10 months old?!  We love you, Walker Man!  </p> <p align="center">   <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fGfegaxEcWA/UbZeka5nVnI/AAAAAAAAERU/Qe2g_srtMRk/s1600-h/IMG_4774%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4774" border="0" alt="IMG_4774" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lBo63bHENlE/UbZemTI5MeI/AAAAAAAAERc/O_ZtUEEaL_s/IMG_4774_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="468" height="355" /></a></p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-3880258115159732732013-05-13T18:15:00.001-05:002013-05-13T18:15:59.101-05:00A Mother<p align="center">Mother’s Day comes and goes every year and we all hear sermons about “What IS a Mother?” and we go home and we contemplate those things.  This year, I was surrounded by mothers.  My own mother, my aunt who is like a mother to me, both of my grandmothers, and although I wasn’t with my mother-in-law, she was on my mind as well.  </p> <p align="center">My maternal grandmother has been in bad health for about 2 years now.  Although she is sometimes confused, I know deep down she is still a mother…a mother who wrote this poem many years ago…</p> <p align="center"><u><em>FOUR LITTLE GIRLS</em></u></p> <p align="center">“I sat at length, some days gone by, and pondered o'er the past.</p> <p align="center">Of how a richer life could I, have had fulfilled at last.</p> <p align="center">Four little footsteps followed me, as down life's path I tread</p> <p align="center">Four little footsteps, "Oh so dear" as days of life have sped.</p> <p align="center">I could not say that all I gave, was best for them I'm sure.</p> <p align="center">My faults were many, times were bad. Hardships I must endure.</p> <p align="center">God gave us each of them I know, to bless and keep our home.</p> <p align="center">I am not worthy of them now, as down life's path they roam.</p> <p align="center">They are not here, the years have passed. No child to soothe the pain,</p> <p align="center">of a little hurt that would not last; or of clothes wet with rain.</p> <p align="center">Those memories are so dear to me, as I think of "one another."</p> <p align="center">As I look now at them I see Four dears that call me "Mother"</p> <p align="center">I have their praise, their love their prayers, Their care and their protection.</p> <p align="center">As we now meet from time to time, they show their sweet affection.</p> <p align="center">Dear God you gave me "oh so much." I know I can't repay.</p> <p align="center">The joy you gave me is of such that lasts from day to day.</p> <p align="center">So thank you God, I say again, for four sweet smiling faces, that I look forward to each time; to hold in my embraces.”</p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center">I cry every time I read this poem.  My sweet grandmother has 4 daughters.  And although I know this Mother’s Day was a bittersweet day for them, I hope reading and remembering her love for each of them will bring them some peace and comfort.  </p> <p align="center">I have a mother who sacrificed her entire life to try to better my life.  She instilled the godly values and morals in my life that I hope to instill in my own children.  There is no greater gift a mother can give us!  </p> <p align="center">Proverbs 1:8 says, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”</p> <p align="center">Thank you, Mom – for everything you’ve done for me.  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DcGYC7stLc4/UZFzfI5EdzI/AAAAAAAAENE/SgVoW4ta_u0/s1600-h/mothersday%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="mothersday" border="0" alt="mothersday" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qF9W22vO-nQ/UZFznvonEDI/AAAAAAAAENM/qscqr55HW_k/mothersday_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a> </p> <p align="center">Last year, I made my mother a video for Mother’s Day.  I kept meaning to put it on here, but I forgot.  So – I’ll put it on here this year.  There’s no pictures of Walker, but it’s because he wasn’t here yet!  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_f_MWNv0Tlc/UZFzoGwWThI/AAAAAAAAENU/LURhVdLq2YA/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <div align="center"> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:0768b2dc-d0e1-4e5d-8e9d-f52f7b263fac" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object width="448" height="252"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mz1WS1Agp00?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mz1WS1Agp00?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="448" height="252"></embed></object></div><div style="width:448px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Mother’s Day 2012 Video</div></div> </div> <p align="center">As I’ve said many times before – I have another mother.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Qm4FK1wbjXw/UZFzotFc7QI/AAAAAAAAENc/LXDpRkuOGms/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  She is biologically my aunt, but I’ve always considered her an extension of my mother.  She has taught me faith.  Great faith!  She has endured many hardships in her life that would cause most people to become bitter and angry with God.  But she is just the opposite.  She has become even more compassionate, thoughtful, and loving.  I pray that I have just<em> half</em> of her strength in my life’s hardships.  She has always told Audra and me that we are “the right and left sides of her heart.” She is such an inspiration to me!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yVbX94TdiIU/UZFzqesqxpI/AAAAAAAAENk/78ZUebE0LSs/s1600-h/kids%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="kids" border="0" alt="kids" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Q0vshnEBaG4/UZFzrbKD_mI/AAAAAAAAENs/MXWWK-iEZUY/kids_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="449" height="318" /></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-OiGmpUrSyzc/UZFzu7hEJqI/AAAAAAAAEN0/h9tuuInPi1Q/s1600-h/DSC_0338%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0338" border="0" alt="DSC_0338" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XPUaQw0Hh_o/UZFzw-LBtUI/AAAAAAAAEN8/lsBS32L9fQE/DSC_0338_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="465" height="316" /></a></p> <p align="center">I also have to brag on my mother-in-law.  She treats me like I am her own daughter – and I appreciate that so much.  It’s been hard for me to live away from my family, and in the last few years I have taken comfort in knowing that I can go to her with anything.  I know one thing for sure – she raised a fantastic son who means the world to me!  I don’t have a picture of her from yesterday because we were out of town (and so was she!) so I’ll leave you with this one…</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6BIDDbRrqFk/UZFzx2mcwII/AAAAAAAAEOE/YLL_XXQYt-U/s1600-h/mothersday2%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="mothersday2" border="0" alt="mothersday2" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PQD_4ryjhjo/UZFzywOuZNI/AAAAAAAAEOM/uDAM4iKwMAc/mothersday2_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="467" height="317" /></a></p> <p align="center">And as a mother myself, of 3 beautiful children, I have to say that I had a great Mother’s Day just being with them.  They are my heart.  I hope I get to have many, many more years with them.  They are my mission in life – to make sure they are in Heaven with me when the time comes!  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-M-DjYMhZse4/UZFz1wRkTPI/AAAAAAAAEOU/ybMY860OqVs/s1600-h/DSC_0307%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0307" border="0" alt="DSC_0307" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FOe6moq4KBc/UZFz3UEWHXI/AAAAAAAAEOc/-j-OupU9lD8/DSC_0307_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="476" height="323" /></a></p> <p align="center">Don’t laugh.  If you can imagine, it’s seriously the best one out of about ten.  But it’s okay – they’re all in there!  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Qm4FK1wbjXw/UZFzotFc7QI/AAAAAAAAENc/LXDpRkuOGms/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DFDHaxN6WJ0/UZFz6IsNGfI/AAAAAAAAEOk/_8oGL3HGtf0/s1600-h/momandcaroline%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="momandcaroline" border="0" alt="momandcaroline" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-t5CvdVDlUkE/UZFz7_WpS2I/AAAAAAAAEOs/p-YRRPrU5tY/momandcaroline_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="364" height="551" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6TMkFzWKJQY/UZFz_B9ByFI/AAAAAAAAEO0/7rVvRtgsTNU/s1600-h/momandmia%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="momandmia" border="0" alt="momandmia" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LAwCzszCwcI/UZF0BEp6erI/AAAAAAAAEO8/HWc-6yKzLSA/momandmia_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="407" height="618" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FKQSdp_pd9M/UZF0De2NRlI/AAAAAAAAEPE/WpMJxj4A87Q/s1600-h/DSC_0212%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0212" border="0" alt="DSC_0212" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UUEbyOLFMyM/UZF0FPDnaUI/AAAAAAAAEPM/-J-pRNANWG0/DSC_0212_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="410" height="624" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fd8laILrnZc/UZF0KCUqnBI/AAAAAAAAEPU/7xAXcHN9UkA/s1600-h/DSC_0248%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0248" border="0" alt="DSC_0248" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1EltLk_NvCg/UZF0LG44ReI/AAAAAAAAEPc/XWRuGs25OgA/DSC_0248_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="475" height="323" /></a></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center">Happy Mother’s Day!!</p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-89329837674871324712013-04-30T17:19:00.001-05:002013-04-30T17:19:56.922-05:00Life Happens!<p align="center">So, it’s been a LONG time since I actually made a “for real” blog post.  But I have a good excuse…life happened.  I’ve been insanely busy.  Usually that would be a lie and it would need to read “insanely lazy” but that hasn’t been the case the last few months.  I never really thought having 3 kids would really make life that much busier, but I was wrong!  Especially 3 little kids!  So – here’s the update on all of us.</p> <p align="center">Caroline is such a big girl.  She is my all the time helper.  She starts 4K in August and I don’t know what I will do without her.  We spent many nights praying and talking trying to decide whether or not to do 4K…but we ultimately decided she would absolutely LOVE it.  This will make her the youngest in her class (which we originally said we wouldn’t do) but we figure she can always repeat it and never know the difference if she lags behind.  She does well with her glasses and at her check up a couple of months ago, she was told she had to wear a patch for 2hrs/day for the next 8 months.  We were a little bummed at first, but it could be MUCH worse.  After a month or so she really adapted to it – and sometimes even ASKS for it!  She wrote her own name and Amelia’s name the other night.  She did hers without any spelling assistance, but needed help spelling Amelia’s.  But after we helped her spell it, she wrote it!  I was so proud!  She’s doing so well.  She also starts gymnastics in a week and she is BEYOND excited.  She’ll be in a class with her friend, Addie Jane so she can’t wait!  She had her first sleepover a few weekends ago with Addie Jane and it was so fun!  We ate pizza, played outside, then popped popcorn in our pjs and watched Rapunzel.  Then they slept in the top bunk together.  So cute.  We got a puppy a couple of months ago, Minnie, a miniature dachshund and Caroline is totally in love.  That about sums up Caroline. <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zohzA4eheTk/UYBCj6fqJAI/AAAAAAAAEFw/5P5QpEu18-E/s1600-h/IMG_4178%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4178" border="0" alt="IMG_4178" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Lof5QGjK6r0/UYBCk4l8_rI/AAAAAAAAEF4/vn5_H_DRrzo/IMG_4178_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="326" height="437" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GIGB4uAry6Y/UYBCmNwEG0I/AAAAAAAAEGA/lw59A4HnI2I/s1600-h/IMG_3828%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3828" border="0" alt="IMG_3828" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PmGNNl588LY/UYBCnE2pRUI/AAAAAAAAEGI/R5_HeOqq9Co/IMG_3828_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="334" height="454" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qyoZ7ELIqek/UYBCoiKhbZI/AAAAAAAAEGQ/1MWI-v3iGW4/s1600-h/IMG_3833%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3833" border="0" alt="IMG_3833" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GBYV8PL7hZw/UYBCpqho_LI/AAAAAAAAEGY/fOa-kR6HnuQ/IMG_3833_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="345" height="462" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-psiOCLjtlZ8/UYBCrXtURqI/AAAAAAAAEGg/YkVy-VhWc7I/s1600-h/IMG_3852%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3852" border="0" alt="IMG_3852" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-okirL8HvK7s/UYBCsI9iOEI/AAAAAAAAEGo/YW3KnrqHiKo/IMG_3852_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="458" height="348" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QZp6MzTnbHM/UYBCtjQsQaI/AAAAAAAAEGw/9TyWco1V9N4/s1600-h/IMG_3973%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3973" border="0" alt="IMG_3973" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9y8XXjj5oPXllbkiARiCXBChMEFHCvVx9OzZJJGJc50JFIKX4ydy6RBIFiLkejL3SE-QfDLAJ4n4dBFA4xfqkXmFkpTQ9TCp8wH3tUB2knTYt6CnVNoyQ9OACS8gNMYN83WTQx6l0EQ/?imgmax=800" width="405" height="408" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-s_iVWcLXhL4/UYBCxs3nyHI/AAAAAAAAEHA/Q4QDmCYp4Ho/s1600-h/IMG_4192%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4192" border="0" alt="IMG_4192" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MiJc3gvsSaw/UYBCyjAbzrI/AAAAAAAAEHI/Ej8JmEja15A/IMG_4192_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="416" height="316" /></a></p> <p align="center">First sleepover!</p> <p align="center">Amelia changes mentally every day.  She knows things that I didn’t think she knew.  When we were working with Caroline on writing names, I started writing random letters on the board and Amelia was calling them out AND telling me what sound they each made.  She didn’t miss a single one!  I was truly impressed because I didn’t know she knew all of that!  She still has some social issues, but they do seem better than they were 6 months ago.  She’s a lot better around family and kids that she sees often.  She’ll occasionally talk to strangers and say “Hi!” to them which she certainly wouldn’t have done 6 months ago.  She really just seems painfully shy.  But I was told that many moons ago, I was shy too.  She’ll grow out of it eventually.  She is somewhat of a diva princess.  She wants things done for her.  She wants you to hand her the cup that’s 2 inches in front of her, you to drive her around in the power wheels gator, you to push her on the swing, etc. She is so funny!  I’ve never seen a child eat ketchup with a spoon until Amelia came along.  GROSS.  But she absolutely loves it.</p> <p align="center">  <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GVbNAuTpvT0/UYBC0yKQBqI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/RTXO-WJ4OI8/s1600-h/IMG_3944%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3944" border="0" alt="IMG_3944" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-clCrcOJ2VQw/UYBC1i7-nMI/AAAAAAAAEHY/3KUz53fQckE/IMG_3944_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="330" height="442" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ov5oLGaLwUk/UYBC3ohEuMI/AAAAAAAAEHg/ewit3Oruv8Q/s1600-h/IMG_4174%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4174" border="0" alt="IMG_4174" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A2eFxhdwPKM/UYBC4Y8p5jI/AAAAAAAAEHo/6qOt9Uz23_A/IMG_4174_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="449" height="341" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GvHrGL-xUZs/UYBC7OT3P7I/AAAAAAAAEHw/WCqVS1sdhto/s1600-h/IMG_4197%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4197" border="0" alt="IMG_4197" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bGdDasQHMto/UYBC74XJ6SI/AAAAAAAAEH4/IqyuTGYbPV4/IMG_4197_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="446" height="339" /></a></p> <p align="center">Amelia was NOT happy about the sprinkler being underneath the trampoline.  Caroline, on the other hand, was thrilled.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e7wipyquvJk/UYBC8S2W9aI/AAAAAAAAEIA/M2D47H6k90I/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GW2-9qaH7yQ/UYBC-0ebhtI/AAAAAAAAEII/N6t-SOVKJUk/s1600-h/IMG_4198%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4198" border="0" alt="IMG_4198" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-o_SwSKx9kvw/UYBDAlpL9MI/AAAAAAAAEIQ/ZaMXMI0wnIM/IMG_4198_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="318" height="426" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-T9SnueChFfU/UYBDBmvBR0I/AAAAAAAAEIY/muOFw3gmsP8/s1600-h/IMG_4299%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4299" border="0" alt="IMG_4299" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dK-ydCjdvqc/UYBDCcXvsrI/AAAAAAAAEIg/0qfoCoc4VAU/IMG_4299_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="328" height="446" /></a></p> <p align="center">Walker is nearly 9 months old!!!!  How did that happen?  He’s pulling up and crawling EVERYWHERE.  He eats a massive amount of food.  He’s cutting his first two teeth on the bottom.  One is punching through and the other is trying.  He’s taking it fairly well and really doesn’t complain with it much.  He is literally the happiest baby you’ll ever meet.  Nothing upsets him.  He is so chill.  He smiles if you meet eyes with him.  He loves to bounce up and down to music, his wubanubs, sleeping, eating, and his MAMA.  He is SUCH  a mama’s boy…and I’m totally fine with that.  I love it, actually.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e7wipyquvJk/UYBC8S2W9aI/AAAAAAAAEIA/M2D47H6k90I/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  He still takes 2 naps a day and goes to bed around 7:30-8p and sleeps until about 6:30-7:30am usually.  That would seem like I get a lot of sleep, but I’m usually dumb and stay up until around 1am and then kick myself all day the next day.</p> <p align="center">  <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tBkXizRj9KU/UYBDDj0x0vI/AAAAAAAAEIo/rczNHtp-1RQ/s1600-h/IMG_4095%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4095" border="0" alt="IMG_4095" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IJfCnYPPI0c/UYBDE9PKu6I/AAAAAAAAEIw/EgerGsWeaCE/IMG_4095_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="322" height="432" /></a></p> <p align="center">Pulling up for the first time!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BjeDqEfws5k/UYBDGEwoiCI/AAAAAAAAEI4/asDgkcyQr8Y/s1600-h/IMG_4102%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4102" border="0" alt="IMG_4102" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-s4O4JLwvWoo/UYBDHFht0LI/AAAAAAAAEJA/TSyhno1t9js/IMG_4102_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="327" height="438" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fSj003ihLFw/UYBDIhjDh1I/AAAAAAAAEJI/Zzxl94Y9_gI/s1600-h/IMG_4234%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4234" border="0" alt="IMG_4234" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--0QR2OmXp0A/UYBDJv7TrpI/AAAAAAAAEJQ/siIOaEzUoxs/IMG_4234_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="360" height="489" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nPYKsGZFM_Y/UYBDLDlSmaI/AAAAAAAAEJY/1mtHcEqRlzg/s1600-h/IMG_4320%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4320" border="0" alt="IMG_4320" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-aZEVTEa7fak/UYBDMdq8dOI/AAAAAAAAEJg/A3qJmhMyZ2U/IMG_4320_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="360" height="491" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AKmC1zM-Dec/UYBDNj6s2TI/AAAAAAAAEJo/xzr9-7rGZcE/s1600-h/IMG_4332%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4332" border="0" alt="IMG_4332" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7rCin0IsDN8/UYBDOqe9IuI/AAAAAAAAEJw/mbWP5Ql4zd0/IMG_4332_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="353" height="473" /></a></p> <p align="center">I am BUSY with sewing!  I took a dress order recently and I got SO many orders.  I’ve been working hard to get them all completed!  Between occasionally taking care of my house (ha!), my kids, my business, and sometimes sleeping, there’s not much time for anything else…like, blogging, for example.  But I’m trying to catch up because I do *love* to go back and read my old blog posts to remind myself of what my days were like back when…<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPooG2ioy14hd8eN7HhuxxZn_p47bmS9k0EVXgqOq9ARVNH5ZabNrDNJxtUzwL8QX9wUHb6rBgDmUoADDJTEaMwTVX1SHr07910iNp57peKQcCEQb2eTIS2Tei8sERnsqai7VXg8JCd8/s1600-h/IMG_4074%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4074" border="0" alt="IMG_4074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Uxcz1f0xo3nfH2ACSCB20y7clBHeJxSV6p47mJh_8XgoJF2ozXyxr5vXeP4i1va7VhyphenhyphenTyT_IzP7n-EkCBcr5TS6lSjvWMLlSzeZ4Nh-7guaCP_RKFfSbs_i_J_ZN73eNOUpcF_XJJuw/?imgmax=800" width="455" height="346" /></a></p> <p align="center">My whole world sitting on that couch!!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9t2rX6t1XkQ/UYBDTkPbhhI/AAAAAAAAEKI/qH7QPgRhVFQ/s1600-h/IMG_4287%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4287" border="0" alt="IMG_4287" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SsAzvI0ysWw/UYBDVGSNXwI/AAAAAAAAEKQ/32y5e5dGi08/IMG_4287_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="362" height="485" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RhEkcMRkYic/UYBDWEpdLEI/AAAAAAAAEKY/msZkzn_EC78/s1600-h/IMG_4284%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4284" border="0" alt="IMG_4284" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mp0zwnwtRdQ/UYBDXApuscI/AAAAAAAAEKg/-S-6ZhiBv2E/IMG_4284_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="369" height="501" /></a></p> <p align="center">Judd is busy planting!  We’ve had weird spurts of rain all Spring, and that has made planting stretch out a little longer than usual – but it’s going!  Just about every time it gets dry enough to plant, it rains again.  But they’ve gotten a lot done in the last week or so and that has made everyone breathe a big sigh of relief.  He’s been getting home after the kids go to bed (and he leaves long before they get up) so they are missing him a lot right now!  Just a few minutes ago, Caroline said, “Mommy…I miss Daddy,” and just kept on coloring.  I’m thinking they may need a trip to ride on a tractor with him.  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uqNAbFAsZ5Y/UYBDZuHQmAI/AAAAAAAAEKo/vn68nlkz4EE/s1600-h/IMG_3861%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3861" border="0" alt="IMG_3861" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Ir1tQ_oNcHo/UYBDbm8tYiI/AAAAAAAAEKw/d6LSY9c4gUg/IMG_3861_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="454" height="345" /></a></p> <p align="center">Don’t let him fool you.  He’s a softie at heart…</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Fc6MF0V_H8Q/UYBDei0A6LI/AAAAAAAAEK4/rMHZNHs0bik/s1600-h/IMG_4091%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_4091" border="0" alt="IMG_4091" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kctQ6pUxhJ0/UYBDiF1sRRI/AAAAAAAAELA/KD5G6Gpj_b0/IMG_4091_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="460" height="350" /></a></p> <p align="center">Everybody staring at one tiny phone screen…</p> <p align="center">I hope you all have a blessed week!  </p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-38157288579967219872013-03-24T20:51:00.001-05:002013-03-24T20:51:05.045-05:00Happy 7 1/2 Months, Walker Man!<p>The time has flown.  More so than usual. I got behind, but it’s better late than never.  You are SO big.  You are 20lbs even, in 9m clothing (some 12m fits!) and you are crawling EVERYWHERE!  Once you got the hang of it, you were gone!  Your favorite thing to do is go after the new puppy’s water and food bowls and spill everything.  Then you smile that sweet smile and I don’t even get aggravated.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-POsc_bw2kD8/UU6FwFgDG_I/AAAAAAAAEDk/yiY1F9OlnI0/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zqvJr-DXkp8/UU6GO-eV-wI/AAAAAAAAEDw/3ljzmHQ074o/s1600-h/IMG_3466%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3466" border="0" alt="IMG_3466" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NS-O5OLi0yw/UU6GmbhRNJI/AAAAAAAAED4/Yz6dzHXW9jE/IMG_3466_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="401" height="544" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UYV_o4GA_pY/UU-tD3ShyLI/AAAAAAAAEEI/5zQ-HCp75dc/s1600-h/IMG_370211.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3702" border="0" alt="IMG_3702" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4Qyv6Iiy2Ag/UU-tF1KeT7I/AAAAAAAAEEQ/pKRvUub8l8s/IMG_3702_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="441" height="445" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IoulqnmojzI/UU-tHqtCyjI/AAAAAAAAEEY/DZVChpec6v4/s1600-h/IMG_371447.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3714" border="0" alt="IMG_3714" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7Nf8YzkzxDc/UU-tJGOVALI/AAAAAAAAEEg/OEnYUZafsnc/IMG_3714_thumb44.jpg?imgmax=800" width="333" height="446" /></a></p> <p>You’re eating baby food once a day – but it isn’t always your favorite.  Some days you’re excited to eat it, other days you just don’t want it!</p> <p>You’ve had a cold and a clogged tear duct in the last few weeks.  Awful!  The tear duct got infected – but since we’ve started the antibiotics, it has improved significantly.  I’m so glad because you always look so pitiful when you’re sick.  You definitely have allergies just like the rest of the family.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--xGHVSmrm4w/UU-tLLaVo1I/AAAAAAAAEEo/ZG2NKP2Yiyg/s1600-h/IMG_343218.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3432" border="0" alt="IMG_3432" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gFQyAI-mB_E/UU-tNky_apI/AAAAAAAAEEw/H9Kp9s78UOE/IMG_3432_thumb15.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="587" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U4LqvHSam1E/UU-tVN5bHGI/AAAAAAAAEE4/ZIz49HQUKck/s1600-h/IMG_347410.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3474" border="0" alt="IMG_3474" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9SAQCg7tsqo/UU-tW-sQNtI/AAAAAAAAEFA/uIhA9egKHX0/IMG_3474_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="461" height="351" /></a></p> <p>Your oldest sister LOVES taking her picture with you.  She’ll walk up and throw her arm around you and say, “Mama, can you take my picture with Baby Walker?”  She loves you!</p> <p>You sleep through the night most nights, unless you’re not feeling well.  You can find your paci all by yourself in the crib and you put yourself back to sleep!  You *LOVE* the mobile in your crib, but we had to take it down because you can sit up by yourself now and you were pulling it down!  </p> <p>You can sit up by yourself so well.  It has made things much easier.  You can go from being on your back to sitting up all by yourself!  It amazes me that you can do all of this already.  You’ve tried to pull up – unsuccessfully (whew!) but you’re definitely attempting. </p> <p>You love:  Jumperoo, pacis (mainly the Wubanubs!), eating, your own bed, snuggling, being rocked, a cold wipe during diaper changes <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-POsc_bw2kD8/UU6FwFgDG_I/AAAAAAAAEDk/yiY1F9OlnI0/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />, and baths…at least until the washing up part, your sisters, Minnie’s dog bowls, & playing with Mommy & Daddy!</p> <p>You dislike:  Being hungry or tired, most flavors of baby food (ha!),  being handed to someone else when you’re sleepy, staying up late, being SICK, and most of all – taking ANY form of medication, be it drops in your eyes or a syrup in your mouth!  ESPECIALLY if you have to be held down to take it.  Your sisters would both eventually give up and just let it happen.  You will fight tooth and nail and do not give up!  Just like a man!  Ha!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zj2BJ7uXXOM/UU-tbJXznxI/AAAAAAAAEFI/vt42wAA8rbQ/s1600-h/IMG_367317.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3673" border="0" alt="IMG_3673" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-n21BytmElfU/UU-tcw6z_EI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/e482J6Pgo7A/IMG_3673_thumb14.jpg?imgmax=800" width="476" height="362" /></a></p> <p>I have to say – you are the most chill, laid-back baby – ever.  You will just go anywhere and do whatever and you’re fine with it.  The only time you’re unhappy is when you’re tired or really hungry.  And really, who can blame you there?  You’re related to me!  You’ll probably never outgrow that, son.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-POsc_bw2kD8/UU6FwFgDG_I/AAAAAAAAEDk/yiY1F9OlnI0/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  You are so easy, it’s almost laughable.  I love my sweet Amelia, but it’s funny how difficult she was as a baby and how easy you are.  </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QFmbgQrPbHc/UU-tgqmUeeI/AAAAAAAAEFY/PZ-V5c85X2A/s1600-h/IMG_377014.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3770" border="0" alt="IMG_3770" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1bkj46zPtTU/UU-th6sAdQI/AAAAAAAAEFg/rgmZzZKQj4c/IMG_3770_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" width="460" height="350" /></a></p> <p>You are the cutest, chubbiest, sweetest little boy on the planet…and I’m not saying that because I biased.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-POsc_bw2kD8/UU6FwFgDG_I/AAAAAAAAEDk/yiY1F9OlnI0/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  You are such a blessing to me.  You’re teaching me the difference between these drama queen girls and boys like you!  I can already see subtle differences!  I thank God for you and your sisters every night.  You are 1/3 of my heart, sweet boy.  I love you more than you know!</p> <p>Mama</p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-48388963457622480132013-01-22T14:29:00.001-06:002013-01-22T14:29:41.909-06:00The Best Bundt Cake You’ll Ever Eat Recipe<p>So, my mom makes a KILLER bundt cake.  I’d venture out to say it’s the best thing she cooks.  It’s everyone’s favorite.  When we go to her house, she always has one for Judd, complete with strawberries & whipped cream.  </p> <p>It’s the most moist, delectable cake…ever.  You might gain 5lbs from just looking at it.  But it’s worth it.  I promise.  </p> <p>I’m a self diagnosed chocolate-chip-aholic.  I think chocolate chips can make ANYTHING taste better.  I add chocolate chips to boxed mixes that <em>come</em> with chocolate chips in them.  There’s never enough.  I add them to desserts and take out what they called for.  So, in true Kacie fashion, I added chocolate chips to this…and <em>IT. IS. DIVINE</em>.  You can add them or leave them out and use strawberries & whipped cream instead.  Totally your call.  But I looooooove the chocolate.  </p> <p>The Perfect Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake</p> <p>You’ll need:</p> <ol> <li>1 Box of Moist Yellow Cake Mix</li> <li>1 Stick of Margarine (use REAL margarine!), melted</li> <li>1 Can Condensed Milk (I used the Eagle brand)</li> <li>3 Eggs</li> <li>1/2 Cup Water'</li> <li>1 Box French Vanilla Pudding Mix (NOT the cook & serve kind!)</li> <li>1 Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (optional, but wonderful.)</li> <li>About 1 cup of Flour (for rolling the chocolate chips)</li> </ol> <p>Mix all of your ingredients except the chocolate chips & flour together.  I use a mixer because you don’t want any lumps.  It will be smooth, but a little thicker than your normal cake mix.  </p> <p>In a separate bowl, add your flour and chocolate chips together.  Roll the chocolate chips in the flour.  Flour them until they look fairly white.  If you skip this step, all of your chocolate chips will sink to the bottom of your pan and it won’t cook correctly!  Do not skip this step!</p> <p>After you’ve floured your chocolate chips, add them to the cake batter and mix.  Grease & flour or spray your bundt cake pan REALLY WELL.  I use Baker’s Joy.  Pour your mix in.  Pop it in the oven set to 325* for about an hour.  Mine took a little over an hour…about 1hr 15min – but check yours.  My mom swears that hers only takes 25min to cook, but at 25min, my cake was still pure batter.  I think she just has a crazy oven!  Don’t jiggle your cake around too often while checking it or it will sink and deflate.  I learned that the hard way.  Be easy taking it out to check it and try not to check it much.  </p> <p>Lick the batter off the beater and the bowl.  You won’t be sorry.</p> <p>When the toothpick comes out clean, take it out and let it cool about 5-10 min.  I put my cake plate on top of the pan then flip my pan over and pull my pan off.  And there it is.  Deliciousness just waiting for me to eat it.  Enjoy!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--ESfWTAywrk/UP72nUqArrI/AAAAAAAAECo/KkTLYgZ5UsE/s1600-h/photo%25252815%252529%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="photo(15)" border="0" alt="photo(15)" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_PA0EMZrni0/UP72oI7GAeI/AAAAAAAAECs/vFOWLcVfn28/photo%25252815%252529_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="469" height="356" /></a></p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-6249308089995927612013-01-11T17:19:00.001-06:002013-01-11T17:19:28.609-06:00Refinished Cabinet<p align="center">Well, in my blogging lapse I had forgotten all about updating you on my cabinet refinishing project. <em>I know you were all waiting on pins and needles.  </em>Well, wait no more my friends.  </p> <p align="center">If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I explained it in a <a href="http://juddandkacie.blogspot.com/2012/09/3-kids-and-living-room-makeover-in-my.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> back in September of 2012.  </p> <p align="center">BEFORE:</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MCAp6EBK9ls/UPCdL9KdDII/AAAAAAAAD-o/xsbmIidYmP8/s1600-h/DSC_00848.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0084" border="0" alt="DSC_0084" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OpEUIz_wnSA/UPCdNRN0-DI/AAAAAAAAD-w/FCfWup63fj4/DSC_0084_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="480" height="324" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NMLlLFl98uI/UPCdRd41-mI/AAAAAAAAD-4/J_kmmCyOiQo/s1600-h/DSC_00858.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0085" border="0" alt="DSC_0085" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dSn31ei7G8A/UPCdTIhBt6I/AAAAAAAAD_A/MoeSfMVBE-4/DSC_0085_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="484" height="327" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mtCnO0bjO5Y/UPCdVs6CBII/AAAAAAAAD_I/yOwBj1LRESs/s1600-h/DSC_00887.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0088" border="0" alt="DSC_0088" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5ImTdpPJDYM/UPCdWxtpvSI/AAAAAAAAD_Q/84B9CvsYGi0/DSC_0088_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="480" height="324" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AFY8QUqWLmo/UPCdZttttTI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/ZQRzfriMvBo/s1600-h/DSC_00908.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0090" border="0" alt="DSC_0090" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Vb6Lp5tKZZQ/UPCdbGH2PDI/AAAAAAAAD_g/XVPlUe8r_pE/DSC_0090_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="484" height="327" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A6Dj3d8e6rY/UPCddrr0n1I/AAAAAAAAD_o/0i77yK79WsE/s1600-h/DSC_00968.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0096" border="0" alt="DSC_0096" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6366y76JnK4/UPCde4Xz2HI/AAAAAAAAD_w/jD-t0xsSx20/DSC_0096_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="481" height="325" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLiJ1sbgKpPoSR0q6TsCtgb9mWKEYQMJitzE-V14AqLVBs8vNywDCHgTo8Tui7DsfW7JG4ms59BTUN_XE7Zs-RzMFdhhd0p5y-nDwmsUeuKZXaFNALqMDw9_pSN0K5ixI2LPyZNNGN04/s1600-h/DSC_00979.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0097" border="0" alt="DSC_0097" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MhAIF91RyOE/UPCdjVXo4vI/AAAAAAAAEAA/WrO1WaqVZ9A/DSC_0097_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="315" height="479" /></a></p> <p align="center">AFTER:</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JM01JBD7U4M/UPCdmujVUhI/AAAAAAAAEAI/5y12iC5PiV4/s1600-h/DSC_0551%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0551" border="0" alt="DSC_0551" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wRcWE-o-mqs/UPCdoFnTbfI/AAAAAAAAEAQ/I06T8Ur6HqQ/DSC_0551_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="478" height="323" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KZApzFJsGLw/UPCdpwRyi_I/AAAAAAAAEAY/8YB3bKb4ets/s1600-h/DSC_0552%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0552" border="0" alt="DSC_0552" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mL5oY4_tPwk/UPCdrJS_ZTI/AAAAAAAAEAg/akY3VEumEzs/DSC_0552_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="346" height="524" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bX6-wgrQr5Q/UPCdtTfVP0I/AAAAAAAAEAo/2OMTisgxxtk/s1600-h/DSC_0554%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0554" border="0" alt="DSC_0554" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fGmTgA9jTUg/UPCdu-xfpRI/AAAAAAAAEAw/9QJNCpJ1Nwk/DSC_0554_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="481" height="325" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wpy-p4pNA20/UPCdwkN_4FI/AAAAAAAAEA4/YOw5n_hQPO8/s1600-h/DSC_0555%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0555" border="0" alt="DSC_0555" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-p0guBjlBKSg/UPCdxlECSQI/AAAAAAAAEBA/1zzrACgsHNI/DSC_0555_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="478" height="323" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Y8qIAf4R5lw/UPCd0lNqTVI/AAAAAAAAEBI/fR-fPcwfoEg/s1600-h/DSC_0556%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri">(This picture reminded me that I need to touch up the old screws with the new color. <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UyME-kZTOR0/UPCd1WX-ylI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/4Qcgi9jAZ4o/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile2.png?imgmax=800" />  Also, the reason they don’t line up perfectly is because our crazy floor is *that* uneven.) Also, sorry this is in bold…it won’t let me “unbold” it.  Crazy computer.</font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Y8qIAf4R5lw/UPCd0lNqTVI/AAAAAAAAEBY/lg0PnyFAylA/s1600-h/DSC_0556%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0556" border="0" alt="DSC_0556" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MkmwX050IFA/UPCd6OMjvDI/AAAAAAAAEBc/7BPU6MQ-iCw/DSC_0556_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="483" height="326" /></a></p> <p align="center">It’s definitely not perfect…at all.  But I *love* the way it turned out – and I *love* the way it looks in my house.  It gives that wall a homey, comfy vibe – which I love.  I got to decorate it at Christmas and that was really fun!  </p> <p align="center">I am really proud of how it turned out. It was a SERIOUS labor of love. Judd didn’t believe me when I said that we could revamp that cabinet and turn it into something beautiful! Well, needless to say, I turned him into a believer! Although, I have to admit, he and I were both sick and tired of spending all of our free time working on it by the end. We finished it just a little before Thanksgiving. So it took us from September to November. With a newborn. Ha!  The hardest part was, by far, the sanding.  We sanded for a solid month.  We used stripping gel which made it easier, but it still took a long time to get in all the crevices.  There were lots of places that had to be sanded by hand and those took a while.  The painting actually didn’t take long at all.  We got a cheap paint sprayer and in about an hour I had the cabinet painted – inside and outside.  The doors took less time than that.  Then I cleaned the hardware thoroughly and spray painted it.  I loved the old hardware and couldn’t find anything like it – so we soaked it and scrubbed it until it was clean enough to paint.  I love the way it turned out.  Judd added the feet (from Lowes) after I stained them.  I stained the top in 3 coats.  *sigh*  It was a lot of work, but we feel like it was worth it.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-znXoqUK70cc/UPCd7EW9III/AAAAAAAAEBk/pTKIpNGtiXo/wlEmoticon-smile2.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p align="center">It’s decorated now like the “after” photos above.  It still needs some little knick knack type things but I’m trying not to buy the first thing I see so that I know I get what I want.  I know I want some old books to make the lamps taller.  I’m also thinking about some kind of pottery for a knick knack.  Any suggestions?  </p> <p align="center">The mirror and lamps came from consignment shop in town.  The mirror was actually a picture:</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UhAww_p2eSE/UPCd98gekKI/AAAAAAAAEBs/UlTdm7P0om8/s1600-h/DSC_011716.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0117" border="0" alt="DSC_0117" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-frtk9cuX5D4/UPCd_JhjDXI/AAAAAAAAEB0/zIgrye75s6s/DSC_0117_thumb13.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="center">So I tore the paper off the back, took the picture out, spray painted the frame (the same color as the cabinet hardware) and had mirror cut to size.  That project took me about 30 minutes total.  The lamps were originally brass and were spray painted silver but I bought them that way…no work for me!  </p> <p align="center">It holds SO MUCH stuff.  Everything that I had in my china cabinet now fits on the top shelf.  So I’m basically using it as extra cabinet space to hold large platters, decorative kitchen/dining items, etc.  My china is also in there stacked up.  </p> <p align="center">So there you go.  The last project I’ll ever take on….HA!  Not really, but after I finally finished I vowed not to start another one for a long time!  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UyME-kZTOR0/UPCd1WX-ylI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/4Qcgi9jAZ4o/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile2.png?imgmax=800" />  I welcome any suggestions for decorating it!  </p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-7856957760504176962013-01-08T06:00:00.000-06:002013-01-08T06:00:01.013-06:00Happy 5 months, Walker!<p align="center">We missed month 4 because I was on a blogging break, but we will pick up here.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MuRouNb4oPg/UOpdGmXz6AI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/ZMBcPPdGOps/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center">Walker man,</p> <p align="center">You are already 5 months old.  I think the time flies by quicker with each subsequent child.  Your first 5 months have absolutely flown.  Much more so than either of the girls…and I thought their months were fast!</p> <p align="center">  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Y7l4q4paMm0/UOpdJTSzZ6I/AAAAAAAAD6g/jx_tAOw2CLs/s1600-h/DSC_0204%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0204" border="0" alt="DSC_0204" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J2RZl3SwXiA/UOpdK6uPnZI/AAAAAAAAD6o/_EOWWDzZJTo/DSC_0204_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="480" height="324" /></a></p> <p align="center">You are 17lbs, in a size 3 diaper, but not far from moving up to a 4, and you are wearing a 6-9m outfit.  Your 6m stuff fits, but your 9m stuff fits, too.  One is on the smaller side, the other on the “room-to-grow” side.  Either way, you’re a big boy!  By far, my biggest child!  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MWsIRA-8Gwo/UOpdPbizXTI/AAAAAAAAD6w/70xeXC6FlBc/s1600-h/DSC_0208%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0208" border="0" alt="DSC_0208" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Qc6czmj018c/UOpdQqfALGI/AAAAAAAAD64/_PdFmRPJ4HU/DSC_0208_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a></p> <p align="center">(Amelia, hating every moment…ha!)</p> <p align="center">You usually go to bed around 6:30pm.  By 7pm, you are a cranky mess if you’re still awake.  This is the schedule you put yourself on…not me!  You sleep from 7ish to around 11 or 12am.  After that feeding, you sleep until anywhere between 3am and 5am.  I always hope for 5am…ha!  Then you sleep until 7ish then doze until 8ish when the girls force me out of bed.  You’re in your crib until the 3a-5a feeding, then you come to bed with me. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LXD3kwTBqns/UOpdS6yGj_I/AAAAAAAAD7A/GeYtOAAPtxQ/s1600-h/DSC_0262%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0262" border="0" alt="DSC_0262" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gBi_-pOQ5xY/UOpdUY2G2JI/AAAAAAAAD7I/ZPu5DnzSl-U/DSC_0262_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a> </p> <p align="center">You’re still in your woombie wrap, but I think we are going to start weaning you from it soon.  Last week, your swing broke.  Yes, the brand new swing.  The motor stopped working.  I was heartbroken, because you took all of your naps in it!  So, you’ve been somewhat forced to adapt and start napping in your crib.  You’ve done better than I expected, but you definitely aren’t napping like you were!  The new motor is on its way, but I figure by the time it gets here, we’ll have you weaned from it so I probably won’t go back to it.  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dHJUaBenOHk/UOpdXyTwlQI/AAAAAAAAD7Q/V6RiFyNxjHY/s1600-h/DSC_0202%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0202" border="0" alt="DSC_0202" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MBatuC3CUH4/UOpdYmD5LyI/AAAAAAAAD7Y/uogeIFHwiMw/DSC_0202_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="470" height="319" /></a></p> <p align="center">One day last week (I think around the time the swing broke) I started thinking about how I hadn’t really seen you suck your thumb in a while.  You were crying while I tried to rock you to sleep and I thought…hey…what the heck?  I’ll try the paci that you haven’t used in 2 months.  Holy cow.  You took that thing like it had never been away from you!  You actually used it better than you did 2 months ago and you did great!  You used it until you fell asleep.  It’s been quite helpful since then, because I can give you your paci when you’re upset – like in church – instead of taking you out.  Even though your thumb was “always there” you weren’t great at finding it and keeping it in your mouth, so it didn’t always help like a paci.  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0tS-iGUyr1A/UOpdaajswhI/AAAAAAAAD7g/F_H_23jAc5g/s1600-h/DSC_0315%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0315" border="0" alt="DSC_0315" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-41YdSEJQswU/UOpdbmKwaUI/AAAAAAAAD7o/26T1W2hUygw/DSC_0315_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="468" height="316" /></a></p> <p align="center">You are generally a pretty happy baby!  You’re really getting attached to your mama, though!  I’ve noticed recently that when I hand you off to someone, it takes just about 1 minute before you start screaming and crying until I take you back.  (I secretly wonder if you’re going to dislike strangers like Amelia does! Ha!)  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Vad0xz4c1Go/UOpdflFQTdI/AAAAAAAAD7w/iAOoKBBLFIY/s1600-h/DSC_0056%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0056" border="0" alt="DSC_0056" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IhJYNar5TNc/UOpdhNOuPyI/AAAAAAAAD74/pMEGvLyj82o/DSC_0056_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="473" height="319" /></a></p> <p align="center">(The last time we saw you suck your thumb!)</p> <p align="center">You love:  MAMA!, your sisters, your paci, eating, playing “boo”, playing on your playmat, watching a mobile or fan, your swing (RIP), going into your woombie at bedtime (you smile huge, like you know you’re finally going to bed!), coming out of your woombie in the mornings (you stretch huge and smile!), Daddy playing with you, your jumperoo, and being held.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5LMqcHiimXo/UOpdjPY6FCI/AAAAAAAAD8A/HfOskMzWjmM/s1600-h/DSC_0198%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0198" border="0" alt="DSC_0198" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QvimYoL93BA/UOpdj2CMFgI/AAAAAAAAD8I/jrHNEaJYhFg/DSC_0198_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="263" height="400" /></a></p> <p align="center">You don’t like:  Baby food, being in the car, being tired (you cry…a lot), having a full diaper, sleeping on your back without the woombie, tummy time, mama handing you to someone else, and laying back in someone’s arms.  You totally prefer to be sitting up or standing up! </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-S62vL1GMRc8/UOpdn6TXsaI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/WHIYCn92mZY/s1600-h/DSC_0529%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0529" border="0" alt="DSC_0529" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vEjL6SwF2QI/UOpdprGGT2I/AAAAAAAAD8Y/pOKFC6aoh9Y/DSC_0529_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a> (With Deda & Pop!)</p> <p align="center">You’ve rolled over both ways, but you’re much better at going back to belly.  Belly to back seems to take you longer.  You aren’t sitting up on your own, but you can tripod for several seconds before you start to fall…we’ll take what we can get.  You hated baby food the two times I’ve attempted to give it to you.  I think it’s the texture and the unfamiliar flavor. </p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-s0CKPt0AEMg/UOpdsAUNhyI/AAAAAAAAD8g/ewOKpPVV2Bw/s1600-h/DSC_0538%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0538" border="0" alt="DSC_0538" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jaiUImlzl5g/UOpdtE23ILI/AAAAAAAAD8o/ywodWia4O8I/DSC_0538_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="471" height="318" /></a></p> <p align="center">Your first Christmas was so fun!  Caroline helped you open your gifts from Santa and you’ve really enjoyed everything so far.  I know you’ll really enjoy those toys in a few months.  It blows my mind to think you’re nearly half a year old – and how much you’ll change between now and then!  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jbkbqtf5oOA/UOpdx43JAfI/AAAAAAAAD8w/l0MWUAzi_fE/s1600-h/DSC_0459%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0459" border="0" alt="DSC_0459" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/---LVOZLD5ys/UOpdzjBKtyI/AAAAAAAAD84/DTUkHHuxgmg/DSC_0459_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="319" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MxhwI3cXW0o/UOpd3LwXDeI/AAAAAAAAD9A/bAnb4sKzIPo/s1600-h/DSC_0465%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0465" border="0" alt="DSC_0465" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4FcS8DrkzG0/UOpd4yKOx0I/AAAAAAAAD9I/4GMQhjIBcwM/DSC_0465_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="center">(Amelia had already fallen asleep!)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1AY1CUGw5fo/UOpd8wLeOFI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/7yjpoWiJ6_o/s1600-h/DSC_0516%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0516" border="0" alt="DSC_0516" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-k9UdxiTrYHQ/UOpd-o_WUkI/AAAAAAAAD9Y/mTqAKfXeXgQ/DSC_0516_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="483" height="326" /></a></p> <p align="center">Right now you are half bottle, half breastfed.  I really wanted to exclusively nurse to 6 months, but as usual, my body just isn’t having it.  It’s usually around this time that my supply starts to take a dip. I have been through it before so I knew what to look for.  I wasted no time in feeding you a bottle after each nursing session to make sure you’re full.  You usually eat an extra 3oz from the bottle.  You don’t seem to have any trouble going back and forth, so we’ll do that as long as we can!  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-P19ZR9pYE6s/UOpeAPfqC7I/AAAAAAAAD9g/6RVCfIwq51c/s1600-h/DSC_0310%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0310" border="0" alt="DSC_0310" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mll_jHCygk0/UOpeAxpjihI/AAAAAAAAD9o/026OJZfrRiQ/DSC_0310_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4OPGrBIGV1Y/UOpeCt0vixI/AAAAAAAAD9w/XBQSKzrN4Wg/s1600-h/DSC_0319%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0319" border="0" alt="DSC_0319" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iLro14TEJaM/UOpeDwYTOyI/AAAAAAAAD94/PFGkMfEakJ0/DSC_0319_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="478" height="323" /></a></p> <p align="center">I love you so much.  I can’t wait to see what your little personality will be like as you get older.  I know one thing, your big sisters sure do love you.  You think they’re pretty funny, too.  I can’t wait to see you all play together one day!  I also LOVE saying “my son” when I talk about you.  It feels so different to say that instead of “my girls.”  </p> <p align="center">You make my heart full of joy!  I love being your mother!  </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center">Mama</p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-52257307963465639472013-01-04T13:05:00.001-06:002013-01-04T13:14:45.466-06:00Amelia’s 2nd Birthday<p>We celebrated Amelia & Hannah’s birthdays together this year, since they are only 4 weeks apart. Audra probably regrets that decision because I am such a laid-back party planner.  Even when I WANT to go all-out, it’s usually a fleeting feeling and then I settle for a colorful tablecloth, balloons, and maybe some cupcake toppers.  HA!  </p> <p>Oh my.  My Amelia.  I have to document your birthday party for you to read later in life.  It wasn’t funny at the time, but it will be quite funny in a few years when you read back on it.  </p> <p>As everyone knows, you are not the most social butterfly.  Anytime there is a big crowd (regardless of how well you know the people) you bury your head in mine or your daddy’s shoulder and don’t want to budge.  You don’t want anyone to talk to you or look at you.  So birthday parties that revolve around you are really just not your cup of tea.  I felt obligated to give you a big party, but next year we may just do a laid back gathering and see how it goes.  I want you to enjoy your parties, not dread them!  Anyway – you were already tired because you didn’t get a nap, and all the attention being directed towards you was just more than you could bear.  You didn’t want to unwrap any of your presents, you didn’t smile at any of them, and you cried most of the time.  </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qQGqaPkvhSc/UOcoA41x_tI/AAAAAAAAD6I/9GJdA5VNEj4/s1600-h/DSC_0023%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0023" border="0" alt="DSC_0023" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_7nnHlG9RAY/UOcoBo47ALI/AAAAAAAAD6M/lwrwiOjd0ZA/DSC_0023_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="471" height="318" /></a></p> <p>You actually cried so hard at one point that I took you in another room to calm down…where you proceeded to throw up your juice.  Once you calmed down, I took you back out to just look at your stuff that Caroline had opened for you.  (She enjoyed that!)  Then came the Happy Birthday song and the blowing out of candles.  You reached out to touch the candle and it scared you when we gasped.  I think you touched some of the wax for a split second with your finger.  I quickly wiped it off but it was too late.  You were crying.  Hysterically.  Through the entire song.  Hannah was thrilled though!  Ha!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CiNpPBoKyzc/UOcoCkPPy-I/AAAAAAAAD6Q/2maPxHbUUXk/s1600-h/amelia%252520crying%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="amelia crying" border="0" alt="amelia crying" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PFVSf5tZYPY/UOcoDe9DHiI/AAAAAAAAD6U/KBlKUA3D1C4/amelia%252520crying_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="473" height="319" /></a></p> <p>That picture pretty much sums it up.  Ha!  After everyone left, you were really happy and played with all of your presents and wanted everything out of the box.  You just do not like being the center of attention…totally unlike your big sister – who prefers to be the center of attention!</p> <p>Next year, we will do things a little differently for you if being in the limelight isn’t your favorite.  </p> <p>HOW are you two years old?  You love:  Mickey Mouse, Jello, your pink blanket, your Scout puppy, the iPad, any game tablet, to take pictures on our phones, Cocoa Puffs, cereal bars, chocolate, juice, milk, your dream lites shining on the bunk bed before bed, chicken nuggets, any snack foods, your family, Ms. Lois, jumping on the trampoline & bounce house, baths, Down by the Cool of the Pool book (you can recite the entire thing), Brown Bear book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,  any baby doll, snuggling, wooden puzzles, and pictures.</p> <p>You don’t like:  Anything that requires you to be social in any size crowd, being told “no no” (you cry, everytime…so tender-hearted!), being buckled in your carseat, water, someone taking the iPad from you, Caroline telling you what to do, Walker crying in the car (you say, “BABY WALKER!  IT’S OKAY!!” in a loud and annoyed voice), taking showers, & being woken up before you’re finished sleeping.  </p> <p>You have such a big personality for such a little girl.  You’re in a size 5 diaper, 24m-2T clothes, and you weigh right at 25lbs.  It absolutely blows my mind that you are already two years old.  I can’t wait to see what a beautiful woman you will grow in to.  You are one of the loves of my life and joy to me.  I love being your mother.  I love you to the moon and back! </p> <p>Mama</p> <p>Here is Amelia’s 2 Year video that we showed at her birthday party.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--6gQFBP19YQ/UOcoEKaYE8I/AAAAAAAAD5c/WBYRoEQ1Emw/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  Turn your volume up!</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:b937fba1-032c-4083-9835-8e1ef01351f2" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object width="448" height="252"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HCjwGGWqzQk?hl=en&hd=1"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HCjwGGWqzQk?hl=en&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="448" height="252"></embed></object></div><div style="width:448px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Amelia’s 2 Year Video</div></div> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-75569179580014361882012-11-22T08:00:00.000-06:002012-11-22T08:00:00.745-06:0022 Days of Thankfulness<p align="center">I’m sure most of you have seen everyone doing their “22 days of thankfulness” on Facebook, but for those of you who don’t have FB, I thought I’d share mine.</p> <p align="center">These have been my FB statuses for the last 22 days.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0vrfEWm1b7k/UK1S9WrUiTI/AAAAAAAAD30/pUFaGKR2CeU/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  There was absolutely NO order to these at all.  </p> <p align="center">Day 1: I am so incredibly thankful to be able to stay home with my babies! Even on the hardest days, I wouldn't trade it. My hardworking husband and God make that possible!</p> <p align="center">Day 2: I'm so thankful for my husband. He is, by far, the hardest working man I've ever known. He is incredibly patient with me & the kids, loves the Lord, and would give a complete stranger the shirt off his back without question. He is meant for me! I love you!</p> <p align="center">Day 3: My children mean so much to me. They make my life feel so full. I love them more than they will ever know. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for my sweet children. I hope I can teach them to love the Lord and follow the Word. I am thankful that God allows me to be their Mommy! They changed my life!</p> <p align="center">Day 4: I am thankful for my mom. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her. She's one of my best friends! Thanks for everything you've sacrificed for me over the years, Mom! It did not go unnoticed! I'm blessed that God chose you to be my mother.</p> <p align="center">Day 5: I am thankful for my sweet sister! Who else would I talk to all day? Who else would I send pictures of my outfits to just in case one looks stupid? I love you, Audra! You know you're my best girlfriend ever! I miss you!</p> <p align="center">Day 6: Today I'm thankful that the election will be over after today and my newsfeed can start returning to normal without the political arguing. :) Also, so thankful that I have the opportunity that some only dream of! I can vote!</p> <p align="center">Day 7: I'm thankful for my church family. From Senatobia and Cleveland! I appreciate the encouragement and support that they give me. I love you all!</p> <p align="center">Day 8: I'm thankful for air conditioning and heat. Seriously, we are SPOILED to have that.</p> <p align="center">Day 9: I am thankful for my sweet mother in law. She is so sweet to my kids and they love staying with her. She is so helpful to me. I love her so much! I appreciate her treating me so much like one of her own. She's pretty awesome!</p> <p align="center">Day 10: I am thankful for my dogs! My pets kinda had to take a backseat when my kids started arriving, but I do love them. Today Duke sat right beside me while I sanded some furniture and fell asleep with his head on my leg. :) sweet puppies!</p> <p align="center">Day 11: I am thankful for my home. It feels like its taken me nearly 3 years to get it the way I like it but I feel like I'm finally there! I'm thankful for the roof over my head!</p> <p align="center">Day 12: I am SO thankful for my children's health. So many parents have to deal with sickness and diseases with their sweet babies and my heart breaks for them. I am so grateful to God!</p> <p align="center">Day 13: I am thankful for all the little helpful things most of us (including myself!) take for granted! (Washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, blow dryer, toilet, stove, oven...the list could go on forever!) Those little things that we just assume we are entitled to are so helpful, but are not necessary - and are definitely not the 'norm' in other parts of the world! I'm thankful for them because they let me spend more time with my family and less time cleaning, cooking, and getting ready for the day! :)</p> <p align="center">Day 14: I am thankful for the quiet. It's been a long night!</p> <p align="center">Day 15:  I will always be thankful for Deda. My aunt has always been another mother to me and treated me like her own. She's never failed to give me sound, godly advice when I needed it. I love her more than she'll ever know!</p> <p align="center">Day16: I am thankful for Judd having Saturday off! I'm so excited! :)</p> <p align="center">Day 17: I am thankful for family traditions. It's so fun and heart-warming to carry on traditions with my kids. Making new traditions is fun, too! :)</p> <p align="center">Day 18: I am so thankful for my Daddy. I love him so much. I know I can always call him if I need anything and he will be there for me. A daddy always holds a special place in a girl's heart. I love you!</p> <p align="center">Day 19: I am thankful that this life isn't the end!</p> <p align="center">Day 20: I am thankful (and VERY relieved) to be mostly finished with my cabinet project. It has lots of flaws, but it's good enough for me! Ha!</p> <p align="center">Day 21:  I am thankful, above all else, for my hope in Jesus.  Where would any of us be without that?  It’s almost hard to put into words the feeling that you get when decide that your life isn’t your own anymore.  I choose to live this life as a servant to my God!  I try to imagine how much I love my children (which feels infinite…) and then try to imagine how much MORE God loves me – with all of my many flaws and mistakes.  My life would be meaningless without Him.  </p> <p align="center">Day 22:  I am thankful for my family and the time that I get to spend with them.  All of them.  Judd’s side and my side – they’re all family.  I love family time.  It always lifts my spirits to be with family, just enjoying one another’s company.  I know that we won’t always be here – so I try my best to relish in the time that I have with all of them.  When my kids look back on life, I want them to always remember that we strived to have family time.  I love making these memories!</p> <p align="center">So there you go – the longest blog post ever written.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5BuLt_Y7BaM/UK1S-Am4PBI/AAAAAAAAD38/Vh3DWuOYwQY/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  I really enjoyed finding something every single day to be thankful for.  I also love to take opportunities like this to thank the people who matter most to me.  </p> <p align="center"><font color="#f79646" size="5"><strong>Happy Thanksgiving!</strong></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tE_9-m17k6A/UK1S_iWW0gI/AAAAAAAAD4E/fNAlE-97WGA/s1600-h/Davis%252520Family-60%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Davis Family-60" border="0" alt="Davis Family-60" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yebyhbzgxws/UK1TAjloF9I/AAAAAAAAD4M/RhIyy9i8Tck/Davis%252520Family-60_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="479" height="329" /></a></p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-14063030879108602802012-11-08T13:52:00.001-06:002012-11-08T13:52:38.726-06:00Happy 3 Months, Walker Man!<p>Walker is officially 3 months old, today!  Look at me being all on time and stuff.  </p> <p>He’s getting so big!  I still can’t believe the size difference between him and the girls.  Yesterday he was 14lbs 8oz. He’s in a size 3 diaper, and mainly 6 month clothing.  He can still wear some 3-6 month stuff.  </p> <p>He’s sleeping a lot better at night!  Several weeks ago I got something called a Woombie Houdini.  It’s like a swaddling sack for babies that just zips up and keeps them really tight.  One night last week I decided to give it a shot.  Before, every time we put him down, his eyes popped open and he was wide awake.  It was so frustrating!  I would spend over an hour getting him to sleep and as soon as my arms came out from under him, he was wide awake and we’d have to start over.  Anyway, so in came the Woombie.  Wow.  Seriously – the first night we used it, he slept in his crib for almost 5 hours!  It makes him feel cuddled, like I’m still holding him.  It’s so great!  Ever since, he’s started out in his own crib every night.  It helps so much.  I feel like I’m starting to get my life back with a few kid-free hours at night.  </p> <p>He eats every 2 1/2-3 hours during the day and usually wakes up once or twice to eat at night.  I’m totally good with that!  </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3_yHY2OwHPU/UJwNHjc3-ZI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/TAyjgdeDXqQ/s1600-h/DSC_0417%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0417" border="0" alt="DSC_0417" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-l69mQQ2YgdM/UJwNJQXiJvI/AAAAAAAAD1g/dqy2GlbU0do/DSC_0417_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="468" height="316" /></a></p> <p>He loooooves his mama.  He’s already turning into a mama’s boy.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ktvnK5H5POM/UJwNKJBF2YI/AAAAAAAAD1o/TNRjUuPNzkc/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p>Loves:  Woombie, cuddling, being held, talking, eating, Caroline making him smile, his THUMB.  </p> <p>Likes:  Baths (until the hair washing part), the paci (he just can’t decide), the playmat, diaper changes, the swing.</p> <p>Hates:  THE CAR.  Oh my word.  The kid screams from the moment you buckle him in.  There is nothing he hates worse than the car.  We did put him in a convertible carseat instead of the infant carrier and he is happier in it.  But he still just isn’t a fan of car rides in general.  He also hates a bottle.  He’ll take one, but he doesn’t want it and he has to be really hungry to accept it.  He also HATES to be sleepy.  He becomes really, really cranky when he’s ready to go to sleep.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT0Qv1z6B1c8HDw0bwanbq8JnfS9MsNTpZOIgoKmqG5mD9oZKBVPZ3fuL8X74BAjTBdNVwgSOpoojY77oOk3uVOxdd99I2FKB3WVLNsJH3dLP9nrYuth5cjcpBTeOcD8eKEcEMdT_HH4/s1600-h/DSC_0423%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0423" border="0" alt="DSC_0423" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qLDizZkCnj8/UJwNOGkbvOI/AAAAAAAAD14/FEZ5dF1fnp4/DSC_0423_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="321" /></a></p> <p>Here he is sucking his thumb.  He’s really getting in to it lately.  Part of me really dreads that being his comfort thing because I can already see how difficult it will be to break that habit.  But it’s SO CUTE that I can hardly bring myself to care!  </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-k77ab1K88F0/UJwNQWT_uxI/AAAAAAAAD2A/Re6-mA4KO_E/s1600-h/DSC_0376%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0376" border="0" alt="DSC_0376" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nH3DvFFLHuQ/UJwNSCqaILI/AAAAAAAAD2I/DC-PEXzV8CQ/DSC_0376_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="236" height="357" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jrRywHzDr0E/UJwNT_Li0aI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/o_1XdggPmO8/s1600-h/DSC_0380%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0380" border="0" alt="DSC_0380" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CGmoe5L1WgY/UJwNVtcjpJI/AAAAAAAAD2Y/8TU2fi3V0-4/DSC_0380_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="236" height="357" /></a></p> <p>Here he is cuddling with 2 of his great grandmothers.  They love him!  </p> <p>Bless his heart.  He acts a lot like Amelia, just not as bad.  Ha!  He’ll be sitting there perfectly fine and decide he’s mad and just start screaming.  The difference between him and Amelia is that he’s not too terribly difficult to calm down.  Amelia just….didn’t calm down.  We joke that he has two moods:  Happy and Really Ticked Off.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ktvnK5H5POM/UJwNKJBF2YI/AAAAAAAAD1o/TNRjUuPNzkc/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-z6SqEZwstEE/UJwNY2PJSCI/AAAAAAAAD2g/UxXttVosiKg/s1600-h/DSC_0382%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0382" border="0" alt="DSC_0382" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-HiXhdpMWpDU/UJwNaec_J6I/AAAAAAAAD2o/VetqjXf4GLc/DSC_0382_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="478" height="325" /></a></p> <p>Overall, he’s waking up a lot more.  He spends a lot more of his time awake and looking around at things than he was before.  He purposely swats at toys on his playmat and enjoys watching the swing mobile.  He can roll onto his side from his back but that’s about all he’s interested in doing.  He really isn’t a huge fan of tummy time – he’ll tolerate it for 3-4 minutes.  </p> <p>I love his sweet smile.  He is such a precious little boy.  </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-l0CEukVjPm0/UJwNcbhSaRI/AAAAAAAAD2w/8-9eJ0niGo8/s1600-h/DSC_0421%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0421" border="0" alt="DSC_0421" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yLij_XPyAxw/UJwNdjHvVbI/AAAAAAAAD24/v-DEyj5WOS4/DSC_0421_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="321" /></a></p> <p>He has the cutest, chubbiest, little cheeks.  I love them.  I just want to squish them!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2C2lVl1Ji-g/UJwNfVAx9BI/AAAAAAAAD3A/8n_wUf6wrcI/s1600-h/DSC_0257%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0257" border="0" alt="DSC_0257" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zF5C4YelxDE/UJwNhEz9FnI/AAAAAAAAD3I/n0fQSEYTRoc/DSC_0257_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="333" height="506" /></a></p> <p>I really think he favors Judd, but I’m terrible at guessing who a baby looks like.  Ha!  </p> <p>Little man, we sure do love you!  </p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-26014047966384328882012-10-29T17:57:00.001-05:002012-10-29T17:57:33.729-05:00Lately…<p align="center">We really haven’t been “busy” but my days feel full!  I don’t have a lot of actual computer time anymore.  What I do is usually done from my phone!  But today I finally uploaded a few pictures that have been sitting on my camera for <strike>weeks</strike> months.  I figure my family will enjoy these!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c4zQNc3jQJk/UI8IUbfWVfI/AAAAAAAADuw/9wBvat67CZU/s1600-h/DSC_0020%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0020" border="0" alt="DSC_0020" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ubfdy1kwq2U/UI8IVyGQI3I/AAAAAAAADu4/YGxiUwB5h2o/DSC_0020_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="462" height="312" /></a></p> <p align="center">Caroline’s little party that we did for her on her actual birthday.  She woke up from her nap and had her present from us and cake and balloons!  She (and Amelia!) loved it!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-U03Y5ELWh8I/UI8IYBhxKNI/AAAAAAAADvA/iEtw1gQ1suE/s1600-h/DSC_0001%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0001" border="0" alt="DSC_0001" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UhaQJ2Rl1IY/UI8IY3JkEnI/AAAAAAAADvI/f_hpYM1y2yk/DSC_0001_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="320" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Z1edBFFpgBM/UI8Ias8O3wI/AAAAAAAADvQ/uhYb60TPI8U/s1600-h/DSC_0004%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0004" border="0" alt="DSC_0004" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ypiyYQs_IZk/UI8Ib7r4yrI/AAAAAAAADvY/G9eYFNrBOkE/DSC_0004_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0pi5O5l2_pw/UI8Ienc8CjI/AAAAAAAADvg/XXc_BTF8zlw/s1600-h/DSC_0012%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0012" border="0" alt="DSC_0012" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YrI1GvLM1a4/UI8IgPdULjI/AAAAAAAADvo/kyjpTVUCX_Y/DSC_0012_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="319" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I0sajB3jG_g/UI8IiRkIQ0I/AAAAAAAADvw/NlvJ331H-k4/s1600-h/DSC_0049%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0049" border="0" alt="DSC_0049" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0toImvx4LKg/UI8Ijrk6IwI/AAAAAAAADv4/r0vkw0wdgD8/DSC_0049_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="320" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Q-jB-8uSkmM/UI8IlYUAGrI/AAAAAAAADwA/o7K8AUCTfgM/s1600-h/DSC_0051%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0051" border="0" alt="DSC_0051" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7IjywodsF_E/UI8ImkBdUPI/AAAAAAAADwI/b--767AzdTg/DSC_0051_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="269" height="407" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-STbgNiYyVJQ/UI8IqCrAppI/AAAAAAAADwQ/k3RMIhVOe0U/s1600-h/DSC_0054%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0054" border="0" alt="DSC_0054" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_p51_kOvcss/UI8IrUuuDSI/AAAAAAAADwY/lCosN-4kAZU/DSC_0054_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="446" height="301" /></a></p> <p align="center">Not gonna lie.  I didn’t have time to make a cake.  Give me a break, Walker was 2 weeks old!  So we got a rainbow Walmart cake…and it was actually REALLY good!  My big girl *loves* all kinds of cake.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_0keTqGqYRw/UI8ItLJ-EqI/AAAAAAAADwg/JZpmcUs71L4/s1600-h/DSC_0951%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0951" border="0" alt="DSC_0951" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3YeMEXwI3_k/UI8IuVDtb8I/AAAAAAAADwo/9U4NrXyN3yY/DSC_0951_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="465" height="314" /></a></p> <p align="center">And balloons….</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5vwAj9r5e0o/UI8IxmhREhI/AAAAAAAADww/W5KwkmgrVR0/s1600-h/DSC_0971%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0971" border="0" alt="DSC_0971" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XRtbKUxPKhs/UI8Iyi53UhI/AAAAAAAADw4/5QLeStltNFk/DSC_0971_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="471" height="318" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-m_JoWiu7QmY/UI8I1QiD_CI/AAAAAAAADxA/7kvjI5S-lrw/s1600-h/DSC_0980%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0980" border="0" alt="DSC_0980" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rznL6ErEpew/UI8I2uUtf_I/AAAAAAAADxI/EwQJdxnEFt0/DSC_0980_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="478" height="312" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0UVDrFNmD60/UI8I5XCliMI/AAAAAAAADxQ/QXzEo4K-M2Q/s1600-h/DSC_0991%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0991" border="0" alt="DSC_0991" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HaxgOMH19mw/UI8I6xt_7wI/AAAAAAAADxY/EAEBlJ_dM0c/DSC_0991_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="466" height="315" /></a></p> <p align="center">And like every kid…she loves unwrapping presents!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KRhiRcmFi64/UI8I9w1mxTI/AAAAAAAADxg/mPUQOG3YNtk/s1600-h/DSC_0996%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0996" border="0" alt="DSC_0996" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7QFnzq4-bDk/UI8I_Oqmf0I/AAAAAAAADxo/MS-VW7BqMn0/DSC_0996_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="443" height="299" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OeA3umaOexk/UI8JBWFzTCI/AAAAAAAADxw/DCF6RnbXnIE/s1600-h/DSC_1005%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_1005" border="0" alt="DSC_1005" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jipNQfZCd3hZUiKnx-JACvnmWzw0ujtKFgNFd5HwfguOg-Pd5RU8fXt3qM4loWunLOwU-0VZ4uNv0Hk0b507o-Fqd6C_tALA894KYEGSac-mD-anuMBbLDu7Ot5MKt10PryQ6yygYNo/?imgmax=800" width="441" height="298" /></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QHad49o5HEY/UI8JFtU060I/AAAAAAAADyA/ufIEHnqD7-U/s1600-h/DSC_0179%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0179" border="0" alt="DSC_0179" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fT4Ee-R1oH0/UI8JH7H3lnI/AAAAAAAADyI/JFtzMTFhzMs/DSC_0179_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="462" height="314" /></a></p> <p align="center">Amelia just woke up.  Caroline is pretending to have “fever.”  She needed a pillow and a blanket!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YqrM2zchVCo/UI8JLsku4vI/AAAAAAAADyQ/Zyv-QHegUdk/s1600-h/DSC_0182%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0182" border="0" alt="DSC_0182" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wCikup3nXhw/UI8JNeXsu7I/AAAAAAAADyY/WaI2y8lmfPM/DSC_0182_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="470" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="center">Oma got the girls dancing outfits!  Caroline had a peanut butter face.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pvj0AbYGOHc/UI8JQ-tNevI/AAAAAAAADyg/2Wq0VmEd7XI/s1600-h/DSC_0245%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0245" border="0" alt="DSC_0245" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MlzltNPzU1s/UI8JS5tGPbI/AAAAAAAADyo/c3t2hTPQ7_4/DSC_0245_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="463" height="315" /></a></p> <p align="center">A huge mudhole!  Thanks to their daddy!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yDoDTJaStug/UI8JV_dDXDI/AAAAAAAADyw/_Pjy3ZAo8IU/s1600-h/DSC_0247%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0247" border="0" alt="DSC_0247" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hPA_VFtxKwo/UI8JXJkSRwI/AAAAAAAADy4/kjZe7FfNJho/DSC_0247_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="471" height="318" /></a></p> <p align="center">Look how deep the hole was!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pc431M-MOpc/UI8JY_WugDI/AAAAAAAADzA/0P_cjx679sA/s1600-h/DSC_0249%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0249" border="0" alt="DSC_0249" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-F7uyhZFGZLQ/UI8JaOeHeYI/AAAAAAAADzI/-AXy0vzQMhI/DSC_0249_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="462" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-76CbN8ySPmc/UI8JcxvgvoI/AAAAAAAADzQ/Rekf1axk6ao/s1600-h/DSC_0251%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0251" border="0" alt="DSC_0251" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jznVSkvfsow/UI8JeZH7JWI/AAAAAAAADzY/lqV1tjGuDJA/DSC_0251_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="center">Filthy.  I honestly didn’t want to let them in the door.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dtOzst8CaUk/UI8JgCp8qjI/AAAAAAAADzg/R8nM6PFelCA/s1600-h/DSC_0252%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0252" border="0" alt="DSC_0252" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MXvwFg5nMo8/UI8Jh-vKrHI/AAAAAAAADzo/rBR81rt6dDk/DSC_0252_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="305" height="464" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VsUieG7TanQ/UI8JkmUKkcI/AAAAAAAADzw/f3PwgsMqtpg/s1600-h/DSC_0253%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0253" border="0" alt="DSC_0253" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PYLb_OfffQQ/UI8JmbysqgI/AAAAAAAADz4/ZhDudjsMyJs/DSC_0253_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="312" height="475" /></a></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UsB1gie7zkk/UI8JpUiTDBI/AAAAAAAAD0A/exhfEWG0hnY/s1600-h/DSC_0258%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0258" border="0" alt="DSC_0258" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-y6VsPcXSpdQ/UI8JrROOpPI/AAAAAAAAD0I/mZ87RLyCpvU/DSC_0258_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="468" height="316" /></a></p> <p align="center">Go Bulldogs!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gwrVZDqIi0I/UI8Ju6hX9fI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/97IhJAlxsic/s1600-h/DSC_0259%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0259" border="0" alt="DSC_0259" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mOrg8Wtb2_w/UI8Jw9GGWJI/AAAAAAAAD0Y/05AoPfgN17E/DSC_0259_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="center">Family pictures are really hard to come by.  This is reality, folks.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6lu-0UJYd_E/UI8J05xAcxI/AAAAAAAAD0g/vFdOekahGu8/s1600-h/DSC_0268%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0268" border="0" alt="DSC_0268" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ommXHTArMx0/UI8J2QS4wBI/AAAAAAAAD0o/Fz1TVhIsHTk/DSC_0268_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="476" height="323" /></a></p> <p align="center">This post was incredibly picture heavy.  I know my family loved this!  Sorry if you aren’t family and this totally bored you.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzeApIwfSILvDjKoQv6RCdqUS1F6mwDUwwM0ZfatOp7QrZr-sqLy3CY_PSDiXIgw_Yz-ojWAJpHamsYZxhM-1V2G7PYYkEPoyPujzWqxVMYcGejus376yJTB5X0nP_sAE8rUCZxtbTTSo/?imgmax=800" /></p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-67786517069180207202012-10-13T10:33:00.001-05:002012-10-13T11:04:31.369-05:00Walker 2 Month Update!<div align="center">
Well, I’m almost a week late but better late than never, right? <img alt="Smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kXb8h6waAM4/UHmJeZhrg3I/AAAAAAAADso/fOR5iM5hKBg/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /> Walker is 13lbs 4oz, and at his 2mo check up he was 22 1/2 inches long. He fits comfortably in a 3 month outfit and in some he can wear a 3-6mo. He’s still in a size 2 diaper, although sometimes they feel snug. </div>
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-17XMAHLkxyw/UHmJg-pAaEI/AAAAAAAADsw/4c3xRCk0Kj0/s1600-h/DSC_0162%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0162" border="0" height="290" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9az3LEGosGE/UHmJiDXbTUI/AAAAAAAADs4/hGa878N3WqY/DSC_0162_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0162" width="430" /></a></div>
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He HAS been sleeping better! He actually had one night where he slept through the night. It was glorious! He hasn’t done that again, but it was nice when it happened! </div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-A0Lydt6L6t0/UHmJleXLFpI/AAAAAAAADtA/yWsyZz7FNSo/s1600-h/DSC_0118%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0118" border="0" height="318" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ug3wAVkp_co/UHmJnRxo_II/AAAAAAAADtI/kAfQstmGr6A/DSC_0118_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0118" width="467" /></a></div>
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He is acting like he might be trying to stretch out his feedings just a little. Yesterday he went 3 hours before eating one time and the day before he went 4 hours one time. His nighttime feedings are definitely stretched out more, but I can’t tell you how far because I don’t look at the clock anymore. I’m too tired. Ha!</div>
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Yoi5B9tYHwc/UHmJpFVrRcI/AAAAAAAADtQ/Y7vvRO9rr8A/s1600-h/DSC_0168%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0168" border="0" height="308" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lelLYVjseug/UHmJqP3yDaI/AAAAAAAADtY/YQEmZMXTns8/DSC_0168_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0168" width="456" /></a></div>
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He’s a sweet baby. He loves his mommy, his sisters (he thinks they’re funny), his paci most of the time, his swing, his blanket, nursing, and his mobile. </div>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7KONte70DuY/UHmJuxJfGBI/AAAAAAAADtg/TDpOohfODKA/s1600-h/DSC_0109%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0109" border="0" height="321" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LLCYxa5lTbM/UHmJwi5VhxI/AAAAAAAADto/T2qqTlenkJQ/DSC_0109_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0109" width="475" /></a></div>
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He hates his bath, getting his diaper changed, and a cold wipe. </div>
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He’s seriously the sweetest baby. I love him so much and he really is a great addition to our family! We love you, Walker!</div>
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<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:ce38cb05-d52b-4fbf-af67-c7c9517abbbd" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
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<object height="336" width="448"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GRp207diUtI?hl=en&hd=1"></param>
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Walker Smiling!</div>
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(Deda, press play! That’s a video!) <img alt="Winking smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypX0Iwlauo_a9iMxLdyTy7frQnTZLgd8mWOUJBJ72tUXp7iYf9lD4nLXx96zTyhqskKcSn4IUKbxEM6x_cIMVsoTWS_s9HSCND28wHYJ1DEeqeH75yNXIj8w4HHCCAh-qoHayf2JXbMw/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /></div>
Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-59111342776421657012012-10-11T18:39:00.001-05:002012-10-13T11:04:57.112-05:00Living Room Makeover (Again…)<br />
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Before pics of LR – Please excuse the mess – it’s always like this. HA!</div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pdlRQUX9P7k/UHdXvWZ5vJI/AAAAAAAADoc/gQWVeNZOdiE/s1600-h/DSC_0170%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0170" border="0" height="318" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yDNSTYd5bPw/UHdXxDSdScI/AAAAAAAADok/Ux5qs3K7X4U/DSC_0170_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0170" width="471" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0nA-vTbGDK4/UHdX0DKZ6gI/AAAAAAAADos/M-tbByq4ANs/s1600-h/DSC_0171%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0171" border="0" height="321" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-orD2pVwNV2s/UHdX1ofKyzI/AAAAAAAADo0/KWgKEJbF5wg/DSC_0171_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0171" width="473" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DSLT-POr4wE/UHdX5zqySBI/AAAAAAAADo8/PtDPrSI0QNk/s1600-h/DSC_0175%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0175" border="0" height="378" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OKpznMZ6c2U/UHdX7V__fnI/AAAAAAAADpE/2DEbOgOfU-g/DSC_0175_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0175" width="250" /></a></div>
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AFTER!</div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KFa4NjYoDuE/UHdX-Xr1daI/AAAAAAAADpM/fgGSKoHAcSg/s1600-h/DSC_0188%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0188" border="0" height="323" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--BR8aiKet6I/UHdYAyBkLFI/AAAAAAAADpU/Nl57yQ2oDb0/DSC_0188_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0188" width="478" /></a></div>
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Seriously – BIG difference! Yes, I need some new pillows and matching knick knacks – but the curtains themselves made a huge difference in the room. I’m so happy with them!</div>
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6Yy3yDlVV1g/UHdYEVqiHWI/AAAAAAAADpc/MkK-qFqPmuY/s1600-h/DSC_0186%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0186" border="0" height="328" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tgvlF6QhGHA/UHdYGXXBbvI/AAAAAAAADpk/1PItZXTPQx8/DSC_0186_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0186" width="479" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QLcx8HgXDZw/UHdYL5S6EMI/AAAAAAAADps/vGYtBPhxjl8/s1600-h/DSC_0190%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0190" border="0" height="323" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-E8wO5HRi2ws/UHdYNYlbICI/AAAAAAAADp4/tNMHNKKT4Bs/DSC_0190_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0190" width="478" /></a>The curtain rods are from Lowes (Allen Roth – Walnut Stain) and the fabric for the curtains is Wildwood Jubilee by Richloom. I ordered mine from Maryjos.com. She had the cheapest price I could find anywhere!<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nY4j6A2z56M/UHdYRZxyswI/AAAAAAAADqA/jpPDb5Uv0OM/s1600-h/DSC_0194%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0194" border="0" height="324" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eUXShwQGRK0/UHdYTNfRDRI/AAAAAAAADqI/_boWJQHZnwM/DSC_0194_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0194" width="480" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-R9EqkR4lc48/UHdYVUDYMMI/AAAAAAAADqQ/LxUZHEBYN58/s1600-h/DSC_0196%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0196" border="0" height="434" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I-2ZVTxymoc/UHdYWnKXGII/AAAAAAAADqY/7wuSp8ZMD_E/DSC_0196_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0196" width="287" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J4drg2jP2Eg/UHdYae7cAeI/AAAAAAAADqg/wP0YKe5OCDc/s1600-h/DSC_0202%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0202" border="0" height="323" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZMSVFKDvZ6E/UHdYcCP52mI/AAAAAAAADqo/P0bfL9eJAYM/DSC_0202_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0202" width="478" /></a></div>
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This picture is a good representation of the actual color of the fabric!</div>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hkFW_s_hX1U/UHdYeGX4uuI/AAAAAAAADqw/sU4nZROtl0s/s1600-h/DSC_0206%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0206" border="0" height="323" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gewfJJQzZtc/UHdYfo_FDCI/AAAAAAAADq4/O-Qkj-ZA41Y/DSC_0206_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0206" width="475" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VacKK14RYng/UHdYizTkSRI/AAAAAAAADrA/I5g8zYgDC4s/s1600-h/DSC_0207%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0207" border="0" height="489" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9ibvg1Nq9D0/UHdYk4okz1I/AAAAAAAADrI/fndGwixwuds/DSC_0207_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0207" width="322" /></a></div>
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Love the fabric!</div>
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oVSCPCLeanQ/UHdYm6HggGI/AAAAAAAADrQ/xAEhX37bLdU/s1600-h/DSC_0208%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0208" border="0" height="322" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8BR4HSVH1uI/UHdYn0XTAAI/AAAAAAAADrY/dctT6buVfHk/DSC_0208_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0208" width="477" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lI1oXAXC8yg/UHdYrY0WA2I/AAAAAAAADrg/dSjeEa83NW0/s1600-h/DSC_0209%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0209" border="0" height="324" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9449lIslG5I/UHdYtax2wgI/AAAAAAAADro/qxudDjhDLf4/DSC_0209_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0209" width="476" /></a></div>
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These curtains definitely have a lot of mistakes and I can’t sew a straight stitch to save my life. But HEY – not that many people are gonna be checking out my stitches. They were a labor of love – because I love them. A lot. I used <a href="http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2011/10/12/how-to-make-professional-lined-curtain-panels/" target="_blank">THIS</a> tutorial to make my curtains. I used it more as a guide than anything. Mine are lined and I wanted to make sure I did that right. Two panels can be lined from 1 king size flat sheet. My curtains needed to be 90” long and 54” wide, and it worked perfectly. It took about 2hrs to make 1 panel. It could just be that I’m slow, though. <img alt="Winking smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mi5eigwRrGI/UHdYugJHQbI/AAAAAAAADrw/fizhOFhG5Sc/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /> </div>
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I think it made a huge difference in my living room. Now I gotta talk Judd into a new couch (I’m thinking leather to break up the throw up of beige) and I’ll be pretty content with my living room. The big cabinet from my MIL is coming along! Pictures coming soon! </div>
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I know you’re all tired of hearing about my living room so I’ll try to keep these posts to a minimum from here on out. <img alt="Winking smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mi5eigwRrGI/UHdYugJHQbI/AAAAAAAADrw/fizhOFhG5Sc/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /> </div>
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Now, back to the regular programming…</div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OKIV_NFTkBM/UHdYwRVZp7I/AAAAAAAADr4/m37Zoe9sxSk/s1600-h/DSC_0167%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC_0167" border="0" height="298" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-p_FMQsRfqSk/UHdYx8Ue7KI/AAAAAAAADsA/NF4WgIGNLBU/DSC_0167_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="DSC_0167" width="441" /></a></div>
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Nakey baby! (Washcloth for modesty.) <img alt="Smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nqHQgf5fWEk/UHdYyoouXZI/AAAAAAAADsI/-JFHruJLf9c/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /></div>
Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-11156599755737800152012-10-07T18:22:00.001-05:002012-10-07T18:22:02.240-05:00Living Room Progress<p align="center">So since my last post I’ve made quite a bit of living room progress.  I spent HOURS searching the internet for more fabric that I liked that wasn’t $17/yd.  I didn’t find any.  So I put it all in my shopping cart.  Enough to make 6 panels.  And I stared at the price.  And I stared some more.  Then I decided that was just WAY too much since I have to make so many panels and I went back to the drawing board.  I even had a friend send me a picture message of some she found while fabric shopping! (Thanks, Erin!)  </p> <p align="center">While I was looking for the 100th time, I stumbled across some that I hadn’t seen before.  It’s called Wildwood Jubilee by Richloom.  I loooooooooove it.  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-H9ot_BCUa4c/UHIOijAVPOI/AAAAAAAADng/CMYeEeuqGTs/s1600-h/FABRIC%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="FABRIC" border="0" alt="FABRIC" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0WOpNC8lqS8/UHIOjuKs7BI/AAAAAAAADno/vhJOa9B65p0/FABRIC_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="442" height="369" /></a></p> <p align="center">It photographs a little more vibrantly than the colors actually are, but you get the gist.  It’s perfect.  And at <a href="www.maryjos.com" target="_blank">Mary Jo’s Cloth Store</a>, it’s $7.98/yd.  Talk about MUCH BETTER.  My total was HALF of what it would’ve been.  Shipping was also $7.99 no matter how much I ordered.  My order was 13lbs, and it still shipped (quickly, might I add!) for $7.99.  I’m very happy!</p> <p align="center">I also got my curtain rods from Lowes.  We checked our gift cards and had $100 on it so we went for it.  The rods are a little long so Judd is going to cut about 7 inches off of each one.  I love the way they look though.  We hung the rods but I’ve yet to start on the new curtains.  My fabric just came in on Friday night around 9pm…our UPS guy runs late out here!</p> <p align="center">Anyway – I’m very excited!  We’re also really coming along on the cabinet my mother-in-law gave me.  The front is pretty much sanded as much as we’re going to sand it.  It’s going to be painted white so we just needed all the chippy paint removed.  The top is sanded completely.  Now we just need to clean it thoroughly, let it dry out, and get to work.  I’m also ordering some bun feet for the bottom.  I’ve found them on several places online but NO WHERE in town.  Lowe’s had 1 foot.  Seriously – ya can’t do much with only 1 foot.  But I’m really excited about all of it.  I think my sister is really tired of hearing about my living room – but I listened to her when she re-did hers so this is payback and she has to listen to me.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uaF9b2ESFwY/UHIOkDI-uSI/AAAAAAAADnw/UQ_0_NouOuI/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  </p> <p align="center">Pictures coming soon!  </p> <p align="center">And just for Deda…</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QdVf5ErYPIw/UHIOlAnKc6I/AAAAAAAADn4/T_mjWWgSD9g/s1600-h/judd%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="judd" border="0" alt="judd" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4qRqsRxKr8M/UHIOmO6EIuI/AAAAAAAADoA/wSGbciHAX8k/judd_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="389" height="525" /></a></p> <p align="center">Look at that big boy! (Walker, not Judd…LOL!)  He’s 13.5lbs at 8.5wks old!  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uaF9b2ESFwY/UHIOkDI-uSI/AAAAAAAADnw/UQ_0_NouOuI/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" />  Love you!</p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-28196936841169690622012-09-29T16:54:00.001-05:002012-10-13T11:05:26.113-05:003 Kids and Living Room Makeover (in my dreams)<div align="center">
Well, it’s been 3 weeks since I last posted – or at least close to it, I think. I went from posting at least once a week to not at all. Thanks for sticking it out with me. </div>
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I think I’m somewhat adjusted to a life with 3 kiddos. (I mean, as adjusted as you can be in 7 1/2 weeks…) It’s really not that bad.<i> (All moms of 3 with older kids just said, “YET.”)</i> The hardest part is when we need to go somewhere. Walker despises his car seat. I’m talking, within 5 minutes of being in it, he is screaming like someone is stabbing him. He hates it. So going places is difficult. It also takes <span style="font-size: medium;"><u>forever</u></span> to get 3 kids ready to go and loaded up and buckled into their car seats. Caroline is in a big girl booster seat but she can’t do the seat belt by herself yet. So I buckle her first, then Amelia, then buckle Walker into his seat and snap him in. Whew. I’m tired just thinking about it.</div>
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Our days at home really aren’t bad. Walker sleeps in his swing in the living room during the day. He is a super quick nurser so within 10 minutes he’s usually finished eating. He DOES still eat about every 2 hours. Every now and then he’ll stretch it to 3 hours. I never know what to do with that extra hour when he stretches it out. It’s so exciting. Ha! </div>
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In non-kiddo news: I’m desperate to redo my living room. Why? I have no idea. Because I am<u> just like my mother</u> and I like change...in my décor at least. That being said, my décor has basically been the same since we moved in. I have always gravitated toward warm colors in my living areas. Beige, deep reds, olive green, goldy yellows, burnt orange – maybe that’s why I like Fall décor so much. Anyway, all of a sudden, I want some blue in my living room. I think I just want to brighten the room up a bit and adding blue seems like a good way to do that. However, how do you mix a cool blue color with all of those warm colors? Well I’ll tell you - you change all of your decor, <i>that’s how. </i>Obviously, I cannot afford to change everything I’ve done in my living room over the last 2 years so I’m trying to find another solution. I need something with warm colors that also has a touch of blue. So I’m looking at this fabric to make curtains: </div>
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It’s Santa Maria Adobe by Waverly</div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--5JWU7lQZxA/UGduA5D_a1I/AAAAAAAADmE/pbdg3VHV6ws/s1600-h/Santa_Maria_Adobe%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Santa_Maria_Adobe" border="0" height="379" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1kQDrpIEoXc/UGduBprCZoI/AAAAAAAADmM/Zbo8dRUN16Q/Santa_Maria_Adobe_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Santa_Maria_Adobe" width="283" /></a></div>
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The problem? It’s like $17.00/yd and I have 3 windows that need curtains and one door that would need a new roman shade. Two panels on each window + a roman shade? We’re talking like, 18 yards of fabric. You do the math. My husband would <span style="font-size: medium;">K-I-L-L</span> me if I spent that much money on curtains for my living room. </div>
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<i>But look how pretty it is! </i>That’s what I’m going to say to him when he argues with me. </div>
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I also want some new curtain rods. Of course I do. The ones we got when we moved in were from Walmart and are too short for our windows – so the rod is caving in the middle from the weight of the curtains. </div>
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Have you all seen this illustration? </div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-I9fp43fC7v4/UGduCj3k_9I/AAAAAAAADmU/PACCJRDxijU/s1600-h/how%252520to%252520hang%252520curtains%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to hang curtains" border="0" height="348" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oia5MlUK-yk/UGduDb0gbsI/AAAAAAAADmc/wOHRaM9Ds7k/how%252520to%252520hang%252520curtains_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="how to hang curtains" width="457" /></a></div>
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I’m sure you have. Well my curtains are the exact same as the “DON’T” illustration. I’ve wanted to do the “DO” for a long time, but my curtains are too short to move my rod up and my rod is too short to move it out any further. *sigh* Supposedly it lets in a lot more sunlight – which I adore.</div>
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I really want those big chunky wooden curtain rods – but again, I’d need three. They’re about $50/ea at Home Depot & Lowes. Luckily, we have saved some Lowes and HD gift cards that we got over a year ago and now seems like the perfect time to use them! <img alt="Winking smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7wZt8sBDgsE/UGduD4THTcI/AAAAAAAADmk/twHDFz_ChIQ/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /> </div>
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Then <i>of course</i>, I’d need some pillows that have that pop of blue in them. Then some little accents around the room. And lest we forget, I’ve asked for new couches for Christmas. I really want a couch or sectional that is deeper than the standard couch. When I lie down on the couch, I don’t want half my body hanging off because it isn’t deep enough. When I was pregnant, it was twice as bad…but it definitely still does it in my non-pregnant state. It would also be nice to have one that hasn't been pooped, peed, spit-up, and had food rubbed on it. Even if that wouldn’t last 5 minutes. </div>
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So you see I have a lot of $$ saving to do. I’m having a garage sale soon – maybe that will help go to curtain money. The couches will have to be Christmas/Anniversary…if at all. </div>
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My amazing mother-in-law has given me the most beautiful piece of furniture. Judd said, “Really? You think so?” because to him it looks like it’s falling apart. To me, it looks like it needs a little TLC and it’ll be looking brand new!</div>
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-L9mBL2apA0A/UGduE3EKJRI/AAAAAAAADms/vXotq3FwPw4/s1600-h/hutch%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="hutch" border="0" height="409" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kidWDfjbr_U/UGduFmAgUjI/AAAAAAAADm0/Qa5ZBOfX2lI/hutch_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="hutch" width="406" /></a></div>
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It’s been sitting outside her house (under a patio) for about 10 years. I want to add some big detailed feet to the bottom and stain the top and the feet a dark wood. The bottom half I want painted white. It’s going to go where my china cabinet is now. We never use my china, so I’m going to store it for now.<i> (Sidenote: Does ANYONE actually use their china?)</i> We sanded the top last weekend and did a little sanding on the bottom half. It’s looking great so far!</div>
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ciHhBtx_XAQ/UGduGhgr2TI/AAAAAAAADm8/-8P8oaG4Vo8/s1600-h/hutch2%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="hutch2" border="0" height="428" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-p9dQ5cFWx3A/UGduH03idXI/AAAAAAAADnE/CvXDbYA_Drk/hutch2_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="hutch2" width="424" /></a></div>
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I can’t wait to get finished. My goal is to finish it by Thanksgiving. I’m sure if I had more time to devote to it, we could finish it sooner – but I don’t. So Thanksgiving is my goal! I want to be able to decorate it for Christmas. I think it’s a great place to hang our stockings since we don’t have a mantle. It’s as tall (without the feet added) as our bar – so it’s a tall piece of furniture! </div>
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ANYWAY – I’ve made up for 3 weeks of not posting all in one post. This was quite a menagerie of topics in one post. Gotta keep ya on your toes. </div>
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You now know all of my hopes and dreams for my living room. Next post, I’ll tell you about how I wish I hadn’t put carpet in the girls playroom because it’s now a <u>sticky-cereal-bar-jello-gummy-snack-goldfish-crayon-infested-mess.</u> Do all people make lists of things they “someday” want to do to their houses? Or is that just me? </div>
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Next time! <img alt="Winking smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7wZt8sBDgsE/UGduD4THTcI/AAAAAAAADmk/twHDFz_ChIQ/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /></div>
Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-1931787724066652082012-09-10T17:51:00.001-05:002012-10-13T11:05:42.192-05:00Walker’s 1 Month Update<div align="center">
How is my little boy 1 month old already? Technically it was Saturday, but due to some unexpected rain, we traveled to see my family since a lot of them had never even seen Walker! We had a great time! It was great to see everyone!</div>
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Walker is still doing a lot of sleeping, pooping, and mostly eating. He is a whopping 11lbs 5oz at 1 month old. He fits comfortably into a size 2 diaper and a 3 month outfit. At his 3 week check up he was 21 1/2 inches long (so up 2 inches from birth.) </div>
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I can’t believe how big he is! The girls were so small for so long so it blows my mind that he’s so big. He loves his mama, eating, swinging, and being held. He sometimes likes his paci and his bath. He hates being put in his carseat, getting dressed, and long diaper changes. </div>
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He still eats every 2 hours around the clock. I’m hoping a stretch will come soon! He’s still in our room and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered moving him to his own room to see if he’d sleep a longer stretch. But when it comes down to it, he loves snuggling with me and I DO get more sleep this way so we’ll stick with it for a while. </div>
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Sorry that I haven’t written in such a long time, but as you can imagine, I’ve been busy. Three kids (3 years and younger!) is a handful! </div>
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Here are a few iPhone pictures from the last couple weeks!</div>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Tv_7tAHUhUY/UE5u0AY9HpI/AAAAAAAADjw/OH2S_wAujd4/s1600-h/photo%2525286%252529%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(6)" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XIrCAOgDbPs/UE5u0-rLKpI/AAAAAAAADj4/2_pMhKQjOGI/photo%2525286%252529_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(6)" width="180" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0RMDCttS2PM/UE5u2UzHlYI/AAAAAAAADkA/T8Zg4tJ3fG4/s1600-h/photo%2525287%252529%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(7)" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hcZUFJxOAmI/UE5u2zq5_EI/AAAAAAAADkI/9KFL_d30VjE/photo%2525287%252529_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(7)" width="180" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jLxNg9-ewP0/UE5u3yjVgvI/AAAAAAAADkQ/qxSJAFkdzIA/s1600-h/photo%2525288%252529%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(8)" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tSLF7SVZBtU/UE5u4UmBMII/AAAAAAAADkY/8PvfxcId4pQ/photo%2525288%252529_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(8)" width="180" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4sSNZ-wD3Kg/UE5u5eku7QI/AAAAAAAADkg/lPR6gDJT1Gw/s1600-h/photo%2525289%252529%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(9)" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kPe_97gWk9U/UE5u5whHNwI/AAAAAAAADko/fvo1v0AQ5Gk/photo%2525289%252529_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(9)" width="180" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cCgbe8NqOeU/UE5u62MfOwI/AAAAAAAADkw/N5dxwzCWI_4/s1600-h/photo%25252810%252529%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(10)" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HVX_Ua-XKoY/UE5u7h0BqiI/AAAAAAAADk4/PAMgFys1Gks/photo%25252810%252529_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(10)" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRr88reFx6xWa-Yw2cUEgT08j4-vDsOHMCdzXl6W6ZBwRAYVpSme3zeikFNmB5vdD-KNdqyJU-IBD-SMLH60ujyPFtctmuGqXh1pwcN38PekfWWXwd_ggpJ6jeyNZjPEXwLlgUk_z1WM/s1600-h/photo%25252811%252529%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(11)" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-W1WNq7aAIvs/UE5u_hPcdOI/AAAAAAAADlI/IDJZUnTUYCs/photo%25252811%252529_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(11)" width="180" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PBCEATqDH3U/UE5vAqqflTI/AAAAAAAADlQ/aOcC4Tq3954/s1600-h/photo%25252813%252529%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(13)" border="0" height="240" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WSfY0KhK56I/UE5vBPlS8ZI/AAAAAAAADlY/lHJjbXYEjNY/photo%25252813%252529_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(13)" width="180" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DzKWP1n5Mjc/UE5vCPsGlKI/AAAAAAAADlg/HDT9UnIq_mU/s1600-h/photo%25252814%252529%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="photo(14)" border="0" height="180" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-piPmsdeKXB4/UE5vCv7jfwI/AAAAAAAADlo/whNnOmzbAPE/photo%25252814%252529_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="photo(14)" width="240" /></a></div>
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He is such a blessing!</div>
Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-71158055111804243032012-08-22T22:46:00.001-05:002012-08-22T22:46:06.732-05:00My Girls!<p align="center">I haven’t posted much about my sweet girls lately.  Since you got a Walker-Picture-Overload the other day, here’s a few of my sweet first and second babies.  (They’ll always be my babies!)</p> <p align="center">I’ve <u><em>really</em></u> been trying to get better with my camera using the manual settings and my 50mm lens.  I love it.  I’m also really new to editing so go easy on this amateur.  </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7XQK5Jm3eGQ/UDWm8jRaSHI/AAAAAAAADhI/G-70nejsG6I/s1600-h/DSC_0844%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0844" border="0" alt="DSC_0844" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MkDrQdRfi64/UDWm9sAGxbI/AAAAAAAADhQ/uZnJfpeLjRg/DSC_0844_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="319" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8WKDRTwlZ3g/UDWnBAJWVaI/AAAAAAAADhY/cBtWIzb2ZjU/s1600-h/DSC_0850%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0850" border="0" alt="DSC_0850" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NpFLY5JFShQ/UDWnDMIaQ1I/AAAAAAAADhg/3xHBRzJ51aI/DSC_0850_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="477" height="322" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0D3PNJj3pjs/UDWnF09dL_I/AAAAAAAADho/eblUGKdnBVc/s1600-h/DSC_0855%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0855" border="0" alt="DSC_0855" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0720w5HMqMo/UDWnHn3e5KI/AAAAAAAADhw/8Ga0xeUotsg/DSC_0855_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="314" height="478" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fC__PNPHOxw/UDWnKjMIVDI/AAAAAAAADh4/Oc9hs_i-LWs/s1600-h/DSC_0856%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0856" border="0" alt="DSC_0856" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ol0uLIh1A-Y/UDWnMmBq_5I/AAAAAAAADiA/AtW4K3Jvvu0/DSC_0856_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="307" height="464" /></a>‘</p> <p align="center">She posed all by herself!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c0UA4h4eCPY/UDWnOui7dHI/AAAAAAAADiI/YeSlufKHpGA/s1600-h/DSC_0890%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0890" border="0" alt="DSC_0890" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1NM3x-mX7xQ/UDWnQHITu9I/AAAAAAAADiQ/lPfGXEVugFE/DSC_0890_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="461" /></a></p> <p align="center">I thought this one was so funny.  Running full speed!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9dGEDYiom1Q/UDWnSagymqI/AAAAAAAADiY/sc4fSc8C1c0/s1600-h/DSC_0896%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0896" border="0" alt="DSC_0896" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6lXGaYqZg-Q/UDWnT24Z7JI/AAAAAAAADig/6eB3W42j3bA/DSC_0896_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="472" height="319" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Bgw_1LQoi1E/UDWnVXF25II/AAAAAAAADio/PFcctMmhuWU/s1600-h/DSC_0897%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0897" border="0" alt="DSC_0897" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4SbhijoeW_w/UDWnWX77jMI/AAAAAAAADiw/E_RRfl1EPA4/DSC_0897_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="466" height="317" /></a></p> <p align="center">This wasn’t what I was going for with this shot.  I was wanting it focused on her eyes, but she moved and it got her mouth instead.  After I looked at it a few times, I decided that might be the cutest button nose and sweet mouth ever created.  So I kinda like it.  <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" alt="Winking smile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WXFOLQzi4WQ/UDWnXF6346I/AAAAAAAADi4/OQovvZApXrs/wlEmoticon-winkingsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YtqlY76ui3c/UDWnYrrlZII/AAAAAAAADjA/TJVQNlxuIaw/s1600-h/DSC_0908%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0908" border="0" alt="DSC_0908" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-y-kfmgSHpZs/UDWnavKkEqI/AAAAAAAADjI/HAzNS3ffs6E/DSC_0908_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="510" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tkSBehnq6n8/UDWndkpd9nI/AAAAAAAADjQ/yrNa_UUxTIs/s1600-h/sassy%252520tranquil%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="sassy tranquil" border="0" alt="sassy tranquil" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ip_hpWDtLgE/UDWnfPREHXI/AAAAAAAADjY/INlMGDgKTHI/sassy%252520tranquil_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="473" height="321" /></a></p> <p align="center">And just for fun – a shot of the world’s worst dog.  She’s so terrible – and covered in mud!</p> <p align="center">I love my girls!!!</p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-86058295021253621342012-08-19T16:37:00.001-05:002012-08-19T16:37:38.238-05:00We’re Surviving!<p>My little man is 1 1/2 weeks old!  I would say that that seems impossible – buuuuut….part of me wonders how it’s only been 1 1/2 weeks.  Ha!  Such is the life of a new(ish) mom.  </p> <p>He REALLY is a fantastic baby, so far.  Most one week olds are pretty easy and he is no different.  He sleeps, eats a lot, and poops.  Breastfeeding is going well – finally.  He is definitely my best nurser so far.  He was born with a much stronger suck than either of my other kids…and well…let’s just say that can be painful and cause some irritation.  I’m talking, toe-curling, teeth-gritting irritation.  However, in a little over a week I’m feeling much better and as usual, I’m glad I stuck it out.  He’s already pretty great at side-lying nursing which makes both of us sleep a lot more (and less interruptions for Judd, too!)  </p> <p>One thing I will say for this kid – he poops <em>EVERY. TIME. HE. EATS.</em>  Did you not want to know that?  Sorry.  Like, sometimes we wonder if it’s normal to poop quite that much.  Just this morning, he projectile pooped…all over my leg and my sheets.  He also loves to pee on everything.  I try to get the diaper on as quickly as possible, but since he’s pooped every time I change him, it takes a few seconds to clean it up…and in the meantime…</p> <p>So far:  COUCH: 0  --  WALKER: 5</p> <p>You may not want to sit on our couches ever again.  Glad I didn’t bother to get a new one yet.  I’ll wait until he’s past his pee-on-everything phase.</p> <p>I’m feeling really great.  I’ve had a couple of days where I’ve overdone it and I paid for it dearly the next day – but for the most part, I can do whatever I want…pain free!  I am so happy to not be pregnant anymore.  HA!  My postpartum tummy gets smaller every day, although my butt and thighs seem to be holding steady.  Apparently <em>that</em> isn’t water weight…</p> <p>Caroline and Amelia are doing great with him.  Caroline went through a little jealousy and adjustments, but she’s doing better.  Once she got back into her regular routine she stopped acting out and things are pretty much back to our new normal.  </p> <p>Judd is working from sun-up to sun-down.  It’s difficult to deal with, but we’re making it.  I am very much looking forward to the end of Fall/beginning of Winter so we can spend some time as a family of 5!  </p> <p>Walker is getting bigger every day.  When we left he hospital, we weighed 7lbs, 8oz (by their scale) and today he weighed 9lbs even (by my baby scale.)  He’s fitting in his 0-3mo outfit since his NB was too short and his toes were poking the end.  He’s in a size 1 diaper.  That’s about all the updates I have for now. </p> <p>I’ll try to update again soon with some pictures!  Hope you all had a great weekend!</p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454957886950348122.post-30633389217191154172012-08-14T11:42:00.001-05:002012-08-14T11:42:26.189-05:00Walker’s Birth Story (+Lots of Pictures!)<p align="center"><strong>WARNING – If you don’t like reading about the state of a woman’s cervix, amniotic fluid, pushing urges, etc., then do not read this story.  Obviously a birth story will contain these things!</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MeLhZ-Ibv88/UCp_P4Jt5VI/AAAAAAAADcA/jy7x1zrV3rc/s1600-h/IMG_9453_dusk%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9453_dusk" border="0" alt="IMG_9453_dusk" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Z6oJBVl0XFc/UCp_Q7Q-UGI/AAAAAAAADcI/dYnLrraxwRo/IMG_9453_dusk_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="433" height="236" /></a></p> <p align="center"><u>Walker’s Birth Story</u></p> <p align="center">This story actually begins in mid-July, when I was 35 weeks. The day that I hit 35 weeks, I was sitting in bed thinking, “this is it.” I had been up all night long timing contractions. They were about 4-5 minutes apart, very painful, and had been happening for about 8 hours. I had already woken Judd up and told him that I thought we should call our doctor. As I mention in all of my birth stories, my doctor happens to be a family friend – and treats me like royalty! We called him, and he said he would come out to the house shortly and let me know what to do so we didn’t have to go to the hospital just to be sent home.</p> <p align="center">I had been extremely paranoid my entire pregnancy that I wouldn’t carry Walker long enough and he would be born too early. I delivered Amelia at 35 weeks on the dot – and luckily, she was healthy. I started requesting checks for changes earlier than typically performed so that if something <i>could</i> be caught, we might could catch it and stop it. I consistently showed no problems, and that was reassuring. At my last appointment at 34 weeks, I was a fingertip dilated and no effacement to speak of. I wasn’t worried with that.</p> <p align="center">When my doctor got to my house that morning, I was 2cm, and again no effacement worth mentioning. He said that most likely, this wasn’t it. I was exhausted. How on earth could contractions be <i>that</i> painful and go on <i>that</i> long without being real? I had experienced prodromal labor with my other two pregnancies as well, but I had never felt contractions that painful and that close together that weren’t real. I say that is the beginning of my story because this exact same thing continued to happen for 3 full weeks…filled with many “is this it?” moments where I constantly wondered what was going on. It was incredibly frustrating and such an emotional roller coaster. Besides being painful to constantly contract for 3 weeks, it also made me incredibly anxious that I <i>wouldn’t</i> know when I <i>was</i> in labor and would be sitting at home about to birth a baby and have no idea. By the time I got to 37 weeks (full term) I was</p> <p align="center"><strong>F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D.</strong></p> <p align="center">I prayed constantly that if he was healthy, to please let him come! I was proud to hit full term, but I was so incredibly tired. Sleep was already a thing of the past because of the constant contractions at night. One night they were 2-3 minutes apart and didn’t change with rest or movement and were extremely painful. About the time I called Judd, they stopped. Not tapered off…just stopped. I actually cried that night because I was so tired of the false alarms.</p> <p align="center">The REAL story (and labor!) begin on August 7. I had been riding with Judd on the combine that day cutting rice. I told him to hit a few bumps… ;) Unfortunately for me, these fancy new combines ride so smoothly that you’d never know. I came home and fed the girls dinner. I had been having a few contractions that day, but nothing more than normal. I didn’t even bother timing them. There was no point. I had a doctor’s appointment the next day, and I was ready to see if there had been any progress at all from all the contractions I’d been having. At my 37 week appointment, I was 3cm, 50%. The baby felt REALLY low in my pelvis. I had trouble walking very far because it felt like a very intense pressure in my pelvis. I put the girls in bed and settled in on the couch. I decided that I might not have time the next day, so I went ahead and wrote out my 38 week post for my blog. I saved it, and minimized it on my computer until Judd could come home and take my picture. I started watching TV and Judd came home. I still felt normal – a contraction here and there but it was nearly painless. Judd ate dinner and sat down beside me and we started watching “World’s Dumbest Criminals” and nearly died laughing. All of a sudden, I felt a tiny gush. It felt exactly like what happened when my water broke with Caroline. Instead of instantly thinking that I had peed on myself, I got up and changed my liner and waited. If it was really my water breaking, it would happen again. I sat back down on the couch and less than a minute later, I felt it again. So I repeated the above steps – still wondering if it was really possible! After a few more times of that, I told Judd we needed to clean the house up (HA!) and get ready. I was pretty sure my water had broken. Judd sent my doctor a message that I feel necessary to write down because it’s just totally something he’d say. “It seems my wife has sprung a leak.” My doctor called shortly after that and told me if I really thought it had broken, to go to the hospital. We live 25 minutes from the hospital so I decided to do my makeup and my hair and if I was still feeling the leaking, we would go.</p> <p align="center">Judd called his mom and told her to come on down to the house to stay with the girls. I did my hair and makeup and actually got somewhat frustrated because while I was standing up I hadn’t felt anything. Once I sat down again, there was NO doubt anymore! We loaded up the car and called my parents and sister. Off we went! I was so excited. I was also <i>SO</i> thankful that this labor began with my water breaking…something that I couldn’t second guess myself with for too long! My fears of sitting at home for too long wondering if I was in labor were over!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sw5WPA1u0es/UCp_TYqeWwI/AAAAAAAADcQ/z0feOOaa8OQ/s1600-h/DSC_0566%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0566" border="0" alt="DSC_0566" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Usx_CM5OZog/UCp_Ufj8L1I/AAAAAAAADcY/TTudz-fYxTU/DSC_0566_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="446" height="301" /></a></p> <p align="center">We got to the hospital and Judd took my 38 week picture since it was after midnight, now August 8<sup>th</sup>. We walked in and got admitted and went up to the room. I got into my gown, still not having any contractions that hurt or felt close together. My nurse checked me to see where I was. She said, “You’re about 7cm.” and my mouth fell open. I couldn’t believe I was 7cm and hadn’t had a single painful contraction. Impossible! My second thought was that my family wouldn’t make it <i>again</i>! Amelia had come in such a whirlwind that no one made it in time. I sent them a message and told them the news. I think it was around that time that my mother took over my sister’s driving and they got there a bit faster. ;) Since I wasn’t really contracting regularly yet, we decided to just hang out for a while and see if anything would happen on its own. My family arrived around 2:30am (they made it!) and Judd was asleep on the couch. I hadn’t been able to sleep at all – I was just too anxious! We all sat around and talked a little, then everyone tried to catch a nap here and there. I finally slept for about 30 minutes.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iBXk2coradI/UCp_WaJGkqI/AAAAAAAADcg/GgNuT0CIsng/s1600-h/DSC_0573%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0573" border="0" alt="DSC_0573" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yErqOqTrrxQ/UCp_XXw7WQI/AAAAAAAADco/ZJLtFgAMbMA/DSC_0573_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="462" height="312" /></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-X8SrB5zQMIU/UCp_aoaAxGI/AAAAAAAADcw/UuqQbL6zNC0/s1600-h/DSC_0572%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0572" border="0" alt="DSC_0572" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BbmnRMtL8XI/UCp_bXdAlAI/AAAAAAAADc4/9ncBljNB_1c/DSC_0572_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="462" height="312" /></a></p> <p align="center">Around 6:30 or 7:00am, my doctor arrived and checked me. I was still at 7cm. He ordered Pitocin, and I ordered the epidural! My CNA came in and started the process of my epidural – which I promise you must have taken 45 minutes. (It probably didn’t take quite that long, but it was the longest process of an epidural EVER. My other two seemed so quick compared to this one.) Once I got the epidural, they started the Pitocin and we waited a few minutes. It didn’t take long for my contractions to pick up and get painful. I say painful because I could still feel pain in my left hip that radiated down my thigh. OUCH. I gripped the bed and tried my hardest to just deal with it, but it was excruciating. I was afraid the CNA would want to completely redo my epidural so I kept putting off asking him to fix it. Finally, I caved and decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I was almost in tears from my hip feeling like someone had taken a jack hammer to it. He came in and explained I had a “hot spot” and topped off my epidural and had me roll over onto my left hip. Thankfully, that finally seemed to help and the pain just turned into intense pressure.</p> <p align="center">About 3 minutes after he came in, I felt the most intense pressure I’ve ever felt in my life to push. I never felt it with the girls except maybe a “I think I might need to push” type feeling. This was a “GO GET SOMEONE – I CAN’T STOP PUSHING!” type feeling. Ha! I told my mom, Judd, & Audra who were all in the room that I needed to push…now. I can’t even remember who went and got the nurse but she came in and told me I was complete. She had me push two times then told me to stop and not push anymore. That was a difficult task. It felt like even if I wasn’t pushing, he was still moving down (although I don’t think that was really the case, it was just pressure). She called my doctor who had gone over to the clinic. He got there much faster than I anticipated and I was so glad when he walked in. A little bit of anxiety set in at this point because I was just so nervous for the pushing part!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-X1WkgLgd-NE/UCp_byjGEaI/AAAAAAAADdA/WiS_lbdaUTY/s1600-h/IMG_9051%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9051" border="0" alt="IMG_9051" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IfN4-r9Xksc/UCp_cUrFmNI/AAAAAAAADdI/LRZ_2L14N1s/IMG_9051_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="261" height="409" /></a></p> <p align="center">They had me start pushing and at first it felt like my pushes weren’t doing anything. Judd says every time I pushed you could see his head and then when I stopped it would disappear. After one or two pushes, I finally got the hang of it and I was pushing with all of my might. I could feel a lot more with this epidural than my previous ones – but it wasn’t terrible. After what felt like 10 minutes, but according to everyone else was only about 3 minutes, Walker was born! When I looked at him I thought he looked about the same size as the girls (both were 6 ½ lbs) but it turns out he was 8lbs! I was so relieved that the waiting was over. He did great and was screaming in no time! I needed 1 stitch, which is nothing! Everything went great and soon after they let the family come in to see us and that was a special moment for me. With the girls, the policy was that Judd could go show off the baby while I recuperated, but it apparently changed and I got to be a part of that moment. It made a world of difference! After the family left, Walker nursed for the first time and ate like a CHAMP. By far, he is the best nurser, right off the bat. He has continued to nurse really well! At 6 days postpartum he started sleeping 3 hour stretches at night – which I appreciate. It’s different with him than both the girls since he isn’t jaundiced and is already back at his birth weight. Since he’s not jaundiced, he wakes himself up to eat when he’s hungry – which the girls didn’t do. I can actually let him lead the eating and it is SUCH a different experience being able to let him lead it. I’m so thankful he didn’t have jaundice issues like the girls. I specifically prayed for that and my prayers were answered! What a blessing!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A3rHmUll2S8/UCp_dOdoKcI/AAAAAAAADdQ/_b1i-g2ZVs4/s1600-h/IMG_9107%252520-%252520b%252526w%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9107 - b&w" border="0" alt="IMG_9107 - b&w" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-cKs-_DWzZaMccpHT7yQ3vci5DYgDyT1r74-PkA5-M53j4G94n5Pm7CBtQ7ldrPMGm0iZP38WNUaPsikyR5qZPgc3jatzphDld0CKlFyKxmg6qAg-8bkiFpITjP5N4RwihhQNX0nDl8/?imgmax=800" width="220" height="378" /></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LSo1OnFAOsU/UCp_er55GUI/AAAAAAAADdg/-QGuKHXpu1Y/s1600-h/IMG_9141%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9141" border="0" alt="IMG_9141" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4UwJhHtAxEQ/UCp_fOiTGAI/AAAAAAAADdo/oIVhL5qYJkY/IMG_9141_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="274" /></a></p> <p align="center">This pregnancy and postpartum recovery have been difficult for my body. Without a doubt, the most challenging, physically speaking. I think my body is trying to tell me that I’m no Michelle Duggar and I need to slow it down. I’ve gotten the message loud and clear! However, I wouldn’t change a thing. He fits perfectly into our family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.</p> <p align="center">Walker Thad </p> <p align="center">August 8, 2012</p> <p align="center">9:06am</p> <p align="center">7lbs, 15.9oz – 19 ½ in long</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fdf3Ryh8VNk/UCp_gc6MS4I/AAAAAAAADdw/uzvhoGwULFw/s1600-h/IMG_9424_edit%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9424_edit" border="0" alt="IMG_9424_edit" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5BxlRpNOavY/UCp_hIuqaQI/AAAAAAAADd4/C3O96C-0FFA/IMG_9424_edit_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="387" height="261" /></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dgLm4Ak3fL0/UCp_j9kpTrI/AAAAAAAADeA/lonbc6t98EE/s1600-h/IMG_9441_intrepid%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9441_intrepid" border="0" alt="IMG_9441_intrepid" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AkN8_69OkX8/UCp_k5mSf6I/AAAAAAAADeI/KgFJbbQGDsA/IMG_9441_intrepid_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="377" height="254" /></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFP-L92JVyIFE8RjPF2k55IC2najRHAeCjHfMkMda53BaDDvk39Ekx3_md6B1SUYnMsJL4sKg2AcTJfxXnlFpsHuAuHgA3JAKUONVS5_vwYSEwnls8aKFanQSZhellUCAXYa_b3ADsstU/s1600-h/IMG_9376_dusk%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9376_dusk" border="0" alt="IMG_9376_dusk" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WRT2CRGE068/UCp_o-GCj1I/AAAAAAAADeY/hLz_0Dg2h7c/IMG_9376_dusk_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="390" height="263" /></a></p> <p align="center">Audra and I took some newborn pictures of Walker and I wanted a share a few!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MmwMVUNv_U8/UCp_qcRdk-I/AAAAAAAADeg/Dry4RYYu238/s1600-h/DSC_0648%252520-%252520dusk%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0648 - dusk" border="0" alt="DSC_0648 - dusk" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ijgQdmHysFg/UCp_rJEh8pI/AAAAAAAADeo/tvreVnBrzwA/DSC_0648%252520-%252520dusk_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="415" height="280" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2yOzuK9T_IQ/UCp_sc4dZPI/AAAAAAAADew/1S7P5k7OhAk/s1600-h/DSC_0684%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0684" border="0" alt="DSC_0684" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pKMWEi2k4to/UCp_synwA2I/AAAAAAAADe4/EWRzQug-hPI/DSC_0684_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="418" height="282" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-78O20Qe35PI/UCp_txnckrI/AAAAAAAADfA/FG-0OKy-JcU/s1600-h/DSC_0749%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0749" border="0" alt="DSC_0749" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pQgUPOBWHfw/UCp_upitMoI/AAAAAAAADfI/VeHF1SMuBYE/DSC_0749_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="421" height="284" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-c80QKCwPJDE/UCp_wkXcVBI/AAAAAAAADfQ/xOj6p952gYA/s1600-h/DSC_0755%252520-%252520focal%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0755 - focal" border="0" alt="DSC_0755 - focal" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-G1-oMZ_3cy4/UCp_xallD9I/AAAAAAAADfY/vMf2QahQRkY/DSC_0755%252520-%252520focal_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="425" height="289" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pFQHwyePS9Q/UCp_ybsRaUI/AAAAAAAADfg/mUdLWNlcSao/s1600-h/DSC_0779%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0779" border="0" alt="DSC_0779" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WgsPFASsq9E/UCp_zsjtBVI/AAAAAAAADfo/K0xQyhp0vC4/DSC_0779_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="430" height="290" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3H6YOwjvMx4/UCp_18pQiRI/AAAAAAAADfw/F4689Tp0aZY/s1600-h/DSC_0789%252520-%252520tranquil%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_0789 - tranquil" border="0" alt="DSC_0789 - tranquil" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Uw7vElADp6g/UCp_3ooIGAI/AAAAAAAADf4/wkGyohB-z-Q/DSC_0789%252520-%252520tranquil_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="434" height="293" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_a01i0wlWs8/UCp_4_4bD2I/AAAAAAAADgA/Y6k2Y1RGBF0/s1600-h/IMG_9526%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9526" border="0" alt="IMG_9526" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AAFgZP63PEI/UCp_5hdN92I/AAAAAAAADgI/IXv7wGV4VPo/IMG_9526_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="229" height="345" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pW8Gt7p0cTU/UCp_63Bh7VI/AAAAAAAADgQ/feVe0jxH5qE/s1600-h/IMG_9681%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_9681" border="0" alt="IMG_9681" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ff165RcZLvk/UCp_70XyE3I/AAAAAAAADgY/S103IdXfnEw/IMG_9681_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="431" height="291" /></a></p> Kaciehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11109551771525550476noreply@blogger.com4