Seeing God in it all

i play art project?

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 00:59:00 +0000

Look at me, blogging after months of silence. Self-five!

Hope you didn't get your hopes up for a long post, though, because that's probably not happening. (Katy, i PROMISE i will finish Maggie's birth story, since i think you're the only one still interested in reading it.)

Caroline's favorite thing to do lately is "play art project." Which pretty much just means i let her paint stuff when i'm feeling adventurous and like cleaning up a ton of paint off of things. Here's the art project that started it all...

i saw on Pinterest this concept of finding an old canvas, taping a design on it, painting over it in a solid color, and then removing tape to show the silhouette of the image with the colors underneath. The girls room needed some art for the walls, so i enlisted my little helper to help me out with this project.
It is mostly super-easy and it definitely turned out super-cute. And Caroline was so proud when we hung it up in her room and she shows off her "art project" to everyone.

Step one: Repurpose an older canvas you have. Thanks, Raquel, for providing a canvas for us!

She was really into painting all the dots for a while until i helped her paint in other places too.

Step 2: Have your toddler paint with a different color, drying a day or two (or maybe a few weeks if you don't feel up to playing "art project" every day) between each one.

The final product when Caroline was finished.
i contemplated just hanging it up as is, but wanted to see it through to the end.

Step 3 (not pictured): Decide on a design to tape on to the canvas. i chose circles in various sizes, and proceeded to take weeks cutting out circles i had traced on to cardstock and then taping said circles on to the canvas with painter's tape, all while watching the entirety of Arrested Development on Amazon.

Step 4 (also not pictured): Paint over the entire painting in a solid color. i chose white since the girls room is done in a white/gray/pink/yellow theme.

Step 5: VERY carefully peel off the painter's tape when your canvas has completely dried. And hang finished product on wall.

Ta-da! A fun art project for you and your littles, and cheap wall art to hang in their room. Win-win!

Caroline turns 2!

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 16:28:00 +0000

Two months ago, our little family moved into our new rent house. (And we LOVE it! Thanks so much, Stewarts!) And for some reason, i had the crazy idea that we could completely move our entire lives out of our apartment into our new rent house, all while caring for a toddler and a baby, and still manage to host Caroline's birthday party the VERY NEXT WEEKEND.

i don't recommend that.

Needless to say, J and i didn't sleep much at all that week. But thanks to a helpful husband who completely cleaned our old apartment all by himself, we were able to do it!

We had family and good friends over to our new place, grilled out hot dogs in the backyard, and celebrated the cutest little girl turning 2 years old.

Opening her presents. She was way more into this for this birthday.

Thanking Cousin A for her present. :)

At the end of presents when everyone clapped, Caroline clapped too.

Cousin Carter came to help celebrate too!

Aunt Dana and Cousin Charlie..................................getting ready to sing "Happy Birthday!"

She requested chocolate cake.

She's her mother's daughter for sure.

Cousin Dean enjoying his cupcake.

A few days later, on her actual birthday, we had Caroline and Mommy's Day of Fun! (Friend's reference alert!) i tried to think of all the things Caroline loves, and crammed them all into one day. At the end of the day, i was exhausted. But i know she had the best day.

Better at blowing out her birthday candle after some practice.

Swinging at the park is one of her favorite things in the world.

i seriously think she would spend her entire time on the swings at the park.

Trying out the splash pad for the first time.

She loved it.

After drying off, we went to the dollar store to get her a birthday balloon.

Balloons are another favorite thing.

She picked out the purple star balloon.

And of course, she had to have another cupcake.

In fact, she will sometimes sing the happy birthday song when sitting in her high chair in order to get another cupcake. i think she thinks one will magically appear whenever she sings that song.

i can't believe i have a 2 year old now. It's crazy how fast time moves when you have littles.

Maggie's Birth Story - part 2

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 20:02:00 +0000

Check out the first part of Maggie's birth story here.

Let's see, where was i? Oh yes, J and i had our bags packed and were heading towards the hospital.

i found myself once again having to ride in a car and walk into a hospital, all the while having my water broken. If you've never experienced that sensation, imagine walking around in public peeing your pants every few minutes. It's real awkward. i read somewhere, probably in What To Expect When You're Expecting, that very few women have their water break before being in the hospital. i guess i beat the odds, twice.

We get to the check in room in Labor and Delivery, a smaller version of a delivery room where the nurse checks to make sure you are actually in labor. My nurse, Dawn, checks me over and realizes pretty quickly that my water has obviously broken. She hooks me up to a machine that will monitor my contractions, and begins to ask me all sorts of questions. The timeline of what's happened so far? Do i plan to breastfeed? Am i going to be a stay-at-home mom or work? Will the baby be exposed to cigarette smoke in the home? All the while i'm laying on a bed, continuing to feel like i'm wetting my pants. Then she asks the most important question, the question that i have been dreading because i know my answer is going to determine what happens in the next few hours.

Am i experiencing any contractions?

Now, having given birth before, i knew what contractions felt like. And honestly, i wasn't having anything like that. But i really didn't want to be hooked up to Pitocin again. So when she asked i said, "Maybe."

See, every now and then, i felt a little cramping in my stomach and i thought maybe that was the beginning of contractions. So i told Dawn that i was having some cramping that seemed like maybe contractions. Just then, i felt some cramping and told her so. Sweet Dawn checked the monitor and said, "Nope. Not a contraction." The machine wasn't registering a thing.

Boo.

So i was ushered down the hall, trying to walk without getting the floor all wet, with Dawn leading the way to my room and J following behind, carrying all of our stuff. i got the IV, and since Dawn thought my body would kick into gear soon, she put me on one of the lowest doses of Pitocin possible.

Then she left and we all waited for contractions to start...

Special note to readers:
i know some of you may be thinking (or even tempted to comment), "Melaina, you should have just waited! You didn't need to go to the hospital right away. Your body would have started having contractions on its own, i'm sure. You have 24 hours after your water breaks before they should start giving you Pitocin. Etc, etc, etc."

And in a normal case, i would agree with you.

But just like when i was pregnant with Caroline, i tested positive for Group B strep in my birth canal this pregnancy too. This meant that there was bacteria for sure in the birth canal, and the ruptured membrane of my water breaking now meant that little Maggie was exposed to this bacteria. So you don't want to mess around with that.

Also, because i had Group B strep, i had to have at least 4 hours for antibiotics to be given to me through an IV before i had Maggie to ensure that i didn't pass on the bacteria to Maggie during her birth. Since this was my second baby and my OB was pretty certain i would have a quick labor and delivery (remember how i was already dilated to 4 cm?), she told me that i needed to get to the hospital pretty soon after my water broke, if it did before i started contractions again, so that i could get the antibiotics started.

So, that's why we went to the hospital so quickly. And that's why, even though i hated it, i didn't refuse the Pitocin.

FOTO FRIDAY - a picture update

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 16:30:00 +0000

Life with a 2 year old and a 3 month old is never dull.

And the fact that they love each other makes it so much more fun.

The past 2 years

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 15:00:00 +0000

On this day two years ago, i had my first baby girl.

And in the past two years she has filled my life with joy EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Happy birthday, Caroline!

i'm so glad God put us together.

Maggie's Birth Story

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Mon, 19 May 2014 18:46:00 +0000

i wrote in my planner last month that i needed to blog Maggie's birth story. Then i didn't, and didn't look at that page again in my planner. And now here we are, 2 1/2 months later.

Better late than never, right?

Maggie's big sister, Caroline, was born at 37 weeks and 6 days. So the most i had ever been pregnant was 37 weeks and 6 days. As with Caroline, my body was already beginning the early stages of labor around 36 weeks, so i figured i'd have Maggie about 2 weeks early too.

Then 37 weeks passed....38 weeks passed...39 weeks passed...and nothing. For those of you in the know about the birthing process, i was walking around at 4 cm dilated, about 70% effaced and Maggie was already moving down the birth canal...and nothing. For those of you not in the know, just understand that at that point in labor, some women are already signing up for epidurals and getting ready to have their baby in the next few hours. But it was business as usual for me, though i was very weary. i had never been this pregnant, and the second time around i felt really achy and uncomfortable. J was really helpful and got me a prenatal massage, which helped tremendously. But i was still ready to have this baby and be done with pregnancy. So much so that on March 3rd, i wrote a prayer to God in my journal and asked Him to help me "go into labor in the next day or two..."

Never underestimate the power of prayer.

On March 5th at around 2:45, i was laying on the couch watching an episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Caroline had just started making noise, and i looked on her monitor to see that nap time was coming to a close. i got up to go get her and felt a pop and then my water breaking. At first i wondered if i was peeing my pants, but then i remembered how it felt very similar to when my water broke with Caroline. i hustled down the hall and opened Caroline's door, telling her that i had to go to the bathroom but she could get out of bed. Then i ran in the bathroom to confirm it was indeed my water breaking.

i called J, who had joked with me that morning that he really wanted to go to his work lunch that day so i shouldn't go into labor that morning. i told him that my water broke, and we laughed about how he had at least got to attend his work lunch. Then i called my mom, who was to be on Caroline duty while i had Maggie. i knew she had an hour drive to get here, so i then called my sister and brother to find someone to come sit with Caroline until Nonnie got here. My brother, sister-in-law and 5 day old nephew came over to watch Caroline (thanks so much Katy, i'm sure that's not how you planned to spend a day after just having a baby yourself). J came home and threw some stuff together for his bag and loaded the car, and then we were off to the hospital.

Stay tuned for the rest of Maggie's birth story.

Full disclosure - i still haven't figured out time management with 2 kiddos under 2. And we're packing our apartment and moving to a rent house this week. So it may be a little bit until i get back with the rest of the story. Please accept this cute picture of Maggie as something to hold you over.

Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Sun, 11 May 2014 19:22:00 +0000

On Mother's Day 2012, i was 8 months pregnant.

On Mother's Day 2013, i had a sweet little 11 month old daughter.

On Mother's Day 2014, i find myself the mommy of a vivacious 23 month old and a beautiful 2 month old.

Mother's Day just keeps getting better and better.

i want to say "Happy Mother's Day! You are awesome!" to all the moms i know.

And i want to say "Thank you from the bottom of my heart," to my Caroline and Maggie,

for making my dreams come true.

Mommy loves you both, now and forever.

Easter Firsts

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 20:14:00 +0000

This past weekend was Maggie's first Easter. It was also the first Easter that Caroline had any idea what was really going on. And the first Easter where she officially hunted eggs.

And since i'm still trying to figure out when to squeeze blogging time in, i'm just going to post a ton of pictures for you to peruse and skip trying to write some big explanation of our holiday.

Community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday-

Posing with Nana before the big hunt began

Borrowing Cousin A's shades since it was so bright

Her very first Easter egg...and one of the only ones she got.

The rules beforehand said parents couldn't go help kids.

As you can see, a ton of parents listened to the rules (sarcasm intended).

So Caroline only got to 3 eggs before all the other kids (aka parents) grabbed the rest of the eggs.

Nana came to the rescue, though, and helped her finish the hunt.

Picking a flower.

At the end of her first egg hunt.

Easter Sunday morning -

Opening her basket.

She's saying, "Thank you, Mommy." Which is her way of requesting that i open the egg and give her what's inside. We're still working on when exactly you say Thank you and Please.

i asked her to show me her Minnie Mouse nail polish from her basket.

This is the best i got.

Group shot of us girls after church on Resurrection Sunday.

Caroline makes funny faces now instead of smiles.

Showing off her eggs to Daddy.

The best sister picture we got.

Happy Easter!
He is risen. He is risen indeed.

FOTO FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 16:57:00 +0000

i call this one Let me show you how this works, Baby Sister.

and i call this one See, you shake this tiger here...are you even looking?

There's a lot of "playing" with baby sister around here.

i feel like i'm constantly saying, "Be careful for Maggie!"

But it's so cute how much she loves her already.

It's Friday.

Which means the next two days, Daddy will be home with us.

Yay!

Hope you have fun plans for the weekend.

Happy Weekending!

Sister, Sister

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:33:00 +0000

Everyone has been asking me if i think Maggie looks like Caroline. Or if she looks more like me or J when we were babies. Or they comment that they think Maggie looks nothing like they remember Caroline looking. Or they think they look similar.

So, i thought i'd actually compare photos and see. i put together 2 different pictures from when the girls were both about 2-3 days old.

So far, i see some similarities, but also some differences. Caroline was definitely more yellow, thanks to higher levels of jaundice. And while J and i both thought Maggie had a rounder face, seeing the pictures together now makes it seem like Maggie has a longer face and Caroline has a rounder face.

But they definitely look like sisters to me.

FOTO FRIDAY - #newaddition

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:09:00 +0000

i call this one Hands full.

i call this one Hello, Baby Maggie.

Last Wednesday, we added a baby sister to our family mix.

And it's been the most wonderful and tiring week i've experienced in a while.

Remember how people say new moms should sleep when the baby is sleeping?

Well, what do you do when you also have a toddler running around?

If you figure that out, let me know.

Our weekending includes visits from family

and, hopefully, lots and lots of naps.

Happy Friday!

FOTO FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 17:09:00 +0000

i call this one "Look how cool i am in my hat."

And this one "i want to see myself in the lens."

Whenever we go to Target, which is more than i care to share,

Caroline and i check out the dollar section.

The other day we found this cool hat.

i asked her if she wanted a hat and she said, "Yeah."

Then i asked her if she wanted the blue or the green ribbon one.

She picked out the blue.

And has worn it almost everyday since.

She's way cooler than i was at this age.

It's Friday.

My weekend plans are bringing a new-mom friend dinner,

skyping with the grandparents,

a prenatal massage (YES!),

and starting my 38th week of this pregnancy.

We'll see if my weekending ends up including labor and delivery.

Hopefully i can get that prenatal massage first.

Happy Weekending!

FOTO FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 20:48:00 +0000

Here's a very old, worn picture of me at 19 months

beside a picture of Caroline at roughly 18 months.

Everyone swore up and down she looked just like J when she was a baby,

and i had to agree.

But i think as she gets older, she's looking more like me.

Not a spitting image...but more like me.

Happy Weekending!

Update #4 on Isaiah - GOING HOME!!!

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 18:31:00 +0000

This little guy is ready to roll!

Oh dear friends and family of the Stewarts, have i got exciting news for you...

ISAIAH IS GOING HOME TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, God, for hearing our prayers.

And thank you, dear reader, for praying.

Though this news is HUGE (HUGE!), there are still some prayer requests i'm going to ask you to continue praying on behalf of Isaiah and his family.

Jenny shared an update with me last night, and here's what she had to say...

Good news!! Isaiah is going home soon! Drs are saying hopefully this this weekend or early next week. Due to the degree of lung disease that Isaiah had/has then he will be going home on oxygen to help keep him healthy and strong. He's still breathing a little fast but he is doing well nursing and the oxygen support will help keep him from overworking himself. Praise God that we get to leave the hospital even though needing this support! It has been a slow/fast 5 weeks. (Anyone who is a parent understands this).
This is a picture of Isaiah during his car seat test to make sure he can physically make the trip back home three hours away. He passed!

Ways to continue to pray for Isaiah and our family are:
1) Discharge to go as planned and smoothly
2) Isaiah to get stronger every day
3) Abigail and Eli (our 3 & 2 yr old) to do well with this final stretch away from mom and dad before we are reunited as a family.

We are so very thankful for everyone's prayers as this has been a very challenging and trying journey.
Through it all.... We are blessed and God is good.

PS For those that know us well know that we moved away before our house was sold. We now have received and accepted an offer and are waiting for the appraisal to pass. Hooray!
Pray it does!!

Please continue praying for the Stewarts with the requests Jenny mentioned.
Also pray for Jenny and Micah as they parent three kids, including a newborn with oxygen support, and continue to make a new life for themselves in Arkansas. Pray Micah finds a job and their family eventually finds a new place to live (they currently are staying with Micah's family).

God is so good!
And thank you!

Post-Christmas Christmas Celebration - a pictures post

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 16:57:00 +0000

i promised a follow-up post of our Christmas celebration with J's family. And here ya go...

Opening her stocking from Nana. She was very excited about the crayons.

Admiring the calendar Jenna made.

Even though it was technically after Christmas, i put her in her Christmas pjs to keep the celebration going.

Getting help from her cousin opening her present.

Again, she was so excited to see pictures of herself on Nana and Baba's Christmas gifts.

Opening presents and feeding her baby doll.

Admiring Julie's artwork.

Watching her cousin open presents.

Getting snuggles and playing with new board games.

And now i'm done posting about Christmas...on February 5th!

Update #3 on Isaiah

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 19:26:00 +0000

Look at that little cutie. :)

Isaiah's being doing a lot better, but he's still in the NICU in Little Rock. i asked Jenny to share an update with me since many of you have been asking. Here's what she had to say...

Isaiah has come a long way in the last couple weeks. We can hold him as much as we want now and as of today he gets to start nursing as many as 4x/day. He is still on oxygen support and now they are talking about the possibility of sending Isaiah home on oxygen. We really would love to bring Isaiah home free of any medical attachment. Please pray for God's healing power to fill his lungs and for oxygen support to no longer be a necessity. Please also pray he continues to nurse well and is strong enough to nurse every feed.

Isaiah in his new digs in his parents' room.

Also as of today, we got moved to a private room where we get to be more involved in Isaiah's care. We are very excited about this opportunity. However, that means we lose our room at the Ronald McDonald house and thus I won't be able to see much of our other kids anymore (3 & 2) and possibly Micah won't be able to see Isaiah anymore (if he's at home with the other two). [Melaina's note: This is because in the private room at the hospital, other children are not allowed. So while Abigail and Eli, the Stewarts' other two children, were able to stay with them in the Ronald McDonald House near the NICU, they now are back with their grandparents who live 3 hours away. Therefore, Micah will be with Abigail and Eli most of the time while Jenny stays at the hospital with Isaiah.]

Life continues to be a [stressful] journey but these things we know to be true:
1) God is good
2) We have many things for which we are thankful.
3) Isaiah IS coming home...eventually.

Thank you for your prayers.

Please continue to pray for Isaiah, Jenny, Micah, Abigail and Eli, and Micah's parents who are helping care for Abigail and Eli.

And let's all pray that Isaiah gets to come home SOON!

Christmas Day - a pictures post

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 18:57:00 +0000

i promised i'd try to get pictures posted of our Christmas celebration.

i realize only family members will be interested in this post, especially since it's been over a month since Christmas...but here ya go!

The stockings my mom has had done for our entire family.

i like that my little family has a snowman theme.

Uncle Shane and Uncle Joe putting together Caroline's presents.

This little cell phone became her fixation for the rest of the day/month.

See what i mean? She never let it out of her sight.

Caroline helping Pops and Nonnie open their presents from her.

She really just wanted to see pictures of herself on their mugs.

Getting Shane to scratch off the lottery tickets in our stockings.

i should have had him do mine, because he won for everyone he did.

Sisters and TOMS.

Joe and Amy excited about a trash can.........and Trey excited about some liquor.

The annual Charlie and Dean book.

i love how Uncle Joe is playing phones with Caroline here.

After presents, we tried to get pictures of the little ones in front of the Christmas tree.

Here are the results...

Oh well, there are some cute candid ones anyway.

Playing dominoes in the office.

And that's a summary of Christmas with my side of the family.

Pictures from celebrating Christmas with J's side of the family will be posted soon(ish).

Update #2 on Isaiah

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 20:31:00 +0000

Isaiah at 2 1/2 weeks
Look at those expressive eyes!

Isaiah (and Jenny & Micah) have traveled a trying road in the past 2 1/2 weeks. There have been many ups and downs. And there's still uncertainty about where this road will lead.

But your prayers are being felt. Thank you so much for your prayers. My first post about Isaiah has been viewed 427 times. i know a lot of that is repeat viewing, but it is still so encouraging to know that many, many people are praying for this little one and his family.

Here is an update on Isaiah...
- At the end of last week, the doctors increased his oxygen levels being fed through his nasal tubes. The goal is to eventually get him weaned from the concentrated oxygen to room-level oxygen. This increase, however, has helped, with the x-rays of his lungs showing improvement and his breathing slowing down.
- He is still having some GI issues that are being worked out, and his feeding schedule has been adjusted to focus more on stabilizing his breathing.
- He has stabilized enough that both Micah and Jenny are able to hold him now. Praise the Lord!

And here is how you can continue praying...
- Pray that Isaiah's lungs will continue to show improvement and that his breathing will continue to normalize and slow down.
- Pray for wisdom for the doctors and nurses as they try to figure out what is causing the GI issues and how to treat it.
- Pray for strength for Isaiah.
- Pray for endurance for Micah and Jenny as they are getting weary.
- Thank the Lord for fun family time Micah and Jenny had with their other 2 children celebrating Eli's 2nd birthday this weekend. Pray for continued moments of fun and normalcy in the midst of this time.

Please share Isaiah's story with those you feel would join us in praying for this little guy and his family.

Update #1 on Isaiah

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 04:28:00 +0000

First of all, thank you so much for praying. This little guy is still struggling, but your prayers are definitely being felt and are encouraging.

Jenny had told me yesterday that an x-ray of Isaiah's lungs seemed better than they had thought before, and that the extra air in his belly had disappeared.

Today, however, the x-ray was not as hopeful. And Isaiah is still breathing very quickly, which is not only a concern but also inhibits any attempt to nurse or bottle feed him. Today he has been throwing up after his feeds, so they have placed him on a continuous feeding pump. Also, Jenny feels like he's looking paler and seeming sicker, though his blood work returned normal.

i asked Jenny how i (and we) could be praying, and this was her response...

-wisdom for the doctors
-that no weapon formed against Isaiah will prosper
-that healing will flood his body and put to order everything that is out of order
-that he will be in a safe tower and redemption will be ours
-that he will be a warrior for Christ and nothing can stop him

Will you join me in echoing these prayers for Isaiah?

And will you pray also for Micah and Jenny as they experience the one-step-forward-two-steps-back that is sometimes the NICU.

Prayers for Isaiah

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 04:11:00 +0000

i have this BFF (best friend forever) named Jenny. Five years ago, she walked across the aisle at church and invited J & me to a small group she attended with her husband, Micah. And because of her courage to walk up to a stranger and her desire to not leave people unconnected, we not only joined her small group but walked through life together for five years and counting.

We've celebrated the exciting times of life, like births of children, university graduations, and buying a first home. And we've supported each other through difficult times and struggles.

Back in early summer, we realized we were going to closely be walking the road of pregnancy together, since Jenny was exactly 4 weeks (to the day!) ahead of me in her pregnancy.

Little Isaiah was due to arrive on February 9th, but made his grand entrance into the world on January 4th.

Because of his early arrival, he is currently residing in a NICU at a children's hospital, 3 hours away from where Jenny and Micah now call home (and where their other 2 precious children are). Isaiah's little lungs need to mature so that he can be stable enough to be held (Jenny's only held him once since he's been born), so he can nurse, so he can join the rest of his family at home.

Would you join me in praying for this little guy?

Here are some specifics you can pray:
- pray for Isaiah's lungs to mature quickly
- pray that his breathing regulates and slows down (b/c this is essential for him to be able to bottle feed and/or nurse)
- pray that extra air that is building up in his belly will pass
- pray for Jenny and Micah as they experience a roller-coaster of emotions as they monitor Isaiah's progress and simultaneously parent their other children
- pray for Abigail (3) and Eli (almost 2) as they are apart from either one or both parents during this time

If you would join me in praying for this sweet baby and his family, please leave a comment on this blog post telling me how or when you're praying.

Whether you stop right now and pray for him, commit to pray every night before bed, or feel led to pray in a different way, please let me know. My hope is that Jenny and Micah can see the comments on this post and know how many people are praying for their son.

Christmas update in January

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 17:55:00 +0000

Yes, it's January 7th. Yes, all the Christmas trees have been turned to mulch, or boxed back up and put in the attic. Yes, all the lights and decorations have been taken down (well, except in the case of some houses i've seen, who must leave their lights up year round).

And, yes, i'm just now getting around to posting pictures for you all of our various Christmas celebrations.

i could blame it on being in my third trimester of pregnancy, where i'm uncomfortable and not sleeping well. i could blame it on also having to parent a growingly independent toddler while in my third trimester of pregnancy.

But i think we all know this would happen regardless of my circumstances.

So without further ado, here's some Christmas moments we happened to capture on camera this year.

Caroline's yearly picture with Santa.

She didn't cry this year like i was afraid she might.

However, she did get shy and refused to look Santa in the eye the entire time.

The Saturday before Christmas, we traveled to East Texas to celebrate Christmas with my extended family.

We hadn't been able to make the festivities in a few years, and i was so excited to go see everyone.

And for Caroline to see everyone, too.

Opening presents with Daddy and Mama.

Btw, that cat has become one of her favorite new toys.

She calls it Mao, which is how she says "meow."

So J & i call it, "Mao, the Chinese dictator cat."

Checking out her new shopping cart.

Saying thank you for her fun presents, and opening some more with the help of Pops.

It is not uncommon for a game of dominoes to happen among the men-folk during family gatherings.

Also, it is not uncommon for me to start using phrases like "men-folk" when discussing my East Texas roots.

Also not uncommon, my Papa flashing a peace sign in pictures.

Handing out Christmas cards.

Dean and Pops having an important conversation.

Not sure what's happening here, but i bet it has something to do with my little sister's upcoming wedding.

Maybe wedding advice is being given?

Stay tuned for pictures of Christmas morning with my side of the family, and round 2 of Christmas with J's side of the family. i'll try to get them posted before February.

FOTO FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 17:00:00 +0000

i call this one "Unsupervised" Play Time.

FOTO FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:00:00 +0000

i call this one Morning Reading Time.

FOTO FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 18:37:00 +0000

i call this one Her New Obsession.

New phrases Caroline is saying now:

"Oh, neez." (translation: "Oh, geez," often after i say it first.)
"i did it!" usually after she turns off the fan in our living room.
"Weeng?" as i'm loading her in the car. The girl loves her swings.
"Elmo," while pointing out Elmo.

Sidenote- Elmo is seriously everywhere, y'all. i took Caroline to the store this morning and she said "Elmo," about three different times. And each time, she had seen him in some sort of marketing thing for kids. Elmo is taking over.

"No, no, no," said in two different scenarios. One, as her negative response to any question. And two, announcing she's decided to go mess with something she's not supposed to, alerting me to be ready to stop her.

It's the weekend!

My plans are to celebrate my baby sister getting married by throwing her a bridal shower.

Hope you have fun celebrations planned too!

FOTO FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (melaina) — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 14:34:00 +0000

Since it's been so long, i'm going to post 2 pictures.

i know, it's a crazy day. i blame the coffee i had this morning.

i call this one Princess Ballerina.

And i call this one The kids jumping in the bounce house are way more interesting than looking at the camera.

Caroline's 2nd Halloween was more of a success than her first. Last year, she was only 4 months old and her schedule meant we only made it to the last 30 minutes of our church's fall festival. She was a super cute little ladybug, though. This year, she was a little older, though she still had no idea what was going on. And was very curious about all the adults in costumes. But what was better this year was people actually offered her candy...but i still think she's too young to really eat candy. Know what this means, right? J and i divided the spoils between us.

We hit up our church's fall festival, and then two other churches that are right near our apartments. They were both having Trunk-or-Treats (with lots of candy, and even popcorn and cotton candy!), and there were even some games that Caroline could play. i think she really enjoyed it.

Hope your Halloween celebrations were just as fun.

And that you have a wonderful and relaxing first weekend in NOVEMBER!

My plans, getting my Christmas music station on Spotify ready to go.

Happy Weekending!