tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66717830636377888972024-03-12T20:21:02.737-04:00The Things I'm LearningAnna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.comBlogger662125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-64255527466474156852018-03-05T14:23:00.001-05:002018-03-05T14:23:57.551-05:00The Notes of a Life Well Lived<div>
<i>A few weeks ago, we lost my grandmother, Nana. Nana was an amazing grandmother and an amazing person. I feel so blessed that I was able to have her in my life for so long. Her health started declining around Christmas and rapidly went down in mid-January. I'm thankful that she did not suffer long. I'm also thankful that our big boys got to know her well and that she knew Caleb. Kevin, Caleb and I had a nice visit with her just a few days before she passed away. I'm so thankful for that.</i></div>
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<i>When my grandfather passed away a few years ago, I shared his testimony in <a href="http://the-things-im-learning.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-story-of-our-bruce-hall-tribute-to.html">story</a>. I wanted to do the same for Nana.</i></div>
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When I think about Nana, I think about music and I think about adventure. For nearly ninety</div>
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years, she followed the notes the Lord placed on her heart. Her life was a beautiful song with a</div>
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melody that will play on in the lives of all those she touched, most especially in the lives of</div>
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those who call her Mama, Nana, and friend.</div>
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Born in the warmth of summer on August 6, 1928 in Baxter Springs, Kansas, Margaret Elizabeth</div>
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was the baby of Ward and Margaret’s family. The youngest of three, she adored</div>
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her older sister, Jackie, and older brother, Jim. To hear her tell stories of her childhood was to</div>
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hear a song of love, happiness, and laughter.</div>
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Nana was a great storyteller. She told stories of how she walked home from school each day as</div>
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an elementary-aged child to have a hot lunch cooked by her mother before returning to school</div>
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for the afternoon (What an adventure that was!). She told of days spent swimming – she swam</div>
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like a fish – and of nights spent with her friends, one of which was a true Indian princess. She</div>
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recited stories from the Bible and made them come alive. My favorite was always the story of</div>
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Eli and Samuel. I loved to hear her say the words of Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is</div>
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listening.” When I think about those words today, I think of Nana. She was always eager to</div>
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listen to the Lord’s voice and follow where He led her.</div>
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After graduating from high school, she felt called into mission work. She moved away from</div>
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home to Oklahoma Baptist University where she studied music and was in an international</div>
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music fraternity. She once again listened to the Lord’s leading in her life and served as a</div>
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summer missionary during the summers of her college years. During this time, she used her</div>
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talents in music to minister to children. I have no doubt that she taught them about God’s grace</div>
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and forgiveness through the grace and love she was always quick to extend to others. She also</div>
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shared with them God’s love through song, and in particular, “Jesus Loves Me.” Through the</div>
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years, I imagine she shared those sweet words “Si, Cristo me ama / Si, Cristo me ama / Si, Cristo</div>
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me ama / La Biblia dice asi” (“Yes, Jesus loves me / Yes, Jesus loves me / Yes, Jesus loves me /</div>
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The Bible tells me so”) with hundreds of children, myself and my sister included.</div>
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Shortly after graduating from college, she went on another adventure. This time, she moved to</div>
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Fort Worth, Texas to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for graduate school. It</div>
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was in Fort Worth that she met a young, sweet, and funny man from Conway, South Carolina.</div>
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They fell head over heels in love and married on November 28, 1952 in First Baptist Church,</div>
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Baxter Springs.</div>
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Nana and Bruce Hall began their life together in Texas before taking on another adventure.</div>
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Once again, Nana (and Bruce Hall) listened for the still, small voice of the Lord and heard His</div>
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call. This time, their adventure would be to Aynor, South Carolina, where he was called to</div>
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pastor his first church.</div>
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A few years after moving to South Carolina, another adventure began. This time, they became</div>
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parents to their baby girl, my mom. Being a mother (and later a grandmother) was one of the</div>
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greatest joys of Nana’s life. She instilled in my mom, my sister, and me a love for the Lord, life,</div>
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family, and fun. She taught us all so many things through her gentle and kind spirit. I find myself</div>
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repeating some of the sayings she always said to us to my children today. She didn’t just say</div>
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“Pretty is as pretty does” or “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” she lived</div>
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it. She did not ever speak ill of anyone. In fact, I can’t remember a time that she ever raised her</div>
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voice, despite plenty of occasions that I’m sure more than warranted it.</div>
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In 1957, Nana and Bruce Hall moved to Pamplico as he was called to preach at Mt. Zion Baptist</div>
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Church. Pamplico would become their home for the rest of their lives. They loved their church,</div>
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their family, and their friends, and each poured their hearts into this ministry the Lord called</div>
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them to. They were faithful to Him, and He was faithful to them. “Great is They faithfulness O</div>
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God my Father / There is no shadow of turning with Thee / Thou changest not, Thy compassions,</div>
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they fail not / As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.”</div>
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Nana taught piano, organ, and voice to numerous students throughout the years in addition to</div>
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her work as Minister of Music at Mt. Zion. At Mt. Zion, she directed the adult choir, began the</div>
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Mt. Zion Ringers handbell choir, and directed children and youth choirs including the One Way</div>
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Singers. It was through music that she shared the life-changing forgiveness of Jesus Christ.</div>
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“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now</div>
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am found, was blind, but now, I see.”</div>
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Her life was a beautiful song that will sing on for years to come. She allowed the Lord to write</div>
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the notes and became an instrument He was able to use to draw others to Him. When I think of</div>
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her legacy, I think of the foundation of faith upon which she built her life. “How firm a</div>
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foundation, ye saints of the Lord / Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! / What more can</div>
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He say than to you He hath said / Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?”</div>
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What a privilege it was to know her, love her, and be loved by her! She taught us all so much</div>
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through the way she lived her life and shared most importantly about faith and family. While</div>
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our hearts ache, we rejoice knowing that she is with our Savior Jesus Christ and has been</div>
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reunited with our Bruce Hall. She’s realized everything she lived and hoped for, and she’s joined</div>
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the heavenly chorus and is signing with the angels “Holy is the Lord, God Almighty!”</div>
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February 22, 2018</div>
Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-60184204362642221762018-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:002018-02-08T08:00:37.138-05:00Let the Games Begin!<div style="text-align: center;">
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I love the Olympics. One of my earliest memories of the Olympics is watching Kristi Yamaguchi win the gold in 1992. It was at that point (at five) that I fell in love with figure skating. For the next few years, I begged my parents to let me ice skate. Unfortunately, the closest rinks to us were around two hours away, so having figure skating as my sport wasn't going to happen (even though my sweet mom would've made it work). Fast forward about six years and a semi-professional hockey team moved to our area. I began calling the arena literally every day and one day, they said that public ice skating was starting soon. Cue the happy tears!</div>
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I got a pair of ice skates for Christmas that year, and in January, I took my first strides on the ice. As luck would have it, a young couple who were nationally renowned ice dancers who trained at Lake Placid had moved to the area and begun a skating program. To say I fell in love with the sport was an understatement. </div>
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I began to test and started competing some regionally, but with ice locally only six months of the year, the likelihood of advancing to the junior or senior level and having a real career in the sport wasn't feasible. My mom took me to the closest rink for lessons and ice time once or twice a week in the summer, which I absolutely loved. I continued to keep up with the sport and skate as much as I could until a few years later when we no longer had an ice hockey team.</div>
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Though I wasn't able to continue in the sport, I've never lost my love for it. This winter, our town had ice for a few weeks and Kevin, Kaden, and I went and skated. It was so nice to be on the ice again and to still be able to do a few things like a sit spin, camel spin, and a few jumps.</div>
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Needless to say, I'm super pumped that the Olympics officially start today. We've been pumping the Games for what seem like months now. All of us get super excited for competition, whether a board game at night, football game on Saturday, or the Olympics.</div>
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If you need me the next few weeks, you can find me catching every moment of the Olympics that I can.</div>
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I'll leave you with some of my very favorite performances of all time:</div>
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And one more, just for fun:</div>
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Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-7583035512695899422018-02-07T16:10:00.002-05:002018-02-07T16:10:38.471-05:00January Book ReviewOne of my goals for this year is to read more. I love to read, but I simply haven't found/made time to do it much since Caleb was born. I may have ten or so books I bought thinking I'd read them during maternity leave while my sweet baby slept, but that didn't happen. :)<br />
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In January, I read three books.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beach-House-Rent/dp/150112546X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518032775&sr=8-1&keywords=beach+house+for+rent">Beach House for Rent</a></div>
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Mary Alice Monroe is one of my favorite writers. Her books don't ever disappoint. That said, this book wasn't one of my favorites. While the Low Country of SC (one of my very favorite places) comes alive from the very first page of the book, the final book of the "Beach House" series didn't keep my attention as much as the previous books did. </div>
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The main character, Cara, is back from some of Monroe's earlier books and she's just as lovely as ever. Not to give too much away, but for me, the subject matter around Cara in this book was a bit heavy for me. </div>
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I loved the character of Heather, a young girl who comes to live in the Beach House for the Summer. Her life becomes entwined with Cara's, and together, a lovely story is told.</div>
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All in all, this book is a good read, just not my favorite from this series.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Simplified-Life-Tactical-Intentional-Living/dp/0718098307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518035907&sr=8-1&keywords=emily+ley">A Simplified Life</a></div>
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Do you want to know how good this book was? I'll tell you. I read the first five chapters one night and at 11 PM, told my husband I had to start cleaning out our closet and proceeded to do so until nearly 2 AM. And this is coming from someone who very rarely makes it to 11 PM on any given night. </div>
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I've felt pretty overwhelmed due to clutter (no, my house isn't messy, we just have <b>so many things </b>and save <b>so many things</b> and have little ones who have <b>so many things</b>... get the picture?) and this book was just the inspiration I needed to get rid of <b>so many things</b>. </div>
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I could devote a whole post to just this subject and I think I will. But first --> Get this book. It is a game changer, a mental mind changer, a time saver. Get it. Now!</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Solstice-Street-Elin-Hilderbrand/dp/0316435457/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518037397&sr=1-1&keywords=elin+hilderbrand">Winter Solstice</a></div>
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I've loved absolutely everything I've read written by Elin Hilderbrand. Her books make me laugh and they make me cry. That make me feel all the feels. </div>
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This book did not disappoint. I purchased it right after it came out with the good intention of reading it then, but didn't get to it until a few weeks ago. It was so good! I feel like I know the characters as friends. You know a book is good when you feel like you have something at stake. </div>
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This book made me love the Quinn family -- especially Margaret and Ava -- even more!</div>
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<b>What good books have you read lately?</b></div>
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Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-54224163316849951562018-02-05T15:42:00.000-05:002018-02-05T15:42:00.964-05:00February Goals and January in ReviewI don't know about you, but January started out soooooo slow and then all of a sudden, February was here out of nowhere.<br />
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January was a fun month! We had quite a few things to celebrate in January.</div>
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We had some extra time off due to <b>snow days</b>. Snow days used to be rare, but lately, they feel like they're just a normal part of winter for us.</div>
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<b>Sweet Caleb turned one</b> on January 16th and we celebrated with a Little Blue Truck (more on that later this week)!</div>
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Kaden received the <b>Terrific Kid Award </b>at his school for "Respect."</div>
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We celebrated my sister's birthday with a good dinner out with family.</div>
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I got to attend a fun field trip with K.C.</div>
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Scattered among those things was the start of a new soccer season, reading three books (I'll have a review for you tomorrow), many miles run, new recipes (some winners and some losers), game nights, and beautiful weekends outside that make me yearn for Spring.</div>
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In January, I set a few goals and I'm happy to say I accomplished most of them!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Exercise: Run 50 miles, do more strength training, Tone It Up videos. I'm not sure of my exact mileage (treadmill runs mean I don't always remember to log my miles), but I got in some good miles and some fast miles. I didn't do the extra strength training I wanted to do or more than one Tone It Up video, but I did purchase the TIU book. That counts for something, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />- Home: organize the front room, closet under the stairs, and china cabinet drawer, cook more than eat out. I organized our front sitting room, china cabinet drawer, and cooked way more than we ate out. I didn't tackle the coat closet that seems to be the keeping place for pretty much everything I don't want to keep out on the cabinet when people drop by, but I did organize the rest of the master closet and most of the master bath. I'm counting this as a win. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />- Faith: Stay on task with the Bible in a Year App, complete Sunday School readings with Kevin, carve out a better way to do my quiet time. I'm still a little behind on my Bible in a Year App reading, but I'm not stressing about it. I'm really enjoying our new Sunday School material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />- Family: Have a fun family night, have a date night in and a date night out with Kevin. We didn't have any organized date nights in January (we really have to work on that), but we do have a fun date planned for next weekend. We managed to skip out some by ourselves this past weekend to pick up Valentine's treats for our boys, but I'm afraid I wasn't the best company after a really long day at work (I ended up sleeping in my clothes all night if that tells you how tired I was!).</span></div>
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February is a short month, but I'm so excited about it because the Olympics are here!</div>
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If you need me, you can find me curled up in the den watching every bit of the competition that I can. I may be a little excited for Thursday night!</div>
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In February, I have a few goals I want to accomplish.</div>
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- Exercise: Continue building my speed and endurance. Run outside more. Start doing ab work again.</div>
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- Home: Organize the closet under the stairs, finish the bathroom cabinets, start on Caleb's closet. Donate items. File taxes.</div>
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- Faith: Continue with the Bible in a Year App, complete Sunday School readings, be more intentional with Bible study with our boys, memorize scripture.</div>
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- Family: Have a movie/game night and date night. Spend more time outside. Finish Caleb's baby book.</div>
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<b>What are your goals for February?</b></div>
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Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-63680339740536729242018-01-31T11:02:00.001-05:002018-01-31T11:02:05.470-05:00Happy FIRST Birthday, Caleb!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My sweet Caleb,<br />
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Happy First Birthday! It seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting your arrival and now you've been with us a whole year. This has, hands-down, been both the best and fastest year of my life. When I look at you, I still picture that itty, bitty brown-haired baby boy who stole all our hearts, but today, you're a happy little ONE year old!<br />
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You have such a zest for life and fun. You love to smile. You started smiling almost as soon as you were born. You spread joy to all those around you. I hope and pray that you'll live your life filled with joy and share it with all you meet.<br />
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You are the best and sweetest baby. You seem to only get upset if we don't get your food to you fast enough - you love to eat! You are a great sleeper, but you wish you could stay up all night.<br />
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You love to play all the time. Some of your current favorite toys are your bunny (you carry Mr. Bun Bun around by his ear. everywhere.), blocks, train, sports set, slide, and anything that belongs to your brothers.<br />
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Reading is also one of your favorite things. Most nights, we read 12-15 books before you fall asleep. You seem to really love the mini Dr. Seuss books like "Go Dog. Go!," "Put Me in the Zoo," and "Big Dog...Little Dog," "Giraffes Can't Dance," "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?," and "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site." I'm so glad you seem to love books!<br />
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You love to talk, too! You say da-da, ma-ma, hey, bye, yeah, no, this, and most recently, uh oh. You like to throw down your paci (another thing that you love) and say "uh oh."<br />
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You are into everything! You started walking around nine months and haven't slowed down. We have baby gates up on both sides of the fireplace and the stairs. You think you can climb up and down stairs just like everyone else. You do a great job climbing up (with Daddy or me close behind). You like to open and close the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and my bathroom which has led to some rearranging of things. You also like to help unload the dishwasher. You are fascinated by it.<br />
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Playing outside is another one of your favorite things. I told Daddy a few weeks ago that I didn't ever dream you'd be running around outside playing at this point, but you are. You like to swing on your swing set, slide down the big slide, and climb up in the tree house. It's the cutest thing ever!<br />
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You also like to do anything sports-related. You have fun playing with your mini soccer/basketball/bowling set and love to dunk your basketball on your brothers' goal inside. I hope you always enjoy running around and being active!<br />
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You are still a great eater. You love meat, especially steak and chicken. Corn, beans, broccoli, and cauliflower seem to be your favorite vegetables. You also love all kinds of fruit and bread. You drink water out of a sippy cup at all your meals and have also learned to drink from a straw. You still drink about five bottles/sippy cups of milk each day.<br />
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Caleb, you are a delight! The love I have for you cannot be described. You bring so much joy and happiness to our lives each and every day. Seeing your eyes light up with happiness makes me smile. I pray that you will always have the happiness and joy you have now, and that you'll grow up to let Jesus' light shine within you. God has awesome and mighty plans for you, and I pray that you'll trust Him to lead and guide you all the days of your life. You are a dream come true, my precious baby boy.<br />
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I love you more than words can say!<br />
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Love,<br />
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Mommy<br />
1.26.18Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-86962529890761420892018-01-10T17:01:00.005-05:002018-01-10T17:01:38.382-05:00How We: Do Goals, Resolutions, Etc.I'm linking up with <a href="https://mixandmatchmama.com/">Shay</a> and <a href="http://tabanderika.blogspot.com/">Erika</a> for <b>How We</b> today. I'm looking forward to this fun series!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's topic is all about goals and resolutions. I love goals. I make them each month as well as have some overarching goals for the year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goals are a great way to keep in check things that need to be done as well as remind me of things I want to do. I do a fair job with making sure everything that needs to be done is done (I'm a little Type A), but when it comes to those extra things that matter to me and that I really enjoy, I don't always make or take the time to do them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, my overarching <a href="http://the-things-im-learning.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-goals.html">goal</a> is to simplify my life. We all live busy lives, and if you're like me, you wonder how you'll fit in everything you have to do, much less everything you want to do. I'm trying to keep simplifying in mind as I go throughout each day. I want to simplify my home (we have way too many things), simplify my calendar (I commit to too many extra things), and simplify my time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to simplifying my life, there are a few things I want to do more of this year and they're all things that I love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Read through the Bible - This is probably the tenth year I've had this as a resolution, but God-willing, I will complete it this year! I'm using the Bible in a Year plan on the Bible App and love it. There's a reading that goes along with each day that explains the verses read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />- Run more - While running didn't take a backseat in 2017, I certainly didn't run as much for obvious reasons. I am the best version of myself when I run or work out most days of the week, so this is something I want to do better on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />- Cook more than eat out - We eat out a ton. Seriously. And it's not even eating out in the traditional sense of going to sit down in a restaurant. I'm the first to admit it's difficult to put together a meal after working all day, but I really want to feed my family well. Oftentimes, that turns into pick up from our favorite restaurants or Chickfila which amounts to wasted groceries and wasted money. Over the holidays, I really enjoyed cooking some from the Pioneer Woman cookbooks I have. This year, I want to cook more days than I don't.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Read more - I know it sounds silly to say "more" in virtually every goal I have especially when the overarching theme for my year is to "simplify," but it's my hope that simplifying every area of my life will allow me time to do more of those things that I love and that matter. I love to read. I used to read several books a month, but I probably only read five or six books during the entire year of 2017! I have a stack of books I anticipating reading during maternity leave only to find them on my bookshelf unread nearly a year later! Before I make another trip to Barnes & Noble (one of my favorite places to go with my boys) or check out on Amazon, I'm going to read those books. And I'll tell you about them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It goes without saying that I certainly want to spend more quality time with my husband and our kids. One area where I feel like Kevin and I do a good job in is spending family time together. For the most part, we dedicate each night to family time. Sure, there are dinners to make, lunches to pack, and kids to bathe, but most nights, we have dedicated family time where we all just hang out together. I love listening to my kids talk and tell me what they have on their mind, playing board games, watching the baby run around and making thousands of stacks of blocks for him to knock over, and even just watching a show like "Survivor" or a movie together as a family. That time is so precious and valuable and I don't ever want to take it for granted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to my yearly goals, I also like to set goals each month. I write these in the "Goal" portion of my Plum Paper planner at the beginning of each month and also put them in my iPhone notes section. These goals usually fall in a few different categories. My January goals are: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Exercise: Run 50 miles, do more strength training, Tone It Up videos</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Home: organize the front room, closet under the stairs, and china cabinet drawer, cook more than eat out</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Faith: Stay on task with the Bible in a Year App, complete Sunday School readings with Kevin, carve out a better way to do my quiet time</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Family: Have a fun family night, have a date night in and a date night out with Kevin</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't wait to see how you make your goals and resolutions!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-77924244545059917782018-01-09T14:05:00.000-05:002018-01-09T14:05:41.374-05:002018 Goals2017 was a whirlwind of a year for us! We started the year with a bang with Caleb's birth in January. I enjoyed a few months home with all four of my guys before returning to work in late April. We spent a few great weeks at the beach this summer. Our oldest started a new school in August. I began a new position at the end of the summer. Kevin and I spent a week at the beach in October. We took a few trips to the mountains and watched the Tigers play. We celebrated a year's worth of "firsts" with baby Caleb. And I barely blogged, which has proven to be quite problematic as I'm working on our photo book of the year. Oh well, there's always <strike>next</strike> this year!<br />
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As I began thinking about my goals for this year, one word kept coming to mind: <i><b>Simplify</b></i>. Life is busy. Home is busy. Work is busy. Fun is busy. This year, I am aiming to simplify my life.<br />
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I've been reading Emily Ley's <i>Simplified Life</i> and it is really speaking to me. Case in point, I read the first five chapters and told Kevin at 11:30 PM that I needed to clean our closet. We stayed up until nearly 2 AM cleaning out the closet. I couldn't tell you the last time I stayed up until 2 AM, but you know what, I feel so much better.<br />
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In my quest to simplify, I aim to free up more time to just be. I want more time to just enjoy my family without a long list of to-dos hanging over my head, time to just enjoy the company of my husband without thinking of the things we need to take care of, and more time to just sit down and relax and invest in some of those things that make me tick.<br />
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Does it mean I don't have set things I want to do? No. It just means I want to get to a point where I can not have a million things running through my head (if that's even possible) and just enjoy where I am without being so concerned about the excess.<br />
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In addition to simplifying, there are a few other things I'd like to do this year:<br />
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- Read through the Bible - This is probably the tenth year I've had this as a resolution, but God-willing, I will complete it this year! I'm using the Bible in a Year plan on the Bible App and love it. There's a reading that goes along with each day that explains the verses read.<br />
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- Run more - While running didn't take a backseat in 2017, I certainly didn't run as much for obvious reasons. I am the best version of myself when I run or work out most days of the week, so this is something I want to do better on.<br />
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- Cook more than eat out - We eat out a ton. Seriously. And it's not even eating out in the traditional sense of going to sit down in a restaurant. I'm the first to admit it's difficult to put together a meal after working all day, but I really want to feed my family well. Oftentimes, that turns into pick up from our favorite restaurants or Chickfila which amounts to wasted groceries and wasted money. Over the holidays, I really enjoyed cooking some from the Pioneer Woman cookbooks I have. This year, I want to cook more days than I don't.<br />
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- Read more - I know it sounds silly to say "more" in virtually every goal I have especially when the overarching theme for my year is to "simplify," but it's my hope that simplifying every area of my life will allow me time to do more of those things that I love and that matter. I love to read. I used to read several books a month, but I probably only read five or six books during the entire year of 2017! I have a stack of books I anticipating reading during maternity leave only to find them on my bookshelf unread nearly a year later! Before I make another trip to Barnes & Noble (one of my favorite places to go with my boys) or check out on Amazon, I'm going to read those books. And I'll tell you about them.Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-87493380694910251052018-01-02T14:34:00.000-05:002018-01-02T14:34:03.845-05:002017: A Good, Good Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">2017 was the<b> best </b>year! I’m so thankful for the greatest gift of the year - our sweet Caleb! We took a few fun trips to the beach and mountains, watched our big boys play two seasons of soccer, start third and fifth grades, and excel in so many ways, celebrated when Clemson won the National Championship, laughed until we cried, had many restless nights, learned how to parent three sweet ones, celebrated our fifth anniversary and sixth year together, and enjoyed so much great family time making memories we won’t forget. God has surely blessed me more than I deserve. I’m so thankful for our three boys and the blessing of a marriage to my best friend. 2017, you’ve been a year I won’t ever forget. <b>Thank you for being so good to us and filling my heart with more joy than I could ever imagine!</b></span>Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-2075271102123650642017-05-09T14:11:00.002-04:002017-05-09T14:11:50.895-04:00FAVORITES | Beauty Products I Can't Live WithoutI don't know about you, but I love makeup. I always have! It's fun to see what other people use and I've even found some favorite products this way. Today, I thought I'd share what I use daily when I get ready.<br />
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I use these eleven products daily, and love them all!<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod12291877#reviews">Laura Geller Baked Liquid Radiance Foundation</a><br />
I discovered this foundation last summer when I was looking for something light that wouldn't make my skin oily. This foundation is so light-weight. It gives me the light coverage I like (I'm fond of my freckles!), while keeping my skin oil-free.<br />
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Rodan + Fields Powder<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/born-glow-liquid-illuminator?productId=xlsImpprod5050023">NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator</a><br />
I recently picked this up as I was browsing the aisles at Ulta. I wanted something with some shimmer, but nothing crazy. This does the trick!<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/naked-flushed?productId=xlsImpprod4980067">Urban Decay Naked Flushed</a><br />
While this has a bronzer, highlighter, and blush, I tend to mainly just use the bronzer.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/original-eyeshadow-primer-potion?productId=xlsImpprod3330137">Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer</a><br />
Run. Get. This. Now. Of all the primers I've used, this is by far my favorite. It's so good that my eye makeup looks just as good on day two. I wouldn't recommend not washing your face at night, but if you're like me, you sometimes fall asleep in makeup. If you have this primer, your eyes will look just as good the next day. Trust me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/naked-smoky?productId=xlsImpprod12711105">Urban Decay Naked Eye Shadow Palettes</a><br />
I love all of the Naked palettes. My favorite is the Smoky palette.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/baked-blush-n-brighten?productId=xlsImpprod5120053">Laura Geller Baked Blush-n-Brighten</a><br />
A friend of mine recommended this blush to me about a year ago. I love it! My favorites are Pink Buttercream - a nice pink - and Peach Delight.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/filter-finish-setting-powder?productId=xlsImpprod13561025">Laura Geller Filter Finish Setting Powder</a><br />
I love this setting powder. I use it daily. It's also great in the summer when it's hot and your skin can appear to be oilier.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/inkcredible-waterproof-gel-eyeliner-pencil?productId=xlsImpprod5250001">Laura Geller INKcredible Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Pencil</a><br />
I have to say, this find happened by accident. I normally use Urban Decay eye liner, but when I recently made a Laura Geller purchase, I received a free full-size eye liner. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the gel, but I love it!<br />
<a href="http://www.ulta.com/volum-express-falsies-mascara?productId=xlsImpprod2330025"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.ulta.com/volum-express-falsies-mascara?productId=xlsImpprod2330025">Maybelline Volum' Expree The Falsies Mascara</a><br />
I used to think I needed really expensive mascara to make my lashes look great, but then I found the Falsies. This is, hands-down, my favorite mascara.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/photoready-bb-cream-skin-perfector-spf-30?productId=xlsImpprod4960007&_requestid=3088713">Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream Skin Perfector</a><br />
A few years ago, I received this product from Influenster and instantly fell in love. I use this each day. I also use it in place of foundation when we're at the beach.<br />
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Not pictured:<br />
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Rodan + Fields ReDefine Regimen<br />
<a href="http://www.ulta.com/super-lustrous-lipstick?productId=xlsImpprod2940211&_requestid=3090059"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.ulta.com/super-lustrous-lipstick?productId=xlsImpprod2940211&_requestid=3090059">Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick</a><br />
When Kevin and I were getting married, I knew I wanted a pink lip. I had a horrible time finding a color that seemed just right. One day, a few days before I had my bridal portrait done, I went into CVS and started looking at all the lipstick. I stumbled across Revlon 423 - Pink Velvet - and have worn it since.<br />
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<b>What are your makeup must-haves?</b>Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-25600845164685047952017-05-05T14:24:00.000-04:002017-05-05T15:08:38.650-04:00FRIDAY FAVORITES | 5.5.17This has been a good week! A long week, but a good one. I'm linking up with some of my favorite bloggers for Friday Favorites.<br />
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<b>one</b></div>
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Baby boy is rolling like crazy! He started rolling over from his stomach to back at 16 days old (more on that later), but this week, he's started rolling from his back to his stomach. He's rolling all around everywhere! Changing diapers and dressing him just got a whole lot trickier!<br />
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Our sweet middle baby had to do a t-shirt book report today. He was so excited about it, and his t-shirt looks great!<br />
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<b>three</b></div>
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I'm really starting to feel good running again. I'm not as fast as I'd like yet, but I'm feeling really good about the progress I've made so far. I ran my first 4-miler since Caleb was born (really, since May of last year) this week and felt great. </div>
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<b>four</b></div>
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These three, along with their daddy, are just my favorite people ever.</div>
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<b>five</b></div>
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Kevin and I had a date for a couples massage last Saturday and it was great! </div>
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<b>six</b></div>
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Kevin's softball team won the regular season and tournament. It was fun getting to watch him play, and this year, I had a new little sidekick.</div>
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<b>seven</b></div>
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I recently discovered this little <a href="http://www.ulta.com/born-glow-liquid-illuminator?productId=xlsImpprod5050023">gem</a> while browsing through the racks at Ulta. Where has it been all my life?</div>
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<a href="http://www.ulta.com/born-glow-liquid-illuminator?productId=xlsImpprod5050023"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zfbj_RJk-G8/WQzDAp4sk1I/AAAAAAAAI6s/_Lai-oIjVUIkE8Th-Lf4KujjKW9qfqXqgCLcB/s320/516cWt844jL._SX522_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>eight</b></div>
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My <a href="http://stephanie-steppingwithfaith.blogspot.com/">sister</a> started blogging! Check out her blog - <a href="http://stephanie-steppingwithfaith.blogspot.com/">Stepping With Faith</a>!</div>
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<b>What are your favorite things this week?</b></div>
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Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-28405275354857338002017-05-04T11:39:00.001-04:002017-05-04T11:39:48.987-04:00Happy 8th Birthday, Kaden!<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Since I'm a little behind on blogging about some big things (like birthdays and babies), bear with me as I catch up!</span></i><br />
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Dear Kaden,<br />
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I can't believe that you are 8 years old today! It seems like just yesterday you were a precious little chunky two-year old running around everywhere. Today, you're just as cute, sweet, and active, but you've lost your chunky baby look for sure!<br />
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You are a dream, sweet Kaden! Your heart for others makes me smile. You wake up as happy as a lark each day and fill our days with laughter.<br />
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You are curious, smart, and full of energy. Right now, you're really into riding bikes and writing books. When you grow up, you want to be a professional bike rider, but I'm not supposed to know that since you wrote it on a paper that said "do not open." I couldn't help myself!<br />
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Seven was a big year for you! You started second grade, lost a few teeth, broke your right arm, got baptized in December, and became a big brother in January. And what a great big brother you are! It fills my heart with joy and my eyes with tears to see how you interact with your baby brother. I can see the love and special bond the two of you share already and it's just the sweetest thing.<br />
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You are so smart! You love school and rarely make grades other than 100. Your schoolwork comes very easily to you at this point. Like your big brother, you really enjoy reading and science. You love to read The Magic Treehouse series, Goosebumps, and have even started Harry Potter.<br />
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Everyone that comes in contact with you loves you. You are the life of the party. You're the first to say "I love you" and the last to give another hug. When Daddy and I tuck you in each night, you tell us "sweet dreams and happy thoughts, you're the best mom and dad in the world!" Sometimes you even add that you'll see us for a great breakfast in the morning. You love breakfast. You really just love to eat. We may have that in common.<br />
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You love Jesus, too, and that's the greatest thing in this world. I love the questions you ask us about God and the Bible. I love that you think about things. It's my prayer everyday that you and your brothers will always follow the Lord and seek His will. I pray that you'll all be leaders and not followers and share God's light with all those you see.<br />
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You still love soccer, but have decided against baseball for this season. I love watching you play. You are our little dare devil. If it's extreme, you want to try it. You're really into skateboarding now!<br />
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Kaden, I am so proud of the young man you're becoming. Watching you grow up and thrive is one of the greatest joys I've ever experienced. You are so sweet and special, and I know God has so many great things in store for you. Just trust Him and let Him lead you. I pray you'll always keep your innocence, your zest for life, and love for others. Thank you for being you!<br />
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I love you more than words can say!<br />
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We celebrated Kaden's birthday for about a week this year. Usually, we have a big party with all of his school friends, but this year, he decided he wanted to go to HiWire (an indoor trampoline place) instead, so we did that. We had a small party at home for our family complete with pizza, a Nerf cake, and pinata. After school one day, we went to HiWire and had some cousins and one of his best friends tag along. My in-laws also went, which was a great help with Caleb! We had cupcakes at school with his class. And finally, we had a cake my sister made when we went up to Clemson for a long weekend.</div>
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You can say he thoroughly celebrated his eighth birthday!</div>
<br />Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-10812758414802801932017-05-03T11:26:00.000-04:002017-05-03T11:26:14.006-04:00Currently | May 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I always love reading the "<a href="http://www.anneinresidence.com/">currently</a>" link up some of my favorite bloggers do, and this month, I've decided to participate!</div>
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<b>Currently I'm...</b></div>
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<b>baking</b> | not much, although my big boys and I may have baked some pull apart bunny Easter cookies we found hiding in our refrigerator last night. </div>
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<b>listening to</b> | This "<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/precious-in-his-sight-lullabies-and-worship-songs/28455174/2675611994727?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Media_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP74688">Precious In His Sight</a>" lullaby CD. We were gifted this CD and I love it. Caleb is particularly fond to number one - "Safe and Sound" - as in if he's the least bit fussy in his car seat, he goes completely silent when this song is played.</div>
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<b>loving</b> | so much! Being a mom of three (!), running again, and the fact that summer is just around the corner!</div>
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<b>planting</b> | nothing. I'm not the greatest at taking care of plants. My boys, however, have carrots and tomato plants sprouted in pots in our playroom waiting to be transplanted outside. Our oldest really wants a garden. </div>
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<b>remembering</b> | this time last year. It was during this week last year that I found out I was <a href="http://the-things-im-learning.blogspot.com/2016/07/all-about-baby.html">pregnant</a> with Caleb. After years of waiting to be pregnant and a pregnancy loss, I remember feeling such a peace and hope around this time. I had absolutely no clue I was pregnant as we had every reason to believe it wouldn't happen without assistance, but God had other plans and once again, showed how His ways are so much greater than my own. I've really been reminiscing about that this week as I've held my sweet baby boy. What a mighty God we serve!</div>
<br />Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-80127037546480211702017-05-01T11:01:00.004-04:002017-05-01T11:01:47.704-04:00May Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe we've already gone through four months of the year and it's May! It's been a while since I've done monthly goals and I miss them! Today, I'm sharing my goals for May. Hopefully these will keep me on track and help me do a few things I've missed lately (like reading).<br />
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<b>May Goals</b><br />
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<li><b>Read one book</b>. Ok, I know that doesn't seem like much, but I'll be thrilled if I can complete one book this month. I have 7-8 books waiting to be read. During my maternity leave, I thought I was going to have all this time to read, but that didn't happen!</li>
<li><b>Start Caleb's college savings and savings accounts.</b> I also thought I'd do this during maternity leave, but didn't. I want to go ahead and get both of these rolling this month.</li>
<li><b>Run 15 miles/week.</b> I'm really enjoying running after an almost year-long hiatus. My speed and endurance are coming back, but I'm still not where I want to be. If I can manage 15 miles each week, I'll be happy! I'd also like to get up to 5 miles without stopping.</li>
<li><b>Do at least four workout videos each week</b>. I love the Tone It Up videos. I'm currently doing their Bikini Challenge. Even though I'm not following it to a t, I love knowing what to work out each day.</li>
<li><b>Clean out the top drawer in the kitchen china cabinet. </b>If you're anything like me, you have multiple junk drawers just waiting to be organized. This particular drawer houses everything from birthday cards to race bibs to artwork I want to keep (that makes it sound organized doesn't it?). I want to pull everything out and get it all organized.</li>
<li><b>Go through the boys' clothes.</b> Our boys are growing like weeds! I literally had to purchase K.C. new pants two weeks after buying a new size for him! </li>
<li><b>Catch up on photo books. </b>I thought I'd get caught up on these during maternity leave, too, but again, it didn't happen.</li>
<li><b>Host dinner at our house.</b> With Mother's Day and my mom's birthday this month, I've got plenty of reasons to have a nice dinner at home. I enjoy doing a nice dinner, but it's something we haven't done since I was pregnant. </li>
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There you have my goals for May. What things do you want to get done this month?</div>
Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-9805067276169431872017-04-25T11:42:00.002-04:002017-04-25T11:42:23.639-04:00BABY | Caleb's Birth Story Part II<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Caleb's birth story continued. See part one <a href="http://the-things-im-learning.blogspot.com/2017/04/baby-calebs-birth-story-part-i.html">here</a>.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">At about 5:45, my doctor had me get ready to do a practice push and said she could see a head full of black hair! It was go time! She estimated that the baby would be born by 6:30 pm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">My epidural was turned off so that I'd feel some pressure and make the birth portion more productive. I have nothing else to judge by obviously, but this seemed to be a great choice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">I got really emotional at this point. I think the greatness of the moment just hit me. This child was something I wanted for so long and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever have, so just to know he was almost here was overwhelming. God is so, so good!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">Everything began to accelerate now. Tables were rolled in with tools for the delivery along with the baby’s bassinet and everything else needed for him. It was so surreal to me that this was finally happening!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">I felt really good during this part of delivery. I pushed for 10 seconds, three times, during a contraction and rested for one contraction. Everyone in the room was laughing because I kept talking about how great the endorphins felt! Not working out since May, I really missed the rush provided by them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">I continued to push, getting more and more excited each time. This part of labor was drastically different than what I expected it to be. I expected to be anxious, in a lot of pain, and just having to work hard, but having Caleb was a hundred times easier than I thought it would be. I was smiling, talking, and laughing. I don’t even remember getting tired during this part.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">I remember Emily telling me to give a few more good pushes because he was coming, and it was like I gave one big push and out he came. He had good lungs for sure!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Caleb Byrnes was born at 6:35 pm on Monday, January 16, 2017 (MLK Day), weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 inches long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Emily immediately gave Caleb to me and it was the best feeling in the world - one I wish I could experience over and over again!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a few minutes old!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">We spent about 30 minutes with Caleb while they cleaned him and me up, then around 7, Kevin went to get the boys so they could come see their brother. Seeing their excitement over their baby brother’s birth was incredible. They just looked at Caleb. K.C. kept touching him. It was so sweet! They both got out their iPods to take pictures of him, too. Kaden had requested for months to be the first person outside of Kevin and me to hold him, so he was, followed very quickly by his big brother K.C.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">After they walked in, our parents and Stephanie came in. Everyone was so excited to meet the newest member of our family!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Later that night, I was starving and wanted breakfast food. I had two bowls of cereal in the room and my parents went and picked up pancakes and sausage for me. It was so weird to eat without getting (or feeling sick)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">We enjoyed spending time with our sweet baby boy and our family. Kevin's sister and BIL and two of our nieces came by later that night. I get excited just thinking about everyone as they met Caleb for the first time!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">We decided that we'd send the baby to the nursery overnight in order to get some rest ourselves, so around 11 pm, he went to the nursery. After he left, I was able to get up and walk a little. I felt much better than I imagined I would after giving birth. My right leg did stay numb a little longer than my left, but otherwise, I felt as good as I could have expected and only took a Motrin for the pain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">The nurse brought Caleb in to nurse once in the night and then back the next morning to stay with us all day. We had some family and friends come by to visit all throughout the day and night Tuesday. Caleb slept great that morning, but we joked that he knew school was out as he woke up right when the boys got to the hospital that afternoon. From day one, he hasn't wanted to miss anything!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">He and I were both doing really well, so we had the option to leave that Tuesday night, but chose to stay since we wouldn't have been able to leave until late that night (the hospital likes to keep babies for 24 hours). I'm glad we made that decision as it gave Kevin and me another night and day to rest before going home. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">He had another great night Tuesday night and we got ready to leave Wednesday. I was discharged by lunch, but we had to wait for Caleb to be discharged after seeing the pediatrician later that day. His bilirubin was slightly raised and he lost a good bit of weight, though not quite enough to stay. (We later learned that I wasn't producing enough milk. That's a story for another post.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">We left late Wednesday afternoon and got home to a great meal my mom prepared for us. My parents, in laws, and SIL were there to greet us. K.C. and Kaden were beside themselves with excitement that their baby brother was home. They couldn't wait to hold him again!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">My mom stayed with us the first few nights which was a huge help. Though Caleb slept really well, we definitely were able to use the help for school drop offs and pick ups for the boys, groceries, and just having an extra set of hands to help. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">On his first morning at home, he woke up bright-eyed and unswaddled. Our boy does not like to be swaddled. We tried the sleep sacks, swaddlers, and regular blankets. He seemed to do semi-ok with his hands out, but we gave up on that when he was about a month old. </span></span><br />
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Caleb has just been a joy and fit into our family so well! While my pregnancy was nothing like I imagined, labor and birth as well as adjusting to life with a newborn were drastically different - but 100 times easier - than I expected. He is just the sweetest baby, and I thank God each day for blessing us with him!</div>
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Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-78229861791679099042017-04-20T10:01:00.006-04:002017-04-20T10:01:49.127-04:00BABY | Caleb's Birth Story Part I<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-4b80e33d-877d-c600-1183-38bdd502f2ff" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;"><i>I want to remember all the details leading up to this day as well as everything that happened on Caleb's birth day. To keep it shorter, I've broken his birth story into two parts. </i></span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px;">This is part one of two posts on Caleb's birth.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;">The day Caleb Byrnes was born was by far one of the greatest days of my life!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I started having contractions pretty regularly around Christmas. Nothing crazy, but I was definitely experiencing contractions, though there were somewhere around 15 minutes apart.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A few days later, on December 29, I went for my weekly appointment and was checked. The doctor I saw that day told me she didn't think there was anyway I'd make it to my due date (January 15). She went so far as to say she thought I'd make it maybe a week. This made me very excited and nervous!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A few days after the New Year, the contractions intensified to the point I felt like I needed to call my doctor's office. In hindsight, it was a false alarm. With this being the first child I was going to birth, I wasn't sure what exactly was going on. I'd have cramps that would last a minute or more and came regularly, but it wasn't labor. Apparently if you experience that, you sometimes get to go to the hospital for monitoring. I was in fact having contractions, but they weren't close enough to stay. (As a side note: If we have another baby, I'll know what constitutes real contractions and the protocol for when you actually should go to the hospital!) When I made it to the women's center to be monitored, I was still only 1 centimeter dilated. It was nice to hear the baby’s heartbeat while they monitored me for an hour though! At that point, my real contractions were about every 18 minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My doctor was off the first week of January, so I really wanted to hold off on having the baby until she was back. All the doctors in my practice are great, but as you know, there are just some people you feel more comfortable with.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I went through that first week and the next week with constant contractions, but none caused me to dilate anymore. Everyone in my doctor's office was shocked I was still pregnant when I showed up for my once (or twice) weekly appointments. It even got to the point that I was told to try to keep my feet up to keep him from coming until my doctor got back. That - Caleb coming - didn't happen.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On January 9, I went for an appointment and was still only 1 cm and about 70% effaced. I had another appointment scheduled for Friday of that same week unless he decided to make his entrance before. That night, Clemson was playing for the National Championship. We were all sure that would put me into labor. It didn't, nor did Kevin picking me up and jumping around after we won the game. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;">I had another appointment scheduled for that Friday unless he decided to go ahead and come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;">On Thursday, I ran into my doctor in a toy shop and made the decision to be induced the next week if I didn't go into labor on my own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;">The next day, Friday, January 13, I had my last OB appointment. I really felt like I was going to get to stay and go to the hospital that day (my bags were packed!), but I was still only 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced, and Caleb was at a station 2. My membranes were stripped in hopes that I would go ahead into active labor on my own, and as a backup, we scheduled the induction for Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King Day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;">At that same appointment, I had an ultrasound just for fun to see how big he was measuring. He measured 8 pounds 9 ounces, much larger than we thought! My doctor estimated he'd be around 7.5 pounds, so when we saw this, I think we all - ultrasound tech included - had to pick our jaws up off of the ground. At this point, I was told to mentally prepare for a c-section "just in case."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was nervous all weekend. My contractions intensified Friday night, but I still didn't go into labor. My dad had asked Kevin and the boys to go to something with him that Saturday, but I had them cancel because I was scared I'd go into labor and Kevin would be two hours away.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That Friday night, I remember sitting on our bed sobbing while the boys were in the tub thinking about how it would be the last Friday night with just the four of us. Hormones! I wanted to soak up every ounce of time with my two boys before their long-awaited baby brother arrived. This was the first time since early pregnancy that I really felt those hormones effecting me emotionally. (The first time was not long after I found out I was pregnant. Kevin and I were both out running and I couldn't find him when I finished. I run longer than him usually, but somehow, I missed seeing him turn down a side street in our neighborhood. I ended up driving around - there's only one way in and out - looking for him and when I finally saw him, bawled like crazy!)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We spent Saturday doing a few things to get the house ready for the baby. It was a gorgeous day, so we sat outside too. On Sunday, we went to Sweet Frog for a sweet treat that afternoon and when we got home, my guys put the baby seat in my car. Sunday was also the first day since the summer I didn't take a Zofran for nausea (I made it without getting sick from December 24 until Caleb was born.). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">After the boys left on Sunday night to go to their mom's house, I really got nervous. The last thing I wanted was an induction because I heard they hurt so much worse, but I was so ready to meet our sweet baby. My mom and sister came over and brought some dinner for us. I choose pasta to give me energy the next day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">My mom had both my sister and me naturally without an epidural, and up until this point, I was relatively certain I wanted to attempt the same thing. I spent the months of my pregnancy reading books about natural birth and how to cope with it (more on those in a separate post). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">Once they left, we made sure all of our things were ready. I rechecked my bag as well as Caleb’s and tried to relax. We finally went to bed about 12 am and I was up by 2am, anxious and excited. My alarm was set for 4am so I could be up and ready for our 5am appointment, but I didn’t ever go back to sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We didn't quite make it on time and left our house around five for the quick drive to the hospital. Those few moments in the dark car were some of the longest of my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;">When we got to the hospital, we checked in and were taken to our room. Two nurses came in to get everything started. I had blood drawn and then an IV started for fluids. About 6 AM, I was started on Pitocin. The contractions didn't seem to be any worse than the ones I had been having for the past three weeks. The only difference was that they came every 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. At this point, I was still hesitant to get an epidural as I felt like I might be able to handle natural childbirth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Around 7 AM, the anesthesiologist came in and talked with us about the epidural. He really calmed my nerves. I knew at that point that I could get an epidural if I needed it. In fact, I was relatively sure I would get one at some point during labor as I was extremely nervous about what would happen now that I could potentially be having an 8.5 pound baby! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Around 9:30 AM, one of the doctor's in my practice broke my water. While breaking the water in itself wasn’t painful (it was a warm gush of water), the intensity of the contractions accelerated immediately. It probably didn't help that I held my body as tense as I possibly could - there was no relaxing for me. A few minutes after this, Kevin went out to the bathroom and was going to send my sister, Stephanie, in, but she and my mom had gone to Krispy Kreme to get donuts for the nurses and doctors. He walked in about five minutes later to me bawling my eyes out from pain. It was time for the epidural! So much for natural childbirth for me!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sam, the anesthesiologist, was great. He calmed my fears and took away my pain. Getting the epidural in itself was not painful at all, and it was definitely the best decision I made. Within a few minutes, I was feeling relief. I did have one “hot spot” in my lower left abdomen, but Sam quickly corrected it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once I was pain-free, I was able to talk with our family who kept coming in to check on me. Before going to the hospital, I was dead set on not having anyone in the room but Kevin, but sitting (or lying in my case) waiting for a baby to be born while you're relatively pain free can get a little boring. It was nice having our boys, my parents, in laws, and sister come in and out to chat with us. I think it was a good break for Kevin, too. Of course, everyone left when the doctor and nurses came in and were out when I was really "laboring." </span><br />
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My dad checking out the contractions.</div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt;">Around lunchtime, K.C. and Kaden got to the hospital. They were so excited and wanted to be there when their baby brother was born. They were so sweet checking on me too, and even pushed the button on the epidural to give me more relief when I needed it. They really didn't know/understand what was going on from that standpoint, so it was all good.</span><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;">Since my labor was progressing so slowly, Kevin and my dad went to get Chinese for lunch. While they were gone, I just watched tv with my sister and tried to get some rest.</b><br />
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Most everyone I know that's been induced has had their baby relatively fast - by lunchtime. That wasn't the case for me. By 2:30, I was only 4 centimeters.<br />
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I wish I had written down all the times and what I was, but I didn't. Sometime later that afternoon around 4:45 or so, things started to progress. I didn't feel any different, but I went from 6cm to 10 cm in about 35 minutes per my husband.<br />
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Since we expected the baby to be larger and at my last check, he appeared to have not moved down much, the plan was to let my body labor down on its own in hopes that I would be able to have him naturally.<br />
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About 5:30, I remember feeling some strong pressure and telling my doctor. When she checked me, it was quickly determined that the baby was ready to come.<br />
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<i>Part II coming soon!</i><br />
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Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-35076623454378412872017-04-18T11:02:00.002-04:002017-04-18T11:02:45.065-04:00The Past Three MonthsI'm back! And have lots and lots and <b>lots</b> of catching up to do! I've just been enjoying my <b>THREE </b>boys the past few months!<br />
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Here are just a few things that have happened the past few months:<br />
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<li>We celebrated Christmas and rang in the New Year for the last time as a family of four!</li>
<li>We watched Clemson win the National Championship on January 9.</li>
<li>We had our third baby boy on January 16 (more on sweet Caleb later).</li>
<li>K.C.'s team won the Battle of the Books at his school.</li>
<li>Both of our big boys were recognized as Terrific Kids.</li>
<li>We celebrated birthdays for Kevin, Kaden, and me.</li>
<li>We took our first trip as a family of five to Clemson.</li>
<li>Our big boys each played a season of spring soccer.</li>
<li>Kevin's wrapping up a season of softball.</li>
<li>I'm back running again (oh, the work!).</li>
<li>We've stared at and played with our sweet boy for countless hours.</li>
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The past few months have been the best - the absolute best - and I can't wait to share more!</div>
Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-80169375103713079042017-01-30T16:51:00.003-05:002017-02-15T15:57:14.801-05:00Caleb Byrnes<div style="text-align: center;">
We are so excited that our precious baby boy is here!</div>
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Caleb Byrnes</div>
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Monday, January 16, 2017</div>
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6:35pm</div>
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7 pounds 9 ounces</div>
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20 inches</div>
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Birth story coming soon!</div>
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Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-69635602107357664572017-01-11T10:03:00.001-05:002017-01-11T10:03:29.657-05:00Let Your Light Shine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday, I had this whole post written about how awesome it was that Clemson won the National Championship Monday night (and it was awesome), but the one thing I kept going back to was something I heard Dabo say during a press conference leading up to the big game:<br />
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<b><i>Let the light inside of you shine brighter than the light shining on you. </i></b></div>
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(paraphrase)</div>
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I love this, and this phrase has kept popping into my mind over the past few days. It reminds me of one of my favorite passages from the Bible: </div>
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You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.<br /><b>You are the light of the world. </b>A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. <b>In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.</b><br />Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV) <i>emphasis mine</i></blockquote>
When I heard that phrase, I started thinking about my life, and specifically, my <i style="font-weight: bold;">light</i>. What light am I shining into those around me? When people see me and talk to me, do they see God's light shining in my life? What are things I can do to shine God's light?<br />
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We all play so many different roles - wife, mom, friend, employee/employer, volunteer, and on and on, and in each of these roles, we have people looking to us. I hope that in all my roles, those around me see God's light.<br />
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Does this mean I have to be perfect? Does this mean I can't get frustrated or upset? Does this mean I have to have it all together? No, and thank goodness, because I'm certainly not those things. What it means is that I need to live in a way that shines God's light.<br />
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If I'm having a rough day at work, instead of snapping at someone for walking in while I'm in the middle of preparation for a big project, I can be gentle and kind and put my focus on that person.<br />
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If my kids are bickering over something (more than likely Nerf guns and what games to play in my house), instead of fussing, I can try to solve the disagreement in a quiet manner. If they don't want to do homework, want a short order meal, and just won't listen, I can take a deep breath before getting upset.<br />
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If I'm in the middle of something and someone calls me for something, I can talk for a few minutes to make sure there's nothing that has to be done and then politely call back later.<br />
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I don't know about you, but as I sit here thinking about ways I can shine God's light, I think about many little things that I can do differently to show others Jesus.<br />
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Last night, we read about Zacchaeus which turned into a talk about kids at school who just aren't nice and some that bully others. We talked with the boys about how even though some kids aren't nice, we don't always know what they may be dealing with.<br />
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Our kids are fortunate to have parents who love and invest in them. They don't want for anything and they know they are loved. But as we explained to them, there are children at their school who take home bags of food each weekend because their families are in need. There are kids who don't know where their next meal will come from and don't have anyone that will help them with their homework or make them take a bath.<br />
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We encouraged the boys to always be nice to these kids, for they don't know what they have going on outside of school. We talked to them about how just being nice is sharing Jesus.<br />
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While it's a simplistic example, it's one that works for all of us. It's so easy to get wrapped up into <i>me, me, me</i> that we forget about those around us - even those closest to us. We all have things going on - stresses, decisions to make, things we wish we could change - but the way we act under these pressures and react to those around us whether they're in our home or people we pass by on the street each day, show what we're made of and Who we worship.<br />
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Let your light shine. There's always a light shining on you by the <i>audience</i> around you, but let the light within you shine brighter. Be Jesus to the world.Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-68727955072188528622017-01-09T10:49:00.002-05:002017-01-09T10:49:22.581-05:00Christmas 2017<div style="text-align: center;">
We had a really great Christmas this year! While it's always great to spend time with family and friends, I feel like getting our shopping done so early in preparation for the baby gave us the ability to really relax and soak up all the time at Christmas. We were at home almost the entire time during our nearly two-week break and it was great!</div>
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We started the Christmas holiday by baking cookies. K.C.'s class made cookie mix in a jar during their class party, so we made his cookies. They were delicious! </div>
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Warning: Picture overload coming next!</div>
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Are you like me? Do you make your kids take the same photos year after year? The boys know by now that before they go up to bed, we have to take a picture in their Christmas pajamas. I know one day they won't want to wear cute jammies, but until then, we're taking pictures. Kaden was particularly excited that night because not only was Santa Claus coming to visit, the Tooth Fairy was also going to be making a stop!</div>
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Santa left three piles of presents this year - one for each of the boys and one for the baby! A few weeks before Christmas, the boys were talking about how they knew Santa would want to leave the baby a stocking, so I ordered a stocking for him. When it got here a few days before Christmas, we were all so excited - until we opened the package. The right stocking was in the bag, but it had the wrong name. Thankfully, the great customer service at Lillian Vernon quickly sent out a new embroidered stocking with the baby's name so Santa would have one to fill for him.</div>
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The boys always wait at the top of the stairs before they run down in the morning. How we've convinced them to continue doing this at 7 and 9, I won't ever know, but I'm not complaining!</div>
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K.C. has asked for this Nerf gun for years, but until this year, it hasn't been available. The smile on his face says it all.</div>
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Kaden soaks in opening his gifts. He'll open a pack of gum in his stocking and get so excited. I hope he always keeps the awe and wonder he has.</div>
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The big brothers had fun opening the gifts that were left for their baby brother.</div>
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On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with Kevin's family. It's a tradition to have fondue for dinner. Since I can't have shrimp (and that's a big part of the fondue), my sweet FIL always cooks some filet mignon separately for me before the fondue. It's definitely a treat I look forward to each year.</div>
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After dinner, we go upstairs to this large closet where my MIL reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and my FIL reads The Christmas Story from the Bible. Once this is done, we wait for Santa to come fill our stockings. </div>
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At church on Christmas morning - about to pop!</div>
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My dad had a yucky virus that has been going around, so we ended up celebrating with my parents the night after Christmas. It was really nice to spread it out. My mom made a great dinner and we took our time opening gifts. </div>
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We really had a great Christmas season! </div>
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<br />Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-62721036922691281832017-01-06T09:33:00.000-05:002017-01-06T09:33:06.498-05:00BABY | Celebrating with ShowersI can't believe we are so close to meeting our newest son! I really can't believe it. These past nine months feel like an eternity and at the same time, like they've flown by, especially lately. I don't remember much at all about the first 25 weeks or so of pregnancy and I was just miserable (I'm keeping it real), but these last weeks since Thanksgiving have flown thanks in part to four awesome showers we have been given.<br />
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Our first shower was on Sunday, November 20, and hosted by my SIL, Kevin's aunt, and his cousin. It was such a fun shower! When I say I am overwhelmed with the things we were given, I'm not exaggerating. I think we received almost every bit of baby gear we needed at that first shower. We are so thankful and feel so blessed to have such loving friends and family!<br />
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The boys really wanted to go to part of the shower. I thought it was so sweet! They came at the beginning before going to a birthday party and brought a gift they picked out for their baby brother -- his first pair of Nikes! They picked them out all on their own when they were shopping with my mom the day before. They're orange (of course) and gray like theirs.<br />
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On the way home from the shower, K.C. asked me what my favorite gift was and was it the shoes. Of course it was! They are already great big brothers!<br />
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On November 25, we had another baby shower, this time, hosted by three of my first cousins. This was a nighttime shower and so sweet. We had delicious chocolate cake with ice cream and caramel sauce.</div>
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I love seeing his initials!</div>
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My cousin Elise trying to teach me how to use the sling. I may need a refresher when he's here!</div>
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With the hosts: my cousins Elise, Caitlin, and Erin.</div>
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Our third shower was on December 4 and hosted in my home church by my sister, best friend, and my best friend's mom. It was a sweet shower, and so great to see so many people I don't see often.</div>
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Our final shower was hosted by two of my colleagues at work. I wasn't expecting another shower, so it was so much fun to celebrate with some of the people I work with each day.</div>
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It was so much fun celebrating the baby with our family and friends!</div>
<br />Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-14594123088123858992017-01-04T17:03:00.001-05:002017-01-04T17:03:43.855-05:00PREGNANCY UPDATE | 36 and 38 Weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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37 weeks on Christmas Day!</div>
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Week: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">36!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Weight Gain:</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> I haven't stepped on the scales this week and my appointment isn't until Friday, but I don't feel like I'm gaining much weight these days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">What's Happening: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The baby weighs about 5.5 pounds and he's getting ready to meet us! He's an active guy! </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Feeling: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'm feeling better, though I've found it's harder to get comfortable at night. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Sleep: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It depends on the night. Some nights are better than others. I won't complain though!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Wearing:</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Leggings, leggings, and more leggings with cute tops and dresses. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Exercise: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'm as active as I can be!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Eating: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Whatever I'm wanting which seems to be carbs, vegetables, fruit, cereal, and beef once again.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Missing: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">These things have stayed the same: playing with my boys like normal, running, Chickfila, and my normal body.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></b><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Thoughts: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I can't wait to meet our son! I can't believe that we are less than a month from my due date! I'm so thankful to God for blessing us with three boys!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Week: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">38!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Weight Gain:</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> I've gained about 38 pounds at this point. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">What's Happening: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The baby is ready to come! My body is doing what it needs to do to get ready for him. I don't think - nor does my doctor - that I'll make it to my due date.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Feeling: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'm feeling better! For about a week, I've felt more like myself than I have since May. I'm also having contractions. Nothing crazy yet, but about every 14-15 minutes apart. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Sleep: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'm sleeping a lot better than I was!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Wearing:</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Leggings, leggings, and more leggings with cute tops and dresses. </span><br />
<br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Exercise: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'm as active as I can be!</span><br />
<br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Eating: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Whatever I'm wanting which seems to be carbs, vegetables, fruit, cereal, and beef once again.</span><br />
<br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Missing: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">These things have stayed the same: playing with my boys like normal, running, Chickfila, and my normal body.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></b><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Thoughts: </b><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can't believe he's almost here! I've had a few moments of near panic - "am I going to be able to birth a child?" but overall, I feel really good and excited! I had to go to labor and delivery yesterday to get checked out and it was confirmed I'm in early labor. I have an appointment tomorrow morning, so I'm anxious to see what I'll find. It's crazy to me that anytime, we could have another baby boy! God is so good!</span></span>Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-79375568866934242512017-01-03T17:47:00.000-05:002017-01-03T17:47:32.049-05:002017 | Live Well<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Micah 6:8</span></span></div>
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In 2017, I resolve to <b>live well</b>. If you're anything like me, you have a mile-long list of to-dos, many of them you feel obligated to do because they're on your calendar and others that are self-imposed, but you long for days that are carefree and full of fun.<br />
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I believe our busy lifestyles and the societal pressure to do everything and do everything well causes us (or me at least) to feel this way. This year, I resolve to be different. I want to live well, and by living well, enjoy life more fully than I already do.<br />
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This year, I resolve to <b>Live Well</b> by:<br />
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<b>Nurturing my relationships. </b>God has blessed me abundantly and I want to nurture and grow in my relationship with Him. My daily time in prayer and His Word is the vital first step in living well. His Word gives me strength and encouragement and spending time talking to Him and listening to His voice ensures that I stay where He wants me.<br />
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I also want to nurture my relationships with my family and friends. So often, I get caught up in the everyday and mundane tasks of life that I lose sight of the little moments. I don't want to do that. Yes, there are things that have to be done like laundry, homework, packing lunch boxes, and household chores, not to mention the changes that will happen with a newborn, but I want to make a conscious effort to not worry about those things as much.<br />
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<b>Treating my body well.</b> I can't tell you how much I've missed my regular self during this pregnancy. I'm so thankful for this baby boy growing inside of me (and so ready to meet him! #countdowntocaleb), but pregnancy hasn't been the easiest for me in terms of being normal. I haven't run since May nor have I eaten a regular, healthy meal like I normally do since then. I'm really looking forward to exercising and eating well again, but this time, with our baby boy.<br />
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<b>Doing more for others. </b>There's not much more satisfying than helping others and I want to strive to do this more in 2017. Whether it's paying it forward, jumping in when I hear of someone's need, or volunteering more of myself, I want to do more for those around me.<br />
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<b>Letting go.</b> One thing I've learned over these past months of pregnancy is that I have no control over anything. Not that I didn't know that deep-down already, but pregnancy has given me a full dose of "you can't control it all." I don't like to think of myself as a Type A Control Freak, but really, I may slightly be a Type A Control Freak when it comes to many things. This isn't a bad thing at all because it helps in many areas, but in some, like self-imposed really high expectations for everything I do, it isn't always great. I want to let go more this year. It's not imperative that the long list of things I want to do gets done. What matters most is my family and making memories with them, so if that means I have to say no to certain things during this season of my life, I will learn to do it without feeling guilty. We're about to enter a new season in our family with the arrival of the baby and I want to soak up every minute with my sweet husband and our two (soon to be three) boys.<br />
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<b>Investing in myself.</b> In order to be the best wife, mom, sister, friend, employee, and Christian, it's important that I invest in myself. I know that I need my daily quiet time to read the Bible and write in my prayer diary. I need to run to take care of myself and get my daily dose of endorphins. I need time with just my husband to connect with him and nurture our relationship. I need time to run around with my boys and laugh. I need to take time to read, write, and pursue other passions. This year, I want to continue investing in myself so that I can be the best version of me for those I love and come in contact with.<br />
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That's my plan to <b>live well</b> in 2017. What are some things you do to live well?<br />
<br />Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-27734682776863580522016-12-31T23:35:00.003-05:002016-12-31T23:37:23.747-05:002016.<span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">2016. It's been a year of learning and growth, ups and downs. "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still" (Exodus </span><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">14:14</span><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">) has been the verse that has sustained me. Through it all, I've seen God's love, faithfulness, mercy and grace . </span><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">January - We started the year with news that a sweet baby we loved and prayed for hadn't made it. We ended the month at the happiest place on earth - Disney World.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">February - The Lord continued to heal us from the disappointment of the month before and fill us with hope.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">March - We celebrated Kevin's birthday and spent some time at the beach. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">April - I turned 30 and Kaden turned 7. I started racing again and little did I know, there was a baby in my belly during my fastest race in about a year. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">May - We found out we had a baby on the way Mother's Day weekend. To say we were surprised and grateful is an understatement. Danny Gokey's song, "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again," became my theme song and I felt God's presence and assurance every time I heard it. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">June - The boys finished third and first grades. We spent time at Sapelo Island and went to Garden City Beach for a week. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">July - We found out our baby is a boy! We celebrated K.C.'s 9th birthday and spent another week at Garden City. K.C. and Kaden both made public professions of faith and joined our church! </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">August - Our nights were spent watching the Olympics and Michael Phelps make history. K.C. started fourth grade and Kaden started second. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">September - We got started on the baby's room and other projects around the house. The boys began playing soccer again and Kevin continued his softball season. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">October - We spent a long weekend in the mountains and watched Clemson beat NC State. We had a fun Halloween with family.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">November - Celebrations for the baby were in full swing with two showers. We feel so blessed to have the family and friends we have. We celebrated Thanksgiving and counted our blessings. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">December - The highlight of this month was when the boys were baptized. We're so thankful that they've made the decision to follow Jesus and pray that they'll always be beacons of light for our Savior. We also had two more baby showers and ended the month by celebrating our Savior's birth. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">When reflecting on the year this morning, K.C. and Kaden agreed that the highlights of their year were getting baptized and finding out about baby Caleb. I'd have to agree with them. There's nothing greater than serving our Lord and Savior and nothing sweeter than this baby who will join our family. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Here's to 2016 - the lessons, the upsets and happiness, and the faithfulness we've felt. God has been good to us! I'm so excited about the year to come!</div>Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-4685006321694064782016-12-19T14:23:00.001-05:002016-12-19T14:23:24.020-05:00Yesterday was a joyous day in the life of our family. K.C. and Kaden were baptized!<br />
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Over the past year and a half, they've both accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord and asked Him to come into their hearts. Over the summer, they took the step of joining our church which is when they made a public profession of their faith in the Lord. That was such an exciting and proud day for us and one that surprised us. While we knew they had asked Jesus into their hearts, they were both slightly nervous to walk down the aisle to join the church (a practice in the Baptist denomination). During the service that Sunday, they told us they were ready and were going to do it.<br />
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About a month ago, we moved into a new sanctuary and yesterday was the first baptism in our new sanctuary. The boys have been so excited about their baptisms and woke up ready to go.<br />
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We are so proud of the decision they made to follow Jesus. It is the greatest decision they'll make in their life. It is our prayer that our boys will always allow the Lord to lead them, will be beacons of light for Him, and will "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8).<br />
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<br />Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6671783063637788897.post-57273144740852900152016-12-16T16:58:00.000-05:002016-12-16T16:58:02.642-05:00PREGNANCY UPDATE | 35 Weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Week: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">35! I'll be 36 tomorrow!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Weight Gain:</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> I'm up 35 pounds. When I went to the doctor yesterday, I'd gained less than a pound (almost a pound though) since last week.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">What's Happening: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The baby weighs about 5.5 pounds and he's getting ready to meet us! He's an active guy! </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Feeling: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'm feeling better, though I've found it's harder to get comfortable at night. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Sleep: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It depends on the night. Some nights are better than others. I won't complain though!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Wearing:</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Leggings, leggings, and more leggings with cute tops and dresses. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Exercise: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I'm as active as I can be!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Eating: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Whatever I'm wanting which seems to be carbs, vegetables, fruit, cereal, and beef once again.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Missing: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">These things have stayed the same: playing with my boys like normal, running, Chickfila, and my normal body.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></b><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Thoughts: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I can't wait to meet our son! I can't believe that we are less than a month from my due date! I'm so thankful to God for blessing us with three boys!</span>Anna @ The Things I'm Learninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16214270174284979440noreply@blogger.com1