This is OUR life and we LOVE IT!

"Her like my fingers"

2012-02-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Isabell begged to hold sissy and laughed and laughed! "Her like my fingers Mommy"

Learning something new!

2012-02-12T11:20:00.000-05:00

I came downstairs and what do I see? Isabell is having her very first gun cleaning lesson! She was such a big helper cleaning all the little pieces for Daddy! He was a trooper answering all the "what's this" and "what's that" questions!

2 Years Ago!

2012-02-10T15:56:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it has been almost 2 years ago that Christopher returned from Iraq! I will NEVER forget that day as I was excited, scared, nervous and just a complete emotional wreck. The look in his eyes the very first time that he saw Isabell face to face was and still is indescribable! My life changed in so many ways and I continue to thank God for giving me the strength to be the Wife and Mother that I needed to be while he was away.

My family . . . cried so much, dried too many tears, hugged so much, drove so much, sacrificed so much but most importantly they LOVED SO MUCH! Being a new Mother was HARD but being alone was HARDER!

If I haven't told you enough . . . THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!

Yay! We FINALLY have snow!

2012-02-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

Well . . . we did for a day or two! Isabell LOVES playing in the snow and Emma could care less but we did enjoy the fresh air and took a nice walk! I love when it snows because I can look out my window and just watch it fall, Christopher has to work outside so he would rather it not snow but to watch Isabell play in it, I am hoping for a lot more snow!

SLEEP!

2012-02-04T16:41:00.002-05:00

I am so very thankful that God gave me babies that love SLEEP as much as I do!

Bounce House!

2012-02-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

Everyday when Christopher gets home from work, he asks Isabell "what did you do today?" and her answer 99% of the time is "I went to bounce house Daddy" Knowing very well we would not go without him, he would just laugh it off and tell her we would go back soon! She LOVES to bounce so we decided it was time to once again go bounce out some energy. We were the only ones there the entire time so that was sooooo nice! I am that paranoid Mommy that is afraid someone is going to bonk heads or that the big kids are just going to be too tough. Here are a few pictures of our adventure!

Today is a good day!

2012-02-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

TODAY is a good day! I woke up without a headache/migraine and we headed to MOPS! I have been really struggling with my migraines lately and if you have ever had one then you know what I mean when I say that it is so hard to function sometimes. I am going to a Osteopathic Center on the 9th to try some new things to help with them because I seem to be getting them more frequently and I am just frustrated at this point!

The girls are doing fantastic! Emma has found her voice and loves to sing, even when there are times I am afraid the windows are all going to break, she thinks it's funny! She is still a very happy baby about 95% of the day but when she is hungry . . . she is HUNGRY! Isabell is a wonderful big sister! We have been asking a few thousand times a day for her to use her big girl words because she is grunting instead of talking but it is what it is, if this is what they call regression due to a new baby, I can handle it. She is telling us when she is wet or stinky so we are "trying" to use the potty. We are NOT going to pressure her to do it, she will get sick of those Huggies eventually!

Chris is still working like a dog, here and at his full time job. He will be taking a class 2 nights a week in a few months so I try to remind him to just enjoy his time with the girls now, the projects and SOME of the things on the "to do list" can wait! Before we know it they will be in school so cherishing every second we can! Here are a few pictures of the girls:

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather . . . it is 40' here in Michigan!

Minutes seem like hours and hours seem like days!

2012-01-24T13:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I got a phone call and my heart stopped or at least that is what it felt like. Mom was being taken to the hospital due to low blood pressure and chest pain! I wanted to jump in the truck and rush "home" but decided that I should wait and pray. Wouldn't do any good to be there, trying to nurse a baby and stay calm. Mom knew we were praying for her and so I cried many tears and prayed all day long! She had a heart cath to get a better look at what was going on.

They found 2 blocked arteries and 2 partially blocked arteries. They were able to get 1 stint in place to open one of the blockages.

We don't know what the plan of action is, we don't know if they are talking about another bypass surgery (she had her bypass 15 years ago) we just don't know. All we do know is that she is going home to rest. I was going to call and get more information but I want Mom and Dad to be able to spend some quiet time together, they will update us when they feel they are ready. I am on edge and trying to find peace with this situation. I KNOW God is in control but it's times like these that I find myself on my knees because that is all I can do. I feel helpless but I am putting my fears aside and letting God do his work!

Having a big family is trying at times like these too because we all feel so many emotions right now and want to just fix everything but know we can't. 2 of my sisters live close to Mom and Dad so I am trusting that they will do anything and everything they can to help relieve some stress for Dad and make sure he eats because we all know Dad isn't a pro in the kitchen! My other sister is only a few hours away and then there is my brother . . . . he is 4000 miles away and my heart hurts for him. Most men are all the same way, just tell me the basics and I will be a rock and not worry because I am tough like that! We are all scared and we are all stressed so I am asking that you keep us all in your prayers too. I will keep the updates rolling as we know things but for now, please just pray!

HUG THE ONES YOU LOVE BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS!

4 MONTHS OLD!

2012-01-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

Here are both girls at 4 months old:

Isabell at 4 months (2010) = 14 lbs 4 oz, 25 3/4 inches long

Emma at 4 months = 15 lbs, 26 1/4 inches long

Not only do they not look alike, they are VERY different babies! Isabell looks like her Daddy and Emma looks like Mommy! We love them both soooo much and we have so much fun together, even when they are both crying!

Miss Emma is our little thumb sucker! She does use her paci once and awhile but especially when she is tired, the thumb goes in the mouth and the eyes close. She loves to sleep and just started sleeping all night long! Last night she woke up around 4 am and was starving to death so she had a little snack and went right back to sleep!

Emma is such a happy baby! We have found that from about 6 pm - 7:30'ish she wants to be held . . . end of discussion! She loves to cuddle and we are cherishing these times when she wants to be close to us! She is wearing size 1 diapers but we are soon moving to 2's. I broke out some of her 6-9 month clothes ALREADY because she just seems so much bigger than Isabell was at this age! Everything seems so different the second time around! She has rolled from her back to her tummy 2 times and loves to be in her jumper! Daddy and Nana have gotten some great giggles out of her and they come all the way from her toes and boy oh boy does she talk! Her doctor suggested that we start her on cereal and if you look at the previous post . . . you will get an idea on how that went for her!

Life is good . . . God is good!

NUM - NUM

2012-01-16T19:29:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

Christopher and I were VERY exctied for Christmas this year! Isabell is at such a fun age and knew she would be sooo excited! Emma didn't know what in the world was going on but that's ok, she will learn!

Yummy Cookies

Couldn't forget the milk!

Somebody is in trouble, making a mess!!

Waiting for sissy to wake up!

Here she comes!

Do you think she saw the presents under the tree?

NOPE! She kept saying "messy Daddy, you fix it"

Somebody got a present!

~ Squinkies ~

~ Pet Shops ~

Emma got her 1st LaLaLoopsie Doll

WOW! A dowelhouse!!

We took our time opening presents and just enjoyed the time together, capturing memories and laughing! Isabell plays with her dowelhouse (that's what she calls it) all the time and even the pet shops play in the house too! I hope you all had a wonderful time with friends and family!

Christmas with Grandpa & Grandma

2012-01-01T16:33:00.000-05:00

I broke out the china and made brunch on Christmas Eve Day and Dawn & Jeff came for the day! We had a great time hanging out, making a gingerbread house, feeding the reindeer, opening presents, reading books, coloring and playing! Grandpa even fed Emma some lunch! Here are a few pictures of our day together!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-26T14:16:00.000-05:00

My Dear Emma . .

2011-12-22T16:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Sweet Pea ~ Mommy can NOT believe you are already 3 months old! You are growing so fast! You smile all the time and Nana got you to giggle this past weekend! Everyone says you look like Mommy and that melts my heart! You talk, talk, talk all the time and I say that you are just trying to keep up with the rest of us! You are such a good sleeper and last night marked night #2 of you not only putting yourself to sleep BUT you slept ALL NIGHT LONG! You are wearing 6-9 month clothing and size 1 diapers! You learned how to drink from a bottle so Daddy can feed you sometimes but you are still getting the best of the best from Mommy! You don't let Mommy eat pizza or onions right now but it's all worth it!

I feel bad when I try to remember your sissy at this age because I don't remember much, I have to ask Nana since I stayed there with sissy because Daddy was on "vacation" When she was your age, Mommy had a fuzzy brain but we will explain all of that when you girls are all grown up! You melt your Daddy's heart and guess what? He isn't afraid to break you anymore! Your sissy likes to share with you (for now) and is very gentle with you and she can't wait for you to join in on our family dance parties!

Keep melting hearts baby-girl!!!!

She has a heart of gold!

2011-12-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

Let me rewind a little and tell you about the day that Christopher left for Iraq . . . Olivia (our niece) was devastated! She cried and cried when he left and her little heart was broken!

This is what Christopher got from Olivia for Christmas! She made it all by herself when he left and then returned safely home!

She may be young but has a heart of gold!

A love gift from Florida!

2011-12-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

Isabell got a special package and I wanted to show you what she got! Her Grammie (Great-Grandma that she was named after) made her this AMAZING quilt and she LOVES it! Thank you sooo much Grammie!

The reindeer have to eat too!

2011-12-22T11:58:00.000-05:00

We were at my Parents this past weekend and the kids needed to burn off some energy so we bundled them up and headed outside to feed the reindeer!

Oh yes I did . . .

2011-12-20T10:37:00.002-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-07T14:04:00.000-05:00

BUSY - BUSY - BUSY!

2011-12-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

Be prepared for lots of updates soon! We have been VERY busy lately working on a few projects around the house and we are ALMOST DONE! We may be crazy busy but we ALWAYS have time to cuddle!

Snack Time!

2011-12-02T17:20:00.000-05:00

I picked up some nutella at the store last week and thought we would give it a try to see if Isabell liked it . . .

Soooo Pretty!

2011-11-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

Emma has been begging Daddy to get diamonds like Mommy and Sissy so when we got the green light from our Pediatrician, we took her to get her very first diamonds! She did really good too! She did NOT like to hold her head perfectly still but who does? She cried for about a minute then it was over and she has already forgotten about it!

A M A Z E D!

2011-11-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

Emma just found some new friends! She smiles and talks to them and surely loves them with her big ol heart!

Life is good . . . God is good!

2011-11-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

Both girls are sleeping so I figured I should take this time to write a little update! Isabell has a cold (again) so we have been sticking close to home, relaxing in our jammies, covered in vicks! We started working on our alphabet and she is picking things up rather quickly, it's so much fun to teach her new things, she is such a sponge! She loves to watch football with Daddy and anytime she sees football on tv she yells "TOUCHDOWN! DETROIT LIONS" with her hands in the air! If ANY type of music is on she is dancing away and if it is a slow song then she grabs her Daddy's hands and says "Dance Daddy" I know I married a tough bulldog but these girls turn him into a teddy bear!

Emma is finally realizing that we sleep when it's dark and play when it's bright, that makes Mommy VERY happy! She is a happy baby and loves to smile and talk all the time . . . trying to keep up with the rest of us! She doesn't like to be in a room alone but we are still working on that! It seems like she is growing so much faster than Isabell did, sometimes I am afraid to blink!

We ordered the last of the carpet tiles for the basement so we are soooo close to having that project completed and it will be so nice to have a family room! We have been doing some major purging of things and it's nice to get rid of the unnecessary things that we had forgotten about. Don't use it, don't need it!

I hope you are all taking time out of your busy days to enjoy life, hug your children too much, tell them you love them too many times a day, make memories and remember to thank God daily for your blessings! We have one chance at this life . . . . live it up!

* here are a few random pictures for you to enjoy *

Making cookies for Daddy

She loves to color

Working on staying within the lines

Telling Daddy all about her busy day!

2 Months Old!

2011-11-09T13:15:00.000-05:00

My Dearest Emma!

I can't believe you are already 2 months old! You are such a sweet little blessing to our family and I thank God daily for you (even when you are fussy) You weigh 12 pounds and are 23 1/2 inches long! You graduated from newborn clothes a few days ago and are now wearing 0-3 months and size 1 diapers. Mommy had a really yucky headache a few days ago so Daddy had to teach you how to eat from a bottle and you took it like a champ and made Mommy VERY proud! Just like your Sissy . . you LOVE bath time, even when she splashes you in the face! You are getting better at realizing that Mommy is happier when you sleep when it is dark but if you need to cuddle at night, that's ok, I won't complain! You smile ALL THE TIME and we even hear you laughing too and you love your nightly conversations with Daddy before bedtime! Keep growing nice and strong but not too fast Sweet Pea, take your time! You are loved SOOOO much, please don't ever forget that!