Final Stretch

It's been forever since I've blogged! It's easy to blame our cute little toddler, or the fact that I'm exhausted...but really, I just sometimes feel like I don't have much to say. Our lives have settled into a pretty normal routine, and while there are definitely days that are out of the ordinary, most of the time it's pretty even keeled around here :)

My wonderful friend, Tara of TLohse Photography, did a photo shoot for us recently, and I think the pics turned out really lovely. We wanted to document E's 2nd birthday, my pregnancy, and get some family shots as well. Tara has a gift for capturing people's emotions, and when I look at the work she did for us, all I see is LOVE.

Nothing much to report on the pregnancy; however, after much consideration and prayer we have decided to go ahead and schedule a C-Section for early November. I didn't have Elli via C-Section, so this has been a totally new (and quite overwhelming) experience. There are many extenuating circumstances behind our decision, and we definitely feel like it's the right choice for our family...it's just that the unknown can be kind of scary sometimes.

We're also in the process of house-hunting. Exciting, right?! After extensively looking into the possibility of building, we've decided to switch gears and look for a house that is already complete. I think the process would go much more smoothly if we weren't so darn picky...oh, and if we could wrap our heads around housing prices out here! They are crazy! So, while we've found a few that we're really interested in, I'm not sure we'll be homeowners anytime soon. We'll just have to see what God has in store for us :)

I just can't get over this picture. Truly, I can't. I just love these two. And I can't wait to see our sweet little boy added to that mix of emotions!

My cup runneth over.

Discipline & Love

A friend of mine is having her third baby, and as a gift to her another friend is putting together an inspirational book full of quotes/stories/memories that she gathered from the women who know her. Four questions were sent out to a group of us to answer, and my favorite one was:

What do you love most about being a Mom??

This was my answer:

I love almost everything about being a mom (minus the sleepless nights for the first few months! Ha!). I love that God chose me (specifically) to be Elliana's mother. I love that when I look at her I see my husband and I's love for each other. I love that I get to explore with her, guide her & teach her about all of the wonderful things that God created. I love the snuggles, the laughs, the hugs and kisses, and the sweet way that she says "Amen". But in this season of discipline (she's nearly 2!), I also love watching as she learns life lessons about forgiveness & consequences. Delicate, heart matters. I love that I get to be the one who demonstrates those things to her...and that the Lord trusted me with that call.

I'm one of those people who just sits down and starts writing. And one who, most of the time, is surprised at how whatever it is that I write turns out in the end. This time was no different. I wrote from my heart, and I was honestly a little bit surprised about what came out. But it's the truth. This time, this season of motherhood, is hard. Chris and I have had many discussions about discipline, about how to deal with certain behavior, and about how we hope to steer Elli as she grows. We're not perfect, and neither is she (though her grandparents might disagree with me there!). She throws fits sometimes, she screams, she cries, I react, 2nd guess and sometimes regret the way I handled the situation. But each and every night I pray that the Lord guides me to do the "right" thing during those times. I pray that I'll have a mere second of clarity amidst the chaos and be able to truly see my precious little girl who can't yet explain/communicate correctly yet, and make the decision that best teaches/disciplines her in that moment.

But the crazy thing, the thing I wouldn't have expected from her at such a young age, is that she honestly seems to thrive when we discipline her. Maybe "thrive" isn't the right word. What I mean is that she looks in our eyes when we firmly explain why her choices were wrong/bad/hurtful. She wants to give us a hug and a kiss before we put her back down on the ground (we usually have her in our lap when we're talking to her about fits/tantrums/etc). She wants to know that we forgive her, that we love her, that no matter what she does...nothing will ever change those things. Such an amazing parallel to what (I think) adults want to feel/know. Even though she will continue to make bad choices sometimes, I am starting to see the wheels turning in her head when she's faced with a decision. "Should I run away and laugh when Mommy is calling for me?" or "Should I come when I'm called?" or "This oven looks really fun...maybe I should play with the handle just one more time!". Of course I know she won't always pick the better option, but I can see her growing, learning, analyzing her options now. And it makes me so happy, fills me with such joy, that I'm the one who gets to watch such an important transition in her life! And the responsibility of that has been pretty cool for me as well. I don't think I lose it NEARLY as often as I used to (hmmm...don't ask my husband about that one though! Ha!), and I'm learning that some things really are small potatoes when compared to the big picture. Ummm, that's HUGE for me :)

How about y'all? What's your favorite thing about motherhood? How do you feel about discipline? Has it been a struggle, or pretty easy going? How do your children react? I think sometimes it depends on age, too. Well, all the time really! E is almost 2, but I've heard 3's are pretty rough! I might be singing a different song this time next year! Heehee!! But I'd love to hear some of your thoughts...it's always great to get different perspectives!

Pregnancy Update

So...here are the pics :) I probably should have asked Chris to take them b/c I just look awkward with the camera/phone!! I think I look bigger in week 24, but I guess it's the shirt. Weird!

24 Weeks Pregnant

25 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 26 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: 8 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes, definitely!

Sleep: Pretty good. I've been waking up a lot more lately though.

Best moment this week: Getting the nursery bedding!! So fun :)

Movement: Lots of kicking and moving!

Food cravings: Sugar and Asian Food...weird!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!!! So excited :)

Labor Signs: None

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and cold ham sandwiches.

What I am looking forward to this week: Nothing really baby-wise this week.

Weekly Wisdom: I think I need to revisit my previous Tums investment :)

22 Weeks and Counting

This little baby is rockin' and rollin', so I thought I'd give y'all a little update :) I really wish I had a picture of myself...but not enough to go in the bathroom and take one! I'll see what I can do this weekend. Poor 2nd child, we already don't have as many pictures as we did the 1st go 'round!

How far along? 22 weeks...new due date is early November!

Total weight gain/loss: 5 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yep! And I have to share what happened the other day when trying on a bathing suit at Motherhood Maternity! So, I was dreading purchasing said suit (for obvious reasons!), but when I put it on I thought to myself, "wow, my belly doesn't look half bad....but what the heck happened to my legs?!!" Needless to say, I gained a little insight into why my pants have been a little bit tight lately! My 1st baby was all belly...my 2nd seems to want to "spread the wealth" of weight gain a little lower!

Sleep: Still pretty good, thankfully!

Best moment this week: Rocking Elli one night, and feeling the baby kick at the same time. So fun!

Movement: Some kicking, but mostly a rolling feeling.

Food cravings: Sugar!!!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!!! So excited :)

Labor Signs: None

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach...and a glass of wine sounds really good at the end of a long day!

What I am looking forward to this week: Celebrating the 4th!!

Weekly Wisdom: Elli is going to be the greatest big sister ever!! I can't wait to see my two babies together :)

Summertime

I forgot how hot it is in NC. Add pregnancy to the heat and humidity, and it's almost more than I can take! Poor Elli, her favorite thing to do is play with bubbles outside and it takes just about all the energy I can muster to sit out there and watch her in the afternoons. Whew!! It sure puts England weather into perspective...maybe it wasn't so bad living over there after all :)

Chris is just trucking along in his training. **That's him on the left!** He's flying now, so he's happy. He's pretty easy to please that way :) We'll find out sometime in September where we're heading next. We only have 3 options (and one is back to England!!), but the hard part is narrowing down where the best place for our family is going to be. Right now, we're really struggling with that decision. There are deployments to think about, and a brand-new baby coming along about 5 weeks before we will be scheduled to move. Not the greatest timing, but I know in my heart that it will all work out in the end. It's just getting to that point that is hard!

Elli is doing great as well. She's at such a fun stage, and it's exciting to watch her learn and grow so quickly these days. She's finally starting to put words together. I think she was a little delayed in that area, but she's definitely making up for it now. She loves her baby dolls, and wants to rock them, feed them & change their clothes constantly. I'm thrilled b/c she's so sweet and gentle with them, and I'm really hoping that it's a little window into how she will be when we bring home the new baby. We're also working on the alphabet, which has really been quite comical. Every word she sees is "ABC". Every letter you show her is "ABC". A toothbrush is "ABC" (b/c we sing the alphabet song when we brush our teeth). Funny!! Needless to say, we're a ways off from knowing our letters! Ha!

She's still a big fan of the water, and we try to go the Spray Park in our area at least once a week. In fact, she loves it so much that we're going to do her birthday party there! I think she'll have a blast! And we're heading to the beach to spend July 4th with my family, so she'll have plenty of fun in the sun over the next few weeks!

As for me, I think I'm really starting to settle in here in North Carolina. Sometimes it takes awhile to really get acclimated to a place, and though we've been here before I think I struggled more than I thought I would. But we finally found a church that we really like, I started volunteering again, and we've been blessed with great friends who have helped along the way. I'm in a good place now, and I'm anxious to meet our new little bundle...a BOY, by the way!!

WooHOO!!!!!!!!

Movie & Book Reviews

Hey bloggy friends! It's been a long time since I've written about anything not pertaining to mommy-hood. Funny how that happens sometimes! So I thought I'd share some of the things that I've been reading & watching lately...and get some suggestions from y'all as well :)

True Grit:

Hmmm, where do I begin? I know a LOT of people really, really liked this movie. It was recommended by quite a few friends and family members. I; however, was not a fan. Something about Maddie...I just found her to be, well, annoying. I actually really like Westerns usually, but I just couldn't get into this one. And to me, Matt Damon just didn't fit somehow...especially as someone from Texas! When the movie ended I couldn't help feeling perplexed. Both Chris and I felt like it was a waste of 2 hours. Sad, I know.

The Company Men:

I didn't love this movie either. In it's defense, it was the 2nd movie of the night and we (I...Chris was asleep!) didn't start it until almost 11. So, maybe it's a little unfair to judge it so harshly since I could barely hold my eyes open for it! But, I'm one of those people who HAS to see the end if I start it. Worst movie ever? I'll stick it out to the credits. I just can't help it.

Anyway, back to the movie. Again, I just didn't get into it. I really liked the actors, and the previews made it look really interesting. But, in the end, I think it just fell flat. Maybe it was an accurate portrayal of how it feels to lose your job, especially as an executive...I don't know. But even so, there was no really "gripping" part. None of the characters really made you "feel" for them. One was a jerk (in the beginning), one was having an affair (sooo, jerk), and the other was just pitiful. Sad, yes. Memorable? No.

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo:

Wow. There really are no words. It's a short book that I finished in about 1.5 days because I just couldn't put it down. It was engaging, heart-tugging and remarkable. I thought it was sincere in its message, and I just couldn't help but feel a little bit more joyful when I finished it. Death is daunting to me. I felt like this was a little glimpse of what is in store for us (in heaven), in an easy-to-understand, and vivid version. That's what this book is, I guess. Many books in the Bible explain what heaven will look like, some in great detail, but sometimes the language and wording is difficult to wrap my head around. This book, coming from a 4 year old, isn't difficult at all. It stays true to what I've read in scripture but somehow enhances the images in my mind. I'd highly recommend it to anyone :)

What I'm Currently Reading:

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt

Do you have any good book or movie recommendations?? I'm really not picky about movies (though my reviews might say otherwise!). I usually like anything :) And while I don't have a whole lot of time to read anymore, I LOVE to do it when I get the chance! So any suggestions would be great!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

Life Lately

"Mama, up peeeaaasss"!

Messy hair and sleepy eyes.

Strawberries and waffles...and a little bit of syrup for dipping ;)

Elmo books and singing the ABC's.

Puzzles, blocks and tea parties.

PB&J, blueberries and applesauce, and milk to wash it down.

Naptime...for 2 :)

Silly songs and lots of dancing.

Sippy cups and Goldfish.

Swimming, running and red-cheeked, sweaty-faced happiness.

Wooden spoons, tupperware, pots & pans & lots of laughter.

Dinner for 3, and a hearty "AMEN" from Miss E.

Bath time, bubbles, rubber duckies & lots of splashing.

Footy-PJ's, bed time stories and the best snuggles ever!

Family prayers and sweet dreams.

A thankful and very full heart.

What does your life look like lately??

19 Weeks Down...

Can I just start out by saying that I'm all kinds of screwed up with this pregnancy! I thought I was 20 weeks along (yay 1/2 way!!), and even told a few people that this week. But then I look again (just to be sure), and nope...I'm only 19 weeks preggo as of today. It doesn't help that my due date has been moved back by 8 days (which I'm pretty sure is wrong, but why listen to the mother??!!). It's just thrown me completely off because, well...I'm kind of a planner (oh, hadn't you heard that before?!).

So, here are my pregnancy stats so far!!

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Zero. I know, sounds bad! But, I lost 7 lbs in the beginning and have now gained it back...so I'm even. Though if you saw me, you'd swear I'm up at least 15 big ones!

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah. Though I was pretty proud of myself for squeezing into a non-maternity shirt today. Side-view might not be so hot, but I went for it anyway :)

Sleep: GREAT...when Elli sleeps through the night!!

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat again. And starting the countdown to find out the gender! T minus 11 days and counting!

Movement: I don't feel much yet...I'll have to go back and see what Elli was doing around this time.

Food cravings: Crunchy Tacos...is that weird?!

Gender: ????

Labor Signs: None.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach. It takes me FOREVER to get comfortable now!

What I am looking forward to this week: Nothing baby-wise, but we are hosting a BBQ on Sat., and I'm pretty pumped about that!

Weekly Wisdom: I so miss having a baby-baby in my arms. I'm sooo looking forward to holding our sweet little one :)

Ten on Thursday

I'm going to hop on the "Ten" train! Lots of my friends have been doing this lately, so I thought I'd try to come up with 10 interesting tidbits about our lives, too. Well...I said I'd TRY to make them interesting! Ha!

1) We try to take advantage of long weekends, and this one is no different! We're heading out to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA tomorrow. I'm super excited b/c there is a Sesame Street section there, and I think Elli will have a blast! PLUS, our little family gets in free thanks to our military man :)

2) Chris's dad & Donna will be joining us on our Virginia adventure...which makes me even more excited!

3) I heard Baby D's heartbeat again today. Such a sweet sound!

4) Only 3 more weeks and we find out if Baby D is a girl or a boy. WooHoo, I can't wait!

5) I made King Ranch Chicken Casserole for the first time last night, and we all LOVED it! Click on the link for the recipe :)

6) After a brief hiatus, I'm going to be turning on my sewing machine again. I know, crazy! I have so many pregnant friends right now that I just can help but drag out the fabric, scissors & thread to make some fun baby gifts!

7) It is my opinion that window treatments really "make" the house. We finally got the last ones hung last night and I can't tell you the difference it has made!! It finally feels like home.

8) We went to a "base brief" last week at Chris's squadron. We heard about the upcoming deployment schedule, and got a preview of all the bases that are available to us. I gotta say, I didn't leave that brief with warm fuzzies! These past 2 years of Chris's training have really spoiled us both (& Elli!). In 5 short months, we'll be back to the "real world" of long days, deployments, TDY's, and typical military life. I know we'll adjust, we always do...I'm just not really looking forward to it.

9) Elli's vocabulary is exploding! She is such a little mimic, and it makes me laugh. Her current favorite words are: boo boo, shoes, choo choo, up please, and Daddy. She says new ones every day, and she knows many more than just these...it's just that she says these particular ones so often that if you're not careful you'll start banging you head against the wall! And she gets louder each time she says one, until she's screaming SHOES and nearly falling down from the giggling. Who taught her that?! Cracks me up!

10) HUGE shopping weekend in store for me! Well, mainly Monday, but I think 1 day of the crazy sales will be plenty. Did you know that Gymboree has everything in stores and online for $12.95 or less? EVERYTHING! And Carter's is having a 60% off sale. Coach has everything 30% off at the outlets, Crazy8 has everything in stores and online at $10.99 and under. It's nuts I tell you...and I plan on being right in the middle of it!!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends!!

Well, hello again :)

Did ya miss me?? Or is anyone even still reading since I went on such a long blog hiatus?! I don't really have an excuse...time, I guess. I don't have any :) Ha! It's definitely not lack of content. I feel like our 1st eight weeks here in NC have been so busy that they have absolutely flown by. Do I say that a lot? Maybe I just feel like life is flying by at the moment. I look at my sweet daughter and wonder how she is almost 2 years old. I think about having another baby in 5 months and I'm just in shock! I try so hard to savor every moment, but sometimes I feel like they speed by so quickly that my moments seem like milliseconds. Do y'all feel that way, too? Any tips on how to slow it down?!

Let's see...where do I even begin?? Well, we decided that once we got settled in, one of the first things that we wanted to do was enroll E in Mother's Day Out. The thought was that it would give her a chance to interact with lots of other kids, and would give me a little chance to catch up on mommy things.

Here she is on her first day of "school":

She LOVES it! We chose a really well known program that is run through a local church. We love Ms. Karen, her teacher, and feel very blessed that there was a place for Elli there. I; however, haven't left E there for the full 4 hours yet!! I just can't seem to do it...weird, I know. I thought I would relish the "alone time", but truth be told...I just miss her!

Next up...Easter!! What a fun one we had this year! Had I not left the Easter eggs out all morning to be filled with ants by the time the kiddo's picked them up, it would have been a total success! Ha! Luckily, they weren't biting ants...and as soon as I realized the issue, we promptly ended the "hunt" :) I just gotta say...it's so typical of me!

My girl and I on the BEST holiday of the year. He is RISEN!!!

Elli in her Easter dress and bonnet...I just love little girls in Easter bonnets. Oh, and her daddy picked out the dress! Great job, if you ask me :)

And E hugging her friend Myla. Elli might be the hugging-est little girl I have ever seen. She LOVES a good hug! Just liker her Mama :)

Shortly after Easter, my little brother came out to visit us and we had a GREAT time just hanging out together. I think by the end of his trip he was a little overwhelmed at how tiring a toddler can be :)

Here we are at the Kinston Indians baseball game:

It was E's first one, and she was a big fan (especially of the hot dogs, ice cream & french fries!).

Over the week that Travis was here, Elli also got to go to her very first birthday party :) Happy birthday, Asher!! **She loved the bounce house until the boys wanted to play, too!**

We also went to UNC...a gorgeous campus, and a great day!

And finally, we celebrated Travis's 23rd birthday. I just love him...especially because he didn't mind that I put the candles in his birthday brownies before they had cooled. Ooops :)

So I guess that's it for March & April. I'll pick up in May...hopefully sometime soon :)

House Preview

We're finally all settled into our house, Chris has started training (again!), and we're up & rolling here in our new town. I am a little bit crazy (okay, A LOT crazy) when it comes to getting the house set up. Once our furniture has been delivered, I want it done, like yesterday! I learned that it's significantly harder to have those kinds of expectations when you're 1) running after a 19 month old, and 2) pregnant. I'm going to blame the pregnancy for most of it though b/c we had tons of help with Miss E, and she was fabulous during the entire move...so I can't really pin my slowness/lack of energy and motivation on her! Ha! We finally got everything done though (well, all but the office but that's another story!), and we're so excited to be here with such great friends!

Here are some pics of the house...thought y'all might want to see :)

I hate having that gaping hole over the mantle and it took forever to figure out what to do with it! As you can see in few pics down, we have a ginormous entertainment center that we really didn't want to get rid of, and a TV that won't fit in that hideous hole. So...conundrum. Luckily my very patient mother-in-law went to Michael's with me and helped me wander around until I found some things that I liked. I think it turned out pretty well...not exactly what I wanted, but it will do :)
LOVING our new kitchen! However, cooking with a gas oven has proven to be a little bit more difficult than I thought!

The living room...as you can see, we like Clifford at our casa :)

Our guest room...a montage of things that don't fit other places! At least it looks cozy :)

And...the best part of the house, by far!! The play room! I love it, and so does Elli. This is just one side. The other side has my desk, sewing machine, sewing closet and a big comfy chair that just begs to be read in :) We've never had a play room before. At our last house all of E's toys were in the middle of the living room...NOT ideal. I couldn't be happier with this set-up, and I'm pretty sure that Elli feels the same way!

Big News :)

A little birdie told me a secret....

I'm going to be a BIG SISTER!!!

So...in case you hadn't heard...we have some very big news in our house :) We are absolutely over-the-moon excited about a new little blessing that will be making his/her appearance in late October!! I CANNOT wait to meet our sweet 2nd child!!

Many of you know about our struggle to get pregnant with Elli. The medication that I took made me a nutcase. Seriously. C-R-A-Z-Y. Night sweats (gross!), mood swings, lots & lots (AND LOTS) of tears, cold spells, & weird cravings. Let's just say it was less than pleasant. So, when we started thinking about having another baby (when Elli was about 6 months old...yes, I'm serious), I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to go through all of that mess again. Well, it didn't work out quite like I had planned (luckily, Someone else already had it all figured out :)

My Dr. prescribed said medication about 2 months before we were scheduled to move, and I'm not going to lie, I worried about taking it every day for 2 solid months. The night before I was supposed to start the meds, Chris & I talked & prayed about it. We decided that it just wasn't a good time, that it would make the move really difficult, and we both felt like there was something pulling at our hearts telling us to wait. So, the next morning came and I didn't take the pill. I cried, but I didn't take it. I beat myself up all morning thinking that I was going to delay everything at least another 6 months (that's how long it would take to get started on the "program" again once we moved), and just really felt sorry for myself. I thought I was in control, that I had a say, that I was the one in charge. The irony of it is that I didn't take the pills because I trusted God the night before...we both did. We were so secure in His plans that we made the decision in faith. Funny how it only took about 8 hours, and the actual "act" of stepping out on that faith to trip me up. Thank you, Jesus, for Your grace in my weakness.

*Fast forward about 16 days*

I took a pregnancy test more to get rid of it (I was in my purging stage of the move) than anything else. In fact, I almost threw the test away before I realized that there was a thin blue line staring back at me! I ran out and got a digital test, one that actually says "pregnant" and took it again. Success!!! PREGNANT was displayed, crystal clear! Tears of joy ran down my face, and I immediately hit my knees.

I am not in control, I have no say, and I am definitely not the one in charge. Thankfully...because I would mess up His perfect plan, without a doubt!!

My sweet girl, waiting on daddy to get home to share the exciting news :)

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

March ~ A Good Month!

March has proven to be a really good month! We started it out with a visit from Grandad & Grandma Duncan, which was super fun!! Elli loves attention from her grandparents...good thing she has a lot of them :) The 2nd & 3rd week was dedicated to packing up our home for our latest move; this time to North Carolina!! My mom (aka Nana), came to help us with the packing/movers/Elli entertaining, and got to come with us on a quick little vacay to Charleston, SC (our reward to ourselves for 6 moves in as many years!). I LOVE that place...definitely a "must visit" if you haven't already! After that wonderful trip, we dropped my mom off at the airport and started our 4 hr. drive to our new home in NC. We hit the ground running as soon as we got here, and were blessed to have GG & Grandaddy (Chris's mom & step-dad) come out to help us with the move-in. Oh, and we celebrated my 30th birthday in the middle of all of that too!! It's been a crazy, but wonderful month. A new house, meeting up with old friends, lots of family visits, & a birthday!! What could be better?!

Grandad, Grandma & Elli...in front of the dog fence. She's going to miss those little puppies!

"Whoa!! Did you guys see that?!" This is what she did after she bowled for the very first time!! She was so tickled with herself :)

Nana, Me & Elli at Ft. Sumter
Chris & E at the Magnolia Plantation...in the petting zoo!
In the park on the Battery in Charleston

At the Charleston Children's Museum...we couldn't get her out of the water!!

In the middle of moving, and while staying in a hotel, I thought that there was pretty much no way that I would be getting a birthday cake. I was so sure of it that I went out and bought myself a cupcake :) And what did I find when I got back to the hotel that night?? My sweet husband had surprised me with my favorite cake (red velvet!!) & candles...I felt terrible for doubting him!! He's the best :)

Elli playing in the fountain in front of the Charleston Aquarium.