Never Say Never

Here are a few things that I said I would never do, and ultimately ended up doing anyways...

1.Go to Baylor
2. Be a teacher
3. Marry a coach
4. Move back to Sulphur Springs
5. Leave Sulphur Springs
6. Quit teaching to stay home and be poor
7. Go back into teaching
8. Become pregnant for a 3rd time
9. Drive a minivan


There have been several more along the way, but those highlight some of the big ones.  You would think...at some point...I would catch on.  However, as I've been told by my parents multiple times, I tend to learn things "the hard way."  One take away that I have come out with is that there is a God who loves me beyond what I deserve, reminds me constantly that HE is in control, and has such a better plan for my life than I could have ever planned for myself.  For that, I am thankful.



Here is a picture of our Breckynn Grace at 20 weeks.  We chose the middle name Grace because it is by the Grace of God that we have her. This is a picture of her face looking forward and her little hand saying, "Hi!"  Can't wait to kiss those precious little fingers in just four months!

This fall, as if having a surprise 3rd child wasn't enough, Baylor will be starting Kindergarten, Colby will be finishing up his masters and doing his Principal's Internship (Hallelujah!), and I decided to do this...

That's right.  I'm getting BACK into teaching!  I'm actually super super excited about it. I will be a part time Title teacher working with grades K-2nd.  2.5 days at school, 4.5 days at home with my babies!  Not a bad deal!

The girls are rocking and rolling along.  Right now they are in swim lessons and doing great.  Bay  had a rough start as she was terrified she was going to "sink", but thankfully with her patient swim teacher "Miss Randa" she has gotten over that fear and has become a little fish in the water swimming all by herself!  Thank goodness!  Mylea is a tiny tornado.  Full of energy and opinions!

PS...the minivan is AWESOME!!! :) 

Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."

Surprise!

Yes, we've received the surprise of a lifetime!  Baby #3 is on the way!

 I know many of you may be thinking, "Really?  Was it really that big of a surprise?  It's baby #3...don't you guys know how this works by now?" 

Yes...we know how it works...however, "traditional" methods have never worked for us.  Both of our girls were conceived with the help of fertility treatments.  IUI's to be specific.  We will have been married for 9 years this summer and in that 9 years, we've never gotten pregnant on our own. Until now.  Surprise!

I have to admit.  The thought of having a third baby has been tough to wrap my brain around.  I was soooo done with having kids and I never, like EVER, wanted to be pregnant again.  Ever.  I wish I was one of those people who loved being pregnant, but I'm just not.  Thankful?  Absolutely.  Joyful?  Not so much.  I pray about my attitude often and try to keep the bigger picture in mind, however, the bigger picture is a bit overwhelming itself.  I mean, 3 kids?!?!  We're going to be poor forever.  I'm just now recovering from Mylea's "baby" stage.  In fact, I was at the doctor with her a week before I found out I was pregnant and I could hear a baby crying in the other room.  I told Mylea's pediatrician, "Wooo, I'm glad it's them and not me!"  Well, joke's on me!

Thankfully, the more time I've had to digest the news, the more excited I've become.  And of course, seeing the miracle behind the chaos puts everything into perspective.

We are having another baby!  A sweet, tiny, precious life that God has blessed us with.  A baby we thought we could never have, we will get to hold in just a few months.   A true miracle!  Peek Baby #3, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  We love you more than words!

In other news...here are a few cute pics of our girls.  Love them so!

Mylea got tubes over Spring Break.  The child can finally hear and her runny nose has finally stopped.  Hallelujah!

Obligatory Snow Day pic!

Their sisterly cuteness is just too much!

Psalm 127:3- "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

Thankful

Tis the season for pumpkin spices, great weather, and hearts full of thankfulness!


 The months of  October and November will always hold a special place in my heart.  October because, with both of our girls, we were holding our breaths, crying out to the Heavens and praying that God would choose to create life as a result of our most recent fertility treatment.  And November because that is when we found out we were pregnant...TWICE!  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be Mommy to Baylor and Mylea and I'm so thankful for the sweet sisterhood they have with each other.     

Right now life is simple and sweet. I know it won't last forever so I am cherishing the moments we are in.   And I am thankful.

  Our Ariel and Little Piggie.  Hilarious.

A little drawing on the ipad.  It lasted for about a minute...

 

Sweet sisters.

 

Good thing they're cute, because they're definitely not quiet!  We attract SOOOO much attention in public!

Poteet Pep-Rally

 

Baylor is a very patient big sister...

 

And she's also smart! ;)

 

 

Time out.  Baylor was in time out, Mylea was giving her moral support.

 

But we all thought it was so funny that time out was pretty much a wash this time.

This video has made me laugh no less than a thousand times.  

 Mylea woke up one day and decided to start talking!  Here are a few of her new words

 

James 1:17-" Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Mylea Lou turns ONE!

I can't believe my baby is ONE! It has been a whirlwind year and she has been the perfect addition to our family!

Much like her sister, Mylea came into this world earlier than expected.(For me, that's a good thing. Less time to stress about the "what ifs" and more time to enjoy and love on our second miracle!) In the previous days leading up to Mylea's birth I was swollen and miserable. I also had a headache that I just couldn't shake. And I never get headaches. So, early Saturday morning ,on July 6...about 3:30 am, I decided I should probably get my blood pressure checked because this could be one of those high blood pressure headaches. Ridiculous, I know. But where do you go to get your blood pressure checked in the middle of the night? Wal Mart of course. :) Bay was with my parents as I had attended a college roommates wedding the night before so Colb and I made the trek to Wal Mart. Their BP machine was broken, but since it's Wal Mart they had one I could buy. We came back home, Colb went to bed and told me to wake him up if I needed him, and I proceeded to take my BP. I have always had a low BP, but on this day it was something crazy like 170/112. I don't remember exactly, but after three high readings I called the on call doctor. He told me to come in to Labor and Delivery and we would run some tests and go from there. So I woke up Colby, called my parents just in case, and off we went to the hospital. We were 3 weeks before Mylea's due date. I asked Colb what he thought was about to happen. His response was, "I think we're going to be here a long time, spend a lot of money, and come home." Apparently he thought I was being dramatic about the whole thing. ;) We made it to the hospital, talked to the nurses about what was going on, and got changed into a hospital gown. The mood was pretty light, but after the first time they took my blood pressure the mood completely changed. Doctors were called, IVs were hooked up, medicine was given, and I was told to expect to meet my baby girl within the hour. Wait, what?!?! The hour?!?! Then the nurses started doing their "shop talk" around me. I hate "shop talk". I appreciate everything they do, but I am the type of person who does not need to hear it.  They were saying things like, "Wow that's a high blood pressure". "I know, we've already given her a dose of ___." "Give her another. " "How close is the doctor?" "Let's start the magnisium." "Ok, now we're going to give you a med to raise your BP so you don't bleed out in surgery. "  My response: "Wait. Stop. I'm not ready. I don't think this is a good idea. We should wait until my regular doctor comes back in a few days. I don't feel so well. I can't really breathe. I feel like maybe I'm about to die. Let's just wait". Uh , yes, I was panicking. Their response, "Let's give her a dose of _____ to ease the stress. " And everything after that was sunshine and rainbows! Seriously. It was a great birthing experience after that! And the best part?



                                                                              This...

I got to kiss her as soon as she was born.  

Her daddy got to be the first one to snuggle her and hold her tight 

I held her and I never had to let go.   

She was perfect and she was ours. 

Bay's first time meeting Mylea. 

Our sweet 7lb 8 oz bundle 

What a difference 12 hours can make!

Mylea Lou, your daddy and I love you so much. You are a miracle from our God and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. We praise Jesus for the opportunity to parent you here an this earth and we pray that you would grow to love Him all the days of your life. 

And so goes another year...

Another school year has come and gone...again!

Honestly, most of this year was a blur for me.  They say that going from one kid to two kids isn't really that big of deal because you're still in "man" defense.  They say it's going from 2 kids to 3 kids that's tough because then the parents are outnumbered. Well...let me tell you..."they" lied.  Going from 1 kid to 2 kids has rocked my ever fragile world!  I love both of my children soooo much.  More than I could ever appropriately put into words, but...good grief...they have thrown some curve balls at me this year!

Baylor turned 3 last July.  3 was a doozy of a year for our Baylor girl!  She found her will, she formed her opinions, she drew her ill-advised line in the sand (daily), annnnnnd she punked us...multiple times!  You know, I honestly thought that the fact that when I got baptized and was pregnant with Baylor that that would give Baylor some kind of Holy Immunity to the hard headed genes she was doomed to inherit(from her father's side..obvs), but it didn't.  At. All.  Thankfully, along with her new sense of independence also came growth and maturity.  She has become one of the SWEETEST big sisters you will ever see...and she's only 3!  She has one of the funniest personalities (when she's in the mood) that you will ever encounter...and she's only 3! :)  She has the most contagious laugh and irresistible dimple.  Thank goodness for her dimple...it's the only thing that spares her poor bottom sometimes. ;)

Mylea, also born in July, is now 10 months old.  She is a completely opposite baby than Baylor was.  Baylor was perfect.  Literally.  Never cried.  Always slept.  Super easy going. Mylea, well...she's not so much any of that.  She's a scheduled baby. And she needs to stay on that schedule or else chaos will undoubtedly ensue.  We had to leave many a soccer games early this year bc Mylea needed her bed.  Immediately.  The silver lining though is that she looooves her mommy! :)  When she wakes up too early, she will go back to sleep contentedly on my chest.  She loves for mommy to hold her.  Now that she can crawl, wherever I go she goes.  She's my little shadow.  Although she doesn't have any dimples she still has the sweetest smile that lights up her whole face! She's a climber.  She's a put everything she can find in her mouth-er. And she loves her big sister Baylor.  If I need her to smile I just call Bay.  Bay can always get her to smile.  I love watching them together.  It's the best.  And I LOVE my Mylea girl! 

 First and last day of PDO.

A hole!  Let's see if I fit?!

 Baylor found "treasures" and put them all on.

Look Mom!  I ate a marker!

Sister love

It wasn't teeny...and it wasn't yellow polka dots, but it sure was cute!

Mylea and her friend Bowen. Same chair each pic. New born, 4ish months, and 10 months.

Mommy's chest :)

Just another day in the Land of Baylor!

Wake up Mom!

Presh.

Adorable

My: I want that! Bay: Back up sis...

Too cool for school.

Daddy love

 Laughing

Thank you Jesus for these two precious lives.  I love them so.

This and that

It's Spring Break, woo hoo!!!! Even though I don't actually have a spring break, it's still nice to have the hubs home a bit more and have family come visit us on their break!

Colb is in his FOURTH season at Poteet. Crazy that it's already been that long! Getting to the games has been quite the event for me this year. 2 kids. One mommy. Different needs. I stink at time management in general...Let's just say if you see me at a game I resemble a flustered, homeless, bag lady who happens to have two cute kiddos. :) Thank goodness Colby's mom comes to most of the games! And those of you who have more than two kids and you actually make it out of your house to go anywhere, bless you!

 The girls are keeping us busy as usual. Baylor has an imagination that makes me think she is going to be a super creative outside the box thinker OR she's going to be "that kid" who's best friend is her imaginary purple elephant...when she's 20... ;) Bay has started warming up to her role as Big Sister and it really is so sweet to see her interact with Mylea. Bay LOVES to make Mylea laugh and Mylea just lights up anytime Bay is close to her. Speaking of Mylea, at 7 months old she FINALLY started sleeping through the night! I was feeling slightly delirious and very sleep deprived when I saw where another mommy friend was using Moms On Call. It's a different way of sleep training babies that I had never heard of before but really worked for us. You can read more about them here. Now she is soooo much happier! The nursery workers don't cringe when we drop her off on Sundays anymore ( totally kidding, they're always awesome) and we have actually had people comment on what a good and happy baby she is. Shocking!

Bundled up for Daddy's soccer game

 

Mylea says,"You gotta be kidding me."

Sweet sister moment

Sooooo many rolls!!!

Big girl picked out her clothes and shoes and dressed herself!

Totally posed, but looks so cute!

My crazy funny world! 

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

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AHHHHHH!!!!!

That is how I feel sometimes. Just so completely out of control that I just want to scream, AHHHH! Make it stop!

This year has definitely been the toughest year to date in parenting. Baylor is sooooooo strong willed. And Mylea, well, she cries. A lot. And sleep is hit or miss.

This past week has been even more stressful. I found out that not one, but TWO of Baylor's Christmas gifts will not be arriving by Christmas because I ordered them online and thanks to Icemageddon 2013 the trains were all delayed.  I then found out that my credit card info may be stolen due to the in store purchases I made at target a few weeks ago.  And to top it all off, our washer broke and flooded our laundry room. Twice.

So, I prayed. I cried. I talked. I laughed. And I tweaked my thinking.

I am thankful for the mishaps. I am thankful for the challenges that have come my way. I am thankful  for this season of life. Because that's exactly what it is. A season.

I am thankful for Baylor's strong will because that is the way our Creator designed her. I am thankful for the opportunity to parent her and I pray that we teach her, and Christ molds her, to use her strong will for the glory of his kingdom.

I am thankful for sleepless nights because it means that once again God has blessed us with a miracle. Mylea Lou is cutest and chunkiest thing you have ever seen. Her gummy smile will melt your heart and I cannot wait to watch her grow.

I am thankful that even though 2 of Baylor's gifts will not be here on time, we still have so many family members that love her and love to spoil her that she will be none the wiser this Christmas season. We are so blessed by our family in so many ways. This is just one small monetary way they show their love for our family.

I am thankful that we have a washing machine that is getting worn from the wear and tear that a family of 4 can bring on it. There was a time when I was unsure if we would ever be past a family of 2. I am also thankful that it was a reparable part!

I am thankful that these petty things are my biggest stressors.

I am thankful for a Creator who loves me so much that he would send his son to save a wretched soul like me. And I am thankful for this season to celebrate his life that he so selflessly gave for us.

So take that bad attitude! And here are some pics of our little brood!



Her shirt says, " Dear Santa, Does Nice-ish Count?" I thought it was pretty funny :)

Good things come in small packages. 

What does a fox say?

She's a happy little elf!

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.