Pictures

Here are some great pics of Mady. She is such a joy.

Just hanging out.

All the girls.... In our home we dont't talk about dating or getting married, too much for daddy. :)

Lauren and Mady

Danielle and Mady, I thought she would be rough, but all she does is kiss her all day! Literally!

Car seats...just to show you how little she really is. I had to take the head cushion out because she would always flop her head forward, now she just curls up in a little ball.

So here she is. We just love her littleness and sweetness. It is really nice having a little one in the house.

Enjoy!

Good Morning!!!

Wow! It is amazing how fast time flies... We are here and everyone is doing well. As of the moment I have a 2 year old sleeping, a almost 2 week old sleeping, the 6 year old is sick and I am making her sleep and the 4 year old is playing and the 9 year old is off at his dad's. So here I am with just a few moments and I wanted to share something that I read yesterday. It really hit home with me and I thought it would be nice to share.

How to Conquer the Fear of Rejection

Fear of rejection is one of Satan't greatest tools to get believers to surrender standard and embrace his lies.

1.) Don't love people praise. The Pharisees "loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:43) What a tragedy!

2.) Stop comparing yourself

There are those who find people who are smarter, more attractive or more talented, but those who compare themselves to others are not wise. (2 Cor. 10:12)

3.) Accept unchangeables

If you do not accept yourself as God designed you, why woudl you expect others to accept you?

4.) Greet all enthusiastically

If you meet people with a frown or no warm smile, they will assume you reject them, and they will reject you.

5.) Give valuable gifts

"Ever mna is a friend to him that gives gifts" (Prov. 19:6), so what do you have of value to give to others:

*A sincere word of praise

*A note of encouragement

*A verbal blessing

*Recognize anniversaries

*Comfort those grieving

*Share God's Good News

*And so much more....

Remember the goal isn't to get people to like you but to let God love them through you so that they will fall in love with Him.

(iblp.org)

When I read this I was greatly encouraged and my heart was so opened as to remembering how important this is for all of us. Whether we have a problem with fear of rejection or not, we are all called to love God and share Him with others. This was a great reminder.

Have a blessed day!

Some More Pictures

Here are some more pictures of the birth of Madeline Joy.

Hunter holding Mady.

He is such a proud big brother.
Emma holding Mady, she was so excited she could hardly contain herself.

And here is Lauren, our giggle box, who is just beaming with joy for her new little sister.

And there is the new star of the family, peaceful as can be sleeping in the little hospital bassinet. She is just too precious for words and I thank God for her and all of them.

God bless.

Wow!!

Well life is slowly getting back to normal. Nothing like having our routine back in place and finding out how we all fit in. Mady has been great! She sleeps wonderfully, eats well and is truly the cutest little thing. (I know I am bias.)

Today I am making baked goodies to take to my wonderful doctor and the nurses who did such an amazing job taking care of me. It was truly an incredible experience. So how did it start.

Well, Wednesday morning I woke up feeling contractions. They weren't strong and if you know me I am not going to go in till they hurt. So I just kept track. Wanting a nice, easy birth, I cleaned the house. Vacuumed, dusted, finished laundry and baked 2 casseroles. Mmm. Then I called Bret to let him know and off he came home. My wonderful neighbor came over to watch the kids and my mom and mil and fil headed down from Phoenix.

Now my past 2 births were fast! I mean under 50min from start to finish, so I was a little anxious. We got there and I was at 2cm, they had me walk for an hour and I progressed to 3cm. I have never been that slow! So they set me up in a room where we walked and waited, all night long. Finally the next morning around 8am my doctor came in and asked if I would like an epidural or my water broken, I got both, I was so relaxed and it was so wonderful. By 8:30am everything was done and I was resting peacefully. My mom and the kids came down along with my mil and fil and they were there as well.

2 hours later there she was. I got to pull her out, there was an incredible knot in the umbilical cord and she got cleaned up and we got cleaned up as well. They did a great job and my doctor and nurses all deserve the credit. It was fantastic, just what I prayed for.

So there is her story in a nutshell. I am off to make lunch and enjoy the afternoon with the kids.

God bless.

Madeline has arrived!!!

Madeline Joy arrived June 11th at 10:30 am, weighing in at 6lbs 9oz and 19in long. She is the biggest by far!! It was an incredible birth and we are all home enjoying her.

At home in her little bassinett. She loves it!!

Just after a good clean up!! I love her lips, just like daddy's!

Our first family photo!!!

I will be posting some more soon, please be patient as we will be getting used to a brand new routine. Have a blessed weekend.

Pregnancy Truths!!

Okay, since I am nearing the end of my pregnancy, everyone always just glows about pregnancy. I love being pregnant, most of all I love babies and watching them grow. I just love everything, however, there are some truths that must be exposed because pregnancy is hard. I don't think it was this hard with my first and to be honest this was my first really difficult pregnancy. I am not quite sure, but what I hear, there is always one. So here are some of my woes:
1.) Pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome. From my elbows to my fingertips are shooting with pain and they are always asleep. I have to wear braces at night and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. (try putting on makeup or doing your hair).

2.) Hemroids... they are ugly, they aren't comfortable, but they are there.

3.) This pregnancy hasn't been my healthiest, not quite sure why, but it hasn't. I guess I am entitled to one of them.

4.) This is the first pregnancy I needed caffeine to keep me going through the day. Whether it be tea, diet coke, or a coffee.

5.) I am not a cute pregnant lady, I retain water like the Hoover Dam, seriously. So I am puffy all over and I haven't seen my ankle bones in weeks.

6.) Snoring, can't explain this one, but it is like the back of my throat closes up at night. I have a humidifier, saline nasal spray and my head propped up. I just feel bad for Bret.

7.) I am not joyful right now.

8.) I can't walk for very long or stand because then I can't see my toes or any other extremity on the lower half of my body.

And I think for now that is about it. I love my kids and if God blesses me with more, we will be so excited!! But I just think sometimes things need to spoken about, kind of like menopause, how are we going to know what to expect if it isn't discussed. So there you have it. Honesty!

Enjoy your evening! God bless.

Cooking

You know I love to cook! I love to bake, anything at home, even if I don't know how to make it, I try it. Sometimes I make really great things and other times well, its a flop and thank goodness there is always pizza or fast food somewhat close by. :)

I really miss just hanging out at home right now because we are so busy with swimming. I cannot wait for the season to be over at the end of June and just enjoy being a keeper of my home. I can see why a lot of people don't do sports or other outside activities with their children because it truly takes away from the home. But thank goodness for a lesson learned and learned quickly.

Life has been pretty much the same and we are still awaiting the arrival of Mady. Though all the kids have come between 35-37 weeks, it is still just waiting to see. I think that is the hardest part, I am ready for the next chapter to begin. So here we are. Tomorrow is another doctor's appointment and I was hoping not to make it there, but oh well, God's ways are not mine and He does all things for my good. :)

But we are all happy and healthy and we are on our light summer schedule which has been nice as we finish up and work on last minute things. As soon as swimming is done I will be teaching Lauren how to cook in the kitchen and sew a few things, Emma and I are learning to read and handwriting, Hunter is wanting to start a business, so we are looking into that. Hope you all are having a wonderful summer.

God bless.

Doctor Update

We are officially 1cm dilated and 50% effaced!! She could come anytime now! I will keep everyone posted.

Real Life For Me

WHAT DIVORCE DOES.

You know, I have been wanting to write out a post to describe what time is like when Hunter is here and when he isn't. Hunter goes 2 weekends a month to Phoenix to visit his dad. It is usually from a Friday to Sunday or Friday to Monday. Then in the summer his dad gets 6 weeks, which is usually divided into 3/2 week segments. This summer we are trying something different and hopefully it will work out well, and then over the new school year, hopefully trying something different that will work out well too.

When Hunter is here for an extended period of time, he grows in character and personality. He is happy, affectionate, hard working (sometimes), and all around a wonderful brother and son. Then he will leave for his weekend at his dad's, where there is no responsibility, he has no chores, no siblings, and life is filled with entertainment (video games, movies, tv, etc. ), the things we don't have at home.

If he is gone for the weekend the adjustment period doesn't take too long, he is back to his normal happy self. I don't cut him any slack as we have been doing this for 8 years now. He just has to jump right back into the groove of things, and for him, it works.

Well, this past week, he was gone for the entire week. It is hard on me because I rely on him so much for so many things. It is hard on the girls because he is their best friend. Lauren will wear his jammies, sneak into his room, and make him picutres while he is gone. Emma just follows Lauren and Danielle she just calls and looks for "bubba".

But when he comes home, it is as though my sweet boy has been transformed into something that I don't desire at all. I want nothing more than for my children to know God, love him and serve him. But when he comes home, I have to undo all that has been done. And Hunter's dad has no clue, no clue at all to the boy he was when he left and what he comes home to be. The saddest part of it all is that he doesn't care, and even if he voices his care, he does nothing about it.

So last night as we are trying to get our family back to normal we usually have girls who are very prophetic, telling Hunter right from wrong, Hunter defending himself and the reasons why he chooses not the best for himself. It is an adjustment for us all.

My goal in this isn't to get sympathy, but perhaps to encourage you to know that divorce isn't God's best. I wouldn't trade my life for anything, the blessings, the love, and the way I know God now. He knew this road long before I did, and it isn't easy. I don't get to see the same fruit in Hunter that I do in my girls. There is a lot more conflict between Hunter and I than the girls, but I know in the end he will see the difference as he already does. We just pray and hit our knees a lot.

Hope this gives you a little insight...

Blessings~