It's Time...

I'm 36 weeks and had a doctor's appointment today. I left with a scheduled c-section date. We'll be meeting our sweet Sydney Faith very soon! I've been on bedrest for 30 days this week and have made it one week longer than I did with Amelia. They did an ultrasound to make sure Sydney is ready. As far as we can tell - she is. They can't guarantee she won't need to be in the NICU but they believe if she does, her time there will be very short. Ultrasound actually shows her to be 6 lbs - 4 ounces, so it will be interesting to see how accurate it is. My doctor stopped and gave me a hug as I was leaving today. He said, "I'm going to miss you." I about started crying. He is such a kind, Godly man. He has been so careful to not let my preeclampsia get to the point that it did with Amelia. He has prayed with me through this entire pregnancy (and especially over the last month) and I'm so thankful he's my doctor.

Though I would have loved to have been able to go to church, work on Sydney's room, do special things with Amelia, or just able to "nest" over the past month - this was God's plan for me. Bedrest. I've had so many breakdown moments and even at one point said aloud, "I hate this!!!" But I must say, I'm beyond thankful for the family and friends that have helped us through this. We've had meals brought to us for a full month. I've had blog friends sending "care packages" in the mail filled with things for Amelia and I to do while on bedrest. We had friends out of state that mailed us a gift card to have dinner since they couldn't be here to cook us a meal. Family that has watched Amelia for my many doctor's appointments. Such thoughtfulness. So even though I had moments of being overwhelmed and just tired of this...I've had even more moments of thankfulness. Thankful for the people we share life with - they've loved us well over the past 30 days.

So it's time!! The next post you see from me will be announcing our baby girl's arrival! I appreciate all of you that have been praying for Sydney and me. Means more than you'll ever know.

Love to all,

Sweet Sadie...

I'm finally blogging about our weekend. My computer has been acting up...or acting like it's going to die actually. Alex worked on it the past few nights and it's working for now!

Alex and I headed out of town on Friday for a relaxing weekend. I was attending Sadie's Sip & See on Saturday afternoon, so we decided to just make a weekend of it! My in-laws were watching Amelia, so we were excited to have some time away - just the two of us. My MIL picked Amelia up on Friday around noon and Alex and I hit the road as soon as he was finished at work. Our plans were to get there and have dinner on Friday evening.

Well....we were on the road no more than 30 minutes and traffic came to a stand still. Needless to say, we didn't make it there in time for dinner. We went straight to the hotel and upon pulling into the hotel parking lot, Alex's truck started making a TERRIBLE noise. His car is the newer of our vehicles...we never dreamed we would have car trouble while out of town! It was dark and we decided to worry about it the next morning. Fast forward to the next morning...Alex woke up with fever and coughing his head off. He sounded like he had tuberculosis. It was bad. We had plans to have breakfast and spend some time together before he dropped me off at the Sip & See.

We were able to spend a few hours together...in the after hours clinic.

They told him he had bronchitis and a sinus infection and called in some meds. We walked out of the after hours clinic, went to pull out, and the truck made an even worse noise than the night before. Alex knew exactly what it was at that point and said if we drove it - the wheel would fall off! It was a wheel hub-a-ma-jig or something like that. We sat there and laughed. It was all we could do. Our little getaway had turned into such a stressful weekend. Thankfully, we were able to get ahold of his Uncle (that lives in the area). He picked us up, dropped me at the Sip & See, and took Alex back to the hotel to rest. Thank you, Uncle Biff!!! Seriously, I saw a halo over his head when he pulled up to that clinic parking lot.

I had a great time at the Sip & See. I felt like I was in somewhat of a daze at that point and thinking back on some conversations - I just hope whatever I said made sense. I hadn't eaten and even more importantly - I had no coffee in my system. I'll just go ahead and apologize in case I was spaced out.

I loved seeing some of my old blogging friends and meeting new ones.



Lots of them brought their sweet babies and I could not get enough of them.



Sadie.



Sweet, sweet Sadie. The reason we were all there! Love her. She is such a beautiful baby and did so well being passed around and loved on by everyone.



Eli.



I'm not going to lie...this baby stole my heart. He totally made me want a baby boy. He just chilled and let me hold him for as long I wanted. I finally gave him back to his Mama, but I would have brought him home with me in a heartbeat.



Jillian. First of all, love her name. :) She has the sweetest little personality/spirit about her. She is so stinkin' cute!



I didn't get to hold all of the babies there - but held just enough to get a low grade baby fever.



Kelly and Laurie did a beautiful job. Everything looked so cute and the food was delicious! Loved the idea of serving fruit in a waffle bowl - totally going to use that someday.



Caroline and her sweet parents took me back to the hotel after the Sip & See. I love her and her family. I'm excited that she's moving to Arkansas and praying her parents will be moving here someday soon as well! :)



We stayed an extra night since the truck and my husband were both broke down. We called a dealership while there but they couldn't get us in to fix it. My FIL and BIL decided to come and help us get the truck back home and we would have it fixed at our local dealership. After finding out the trailer was too small for the truck (because nothing can be that easy) we made a couple of trips to the parts store and they fixed it themselves.



I'm so thankful for my family...don't know what we would have done without them this weekend. My MIL and SIL's helped take care of Amelia while we were away and we finally got back to pick up our girl on Sunday evening. I was so happy to see her face and get to kiss on her. It will be awhile before I can leave her for that many days again. My heart aches being away from her!



It was a crazy one but we had some fun/laughable moments as well! :)

Love to all,

Living Proof...

I haven't opened my computer since the last time I blogged. I had the best weekend and wanted to blog about it before this week got away from me. I had plans to hear Beth Moore speak last Friday and Saturday. The devil tried really hard to get me to stay home. Several things happened leading up to the weekend and then Friday was such a hard day with Amelia. Thankfully, I didn't back out. I went asking God for a specific word just for me. We started out with worship....oh the worship. My hands were in the air the entire time and my feet wouldn't stay still. I was among 8500 women but during that time of worship - it might as well have been just me and my Lord! Oh, and Travis. :) I just love when there's freedom in worship. When the focus is on Him and Him alone - as it should be. True worship.



Beth spoke on fulfilling your ministry and on relationships. A lot of the scripture she used was exactly where we've been studying in our home group and also where Alex has been preaching from at church. I'm still processing a lot of what she said. Alex has been out of town, but I can't wait to go over it all with him. I picked him up from the airport yesterday and I just kept saying, "oh babe...it was so good...so good." I would just cry as I started sharing some of what God said to me over the weekend. I've been to many of the LPL Conferences and each one is just life changing. I would compare this one to my trip to Nashville to hear her speak. Powerful stuff.



Another neat thing about the weekend is that I was able to meet up with some new and old blog friends! Caroline and her Mom (Robin) were driving in for the conference and I was beside myself to see her again! I was really excited to meet her Mom for the first time as well. I love the relationship they have...it's much like my relationship with my own Momma!

Me, Joy, and Caroline at the conference. This is right after Caroline and I screamed in each other's faces upon seeing each other. It's always nice to meet another screamer. That way you aren't the only girl standing there screaming. Just sayin'. This girl just puts an instant smile on my face! She loves Jesus and it just shows from her head to her toes. This was actually Joy and Caroline's third LPL together. They met in Memphis, Atlanta, and now LR. I missed out on Memphis because I was 9 years pregnant. It's okay though...they didn't make me feel like a 3rd wheel or anything. HA! I was on a lower step for this picture so I look like the hunchback. HAHA!



I met a new friend over the weekend too! Rikki told me that she was coming so we were texting once she arrived. I couldn't wait to hug her neck. She is just precious and has such a sweet heart. Once she and my SIL saw one another - they realized they knew each other from reading each other's blogs! Small world!



Me and Joy.



Amelia with her new best friend. She took to Caroline and Robin quickly. I loved the way Caroline would speak to her...like she was just as old as her. Amelia liked it too! Here she is trying to look all grown up like her new grown-up friend.



At one point during lunch, Robin was mid-story and Amelia says, "OH WOW!" (LOL) She was all up in every conversation and knew just what was going on. HA!



Caroline and Robin - they always dress so cute too. Ya know there are those types of people that you can just sit and talk to about something and you can also sit and talk about nothing...it's just nice to be sitting there talking with them? That's how it is with these two girls. I just know that I will get to hang out with Caroline again in the future, but I want to hang out with her Mom too. Caroline, could you arrange that? :) I love you both!



It was a wonderful weekend that I will never forget. Caroline gave me a special present and as soon as I find the perfect place for it - I'm going to take a picture and show you. Girl has more talent in her pinkie than I will ever have! It's so pretty...can't wait to show it to you!! More about what Beth spoke on coming soon!!

Love to all,

You belong in the ZOO...

Saturday was BEAUTIFUL. I immediately thought we should take Amelia to the zoo and Alex loved the idea. It was really cute how excited he was to take Amelia to the zoo for the first time.



There was a long line when we arrived...we ended up buying a family pass for the year and I think we'll use it a lot. Buying the family pass also allowed us to bypass the long line - SCORE!



Amelia was cracking me up. She just sat back and enjoyed the ride!



After seeing several cool animals, we shared a fresh squeezed lemonade and a funnel cake. This was Amelia's first funnel cake. She was a fan. We put the lemonade in her sippy cup. I've never seen her drink anything that fast.









We wanted Amelia to ride the carousel while we were there. My M-I-L was telling me that she and her sister used to ride this same carousel when they were little girls. How neat is that?? Amelia LOVED it. Every time she would circle around and see me - she would smile so big and laugh and wave! I was laughing so hard! I probably took 100 pics of her on that thing. It made my heart happy to see her enjoying it so much.









We took our time and ended up only seeing half of the zoo. Not a problem though because we now have a season pass! :) It really was the perfect day. We loved every minute of it and can't wait to go back! We of course bought Amelia one of those cheesy t-shirts that says "My First Trip To The Zoo!" You can't leave without buying a souvenir. Seriously. They make you walk through the gift shop just to get out of the place.



Amelia was worn out and fell asleep within a few minutes in the car. Bless her happy heart.



I also wanted to say thank you to my blog friend, Charne. She sent the Valentine shirt that Amelia wore in her Valentine card picture and also this outfit that Amelia wore to the zoo. She sent us this sweet package all the way from South Africa. These clothes were made right there in SA and are just precious!



Love to all,

Goodbye 2010...

I feel like this post is sort of cluttered, but in all honesty, I'm feeling a little cluttered right now. If you could see my house and my garage (oh heavens if you could see my garage, you would call the garage police) and would understand what I mean.

So if you can - just read through the clutter.

About a month ago, I started reading through my old posts, starting in January. I found myself laughing and crying over things all over again!

2010 has been a good year. At times, a hard year. God has grown me in several areas and for that I am grateful. I have to admit though - with the growth came growing pains.

Amelia has made this a wonderful year. She has grown so much in just a years time. We of course think she's terribly smart and love it when she starts saying or doing something new. She brings a joy that nothing else could bring. With that joy comes some pain. Parenting is not for the weak of heart. She IS my heart, running around on two legs. To see her hurt or sick breaks my heart and has brought me to tears many times. It's painful to have to correct her constantly...though I know it's for her own good. God has taught me a new level of love & patience through motherhood. It really is a privilege to be called Mommy and to stay at home with Amelia. I don't take one second for granted.



Alex and I have experienced loss in different ways in 2010. We lost 3 grandparents this year. There's joy in knowing we will see them again, but I do wish that Amelia would have had the opportunity to know them.



We've experienced loss in ministry. Whether it be friends that were ministering along side us or church members that have left - it's always painful to experience that loss. There have been times where I'm so tired and I look at Alex and say, "are you sure we're supposed to be doing this?" He always answers, "has God told you otherwise?" I have to answer honestly and say, "no, He hasn't." One of the things God has taught me through ministering this year is to love freely and forgive quickly. We're definitely not perfect and we're blessed to have a church that loves and supports us.

I have been blogging for almost 3 years now and have met some amazing women because of it. There are many days that I wish I lived in the same city as many of you, so we could grab a coffee and talk about life. I had a chance to meet up with some blogging friends this year and it was such a fun time. Every one of these girls are funny, beautiful, Godly women...what a treat to get to visit with them face to face!



I'm truly looking forward to 2011. I want to know Him more. I want to give more. I want to be a better wife, mother, daughter, friend.

And I have to tell ya, I'm trusting Him for some miracles. I have so many friends that are still waiting. I remember how it felt for another year to pass and still no baby. Just know that I'm praying for each and every one of you. I'm asking Him to open your womb and to bless you in 2011! He can do it, girls. Just ask Him. And then believe what He tells you. And then hang on to it. Don't let the devil slip in and take that from you. You are His precious child and He is able!! And on the days that you start to give up - email me, so I can email you back some scripture and give you a pep talk!! I mean it. I love you all, dearly.

Happy New Year, sweet friends!

Love to all,

34 years young...

Alex was out of town the first part of this week. We miss him so much when he's away. When he arrived home Wednesday evening, he had Chili's-to-go and flowers in hand. The man knows my love language. Food & Flowers.



Today is my 34th birthday. It has been a very restful day - thanks to my husband. He let me sleep as late as I wanted, which ended up being 10:00am!! We got around and headed out to lunch. We snapped a few pics with Amelia before leaving the house. By the way, this sweet girl looked her Mama in the eye yesterday and said, "Hi, Mama." Can you believe that!?? It's the first time that she has put two words together like that. Oh it melted my heart. I love her so much.



Alex and Amelia took me to Mimi's for lunch. Even though it was lunch, I ordered breakfast and a mocha latte. It was delicious! Amelia wasn't really in the mood to smile for pictures. It was her nap time, so she was a little solemn.



After lunch we headed to DSW and Anthropologie - where I tried on some fabulous boots, but didn't find exactly what I wanted. Since having Amelia, my foot has grown a half size, so I only have a few pairs of shoes that actually fit! I think I'm going to put my collection of size 9's on eBay - maybe I'll make enough to buy some new shoes. :) After trying on boots - we headed to Maggie Moo's. Amelia and I shared an ice cream cupcake.



We headed home after a trip to Sam's and Walmart. We chose to eat leftovers from last night. Pecan crusted chicken, red potatoes & salad. It hit the spot. Alex and Amelia gave me some precious birthday cards after dinner. They're so good to me. The perfect day with my sweet family.

I wanted to ask those of you who read my blog, to do me a favor? Faith's sister is engaged to be married next spring. They're on a budget and have entered a contest to win a free Wedding Photography package! I just love Faith and her family. It would be such a blessing to Grace if she could win this. Would you go to THIS SITE and vote for Couple #1 (Grace & Josh)? I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a few seconds. You scroll down to the bottom of the page and just push on the button for couple #1...easy-breezy!! :)

Have a great weekend.

Love to all,

Blogging Day of Silence for Cohen...

Remembering Baby Cohen