December's Mid Month Update

Here is December's Mid Month Update (a few days late):

Outside my window . . . it's dark and cold

I am thinking . . . about getting an iPhone

I am thankful for . . . my husband and the conversations we share at night.  Some nights we have light humorous conversations and others we have deep conversations complete with tears and all.  It's one part of our marriage I cherish the most.

In the kitchen . . . my counter tops are covered with clutter.

I am wearing . . . A green Old Navy tshirt and Gap jeans.

I am creating . . . lists of food I'm taking to each party I'm attending.

I am going . . . to finish my Christmas shopping tomorrow!

I am wondering . . . what the next year holds for my family.

I am reading . . . Silver Boxes.  It's about paying attention to your words and making sure you are building people up and not tearing them down. 

I am hoping . . . to get LOTS of baking done this week!

I am looking forward to . . . my sis being home THIS week!

I am hearing . . . the tv.  Kevin is channel surfing.

Around the house . . . are toys, jackets, shoes....... I need to be cleaning rather than blogging!

One of my favorite things . . .are my Uggs.  I have the coldest feet!

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . shop, bake, bake, bake, see my sis, then lots of Christmas parties!

Pondering these words . . .2 Corinthians 12:10 "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Happy Birthday Addison!

 

Yesterday my adorable little niece, Addison, turned 5.  Her party was at Willow Lanes (a bowling alley) and it was tons of fun!!!  We decided we need to try to get the family together again at the bowling alley while my sis is in town!  Competitive family + Bad Bowlers = Lots of fun.  Here are some highlights of the party yesterday.

Hello Kitty cupcakes

Addison seemed to love my mom's birthday cake and she asked me if I would do one like that for her birthday.   How could I tell that cute girl no?!  I did her's in pinks and purples and it went lovely with her theme!

Glad my mom offered to take some pictures or I wouldn't have been in any!

My mom, Allie, My dad, Hayden

Hayden really enjoyed bowling - he had a hard time waiting his turn.

Gift table

We all got to sign the bowling pin for Addison. 

*Make a wish!*

Pink and purle icing inside a funfetti cake!

Allie and I shared cake and ice cream.  I think she ate as much as me!

I got her a Chef Babie!

Hello Kitty clothes

Ready to leave, purple bow and all :)

My brother Tyler, Addison, & Tabitha

At A Loss

My little family had a hard day today.  I was in the ER till 3am and came home heartbroken.  This past Tuesday I took a positive pregnancy test.  It doesn't matter if it's your first or third, any pregnancy is exciting in my book.  With having no complications what so ever with the first 2 pregnancies, I didn't have any extra fears about this pregnancy.  Thursday evening I was sitting at the computer and I just knew something wasn't right.  I went to the bathroom and saw I was losing blood.  After a fast call to Kevin (who was at work) and my parents, I was off to the ER.  3 1/2 hours of ultrasound, taking blood, getting examed, and waiting, the doctor came in and told me I had miscarried.  I had prayed all night that this was just a fluke and this heavy bleeding was just an accident.  I tried to tell God how much I wanted this baby, as if he didn't already know. 

When I got home I just kept going over what I could have done wrong.  Did I lift too much weight?  Was the Lysol that I breathed in the cause?  Was I not getting enough sleep?  Did I make too many poor food choices?  The questions kept pouring out.  Then I thought of my sweet friend I met this year who just experienced her first miscarriage just a few short months ago.  I remember she shared a verse with me that brought her comfort.  Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us."  Then another verse came to mind.  Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  I felt so much comfort resting in Gods word, but yet still felt such a loss. 

The morning certainly wasn't any easier.  Actually it seemed harder.  Lots of tears on my end, but lots of love and encouragement from my friends and family.  After reading "Heaven is for Real" I know my little baby, that was just the size of a seaseme seed, is a perfect little baby watching over me in Heaven.  Oh how my heart longs to know that little life I never got to meet here on earth. 

I believe this is all part of such a bigger picture that I just can't see right now.  I'm at the bottom of this hill right now (so thankful that Kevin is standing right next to me).  I'm looking forward to the day we're at the top and can look back with complete understanding.  I thank God for this trial because I'm reminded that in Him I find complete understanding and peace.  I undoubtedly trust the author of my life, in good times and in bad.

I was so excited to share these pictures weeks from now.  As a tribute to this little life, here they are.

The day I took the positive pregnancy test.  4 weeks 5 days

Unexpected Gifts

I love my group of little ones I "teach" at Mother's Morning Out.  I'm sad that I won't see them any more this month, but I'm also relieved b/c it gives me lots of time to bake and celebrate Christmas with my family.  Thursday was our last day with them for the month.  Several of the families brought me in little (unexpected) Christmas gifts!  Pictured above are some of the highlights.  I didn't own anything Thirty-One until today!  That cute little black and white bag will get lots of good use at my house!  The personalized "D" ornament came from one of my favorite little guys.  Another one of the moms brought me a Joanns giftcard!  Loved that!  I was expecting none of these gifts so I think that's what made it so fun!

Canning Gifts

I would love to have a vegetable garden.  I would also love to know how to can.  I really don't know the 1st step in learning how to do either!  Our friends, Ryan and Stephanie Sexton, dropped by our house this week with a basket full of homemade goodies.  We got stocked up on homemade salsa, peach, berry, & strawberry jelly, and red hot apple butter.  What a unique and thoughtful (and delicious) gift!  I think I need some lessons from her!  Stephanie is an amazing crocheter and she needs to teach me that too. :)

(The strawberry jelly and red hot apple butter are in use so that's why they aren't pictured! :))

Bow Making Round #2

This week Jacque, my mom, and I met together to make some more hair bows.  Who knew something so simple could be so fun!  I ventured into the flower bows for the 1st time and they were so much easier than I thought.  We're planning another "bow night" while my sis is home on Christmas break.  Really looking forward to that!!!  Here's what we made....

The bottom 4 were made by me :) 

Hayden's Predictable Wardrobe

Hayden has lots of cute wintery shirts!  When we leave the house I make him put on an additional shirt, but when we're home, this is how he looks
E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y!

• Nemo hat
• White t-shirt
• Light jeans (refuses to wear dark)
• Cowboy boots
• Green Gun in his pocket
• "White Sword" in his belt loops

Messy Floors

One stage in childhood I could live without is constantly having a messy floor.  I forgot all about this stage when Allie was just a baby.  When she started eating at the table with us, I thought how could I have forgotten about THIS?!  I pick up big chucks and bites of food after each meal, but I wait till after dinner to get on my hands and knees and clean up all the crumbs.  Every night, it still amazes me how much food my kids drop.

One of Hayden's jobs at meal time is to get Allie a bib - that's why she's wearing a Halloween one :)

Pampered Chef Pitcher

One thing to put on your Christmas list this year.... a Pampered Chef pitcher.  If you are a kool-aid, tea, or any other drink you mix drinker, you NEED this!  I have both sizes, but prefer the 2 quart to the gallon.  One thing I love about this pitcher is how you don't shake the pitcher.  I have many memories of me shaking our kool-aid pitcher when I was a kid... and the lid not being on all the way so kool-aid would go everywhere.  This has an internal stirring system and you just pump the handle up and down.  I usually put ice in mine because we're wanting to drink it as soon as it's made.  You can keep stirring it until all that ice melts and the whole pitcher is ice cold!

Rudolph

We've been building our Christmas spirit by watching Christmas movies!  Kevin rented Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer earlier this month.  Before then,I don't think I had ever seen it start to finish.  What a cute movie!

I failed to mention the day we went to go see Santa at the mall, we also went to Build-A-Bear so the kids could make reindeer.  We had talked about going to build Rudolph for about a week before it happened and Hayden was pumped!  When we walked in, we realized there were no more Rudolphs, but there were about 5 Clarice dolls left.  We planned on Allie making that one (since she saw her cousin, Addisons, and fell in love with it).  We tried to talk Hayden into another animals but the boy wanted "a deer!"  Mommy put on her thinking cap and said we'd have them cut the bow off Clarice and I'd make him some antlers and he could be a boy reindeer.  He seemed excited about the idea.  Thankfully Build-A-Bear sold antlers on a headband, so I didn't have to make them.  When we got home I sewed his antlers on and voila.  Now, if I would have realized the deer talked and said "Hello, my name is Clarice" while we were at the store, I would have had that taken care of then.  For now, I have her him turned off and sometime we'll go back in and get another voice/sound put in!

We named him Blitzen.... :)