Cousins and more cousins!!

Today, I took the kids to play with our cousins......my grandmother organized a little get together for the little kids so that everyone could visit before school starts again. She made little sandwiches for lunch and we were supposed to swim in my aunt's pool.....but as "motherhood" goes we got swimsuits and sunscreen on just in time to spend 10 minutes in the pool before it started thundering!! So, we played on the carport instead but all of the kids had a great time together and it was really good to get to see everyone! I couldn't help but post a pic of my cutie pie red-head who was intrigued by the cat....I caught a smile that some people don't get to see very often......

Big brother, little brother......

A full belly.....

Victory!!!

To all of you fellow house cleaning fanatics out there or fellow nesters-----I am finished!!!! Yay!! After 3 full days of nonstop, serious house cleaning I have finally finished the end of my list!! I think that our house is probably cleaner than it has ever been in the 2 years that we have lived here....I have managed to vacuum baseboards, clean ceiling fans, wash sheets, dust walls--yes, that is right!!! Crazy, huh?? None of this is a part of my regular cleaning routine....who has time to dust walls on a regular basis?? LOL But at least it has been done for now.....tomorrow I have one more task to tackle....cleaning the carpet...ugh. It is fairly easy it just has to be done late at night so that it can dry before feet are on it again....which almost always means a midnight cleaning.
So far Cole has faired well with the string of activities....although he was a little upset last night....I had contractions all night long and some of them were not very fun....I hope my doctor doesn't read this!! Anyway, for me I know not to be alarmed....my body seems to enjoy "preterm" contracting..especially when I have done alot. So, I thought that I might have to take it easy today but luckily I was able to finish with a bang!! Ok, Cole.....I am well on my way to being ready for you, baby!!!

Nesting.....

Today, I started a long list of "things to do"......I feel a tremendous need to clean and clean out the house....which could be "nesting".....I have experienced it every time a baby was on the way. Anyway, I have a huge amount of things to do and I was so proud of myself for actually following through on my plan this morning....I got up and took a shower and then got the kids ready and headed out for some breakfast. I thought that would be a good start to my day of busy things....I even took some breakfast by Eric's office, but as I headed home things began to really take a turn for the worse...Ty pitched a crying fit in his seat all of the way home which would have been tolerable if my precious Sonic Coke--large that is--had not fallen into the floorboard as I made the turn into the neighborhood!! AHHHHH!!!! I have to have some caffeine and not from coffee!!!! I knew that I had to have it...so I circled through the neighborhood and headed back out to get another Coke....all while my child is screaming at the top of his lungs....a great start to a long day ahead!!

I have now sent both Gracie and Ty to VBS and I have stayed home to do more work.....which I swore that I would never be the "drop my kids off mom"......but maybe I just need to admit that yes!! I needed a break from them and I am sure that they needed a break from me!!! LOL We are in the process of moving kids around in this house....with Devan moving in a few weeks we have moved Logan down into her old room and Gracie into Logan's old room. All of this moving has stirred up "yard sale" material....LOL.....which we hope to get rid of in 2 weeks...Eric has been painting Gracie's room and tomorrow should be the "big" day for her!! I am off to clean the bathrooms now.....hopefully after this week my mind will be more at ease!! LOL

He owns the cattle on the hills...

Today, we received a much unexpected gift....a $2500 check from my great uncle!! There is more significance in the situation than it at first seems....yes, $2500 is alot of money that we could do many great things with....but the reality is that our hospital bill for my delivery is due by the end of July...it is $2750...and we were going to have to put it on credit...in 2 weeks, I will be going to the office to make our payment and just like always the Lord has seen to it that we are taken care of!!! Amazing!!! Why are we surprised when He promises that He always will take care of us?? Why do we have to catch our breath when He moves in such a way?? He really is our Heavenly Father....and we are His children. If He loves us with a love that is much greater than we are even able to love our own children with - can we even begin to fathom how deep His love is??

Update on Cole....

I went to the doctor yesterday for my check-up and Cole is doing well....he was measuring 2 weeks bigger at the last visit and yesterday he was between 1-2 weeks larger still. So, that is good...he is growing well....my doctor said that she would like to get me to 38 weeks if I don't have reason to have him before that....a bummer for me....since I have been thinking around 36 for some time now....:( But, if that means no jaundice, hernias, or hip-clicks that is great!! So, who knows exactly when he will make his first appearance in this world??.....only our Heavenly Father.....He has already determined the exact time of day and day of the week....:)

An Update on the Air....

I do need to say that Yes!! our air is fixed!! Thankfully, we were able to use window units until the central unit was fixed.....which I absolutely loved!!! We had the bigger unit in our bedroom window....Eric said that it was like a meat locker in there but I found the best sleep of my pregnant life during those few days!!! In fact, I told him that I wanted a window unit for Christmas!! The van air is still out....looks like we will have to tough it out until the fall....we really need to wait to fix it until we have some extra money available...and the pool was really never messed up....it just overflowed and I happened to be up to hear the water coming out. It is back up and running!! Sorry to have left some of you hanging all of this time!!! :)

Ty's First Birthday...

Today is Ty's 1st birthday!! We just finished his party....we had fun with our friends Chris and Amy and their darling..."Anna Cake".... my cousin Staci and her two kids...Madison and Brock....and our family...on both sides!! Ty had a blue cupcake....in his mouth, on his hands, on his face, and everywhere! It was great! After watching both Gracie and Ty dig into their own little cakes during their first birthdays....it just made me think about the sweet innocence of a little child. There were no thoughts in their heads about IF they should eat the cupcake....just pure indulgence. I love it....wouldn't we all benefit from a little "first birthday" innocence every once in a while? Ty, you have grown so much this past year!! You are so precious and I love you very much!! Happy Birthday, Baby!!

Happy Birthday, Eric!!

Today is Eric's birthday....only one more year until the big 40!! He originally thought that he would have all of his children 18 and older before he turned 40....and now we will be celebrating Cole's first birthday the same year instead!! Funny, huh?? We had a surprise party for him last night and all of the youth came over to party with us....Tonight, we are going out for dinner with our families to celebrate...Happy Birthday, Honey!!! I love you!!!

Just precious...

Fun with Aunt Erin....

We have had a fun week with Eric's family....the highlights of the week were going to Fall Creek Falls and the Aquarium. Yes, it was really hot and humid for both adventures...which makes for a swollen and sweating me....but nevertheless we had a good time!! This week, we have Eric's 39th birthday and Ty's 1st birthday!! With celebrations on Thursday and Friday there will certainly be pics to follow.....