I should be sleeping

I should be sleeping right now... but I know Sadie will need to eat in 20 minutes or less so I wanted to update the blog on our current life status. Sadie is 2 weeks old and she and Kehnley are getting along great now, at first I was worried how it all would work out, but it's been better than I could have ever imagined. God has certainly shown His faithfulness and favor to our family once again. Kehnley is away today at her and Fancy's 'day of fun" and its given me and Sadie a chance each week to spend time together. She just goes for a little while and I can get some rest and clean house a bit, today was look through cookbooks and update the recipe box and read magazines day :) it's been a stack of mags growing since November and I was dieing to get to look at them all, of course the stack is barely touched, InStyle is backing up for 6 months now... maybe that's why I feel so OUT of style! (that and the lack of ability to fit into all my tops but it's the price we pay for nursing right?! ) Anyway, we have been having a lot of fun trying to workout bath and bed time and it's definitely been a nice refresher course on the late nights and early mornings, thanks to Kehnley it's at 7 15 that I am waking up even after putting down a newborn at 6:30... all in all, it's a sacrifice worth it and I can't imagine a better test to my courage and trust in the Lord, my strength in very tired moments, and my patience with putting myself even further down on the priority list (making a meal for myself mid day takes VERY strategic planning and timed preparation!) i wouldn't be able to even think straight right now if my mom hadn't been helping so much, Bry hadn't gotten a week off of work the first week, and I hadn't taken time for small group each week and walks when the weather is nice. Sometimes I forget just how useful everyone God has put in our lives really are. The body of friends and family who have been feeding us for the past few weeks is a reminder of that as well. i am anxious to cook again but definitely enjoying the break!

As for our new little girl... she is so sweet and Kehnley calls her sweetheart, it makes me smile to hear her say the words, and she is a big sleeper, grunter... bless her heart i think she has hard core reflux. I am cutting out all peanut butter, chocolate, spicy foods...and anything else that sends my radar off to what might be causing her grunts and gags. Today whilst writing an email she projectile vomit/spit up everywhere!! i hadn't ever seen that before, a little alarmed, but she was fine after that, hope it doesn't happen again. I mean I know its gross but it was pouring out of her mouth and nose even, it scared me a little, but my mom reassured me it was normal to happen at least once!

Her personality is really laid back, but she does let out a really loud cry for just a second when she wants total quiet and dark to sleep. i think she is so laid back that she wants a very chill environment for rest... too bad Kehnley is in her "i cannot control the volume of my voice stage" she tries so hard, but I know it's almost impossible to be that quiet all the time, she's an adventurous two 1/2 year old and she needs her space to run and jump (something she is just learning and loves to do all the time) and sing songs and dance and talk in a loud voice apparently lol. When people come over she goes in to hypermode and is bouncing off the walls, the second they leave...she's calmed down again. Someone more advanced in their child rearing years will have to explain that one to me! :)
All in all, having a newborn to hold again has been very eye opening to how fast it goes. i cried thinking of how big Kehnley was compared to Sadie and how it seamed to flash in front of me from those first times to hold her, rock her, to a girl who is so smart and full of energy now! it makes me cherish each day even more.

Sadie Grace, you came into this world on your own time for sure, mommy labored at home for 24 hrs because you were just taking your sweet time and then when you were ready everything happened so quick and easy, reminding me God is in control! Good for you too, getting daddy used to waiting on ANOTHER girl :) You have blue eyes like him and lips like me, but your hands are long like your sisters. You look just like she did and when you curl up next to me reminding me of what an amazing gift it is to be someones mother. I forget sometimes what a gift that is, thank you for the reminder. I don't mind waking to feed you and loosing sleep or missing a meal or wearing your spit up on my shoulder for a little while if it means that I get to be close to you. I know these years won't last for ever and you will be telling me to sit on the bench at the park and let you play by yourself like SOMEONE ELSE I know with beautiful blue eyes... :) You are a sweetheart and we are overjoyed to have you for a little while. God has given us a great gift in you and your sister, we know He must love us so much because He gives us good things like you to teach us and change us. I love you, and I hear you calling. :) gotta run!!

I know she will look so different in just two weeks time at her shower, here she is now at one week old...

Sadie Grace, our saving grace...

She is so incredible, looks so much like her sister, but then again...is so all her own. I can't wait to tell the story of how she changed our lives forever. God's word to us through her this weekend was this:


"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." Psalm 31:19

Room for one more!

Sadie's room has been a family project and a labor of love... I hope our baby girl knows how much we love her and getting ready for her to come has been a joy and worth every late night and long hour!

Bath time at the sink

I am just amazed at how much you can love a person. She's soon to be a big sister, she is stunning and everything she does, even then she throws a fit... she's irresistable.

Kehnley's top Favorite things... the "best ever" as she calls them...

best ever movie- Tinker Bell

best ever friend- Mommy and sometimes daddy when she's not see him much like this week because he's been working so hard!

best ever pressent - the Carebear Sharebear workout talking bear Lyndz just gave her and her caboodle full of lipsticks

best ever time - morning time when the "suns gets up"

best ever play- stopping at the play ground on our walks and me watching from she side until she needs to slide down the pole (no really im not allowed on the wood chips unless needed for this important task)

best ever food - hotdogs and mac-e-cheeseeee with ketch up of course. Daddy just introduced corndogs and it's a whole new world of mistery meat shapped like a finger

best ever drink - spicy drink AKA 3 parts water + 1 part juice + 1 part sprite zero.... thanks Jen for introducing sprite zero lol, but it's only on REALLY special occasions. other wise best ever drink - milk

best ever church - when we pull into the parking lot she gets so excited and screams "this CHURCH!" she loves to "play with friends" at church and "help God"

best ever bed - her new bed is a fav. place for napping, jumping, spinning and falling, sleeping at night, reading stories, and tucking in Pinky ( she named Excersizing Sharebear)

best ever dog - Lilly, she hugs and gives kisses.. and them chases and kicks sometimes too... it's a love/hate relationship

best ever dance - when we turn on music or have family night and dance around the house and stand on the "stage" which is where ever she is standing or on the couch(she's recently added the robot to her mad dance skills)

best ever show - newest favortites are Charlie and Lola, and Imagination Movers

best ever shirt - the Hello Kitty shirt her Fancy recently bought her, she would wear it everyday if she could

best ever moment - when she gives me a big hug and calls me her "Beeest friend"

Trust in the Lord

We are getting ready for Sadie Grace to join our lives. I've been up til 2 and 3 every night working on the nesting instinct and all the projects to get us ready here at home... I am haunted at night with thoughts of "how will this work, will Kehnley respond to her well, will she sleep okay, will I be able to keep my energy up for a new born and a busy girl, does Kehnley watch too much tv--do we play enough games and do enough projects together, will I ever get the baby's room ready, what changes am I going to have to make to get places on time with two babies, when am I going to workout, how long will bath and bedtime take now with a new born and a 2 1/2 yr old, how will nap time work with their schedules, will I loose my mind changing two diapers all day, hows it going to be with Bry's work schedule and going to the lease once a month, should I be reading up on something or organizing something while I have a couple weeks, can we afford two babies on one income, what can we change and give up TO afford to live on one income, what am I going to do to make special time with me and Kehnley still to keep her from feeling neglected, how are me and Bry going to keep time for just the two of us in this season of life..." and many more, but those are the most pressing and reoccurring thoughts I have lately. Luckily I am not alone in this quickly coming change, I am comforted by God's word and need to record it to remember in these times of doubt or worry, I have a great God who sees beginning to end and who cares for me...
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17"

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

"LORD, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness." Psalm 18:28
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

"I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:2

"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him," Nahum 1:7

4 years... 12 years.... same thing!

We celebrated out 4 yr. anniversary this weekend, Jen reminded me promptly it's REALLY been 12 years that we have known each other. Needless to say, Bry and I had a great weekend away and it's amazing what a few days of just the two of you can do for not only your relationship with each other... but also your relationship with everyone else too. We missed Kehnley a lot, but it's so good to have those moments, I for one see her all day everyday and I need time to forget how sweet and beautiful, and funny she is.

Same for Bry, I was reminded this weekend JUST how funny and smart and amazing he is. We laughed so much I thought I was going to have contractions! It's an odd thing that happens to a couple day after day if your not careful, you start to just see the person but not really LOOK at them, talk to them but not really ENGAGE in conversation, hug them but not EMBRACE the moments...and I am talking about the two of us who really DO love being together, talk all the time about everything, cuddle and "keep the romance candle burning" --as my dad once said, but that's a different and very funny story and I know totally hilarious coming from our dad... but anyway... point is, we WORK at our marriage, but it doesn't feel like work, and even couples that "work" at it need a weekend to get away from distractions and remember just how precious time together really is. I totally take him for granted. I take his smile for granted, his sense of humor, his patience...
We stayed at the Woodlands Spa and honestly, we did NOTHING but sleep, eat, watch movies, get into funny situations, workout, eat some more, sleep some more, couples massages, shop, and just enjoy each other's company. We went to the museum, my fav. restaurants, I learned so much about Bry's job and about his hopes for the future, we talked about some of our fav. moments over the past 4 years of marriage...listen to songs we danced to in high school. One of the really funny things that happened lol was we had been given choc. covered strawberries and sparkling cider from the hotel the night we arrived and they forgot to give us a bottle opener, so Bry tried to use the side of the table, made a chip, then tried the pocket knife... no luck, tried it again on the table in a diff spot ( not sure why) cracked the table there... then when we finally got the bottle open he picked up the glass to pour some and somehow BROKE the stem off the glass... we were just standing there staring at the bubble fizzing in the glass with no stem... Bry shrugged and took a sip... I think we laughed for like 20 min after, I cant help but crack up now when I recall the look on his face.... it was like a gaping jaw and bug eyes lol. He was like "don't let me touch anything else tonight" Then I raided the lounge and found their stash of party mix nuts.... snuck it into the room along with two apples, two granola bars, and two bags of chips... JUST as the worker guy was coming off the elevator set up our movie... I had to sprint with all my goodies tucked somewhere between my chin and belly and do a 360 turn to keep him from seeing... kind of hilarious for a 9 month preggers girl to be running in her pjs with snack packs and qb sneak moves to get into the room...
Bry-- "where did you FIND all that!"
Keri-- "in the lounge, hush and help me hide this stuff"
I still dont think it was stealing bc it was just sitting there! Yeah I DID hide it from worker guy, but either way, we had some snacks for our late night movie marathon!

We are back at home and I am probably keeping Bry from good sleep with the "tap tap" of they keyboard, but I just wanted to record some of the weekend before it was forgotten... it's so great to have these memories to look back on and help me remember what a true treasure our marriage is. I know ppl all over the world now and for centuries have and do celebrate their marriages, but I can't help but feel what we have is special and blessed. I feel God's favor over us. Off to bed now, need to be ready to wake with joy with the first little glint of sun when Kehnley thinks the whole world is needing to be up too! :) I have to admit the past couple days I have DREADED that sunrise for lack of a better reason other than exhaustion and the endless list of "to do's" but I am actually looking forward to this one... God has given me a renewed spirit of purpose and pleasure in the day to day with those I love and have taken for granted in weeks past. I also can't wait to appreciate the love of my life tomorrow too...12 years, wow...I still feel like I'm 15 sometimes when I am with him

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"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. "

1 Peter 2:9

Big Girl Bed

Kehnley had her first night in a big girl bed tonight. It was SO hard for me to put her in there, I just really struggled with it being time or not. But Bry reminded me of how we would need the next 4 weeks to get her used to it and give her full attention to the change before Sadie comes. So we spent the night getting the bed in place and rearranging furniture and it looks great, a few things to do to feel totally DONE but they are going to have to get my attention later.
Here is the old room....





Here is the new room....










She really loves it and we made it like a HUGE deal, telling everyone having her show everyone, really praising her for getting to have this big bed.



Time comes to try it out, we get bath, pick out a few books and the ritual begins, we read two books, sang a few songs, prayed together and got all her babies tucked in... she seamed okay and I told her daddy and I were going to sleep too after daddy got out of the shower. So I leave and daddy had turned on a night light (placing it behind her doll house which REALLY freaked me out lol, but Kehnley didn't seam to mind...)

A few sec go by and she comes walking out of the room "good morning mom"

well, it wasn't morning I tell her and walk her back to bed. The next time I leave the room and go to find Bry looking at her on the video monitor... we see her push back the covers, slide down the back of the bed and her little head bobbing as she is walking to the door... lol we cant stop laughing! I quickly run and do the "Risky Business" slide to meet her in the hallway "what are you doing out of bed I say" she replies "hey mom", and then turns around and gets back in bed. Two more times we watch as she gets out of bed, head bobs to the door but then she turns and goes to get back in bed before coming out. The breaking point was when she turns to her stuffed animals sharing the covers with her and says in a cracking almost cry voice "mom will be here in a minute" Bry couldn't take it, he goes to lay down with her for a bit. After a little while I went and got him and she cried for a bit but stayed in bed. It's now night three and she has slept every night in her bed.... of course as soon as 7:30 hits and the "sun is awake" she runs into our room to let us know its morning :)



It's turning out better than I thought... but man those mornings are coming early :) We are back to locking ourselves in our bedroom after putting baby girl to sleep to give her the impression that all the world is sleeping when she is.