Vote for Kellen!

A week or two ago, I entered a few photos of Kellen in a contest Parents magazine was running.  They're looking for kiddos to grace the cover of their magazine....and will send some semi-finalists to a photo shoot in August to get the shots they'll make the final selections from for the contest.

Well, I received an email today indicated that Kellen is in the running to become one of the weekly reader's choice finalists!

('Cause my boy can be quite the ham, right?!)

Anywhoooo, follow the link to vote on Kellen and vote for him!  You can do this daily and through June 27th.

Whoo hoo!!

Fail....

I think I failed my non-stress test today.  Jacey was moving some during the ultrasound, kicked the nurse as she was putting the monitors onto the ever-expanding space that used to function as my abdominals, and then didn't move again for nearly 20 minutes. Apparently Matt and I breed stubborn and strong-willed children, a trait that is evident even in utero (shocking, huh?). I had 1 kick/movement during the entire non-stress test, despite drinking a Dr. Pepper prior to going into the doctors office and drinking a Barq's (with bite, mind you) during the test.  I had 3 other "marks" on the read-out that were contractions. That was it. Ug.

I say I think I failed because I don't actually know what the criteria is for passing a non-stress test in terms of number of movements in that amount of time and I am not scheduled to see the doctor until Friday, after my next non-stress test, when we'll go over all of the results from this week. Of course, that is unless I get a phone call first, which the nurse said was likely.

Jacey has actually been fairly inactive today, which is unlike her.  As my zombie-like demeanor might give away, she normally keeps me up quite a bit at night either kicking her legs causing knees and/or feet to attempt to escape my belly or by practicing her punches on my bladder.

However, as I type this now, she's practicing a few of her kicks.  Maybe she wants to come out and go straight into Tae Kwon Do with her brother?  Who knows.

So, since I'm feeling her move some, I'm trying not to stress about what I don't know about the results of the test today....'cause stressing about it certainly isn't going to help matters!

The end result

...of my neurotic behavior leading to the maternity shoot and Maleigh's awesome photographic talents can be found here.

I love the sneak peak and cannot wait to see the rest of them!

I just love how this one turned out....if you're gonna be round, you might as well have fun with it!

Chick-fil-A deals

A friend mentioned to me this weekend that the Chick-fil-A here in town was having 'deals' every day they are open during the summer.

So, for you College Station folks, here goes (in case you don't have this info yet, and I did the best I could to write down quickly, so be sure and double check this at CFA):
Monday - Milkshake Monday! Buy a 20 oz milkshake, get a spicy chicken sandwich free
Tuesday - 5-8 PM, Kids night - Kids eat free w/ purchase of an adult meal
Wednesday - Free refills on your waffle fries from 5 PM - close
Thursday - Free 3 pack mini OR breakfast chicken sandwich for breakfast (No purchase!)
Friday - If you purchase 4 meals, you get 4 desserts for free
Saturday - Get a free small nugget tray with the purchase of a large nugget tray

Cool, huh?  I think I have my Thursday breakfast lined up!

Big girl

According to the ultrasound I had today, Jacey's pretty big, at least for 33 weeks, anyway.  She's measuring 4 pounds, 12 ounces (with a 6 ounce range on either side of that figure).  Considering that the 'average' (according to several week-by-week calendars I've browsed) is  4 1/2 pounds, I guess that probably makes her pretty normal sized, but yay!

I was able to see her yawning and blinking at me today.  Very interesting.  She must have been in a rare sleepy mood, because she wasn't moving very much during the ultrasound OR the non-stress test.  She didn't kick it into gear until I had finished off a bottle of Gatorade.

But, it must have been good enough, because the doc popped in to check on me and said he liked the way the non-stress test looked and that the ultrasound looked good, with a pocket of amniotic fluid for her. 

Yay!

I'll do another non-stress test on Friday, see him again, and then next week will be more of the same!

What a weekend!

You know the weekends you have that are thoroughly enjoyable?  The ones when, at the end of it, you look back and think, "I just had a GREAT weekend!"

Well, I had one of those weekends this past weekend.  And I was so blessed by it!

Kellen had been gone for almost two weeks (home the weekend prior), so it was wonderful to spend some time with him.  Tatum had missed him terribly, so it was great to see them playing together (and sweetly 95% of the time, too).

Saturday was an incredibly busy day.  We started out with me going crazy trying to get EVERYTHING together for the maternity photo shoot that was slated to begin at 9 AM.  It was one of those times when I thought I knew what I was going to wear, what I was going to accessorize with, and then when I put it on, I didn't like it.  And if I didn't like it on, I certainly wasn't going to feel good enough in it to get pictures made.

So after grabbing clothes for the kids in colors that coordinated, deciding then changing my mind about what Matt was going to wear, and grabbing almost a half dozen shirts for me, we set out.  Late.  Our poor photographer called 2 or 3 times just to make sure she didn't miss us at our set location, but it was just one of those mornings!  Luckily, she's really easy-going and completely understood my neurotic-ness.

Long story short, after getting her opinion on clothing choice (which luckily coincided with what my leanings were), we were ready to go.  We took lots of candid shots with all of us as a family at the George Bush Library by the pond and gardens.  There was a nice breeze, so it wasn't completely miserable, either!  Quick change of clothes for me, and Matt and I took some shots together.  Then back to the car for clothing changes for me and the kids and we took some pictures fully belly style....with the kids painting my belly.  Kellen even wrote 'family' (misspelled, but how adorable!) on my tummy.

I cannot wait to see how they turn out!

As we were on our way to the photo shoot, I realized why I was wanting it to turn out perfectly. --This would be my last chance to do this.

Ever.

NOTE: I know the drill about never say never.  But if there is a 4th baby Hapes, God will be truly demonstrating his sense of humor. Big time.

I had wanted to take maternity pictures with both of the other kids, but I never followed through with it for one reason or another.  I have in my head the types of images that I wanted to see...but never made it happen.

And this was my last shot.

No wonder I was so stressed out!  Once I realized that, I relayed my epiphany to Matt, took a deep breath, and thought...but Maleigh will make sure we get good shots.

We finished up with the photo shoot right around 11 AM, then headed to the house for a quick change of clothes, grabbed some coupons and went to eat at a pizza place we hadn't tried yet, but had coupons for (that expire at the end of the month!).  In case you're wondering, Hungry Howie's Pizza is FABULOUS!  I thought it was a little pricey, even with the coupons, but then realized that I was full on only two pieces of pizza, which is rare for me (pregnant or non-pregnant, I can put down some pizza!).  Oddly enough, the same thing happened for Matt, so we ended up with lunch AND dinner out of the deal.

Then I headed out to my spa day, and had a facial, massage, and pedicure.  SO NICE!  I finally made use of the Christmas (yes, I know...Christmas) present that Matt gave me.  As I finished my spa session, I set out to use yet another coupon at Bath Junkie for some salt scrub.  Things went a little awry when I was rear-ended en route (no injuries, thank God!) and then realized that my attempt was in vain anyway, since Bath Junkie has apparently closed here in town.

Back to the house I went, and then we hung out for the remainder of the night.

Sunday I apparently needed lots of sleep, because I mumbled something to the effect of, 'Just a few more minutes' to Matt when he attempted to wake me up to get ready for church.  I have no recollection of that conversation.  At any rate, the kids lounged, I lounged, Matt tried desperately to get rid of his headache, and I mustered the energy to clean up a little around the house in the meantime.

Matt and Kellen went to mow grass while Tatum was finishing her nap and snuggling with me, then when they got back to the house we headed out for our Sunday School dinner group playdate/picnic at one of the splash pads here in town.  We were there between 2 1/2 and 3 hours and the kids had a BLAST!  You would have thought that there were holes in their stomachs with as much as they continued to eat, but they played HARD!

Afterwards, we went to Ben and Jerry's to use yet another coupon (catching my theme yet?) for a buy one, get one free ice cream.  We all had yummy flavors and it was a great ending to a fun filled family weekend!

We got back home, Matt bathed the kids and we got them settled down for the night, he went to the store (gotta love my man who will shop for me!) and then he and I stayed up waaaayyy too late watching Wolverine.  I had forgotten how much I liked that movie!

Here's hoping your weekend was as enjoyable as mine!

High risk

High risk is not a term I would use to describe myself. Or this pregnancy. So it was a little disconcerting when, after my first non-stress test today at the doctors office, I realized that phrase was circled on my paperwork as I was taking my slip up to the front to check out.

Hmph.

It's just a phrase. And it changes nothing, really.

My God is bigger than a phrase on a piece of paper at any doctors office and He's in control of this situation.

In case you're wondering, the non-stress test went well today.  Stay tuned for Monday, when we do another non-stress and have an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid levels.

Week by week

I had my doctors appointment today and we'll now be taking it week by week.  Overall, it was a good check up. 

• Blood pressure is good (which is a good thing considering how much 'edema' I have...if my bp was off I'm thinking I would be quite a bit more concerned about that particular nuisance).
• Weight gain is just weight gain.
• Muscle tightness/soreness and joint stiffness warranted me a trip to the Health Foods Store for magnesium to supplement...1000 mg per day (or 250% of the daily value).  Note to self: I should look at my prenatal to see how much is in that as well.
• Heart pounding and racing was attributed to a hyper volume issue.  Nothing to be concerned about unless it doesn't stop and/or I have tachycardia to go along with it (which I haven't).
• Continual contractions, despite a heavy fluid intake of water and gatorade is not concerning at this point, but he indicated the magnesium will probably help with that as well. (YAY!)

The monitoring begins tomorrow with the first non-stress test.  Then on Monday I'll go in for an ultrasound and another non-stress test.  Next Friday, I'll have the third non-stress test and see the doctor again to go over the results of all of those things.  He wants to look at the ultrasound to see how things look with her right now before making the final decision on the steroid shot sequence.

Then we'll go week to week to see how things are progressing.  I'm hopeful that the Monday ultrasound/non-stress and either a Thursday or Friday non-stress/doctors appointment schedule can be maintained to minimize my trips.  The office is very accommodating, so we'll see!

When the thunder rolls.....

....and you're at the pool, it's not good.

Yesterday was supposed to be the beginning of Tatum's private swim lessons with one of the graduate students from my department.  She taught both of the kids two summers ago, and they did wonderfully with her!  And yes, in case you're wondering, we actually gave Tatum lessons with her when she was just over a year old...and she did great!

Back to the point.  Tatum and I arrive at the pool maybe ten minutes till 6, and we were supposed to meet Cymon at 6 for the lesson.  No biggie, we're early (for once as of late) and head on in to the pool to splash around.  At this point in time, the quicker I can get somewhere that makes me a little more buoyant, the better!

We play for a few minutes, then I hear it.  Thunder.  I wasn't the only one who heard it, because the lifeguards were conversing back and forth amongst themselves to be sure they heard it, too.  Yup.  Whistle blows and they clear the pool......just as Cymon was walking toward the entrance.  So we cancel the actual lesson and agree to meet again on Wednesday as originally scheduled. 

I then went to the lifeguard to ask about a rain check, only to be told that they aren't 'officially' shutting down the pool, they're just required to wait 20 minutes after the last thunder clap.

So we wait.  For 20 minutes, just like we were told.

After the all clear, I rinse Tatum off (because in the meantime, she went and played on the playground.  I didn't think they wanted her getting back into the pool with dirt and sand on her.  Just my guess.) and back into the pool we go.

For all of 45 seconds.

And the thunder rolled.  Yup.

Here's hoping that the forecast for Wednesday is better!

Update

Wow.  I've realized that I've been less than stellar at updating the blog on actual family happenings.  Sorry 'bout that!

Here goes:

Kellen completed the first grade a little over a week ago.  That in and of itself is monumental (at least in this momma's book!)  Unfortunately, he spent the Thursday prior to getting out of school in the doctors office, as we were trying to determine if he has broken his finger (he is Matt's child, you know...).  On Wednesday night, he shut his pinky finger in the door after we got home from the swimming pool.  Needless to say, he was in quite a bit of pain and couldn't bend his finger very well.  After icing his finger down for about 45 minutes, I decided to forgo a trip to the ER and just check on things in the morning.  When we did, he was able to bend his finger a little better, but considering how swollen and purple it was, we decided to be safe.  So I dropped him off at school and told him I would call the doctor and get an appointment, but would make sure it was after 1 PM when he was back from his end-of-school picnic.

Yup.  Never should have uttered those words.

I put a call in to the doctors office and they only have an appointment in the morning.  His doctor and the back up we normally see weren't available in the afternoon.  Ug.  So I called the school, made arrangements with the principal to pick him up before the bus left for the park, and to deliver him when we were through to his teacher at the park so he could ride back on the bus and spend the rest of the day at school.

We go in to the doctor (me and both kids, including Tatum - her story to come) and are seen by the doctor, who decides we needed to get x-rays to rule out a break (just like Matt and I thought).  So, I got the orders for the x-ray, took Tatum back to her day care, and Kellen and I headed to the hospital.  Now, considering everything we had to do, we didn't have to wait all that long.  But to poor Kellen, who wanted nothing more than to get to the park for his class picnic, the waiting was brutal.  We got the x-rays and headed back over to the doctors office to get the results.  Once we got back there, we were ushered right in and told that no, it wasn't broken.

Thank God for small miracles!

We then hightailed it to the park, and made it there right at noon, giving my dear sweet Kellen a whole HOUR to spend at the park with his friends and classmates.

*Sigh*  It was the best I could do, which didn't sit all that well with him.

The end of the school year came the next day, and with a gift for his teacher in tow, he was off.  He got a wonderful report card (surprise, surprise) and had a great last week behavior wise.

Last week he lolly gagged with Maw Maw and Paw Paw at their house, and for the next two weeks, will be attending the YMCA day camp in Conroe.  He's going to have just oh-so-much fun this summer!

Oh, and apparently Matt informs me that between Mother's Day and some day last week, Kellen has grown a quarter of an inch.

Yowzers! 

Matt was packing his clothes for this week yesterday, and asked about a pair of shorts and whether they were 'play' shorts or good shorts.  With him growing like that, just about everything should be play shorts, because he's gonna be out of them by the end of the summer!

On to Tatum....
So the same Wednesday night that I took them both to the pool, I noticed that the top of her foot was red.  Really red.  Upon closer inspection, I see some bite marks on the side of her foot.  After the pool (and icing Kellen's finger) I gave her some Benadryl, thinking she was having a reaction to the bites (she is MY daughter, after all, and mosquitoes love us both).  Thursday morning we take a look at her foot to notice that the redness has spread, it's VERY hot to the touch (or even if you held your hand over it) and it's swollen.  So I took her to day care and told her I was going to call the doctor.

I was able to get an appointment for both kids at the same time relatively early in the morning, so yay!  The doctor walked into the room, started to ask what was going on with Tatum, saw her foot and stopped mid-sentence.

It was THAT obvious.

Diagnosis - cellulitis.  We drew an outline of the current redness, then he marked a spot further up on her calf and indicated that if the redness crept up to or past that line that we needed to bring her back in immediately.  Armed with a prescription to fight both strep-A and staph, we were ready to go with her.

So I did take her back to day care, let them know what was going on, dropped off her prescriptions at the pharmacy, then headed back to the hospital to finish up with Kellen.  After getting him squared away and dropped off at the park, I went back to the pharmacy, picked up the meds and went to day care.  And Tatum was asleep for her nap.  Ug.  So I couldn't give her the first dose of antibiotics.  I left day care with instructions that they call me if she seemed really uncomfortable and headed off to work.

A short time later, I got the call.  They indicated that her foot felt like it was on fire (and it did).  So I picked her up, headed home, gave her the first dose of her meds, put ice on her foot, and let her pick the movie of her choosing.

Whew!  She wanted lots of snuggles, didn't want me too far from her, but all-in-all, she was in a relatively good mood, considering.

Fast forward to now, and she's good.  We've just finished with the 10-day sequence of both of the medications, she didn't have some of the side effects we were concerned about (BIG yay on that one), and now we're just needing to be sure to keep her slathered with sunscreen and cooled down (the combination of antibiotics made her more susceptible to the sun and overheating, and those effects will linger for another handful of days).

She has the first of her swim lessons tonight and Wednesday night, and she's very much looking forward to going back to the pool!

Me and Jacey....
So the Texas heat and humidity are really getting to me.  I went in to my thyroid doctor today and he even commented on my 'edema'.  Isn't that such a nice word for saying you're bloated, swollen and/or retaining water?  Anyway, I go in for a check-up on Wednesday, and we'll schedule out our monitoring, which will include once a week ultrasounds, twice weekly non-stress tests, and the steroid shot sequence to try and mature Jacey's lungs.  I'm not exactly sure what that schedule will look like, but I'll know more on Wednesday. 

In case you're wondering, the extra monitoring is, at this point, a precaution.  Kellen had the cord wrapped around his neck (twice, if memory serves me) AND he had a knot in his cord.  Knowing either of those things would have made his delivery an automatic c-section, but we didn't know.  So with Tatum, we decided to monitor things a little closer there toward the end, just to be on the safe side, beginning at 32 weeks.  It was a good thing we did, because at 38 weeks I was told that the doctor didn't like the levels of her amniotic fluid and that I was going into the hospital to have her.  That night.  Non-elective. 

Just so you know, the phrase 'non-elective' is a VERY scary one.

Considering the history, we decided to begin the monitoring process at 32 weeks.  I am now 32 weeks and 2 days, and my appointment will be at 32 weeks and 4 days.  I'll be thrilled if all of the extra precautions are just that, but am thinking that realistically, I'll make it to 37-38 weeks.

She seems to be doing fine, is VERY active, and doesn't like to be squished.  At all.  By anything.  I can't wait to meet her, but am just trusting that it will happen when it's supposed to.

Kellen and Matt put up the crib this weekend, we went and got another crib mattress for it, and the bedding has been washed and is now in place.  So Jacey officially has a place to sleep now, which was something that apparently was bothering the kids quite a bit.

As for things at work, I'm trying to finish up projects and have the end of June or middle of July in most folk's mind with regard to when I should be slowing down.  I'll work right up until Jacey comes, so long as I'm able, but everyone around here needs a date or time frame to shoot for in order to wrap up projects that will be due while I'm out.  So that's what we're doing!

Last but not least, Matt.  He's still Matt, and doing the same ole, same ole.  And putting up with me and my end-of-pregnancy craziness.

Peace

I read this today and thought it worthy of sharing:

(We) experience Christ's peace when we realize that peace isn't the absence of pressure. It's the presence of God in the midst of our chaos.

-Micca Monda Campbell

For a few days (perhaps longer) I've been mulling on the fact that we shouldn't let our current circumstances dictate our attitude or actions.  Because you know what, those circumstances are fleeting, even if they don't feel like it at the time.  The only thing that is constant is God.  He's in control.  He has our circumstances, as crazy as they sometimes may seem to us, in His master plan.

Do you trust Him enough to lean on Him and be at peace in the midst of your chaos?

Craving

Surprisingly, despite the fact that I’m seven months pregnant, I’m not referring to a food craving here. Think back in your life to times when you can identify traveling through the valley. You know, times when circumstances seem bleak, you may be questioning "Why' certain things are occurring, and if you are anything like me (scary thought, perhaps) at those time you crave the Lord. You crave His word, time with Him, and do whatever you can to feel His presence.

Thinking about a particular time?

Well then, fast forward from that time to one shortly after, when the circumstances that caused your travel through the valley had changed - maybe a month or two after coming out of your valley. Did you still crave the Lord?

I hope you did.

Unfortunately, I find myself falling into an unhealthy pattern with regard to my personal peaks and valleys. During the 'valley-times' I am consistent in my quiet time, I seek God's guidance in virtually everything, stay in contact with people who can and will pray for me and hold me accountable, and have conversations in my head with Him almost all day long, trying to discern His guidance and grabbing hold of His promises. I understand my NEED for Him desperately during these times because my circumstances are simply too much for me.

But then something changes.

It certainly isn't Him, because He doesn't change. According to Hebrews 13:8 (NIV), we know that ‘Jesus Christ is the yesterday and today and forever.’ So the change that occurs must lead back to me. I change. When my circumstances aren't so bleak, when He's brought me out of yet another valley, I change. My attitude changes. My focus changes. For some strange reason, I feel like I can handle things on my own and I don't NEED Him as much. I don't seek Him as much, and my spiritual-discipline slowly fades away.

How crazy is that?

The very guidance, strength and promises that I NEED during the valleys are the same guidance, strength and promises I NEED when my circumstances have changed and He's now placed me on the top of the mountain. I NEED Him in all situations.

Is it any wonder that He continues to allow me to go through valleys, since it is during those times I'm closest to Him?

“Come near to God, and He will come near to you…” James 4:8 (NIV)

Lord, help me to draw closer to you not only in the valleys of my life, but in times when my arrogance and self-sufficiency rise up and I feel I can make it on my own. Help me to remember that no matter what my circumstances may be that my need for you never changes.

Stepping out

So I mentioned a few posts ago that the Lord has been speaking to me about venturing out in a specific direction.  To sum it up, I feel like I'm supposed to be using the situations that He's led me through in a more public way to help others.  You know, allow others to try and learn from my mistakes and experiences by illustrating God's help in getting through those various situations.

Well, I have been thinking on this for over a month, and I have come to realize why this has been such a struggle for me.  Is struggle the correct word?  I've been stagnant in this venture, but still feel called to move in that direction.  Let me clarify, I have figured out at least one reason, er...excuse, that I'm allowing to impede this journey. 

You see, many of the situations that I'm more comfortable sharing about that I've been through I consider "not my fault".  Dealing with postpartum depression - not my fault.  Struggles with raising strong-willed children - not my fault (or at least not ALL my fault).  Balancing breastfeeding while working full-time - not my fault, well, it was my choice, but really no 'fault' in that situation.  Losing one of the twins with this current pregnancy - not my fault (and yes, many of you are now probably scratching your head, saying, 'huh?' It's a story to come.)  I can handle discussing those issues, because I feel like the Lord has helped me through those issues when I was struggling, but I wasn't necessarily struggling because of my choices - or should I say my sin.

Because that's really why I've not moved forward with the one story that's already written - and has been for almost a month now.  What I went through and wrote about in that story was a clear result of my sin.  And although God led me through it and I'm a better person now because of the lessons He taught me then, I still find it difficult to discuss in a wide-open setting.  And the various possibilities for using the story I've written will all be in a wide-open setting, with my name attached.  My sin exposed.

The bottom line - I'm scared.

I have wrestled with asking myself this question, "What is it that I'm scared of?"

Here's what I've discovered, or at least what I've admitted to myself.

• Despite the fact that many people who know me might say that I'll do whatever without worrying about what people think, I DO actually worry about what people think. 
• I'm worried that people will judge me for my actions and question my decisions.
• I'm scared that I'll be embarrassed.
• I'm scared that people will look at and/or treat my differently.

But you know what, it shouldn't matter to me what other people think as long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.  What God has asked of me to do.

Even if people think less of me.
Even if people judge me.
Even if people questions my decisions.
Even if I'm embarrassed.
Even if people look at and treat me differently.

That should not matter to me, so long as I place my trust in the Lord and follow what He's asking me to do.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

I don't understand why I have gone through some of the things I have, but it's not for me to understand.  It's for me to simply trust that I went through, am going through, and will go through things in my life for a reason.  Those reasons may be revealed to me in time, but there is also just as likely of a chance that they will not.

And I need to be ok with that.

I need to be ok with doing WHAT God tells me to do, WHEN He tells me to do it, regardless of whether or not it makes sense to me.

Will you pray with me as I travel this road?

Your Work is Part of God's Plan

I received this via email today, and thought it was so good that I had to share it.  This really spoke to me, because sometimes I just get in a routine and forget that I'm doing what I'm doing because God put me here to do just that as part of a much bigger plan - one that I might not see for quite some time, or ever, here on earth.

Your work is part of God's plan


by Rick Warren

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

"The gifts, the abilities, the talents, even the interests you have -- they were genetically encoded into you by God."

Your work can be an act of worship. No matter what you do, it's never just a job if you are a believer. This is because God designed you with talents, gifts and interests that He wants used for His glory.

You are custom-made. There's nobody like you in the whole world. And the gifts, the abilities, the talents, even the interests you have -- they were genetically encoded into you by God. God made you with a specific mission in mind -- and He wants you to use the gifts he's given you in your work.

The Bible says you are God's workmanship. The Greek word used for workmanship is poema. That's where the English word poem comes from -- you are God's poem! You are God's work of art. You are God's masterpiece.

Your work is part of God's plan for your life and that is why, as you work, you worship God.

St. Jude Trike-a-Thon!

So today was the Trike-a-Thon at Tatum's school...doesn't she just look adorable??  She was SO EXCITED this morning as we took her bike and gear to school because she was GOING TO GET TO RIDE HER BIKE with all of her friends!  It was almost all she could talk about this morning, on the way to school, and then once we got inside the building.

So precious.

In case you're wondering, it's not too late to donate toward her riding in the Trike-a-Thon.  The funds are being donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and you can donate directly online in support of Tatum's efforts.

Astros

They aren't Kellen's team this year (he's a member of the Phillies team), but he's having a hard time distinguishing between t-ball teams and the real deal.  After his game tonight, he told me that the worst part was that they had to play the Astros...'cause they're the team he really likes!

Funny boy.

Prayers for guidance

The Lord has been speaking to me about writing.  (Don't laugh, while you're taking into consideration how much the blog gets updated - or doesn't).  But I came across a website tonight and am going to pray and ask for guidance on whether or not I'm supposed to tweak and submit an article I wrote about a week or so ago.

In case you're wondering, the opportunity currently in front of me and something I just discovered was the submission process for Proverbs 31 Ministries magazine.

Pray with me for guidance?

She Speaks Scholarship Contest

On another blog I frequent, a writing contest for a scholarship to She Speaks was posted.  Although the timing is bad for me this year, with the conference scheduled right over my due date, I thought I would post the link for the scholarship and information about the conference here for anyone interested.

Family Update

It's been a while since I've just updated on everyone, and the moms board I'm on had a thread like this, so I thought I would take a quick moment to give an update on US.

Kellen is nearing the finish line of first grade (goodness where has the time gone??). He'll be tested this month for G/T (5 testing days for an hour each day) and we should know his placement mid-May. I'm not worried about it...he tends to get bored in school easily and when he does, he gets in trouble (not BAD trouble, but he's a class clown (can't imagine where he gets THAT from), talker, etc kind of kid), so we try to keep him busy. He's currently in t-ball (twice a week practices for another week and then who knows what the game schedule will look like), Tae Kwon Do (during Kids Klub one day a week), Cub Scouts (weekly den meetings and then monthly pack meetings), and Awana's at church. He has an AMAZING memory for scripture and blows me away nearly every week when we're practicing his scriptures for Awana's. He has such a sensitive spirit and is SUCH a wonderful big brother!

Tatum is 3 now, and I remember why I later scoffed at the 'terrible two's' even though they began at 18 months with both she and Kellen. The 3's are infinitely worse at our house! She (and Kellen) are both such strong willed children and some days are just exhausting. However, I'm blessed to have strong willed children that know their likes/dislikes...it's the molding of them that makes it all a challenge.  She's doing wonderfully at her daycare, and is participating in KinderTots (combo dance and gymnastics) once a week there. She's Kellens biggest cheerleader at his sporting events, and wants to get out there and play right along with the boys. She's oh-so princess yet such a down and dirty tomboy. And despite the strong willed challenges, she is so sweet! She's my snuggler, and I am trying to get as many snuggle moments as I can with her before #3 comes along.

Speaking of #3, we settled on a first name for peanut, Jacey. We're still working on a middle name, but I'm feeling better about the fact that she has a name other than peanut now. However, the kids are still calling her peanut, so I'm thinking that nickname might stick for a while. I'm over 23 weeks along, and July seems like it's speeding toward me.  I'm pretty much past the nausea now (yes, I know...I'm quite far along to still have been struggling with that some days), but am still having random food aversions.  Peanut butter sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, and cereal are my staples.  And Freeb!rds burritos seem to be my constant craving.  And Olive Garden salad.  Yummy!

Work for me is pretty much the same...still incredibly busy but I get lots of reminders that I'm exactly where I need to be. One of the presentation proposals that I'm part of (group of 3) was just accepted as a pre-conference workshop for the annual advising conference to be held in October, so I'm trying to figure out the funding to go along with that travel.  It's a huge honor to have been selected for a pre-conference workshop: the session is longer than a regular conference session AND the participants have to pay an additional cost on top of the conference registration fee to attend.  Wow!  I think I'm still in a little bit of shock about it but am very excited!

Matt is still working from Conroe selling insurance, commuting back and forth 2-3 days a week and working from the house the other days. With his work schedule and the kids activities, I feel like I don't get out much for me, but we're surviving!  Our house may not stay clean, but the kids are loved and happy, and that counts a whole lot more in my book!

We have a winner!

Well, Friday was Matt's birthday, and despite the fact that he added a year to his age on Facebook, I think he had a pretty good day.  Both of the kids were out of school on Friday, but TAMU was up and running (at least for faculty/staff), so I went to work while he stayed home with the kids.  Shortly before his parents were slated to arrive (we ended up going out to eat with them Friday night), I sighed and told Matt that I really wanted us to work on a name for peanut.

He started playing on name websites, I got out my phone, which holds the 'list' of names that I had compiled, then whittled down (based on popular names of 2009), and off we went.  We had a couple of 'maybe's' from him for those on my list: Aliza (joyful); Bianca (white); Leala (faithful, loyal), but we really weren't both sold on any of those yet.  I had already vetoed Riley (which was # 109 in 2009, putting it on the officially ok list, but was 36 in 2008 and 52 in 2007, which in my opinion was just too common too recently for me).  So Riley got the official veto.  Matt wasn't liking Shilo (God's gift), so we were still in the looking phase.  Well, he starts rattling names off of whatever website he was on, and said "Jacey."  It apparently means healer and is of Greek origin.  And it's in the 800's on the most popular names list.

So, we both really like it and it's official.  Peanuts' real name is now Jacey.

We're still working on her middle name, so stay tuned.....