Spring Break 2012 Day One

This was the first year since college that I actually had Spring Break off, and I am so happy I got to spend it with my sweet kiddos.  It is so rare that I get to spend uninterrupted time with them during the weekdays, so this was precious time for sweet memories.
We got to go to the Austin Zoo, the Rodeo, Cabela's, Jumpoline Park, and just hang out.  It was so fun!

Since I took quite a few pictures I'm going to do separate entries for each one of our fun excursions:)

The first day we went to the Austin Zoo.  It's not a huge zoo, which I actually like with the little ones.  It's not big for us to walk around and see everything before everyone gets tuckered out.  Of course Carter man had it easy riding in the stroller! His first zoo trip.  I have to say the Lions are the coolest animals there.  Amazing creatures!  They have a neat little train ride that Jackson was super excited about riding on.  But, the funny thing about that is he was asking "are we done?" about every two minutes! We took our lunch, so we stopped and ate a bite at the picnic tables while the peacocks and roosters roamed about the tables (kinda funny). We finished the day off with sno cones and a trip to the little gift shop:)

Carter is 7 Months!

Carter James just turned 7 months old and I am amazed at how quickly these 7 months have flown by.  It has not been an easy road with this little guy but I find myself getting more attached to him every day.  I just love him so much!  He really is a happy guy, very friendly.  He loves to be held by anyone willing to carry him around.  He's done great at church in the nursery which is a huge blessing considering it took me about 6 months before I would leave him in there, ha!  He's weighing in now at about 20 lbs. which definitely puts him at the upper end of the growth percentage charts.  He's got some super chubby legs! He is eating lots of new things these days.  He has liked almost all of the things I've tried with the exception of a few.  No teeth yet!  I can't believe he doesn't have a single tooth yet. I'm so ready for him to start working on those puffs or Mum Mums, but he doesn't have any teeth!  He's sitting up pretty well, but he'll certainly tip over after a while.
The biggest hurdle we've overcome this month is his night-time sleeping.  He's finally in his bed (halleluhah!) and not being swaddled.  He's actually slept until about 5 a.m. a few times which is stellar.  Naptimes are still not going all that great.  He has a hard time getting sleep during the day.  Even when he's tired, he really fights his naps and then might sleep for 30 minutes.  But, I won't complain, since he's not waking up multiple times at night.

I am so happy God gave us this sweet little boy! We are very blessed to have him!

Birthday cake from Grandma Debbie!

Birthday Celebration at the American Girl Store

I lost another toofes... soooo cute!

I sorta skipped right past Kylie Marie's 7th Birthday and I certainly don't want to miss this entry. I can't believe my precious baby girl is 7 years old.  The time has flown by so quickly and I find myself watching her turn into a young lady overnight. I am so happy and excited that she is growing and flourishing like crazy, but I have to admit it's scary to me that it's going by so quickly.  She is incredibly independent and social.  She certainly has her share of silly mood-swings just like any girl, and can be a complete drama queen, but it's actually quite endearing.  She's a great big sister to both her brothers, despite the times she likes to push Jackson's buttons.  She really knows how to get under her skin and she thinks it's hilarious - Mom and Dad, not so much.  She loves to carry Carter around and play with him.  She can get the best laughs out of him, I mean, big ole belly laughs. 
She is such a smarty pants and has really excelled at school in reading, writing and math.  She has so many friends and she likes the boys, too...yikes!  She is taking piano again with a fantastic teacher and I love hearing her play.  I can totally see her playing some amazing songs some day.  She is still doing dance, which the verdict is still out on whether or not she has that dancer's grace in her (hmmmmm).  She's enjoying her horseback riding lessons too! Jackson thinks he wants to ride too, but he's a scaredy cat, so that's not happening any time soon:)
I am so proud of my Kylie and I see the incredible creature God has trusted me with and am so humbled by the responsibility to be her mother. 

Love this....

Will I meditate on His word or my worries?

A co-worker and friend sent this to me today and it was just what I've been needing to hear. I keep hearing God telling me to get back into His word and yet I haven't been doing it like I should. So, I'll take this as a clear sign that once again, He is telling me what I need to do.

2011 was a good year, but one of change and hardship. We found out we were pregnant with Carter James in January of 2011. Of course I was joyful that God had blessed me with another precious child, but I have to admit, I was completely overwhelmed by the idea of bringing another child into the world at that time. Things had just gotten a bit easier managing the two children! Now, this was going to be a whole new ball game. Wow. I really had mixed feelings. I will never refer to Carter as an accident. He is no accident. He is God's perfect plan. Now that he's here, I am so grateful that God knows what's best for my life no matter how much I resist.

So, we had some remodeling done to our house which ended well but the process was very unsettling. We were told it would take maybe 5-6 weeks and it ended up taking months. Our house was a disaster, our animals were freaked out, and here I am pregnant in the hot summer. That was neat. The contractor rarely showed up, they had to redo things plenty of times, and it just kept going on and on. It as mentaly and physically exhausting. Luckily, about a week shy of Carter's arrival, we were finished. Now, each kid has a bedroom, my office has been moved to the kitchen and the kids have a fantastic playroom. Thank you Jesus for providing the means for us to do this. Truly, we couldn't have made it happen without blessings from above.

Adam went to a knew mortgage company which we were very excited about. He was promised so many wonderful things, it seemed like the perfect situation. Well, it started out that way. After many broken promises, paychecks not coming as they were supposed to, and a system that seemed to be very dysfunctional, Adam decided to look elsewhere. It was a major disappointment, but once again, God provides! Now, he has been at a new company doing training and computer programming support and is really liking it. He enjoys the people he works with and enjoys being someone that people can go to for help. We are super excited about the opportunities for growth. Yay!!!!

Kylie started first grade at Regents only a few days after Carter was born. This was super hard for me. I was busy taking care of the new baby so Adam pretty much took over Kylie and Jackson's care for a while. Dagger to my heart. I hated not being there for them and I knew they missed me. I knew it wouldn't always be like that, but I am very hands-on with them and I just knew I was scarring them for life! (silly, but that's how I felt). Kylie's teacher reassured me a few weeks after school started that she hadn't skipped a beat and was doing wonderfully in school. That did make me feel better, however, I still felt like I was missing out on so much. Ugh. Thankfully, things are a little easier now that Carter is older and I am able to do more and be there for her more. It's still a challenge with all three, but it is getting more manageable.

Jackson has had a great year. He is absolutely precious and I am so thankful for him and his sweet, funny spirit. He's a mess, don't get me wrong, he knows how to push the limits and push our buttons! But, we can already tell he is going to be a funny guy and other kids love him. He has a very good heart and is very attentive to detail (just like mom). He loves his trucks, trailers, trains and anything with wheels and is very good about playing with his toys. I am excited to see Carter join in the fun! He had a great Christmas this year as he really is starting to "get" the idea of Christmas. I love this age!

Carter, our sweet, sensitive one... Emphasis on sensitive here. Oh man, I thought Kylie was a difficult baby. He makes her look like a piece of cake. This little guy just couldn't be happy. If he wasn't eating or sleeping, he was crying (seriously). It was exhausting! After many doctors appointments and tests, I've come to the conclusion he has a very sensitive tummy and he's overall just a sensitive little guy. He really wants to be held most of the time. He needs that human touch. He does not want to be put in a bouncy or seat and just left there! In a way, I really think it's his own little spirit saying "I know I'm #3 and you want to go about your business, but I need attention and need to feel like my needs are met." Or so I keep telling myself that. Now he's on Zegerid for his reflux and that seems to help with his spitting up and discomfort. We've gotten him more on a schedule and have figured out the best ways to get him what he needs. He's five months now and certainly easier than before, but we're still working on it! I just know he's going to be a sweet boy, I can tell. I love my snuggles with him and watching him grow so quickly makes me want to wish for time to stand still so I can cherish this time. We've started on rice cereal and applesauce and he loves to eat! He is already very interested in real food and grabs for it any chance he gets. Eating with him in my laugh is hard to do because he keeps pulling my plate and grabbing for my food! I don't think we'll have any trouble feeding this guy. He's weighing in at about 19 lbs now and he is a chubber wubber!

As for me, well, I'm hanging in there! Loving my family is what keeps me together. With Adam's new work hours, it has definitely put more on my schedule, but I've got my amazing Grandma Mary to help me. I know it's hard on her too, but she loves being with the kids. It brings her so much joy. God has blessed us so abundantly in her and I couldn't be more grateful. She is leaving a legacy of selflessness and sacrifice and I know many years from now our kids' kids will be talking about her!

I can always tell when I've waited too long to post because my blog will go on forever! So, in closing, in 2012 my focus will be to "meditate on His word and not on my worries." In times when it seems like there is nowhere to turn, I know I can always turn to my Redeemer. He will provide...

Santa came!

The Cousins!

The Biehlers

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Grandma Ginny and Carter
Clara


So, I guess I skipped right past Thanksgiving this time! Oops. Life these days is kind of a whirlwind. Seriously, where did 2011 go? It has gone by faster than any other year. We started of the year with a surprise gift from Jesus - that would be little Carter man. Kylie was busy with kindergarten and dance, voice, and piano. Jackson was keeping us all on our toes as he continues to be "all boy" and pretty much do everything very curious and adventurous boys do.

I feel like I will look back on this year and it will all be blur! Between work, lack of sleep and keeping up with three kids, I feel like each day just goes by and I can't even remember how I got to the evening!!!

Kylie is doing so well in school. Her teacher says she is such a joyful child, which makes my heart so happy. She has such a great smile, in fact, her whole face smiles! I hope she never loses that joy she has in her heart. It is contagious and people are so drawn to her, because who doesn't want to be around a joyful heart? She is loving horse riding lessons and is getting to know the different personalities of the horses. It's funny how they each have their own personalities. Her teachers love what they do and you can tell. We have taken a little hiatus with piano but hope to start up in the new year again. She is still doing dance as well. I'm pretty sure the graceful ballerina is not going to be miss Kylie Marie. She's more the hip-hop, jazz kinda girl! She just got the wonderful pleasure of being Clara in their Christmas program. I was so proud of her!!!! She had a solo and was absolutely adorable. This mom was smiling from ear to ear. Hard to believe in about a month she'll be seven years old. My goodness, she is growing up so fast.

Jackson is truly the most hilarious little boy. He makes these facial expressions that I just wish I could freeze forever and never forget them. We keep saying this kid should be on tv. He would be a hit! He is so talkative and says the most funny things. I can't believe how well he can converse now. I can tell he is so smart and inquisitive. He is always studying how things work and how they are put together. He loves his trucks and trailers and has discovered Bob the Builder now too. He continues to challenge us with his silly little antics and curiosity, like pouring a coke into the dog bowl because "the dog wanted a coke." Uhhhhh, okay. He likes to get things out of the fridge and throw just about anything that will fly. He is making great friends at school and the teachers seem to enjoy him in the class. No incidents yet! Phew. We will be working on potty trainging in the new year. He is so capable of going in the potty, but it might have to be a battle of the wills. I can't wait for Christmas. He is old enough now to understand it a bit better and he is going to be so excited!!!!

Carter is growing like crazy. He's our little chubber wubbers. He is smiling and giggling much more these days and is really enjoying using his little hands to grab things. I love to watch him play with his little toys - adorable! He's found his voice too! We are getting a bit more sleep these days. He can make it until about 2 or 3 in his swing and then he's with me the rest of the night. We're working on getting him out of our bed, so I hope we can make that transition soon. He started his rice cereal which he does not like, but I'll keep trying. I'm surprised somewhat since he is such a big eater, but I think it's just the texture of it. I had a dream last night that he rolled over, so maybe that will happen soon:) I am anxious for him to sit up and play with his toys!

I am looking forward to a fun Christmas weekend with our families. So thankful for Jesus and God's abundant grace.