So typical

I just thought I'd give you a glimpse into our lives on the rare occasion that we have the day at home. These are the most common sights these days:

Johnathan, in underwear, jumping around playing the Wii; Jonas's containment gear scattered around.

Kalleigh, in diaper, throwing a fit on the floor. This one happened to be as a result of me telling her not to touch the camera lens, resulting in this blurry picture.

And poor Jonas is STILL in the swing ... not buckled up.

I suppose I could've taken a picture of myself at the computer with no makeup and a bed-head, but who wants to see that? Please don't answer.

All that being said, I LOVE staying at home when I can. It would totally drive me nuts to do it for more than a couple days in a row, but when it's about once a week, it's perfect!

I'm alive.

Don't worry faithful readers, I'm alive and well. We went out of town that first weekend in October and only just today do I feel caught up. It was just a weekend, but man! We pretty much all felt like this:


Finally today I feel caught up ... mostly. It just took us a while to get back into our life groove!

I'll try to go over the highlights of the past few weeks.

While John was in Nashville at the ZOE Conference that weekend, the kids and I stayed in Searcy. Thursday was Kalleigh's birthday, so Mom had made her a princess cake. I'm hoping Mom will send a picture to me since I didn't get any of the cake! We spent some good time with Momo Friday morning before heading out to the farm to see Mamaw and Papaw. Rachel also came over with Abby, so that was fun! On Saturday, Mom and I (and Jonas) got a lot of important shopping in while Kreg and Keleigh did a marvelous job on "kid-duty" keeping Johnathan and Kalleigh. If you're "friends" with Keleigh on Facebook, you should look at her pics from the day. We celebrated Kreg's birthday after church at IHOP and then we headed home.

Jonas & Abby -- just one day apart!

Namesake

Kalleigh started "Little People's School" the Monday after we got home. She goes Monday and Wednesday mornings while Johnathan is also in school. Those are fabulous mornings for Jonas and me!

Kalleigh and Ms. Carys on the first day.

"The Blessing," our five-voice ladies group from church, was invited to and sang at the Hawkins Oil Festival last weekend. We were one of five groups/bands/dance teams (!) to perform! (Hawkins is a little town just north of Tyler.) We even got a thank-you letter from the city of Hawkins!

The five of us ... at least this time. We've never sung with the same five ladies twice!

Clearly Vocal is performing twice over the next two weeks, and anyone can come hear us at these! Friday the 16th we're singing at the Azalea Trails assisted living center at 5 pm. Then Next Thursday the 22nd we'll sing at KE Cellars at 7pm. Again, anyone can come to either one of these.

And for those who have asked, and you're so kind, the rest of Johnathan's soccer schedule:

10/18 -- 10 am
10/25 -- 8 am
11/1 -- 10 am

All games are played at the Colonial Hills Baptist Church on S Broadway across from Target.

And here's what today is like:


And now you're caught up. There you have it. :)

Happy Birthday, John!

The man I love is 34 today! It's a special number to us. Kind of one of those silly dating "things." While we were dating it just seemed like we saw the number 34 everywhere. If a book fell open, it would be to page 34. If we looked at the clock it would be Whatever:34. The inspection number on a new shirt ... you got it. So, it's kind of a silly thing, but it does remind us of those fun dating times when we got all excited when we saw "our number."

Love you, Honey!

Normal

I loved Kristi's post about her normal, and I thought I'd give it a try. I'll opt for the list version. Left-brained, perhaps? Uh, yeah.

Changing diapers
Being in a hurry
Church
Ladies' Bible Class
Rehearsals galore
Finding childcare
Changing diapers
Nursing
Waking up at 4, then 7
Soccer practice
Blogging
Facebooking
Stepping on toys
Picking up toys
Changing diapers (did I say that already?)
Laundry
Running, when convenient
Singing gigs
Driving
Scrapping
Cooking (occasionally)
Laughing at funny kids sayings

I guess that's it in a nutshell. I'd love to see your normal, too!

Oh, here's the funny kid saying of the day:
Johnathan, playing the Wii game, Batman: "Mom! I need to buy this character, Bunny Girl!"
Me, half listening: "Uh-huh."
Johnathan: "Do you see her, Mom? It's Bunny Girl."
Me, still not even realizing he's talking: "Uh-huh."
Johnathan: "Mom! You gotta come see Bunny Girl. I need to buy her!"
Me, realizing that he's talking to me, and finally looking at the screen: "Ha, ha, ha! Oh, Johnathan, that's Catwoman!"
Johnathan: "Yeah, Catwoman!"

Vocabulary Explosion

Kalleigh's vocabulary is going through another growth spurt, which can be really funny, of course. The problem is, as all parents know, when they start saying the phrases that you say all the time ... the ones you don't realize you say all the time! Then there are the words that you have no idea what they mean, so you ask the four-year-old to interpret for you. Here are just a few examples that I can remember from the past two days:

In the van, Kalleigh: "Mommy, ahnna hear own-choo, own-choo nake."
Me: "You want to hear what?"
Kalleigh: "Ahnna hear own-choo, own-choo nake."
Me: "Johnathan, do you know what she's saying?"
Johnathan, in an exasperated voice: "She wants to listen to Don't you, don't you step on a snake."
Which is the first line in the Real Group's Big Bad World. Of course.

At McDonald's. Kalleigh is playing and John and I are talking about something very important that was demanding all of our attention. (I have no idea what it was now!) We hear Kalleigh say, "Hee I am! I kymed!" And she was up in the high chair how? She climbed! Oh, she's my child.

Then this morning I noticed that any time Kalleigh needed to get past someone who was in her way, she would say, "Watch out!" "Where'd she get that?" I wondered, and I told her that she needed to say, "Excuse me, please." A little later, Kalleigh was playing with the magnets on the front of the refrigerator. I needed to put the juice away, and as I reached for the handle, I said, "Watch out!" Good grief. "I mean, excuse me please!"

A new life stage

We've entered into a new life stage in our family. Soccer. Today was Johnathan's first soccer game. Ever. We're in a Christian league organized by one of the big Baptist churches here in town. I had heard so many positive comments about this program versus the Tyler city league, so we decided to give it a try. The teams say a prayer together after the game, and there is a lot of emphasis on being Christ-like out on the field. Then, of course, there's the additional bonus of learning the game of soccer and what it means to be a part of a team!

Johnathan had a blast out there and earned the "best defense" award for this game! That's my boy!

Ready to play!

Pep talk from Daddy.

He started and got to kick off!

Seeing some action.

Best Defense sticker!

One of the little girls on his team scored two goals during the game. At one of his breaks, I said, "McKinsey is doing really good, too, isn't she?" (J)"Yeah! She got to score!" (Me)"You should tell her good job!" He did his little grin-with-an-eyebrow-raise and turned to go tell her 'good job.' Then he stopped, turned around and said, "I'll probably just give her a high-five." Oh yeah; much cooler. :)

Sick baby girl

Kalleigh has her two-year molars coming in. New teeth are always accompanied by a runny nose, a yucky cough due to the drainage from said runny nose, and a low fever. It's sad when she doesn't feel very well, but ........


..... it sure makes for one very sweet little girl! So calm and cuddly!

I out-shuffled my dog.

No, really.

When I run (and I use that word in the loosest way possible) in the mornings, I always take my dog, Bison off-leash. He always stays right with me, with the exception of an occasional pee here and there. Bison, not me. Belle stays at home because she does not stay with me at all and I don't want to take her on a leash. Besides, she has hip dysplasia and can't go that far anyway.

This morning, Bison and I started out on our regular route. Our neighborhood has three parallel streets and two that connect them on each end. A figure eight plus one big loop is 2.1 miles. Well, less that a quarter of a mile into our route, we saw some friends. I guess Bison decided that he didn't feel like running this morning, because he went right over to them and sat down. I figured that he would catch up when he felt like it, but I kept getting further away and Bison wasn't going anywhere!

I finished the figure eight I had started and went back by our friend's house on the last big loop, and there was Bison. Our friends had left, but Bison was just sitting in their driveway. I guess he figured I'd be passing by again and he just thought he'd sit out for that figure eight. He rejoined me and we finished the big loop.

Crazy dog? Smart dog? You make the call!

Poor tired dog!

Pictures from yesterday

Jonas started grinning a couple of weeks ago, and this was my first successful capture! Who's he smiling at? Daddy, of course. :)

Sweet brothers!

Similarities

Keleigh took these while she, Kreg, Tami and Taylor were here. They swung through on their way to Harding to meet Jonas and be there for Johnathan's soccer try-outs back in August. See any similarities?!


Kalleigh and Mommy


Johnathan and Daddy

We did not pose for these pictures.

And a side note: Jonas slept from 11 until 5:30 last night. I hadn't gotten that much sleep in over a month! I felt fully rested! So I went jogging! I went two miles, though I had to walk about a half a mile of it. Whew, I have a long way to go to get back into shape. But, hey, it was the first step, right? I'm going to be so sore tomorrow (and the next day, and the next ...)! While I was pregnant, I had no way of telling the "Wii Fit" that my incredible obesity was due to the pregnancy. It kept asking me if I knew the causes of my weight gain, and pregnancy was not one of the options to choose! Now it is a little concerned that I've lost "so much" weight in such a short time!

Jonas photo shoot -- 5 weeks

Here's a shout out to my good friend Chelsea for taking these pictures this morning! Isn't she amazing? And these were just my favorites!

Enjoy!

15 minutes

I've never had professional lawn guys do our lawn before. Until today. A friend from church set it up for us as a baby gift! I was such a nerd. I was so geeked out about their heavy duty lawn equipment that I took pictures! I don't think they knew, because I just cracked the blinds open just far enough to snap the pictures!

The front yard. That thing is like a mini bush-hog!

The back yard. Here, they guy is moving the swing set. I guess there was some good that came from not bolting that down! And look at that mower! Way cool.

It had been SO long since the back yard had been mowed that the guys had to ask if these were weeds or bushes and what to do with them! No, they're not bushes.

It takes me about three solid hours to mow and edge the front and back yards. The four of them did it in 15 MINUTES. No joke. Like magic!

One month, really? (well yesterday, anyway)

Jonas, has it really been a whole month? (A whole month without a good night's sleep?!) I wouldn't trade it for the world! I love you my sweet baby boy!

Okay, maybe he's not quite ready for the Bumbo ...

Three more ...

1. Kalleigh has started answering my rhetorical questions in her own little way. For example, "Kalleigh, why are you yelling?" "'Cause! Fun!" Touche'.

2. Conversation between John and Johnathan at lunch today:
John: "Oh! Did you see that? I think Mr. Potato Head took a step!"
Johnathan: "No, he didn't. He's not real."
John: "Right. Maybe I was using my imagination."
Johnathan: "Yeah. If you see real potatoes climbing in our house, I'd say, 'Get out!'"

3. Seems like Elizabeth had a post entitled, "Oh, Ashlyn!" a while back. Well, I am so there with Kalleigh. Thursday, I was supposed to drop the kids off at the Deans before I picked up John to go sing with Danny that evening. I got Jonas in the van and as I went back in the house, Johnathan comes running up to me saying, "Mom! Kalleigh has poop all over her!" Sure enough, from the time I left to put Jonas in the car until the time I returned, Kalleigh had pooped in her diaper and managed to smear it all over herself. I was livid, as you could imagine. "Oh, Kalleigh!" I yelled and snatched her up and put her in the tub. I ran back out and retrieved Jonas and put him in his bouncy chair. I marched back into the bathroom, camera in hand, and barked at Kalleigh to face me and back up, and "STOP PUTTING YOUR HANDS IN YOUR MOUTH." Her bottom lip was quivering, as she knew she was in trouble. I sternly said, "Now be still while I take a picture. She looked up, and whimpered, "Cheese?" It was exactly what I needed to calm down. :)


The rest of the story is that I showered her off and redressed her, and we were a mere 12 minutes late. Not bad, I thought!

Writing it down so I don't foget ...

1. Johnathan went to the refrigerator to get some strawberries. We had had them about a week--yeah, you know where this is going. Johnathan said, "Mommy, some of these have mulch on them." I was a little confused until I turned around and saw the lovely mold starting to form on the bottom ones. :)

2. Last night we grilled some steaks. A little tough, but Mamaw's marinade is unbeatable. Kalleigh asked, "Whassat?" and pointed to the meat. "Yummy steak!" I said. She made her best scrunched up worried face and said, " 'Nake? Shew-wee!" It took her a while to accept that we were eating cow meat instead of snake.

Three years of preschool

My big boy on the first days of school!

Two years old,

Three years old,

Four years old!

P. S. This is the longest we've ever lived in the same house!

Last night and this morning

Last night the band performed at KE Cellars. Did I mention that the name of the band is "Group Therapy"? Pretty funny since John has a masters in MFT. Danny's band has always had that name even before we joined him.

Anyway, the Deans kept our kiddos again--even Jonas, making them Jonas's first babysitters. We dropped all three off before heading over to sing, and then they brought Jonas back when it was time to eat! Plus they got to stay and hear us sing a bit, too, which was fun.

Last night was the first time to set up the timbales, cymbal and cowbell. Last Thursday, we only had the congas. Whether or not we did well is totally beside the point. The point was to look impressive, and we succeeded at that! :) No, really, John did an excellent job, especially for his first time with the extra percussion. I filled in on the songs where he had the big solo, like "Mack the Knife," and "Love Me."

One of the deejays in town came and recorded a few of our songs last week and put them up on his website! He took pictures last night and said he would have them up soon to go along with the music. They weren't up when I checked today, but maybe he'll have them up in the next couple of days.

This morning was Jonas's dedication at church. This is when the congregation pledges to help us raise and nurture our child in Christian love. It is so special to us since we don't have our blood family living here. Our church family becomes that in their absence! We certainly do rely on our church family for their help!

Here's Jonas in his cute little outfit for this morning. What makes it so special is that the shirt belonged to my dad when he was a baby! And it's a good thing Jonas wore it today, because I don't think he'll fit in it next week!

The adrenaline has run out

I'm pretty sure I was running on pure adrenaline the first two weeks of Jonas's life. I'm so glad I was able to enjoy those two weeks as much as I did.

But the sleep deprivation has now kicked in. I won't drone on and on about it, because it just comes with the territory, and I know that.

John and I are working together to develop and sharpen our zone defense strategy, 3 on 2, and most days come away feeling somewhat successful. We even made it to church on time all by ourselves this past Sunday! Not only that, but I dropped John off at the building early for worship team rehearsal and all three kids and I went to Starbucks. I was not about to give up that weekly treat! Plus Kreg had given me a Starbucks card for my birthday, and it really needed to be used.

John and I are officially in Danny's band, "Group Therapy." We're learning to play the congas and it's a little intimidating, but a whole lot of fun! We'll be at KE Cellars Saturday night from 6-9 pm for anyone that wants to check us out. As I've said before, I'm thankful that John and I have this outlet that we can enjoy as a couple.

And now I'll leave you with my three favorite pictures from the past week.

My sleeping sweetness!

Johnathan--the angelic look.

... and Kalleigh's sad face. I couldn't resist. :)

Reflections after four days

I just wanted to jot down some thoughts before I forget what's been running through my mind during this precious time ...

I love the newborn phase. It's amazing how quickly it goes by! I'm really trying to enjoy every second. Every squirm, squished up face, squeak and squirt! Watching his face as he studies the new world around him. His legs all tucked up under him when he sleeps or when I hold him, because that's how he had been for the last several months. The wrinkles on his head. The "little old man" hair on the back of his head. The arms that he has no idea what to do with. The "pecking" when he's hungry. The trembling of his chin when he cries. The tiny hands and feet and everything else.

Nursing--what an amazing thing to be able to sustain the life of this infant. There is no other bonding like it! The sweet noises he makes when he eats. The full-body crunch when he latches on. The wide eyes when getting a big gulp of milk for the first time. The way he looks up at me. The feet tickling when he's falling asleep. The midnight gassy grins that only I see. The drunken milk face when he's all full. Even the bags of frozen milk in the freezer. This newborn phase is the only time I'll see that!

That's all for now. I just want to remember.

My boys. :)

Surprise! Jonas Dean is here!

Jonas Dean Hodges
Born: August 5, 2008
Weight: 9 lbs, 10 oz
Length: 21 3/8 in
Head circumference: 14 cm

The story:

Tuesday morning, August 5--our 8th anniversary. We were still in bed just before 8 am. I rolled over and said, "Happy Anniversary!" and wondered where we would go eat that night while the kids were at VBS. John got up first and then I rolled back over and--POP! It felt like Jonas had just kicked really hard, except it was down low, so it couldn't have been his feet. And then I felt my legs getting wet. Oh boy. As I got up and waddled to the bathroom, amniotic fluid continued to run down my legs! "Towels! My water broke! We're having a baby today!" I yelled to John as I climbed in the tub (the one I had just cleaned while nesting last weekend). No contractions yet.

I called my midwife and told her that my water had broken, and yes I was sure. She said that she would head to the birth center and get the jaccuzi started, since I wanted a water birth. She also said that I had ten hours to go into labor on my own. Otherwise, I would need to go to the hospital and be induced due to the risk of infection. I was to call her when the contractions started.

The phone calls started. I was just sure Mom would be able to make this one since I hadn't even started contracting. She left work immediately, ran home and packed for a week and was on the road by 9am.

Danny came by the house around 9:15 bearing gifts of donuts and milk to wish us good luck. I figured it was my last chance to eat whatever I wanted.

Then at 9:30 the contractions started. I could still talk through them, though, but they were progressing. Yea! I was going into labor!

I let my midwife know and she said that I could come on in whenver I felt like it. I told her that we'd take our time getting our stuff together, since the contractions still weren't too bad, and then we'd come on in after dropping the kids off at J.C. and Terry's. We dropped Johnathan and Kalleigh off at 11 am and headed to the birth center.

I had talked to my good friend, Chelsea just the day before (we had taken our kids swimming) about the possibility of her being there at the birth center with me whever I went into labor, at least until Mom got there. Well, here it was, the next day, so she met us there with gifts and camera in tow.

I was at 5 cm when my midwife, Vicky, checked me around 11:15. We agreed that it woulc be best to wait to get in the water until I was a little further along so the contractions wouldn't slow down. At that point, my contractions were coming every five minutes and growing steadily stronger, but still not totally unbearable ... until about 12:40. Then there was a significant change in the intensity and duration of each contraction. I wanted to be checked again because I wanted to get in that water ASAP! Sure enough I was at "at 8, maybe a 9," and I headed to the pool.

The water was perfect and it felt wonderful. I was in the pool about five minutes before I said, "I need to push!" Vicky said, "Great! Let's do it!" And I started pushing. Whew, that was hard work! But the end was so close! And I just kept on pushing! His head was hard for me to get out, partly because his right fist was up by his cheek, but finally, oh finally, he came on out of there. I pulled him up to me and was overwhelmed with emotions of love, pride, relief and sheer bliss! John cut cord and we just relaxed for awhile before I got out of that wonderful water.

I didn't need any stitches, I didn't have any IV, I got to go home 3 1/2 hours later. I LOVED this whole experience!! If we have another, and that's the plan at this point, I will definitely do it that way again, assuming everything goes well, of course.

Chelsea got some great pictures, so enjoy the slide show! (Some pics are sideways. Just didn't have time to edit them ALL!)

Progress and otherwise

I went in today for an appointment, and I'm at a 3! I knew those Braxton Hicks were doing something! He's still pretty high, or at least he swam back up for the appointment. All that to say, I have no idea when he'll decide to enter the world. My official due date is still the 22nd, but at the sonogram back in April, he was measuring 10 days ahead of schedule, which would be next Tuesday, the 12th. That would be a fine day for me. :)

On the other hand, I broke my pinky toe today! I ran into the wall rounding a corner. I heard the crack. And now it's black. Of course, you can't tell that it's swollen any worse than the rest of my toes, but it is not pretty. Isn't that just what I need when I weigh the most I've ever weighed in my life?!

A bit of nesting

I'm totally in "accomplish mode" these days. This timing seems to be about right, if I remember correctly. While pregnant with Johnathan my poor husband and I painted three rooms in one weekend, including his "all-out" Peter Rabbit nursery. With Kalleigh it was baking. From about 37 weeks until the day I went into labor I couldn't stop baking pies.

This weekend I made 2 framed quotes for Ladies Bible Class (which begins the Tuesday after my due date), boxed, labeled and had John put away Johnathan's and Kalleigh's clothes that they had outgrown, wrote thank you cards for the first round of my "bassinet shower" from church, created a design that has the names of God on it that will go on a 4 x 4 tile to give to all the Ladies Bible Class leaders in a couple of weeks, organized my scrap stuff and got it all put away, hung an iron decoration in our bathroom, cleaned out the wax that was in our garden tub from when a candle exploded nearby, cleaned the rest of the bathroom (no easy feat), put Jonas's car seat in the van and moved the other car seats around as needed, purged the kids' toys and got the ones that "made the cut" reorganized, gave myself a French manicure, and then just did some general picking up around the house. I intend to sleep well tonight. We'll see how that goes!

These are the framed quotes I made. I was pleased with how they turned out! The smaller quote says, "I've been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no other place to go. -- Abraham Lincoln. These quotes will sit at our service project table and our prayer reqest table.

I had made a fresh cherry cobbler earlier this week, but I learned the hard way that it needed to be refrigerated. *sniff* What's wrong with my brain? I should've known that.

Next week is VBS, so that should be fun. No, I'm not in charge of anything! And Tuesday is our 8 year anniversary. Crazy!

Needless to say, it's a good day, and I'm feeling well. I'm grateful for days like this!

Top Ten: Your feet might be swollen if ...

10. There are no recognizable bones in them.

9. You are nervous about walking across the stiff grass because anything too sharp might just make them pop.

8. They resemble baby feet--taller than they are wide.

7. You laugh at high heels and wonder why any woman would subject herself to such torture.

6. Your toes look more like "Lil' Smokies" sausages than actual human digits.

5. They retain impression marks better than memory foam.

4. You look back at the floor where you have just walked and are thankful that there are not puddles of water than have squished out of your feet like a wet sponge.

3. The vericose veins on your ankles actually improve due to the extra support of the swelling of your feet.

2. You rest your foot on the floor and your toes do not touch the floor.

1. Your CROCS are tight.


Any others I've forgotten?

Oh, I would've posted a picture of my feet, but I would've had to wash the dirt off of them first, and that is just not worth the effort right now.

When email is down ...

I've been without email since 10 am yesterday, and I had no idea how crippling it would be! People have called and fussed at me for not returning their emails, or called to make sure I was okay. Two people even told me that they thought I had gone into labor since I hadn't returned their emails!

So, if you're one of those people who has sent an email since 10 am yesterday, don't panic. I'm right here and I'm fine and I'm not purposefully ignoring you. As my email company says, "Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!"

What did we do without email?!

Austin

John went to the National Worship Leaders Conference in Austin this past week and the kids and I got to go just for fun! One of the biggest reasons for John going was to meet with the VP of CCLI to discuss some copyright issues regarding the reformatting and displaying of notes on a screen in a worship service setting. The meeting went better than we could've imagined and was worth the whole trip!

Meanwhile, the kids and I did whatever we wanted. We swam in the hotel pool, went to the Austin Children's Museum, watched the famous thousands of Austin bats make their nightly departure from under the Congress bridge, walked all over downtown, and of course got some good shopping in as well! It was so nice to be able to spend that time with Johnathan and Kalleigh before Jonas arrives with no "to-do" list weighing me down as it would have had we stayed home. I actually just got to enjoy my children for a while! They're really sweet kids!

On Tuesday evening we ate dinner with my aunt and uncle, Shawn and Britney, and their two beautiful little girls. Addie and Kalleigh especially had fun playing together. We ate some yummy steak and enjoyed catching up with them.

We're really home now until Jonas is born. I was so sad to miss our Curtis family reunion that was this weekend in Searcy, but since I'm officially 36 weeks (and 2 days, but who's counting?), I'm really not supposed to travel more than an hour away from home. Thanks to those who have continued to pray for my Papaw. I talked to Mom on Friday who said that he's doing pretty well and planned on being there for part of the reunion! Yea! I'm eager to read my cousins' blogs about how everything went and hopefully see some good pictures! (Hint, hint, Deb, Liz, Tiff & Rach!)

Now life is all about waiting for Jonas ... tick, tick, tick, tick ....

What happens on a typical drive anywhere over an hour away:

Events the past two (well, now three) weeks, Part 3: our stay in AR

The short version is that we had a great time in AR. You can scan the pictures below or if you really want all the details, feel free to keep reading!

Sunday morning after the concert we went to early service at Woodmont (with the 26 other people who go to early service!) and then hit the road back to AR where I was going to stay the following week while John, Danny and Stefanie headed on home.

When we got to Searcy, we all went over to the hospital and sang a few songs for Mamaw and Papaw, which was really special. Thanks again, to John, Danny and Stef for delaying your trip home another 30 minutes!

Sunday night, Mom and I went to see "Star Spangled Girl" put on by the Searcy Summer Dinner Theater and directed by Craig Jones. It was a fun show, and even more fun to see my cousin, Logan, perform so well in it!

The kids were still at John's mother's house, so Mom just took me over there after the show to spend the night. It was so good to see the kids again! Mom took the whole week off, so she came to pick us up the next morning, since John had our van! The rest of the day was basically spent recovering from the crazy trip, and I was so thankful for the rest. I did get to spend a little time with Papaw, too, which was so good.


Mom giving Johnathan his b-day present: An Indiana Jones Hat and whip! So cool!

Tuesday we headed to Mt. View where "the girls" and their families were there with Grammie and Papaw at Jack's. If you know "Jack's" you know what I'm talking about. If not, don't worry about it. :) We spent the day shopping and finding wonderful treasures and things we liked "a lot!" My children even did relatively well with lots of help from Mom, Grammie, Aunt Karla, Aunt Jina, Claire, Alissa and Rebekah! We ate at the "Drug Store," and I had their fresh lemonade with my lunch. Mmm, mmm ... there's just nothin' better!


Aunt Karla and "The Hat."

I had a chance to visit with Aunt Jina more about her water birth experience with Rebekah (her fourth), since that's what I'm leaning toward with Jonas. The most compelling thing she said was that she would've had all her other children that way if she had known how wonderful it was! Mostly, I was grateful for her listening ear and encouragement as I get closer to my due date!

Before we left to head back to Searcy, Aunt Karla and Aunt Jina gave me a distressed antique white wagon wheel wall decoration for the nursery, since I'm doing a cowboy theme. It is so cute! I have already painted Jonas's letters red and attached them to the wheel and have it hanging in the nursery! I'll put up pictures of that in a later post.

Wednesday, we met Mamaw for lunch at Mazzio's. It just wouldn't be a true Searcy visit without Mazzio's! After lunch, I spent about 4 hours up at the hospital while Mom put the kids down for a nap. Yea, Mom! Mamaw and I had some good conversation, and Papaw joined in from time to time. It also was good to see familiar faces that came to visit Papaw!


Story time with Nana--always a favorite!

That evening was Home Bible Study that Mom has been hosting in the summers for 15 years now! I'm so thankful for that wonderful group and what it has meant to Mom through the years.

Thursday Daisha and her two sweet children came over for a playdate. Johnathan and Gideon and fun being boys, Kalleigh had fun trying to keep up with the boys, and Naomi just smiled most of the time! I'm so glad Daisha and I just happened to be in Searcy the same week and that we got to catch up for a little bit!


Gideon and Johnathan doing their best to hold their little sisters!


Could Naomi be any cuter? I don't think so.

Thursday afternoon we shopped Searcy! Mom got some fun jewelry for my birthday, and I am now cool because of it. :) I found a diaper bag for Jonas and got Mom a "Nana" bracelet that has the birthstones of her grandchildren on it! I went ahead and got an August stone for Jonas, so he had better wait until then! My due date is the 22nd, so surely that won't be an issue.

Friday morning, we stopped back by the hospital to see Mamaw and Papaw once more before we left town. Papaw was having a good day and was sitting up in a chair when we got there! Kalleigh had her beloved bear with her when she came in, and decided to share it with Papaw! It was if she could sense that Papaw needed some comfort, and knowing that her bear gave her a lot of comfort, she thought Papaw might want to hold her bear for a while, too! Saying goodbye is always hard, especially since I'm not going to be able to make it for for the reunion this cmoing weekend, but I promised Papaw that after Jonas Dean is born that I would bring him up to meet his namesake!

From there we headed down to Little Rock and shopped a little more, ate at Pei Wei (YUM) and met John around 2:30. We loaded up in our own van and headed back to Tyler while Mom stayed in LR a little longer and I believe did a bit more damage.

All in all, a wonderful week in AR. Time for Mom to spend with two grandkids before there are three, and time for me to put my feet up a little! Good time spent with Mamaw and Papaw. But it's always good to be home again, especially with John!

Events the past two weeks, Part 2: The Real Group

It started Friday evening, July 4th, when Clearly Vocal (well, 4 out of 5--Our bass is the director out at Camp Deer Run, so he couldn't be there) sang for a party at a local country club. From there, all four of us picked up our children and drove to Searcy where we dropped the kids off at John's mother's house and picked up my mom. This was about 3:30 am!

Fueled with adrenaline, we drove on to Nashville and enjoyed a big breakfast at Crackel Barrel. Then we went to see if our hotel rooms were available in Franklin--a long shot, I know, since check-in wasn't until 3pm. Thankfully, one was, so we (which is now Mom, Stefanie, Danny, John and I) all piled in and crashed for a while, taking turns getting cleaned up. We were still in our performance outfits from the night before!

Around noon we headed downtown to grab a bite before the concert. "What concert?" you might ask. Oh. THE concert. We had driven overnight so we could see The Real Group in concert in the United States for the first time in around 10 years! So, after lunch at Panera, we were finally headed to the concert. For the rest of the story, read what John wrote!

Truly a dream come true!

Events the past two weeks, Part 1: Birthday

I don't know about you, but when a lot of exciting things happen all at once and I don't have time to blog about them, I tend to put if off and then do it all at once. So, here's part one of three of my last two weeks.

My birthday was fabulous. John made pancakes from scratch (not even Bisquick!) for breakfast. He made a giant pancake for me and put a candle in the center. When I finally crawled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen, there was a Bed, Bath, & Beyond gift bag on the table. In it was a giant bath towel (that I had asked for!) as well as a super sweet card. Two points for John!

Then I was off to get a pedicure! These are especially nice these days since I can no longer do it myself.

After lunch, we took the kids to see Wall-E, which was cute! Johnathan loved it and did great. Kalleigh did great for about an hour, and John spent the rest of the movie letting Kalleigh run around in the entrance to the theater. She escaped to the very front only once, shrieking with glee at her victory. :)

We took the kids home and then I ran to get my hair trimmed, probably the last trim before Jonas arrives. I LOVE letting someone else fix my hair!

We dropped the kids off with our wonderful friends', the Deans, and we hit another movie! This time we saw Hancock, the superhero movie with Will Smith. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but it turned out to be really good!

Then John took me to one of the nicest restaurants in Smith County, Kiepersol! Neither of us had been there before, but people had raved about it. I had the filet mignon, which just melted in my mouth. I had ordered a spinach salad, but since they forgot to bring it out, they gave us a free desssert--their famous chocolate cake. It was served with vanilla ice cream and the middle of the cake gushed with chocolate. Oh my.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband and beautiful children for making the day so memorable!

Update 7-16: This is the cake that our friend Danny (tenor in Clearly Vocal) got for Stefanie (soprano in Clearly Vocal) and me since our birthdays are just a couple of days apart. He said he got a good deal on the cake since "Bill" never showed up to pick up his cake. :)

Time passer for those prone to procrastinate ... like me.

What were you doing 5 years ago?

1. Demonstrating toe touches at cheerleading camp in Denver.

2. Getting ready to run the sports at pre-teen camp in Buena Vista, CO.

3. Working part-time for my friends at the tennis center in Colorado Springs.

4. Living with those same friends while waiting to close on our 2nd house.

5. Unaware that I was pregnant and that I would miscarry.

What are 5 things on your To-Do list today?

1. Take John to work -- check.

2. Take kids to Discovery Science Place -- check.

3. Eat lunch with John and kids at Double Dave's -- check.

4. Shower while kids are napping -- right after I finish this.

5. Apply temporary tattoos at church Celebration of Freedom tonight.

What are 5 snacks you enjoy?

1. Oreos

2. Chocolate Chip Pop Tarts

3. Chex Mix

4. Cashews

5. Snickers protein bars -- seriously, they're good for you!

What are 5 things you'd do if you were a Billionaire?

1. Owe nothing

2. Give to my favorite non-profits

3. Set aside money for kids' college

4. Hire a housekeeper

5. Own a working ranch and ride a good horse everyday

What are 5 of your bad habits?

1. procrastinating (big surprise)

2. short cutting to "make things do," as in, "That'll do."

3. loosing my temper

4. staying up too late playing the Wii or watching tv (but at least John and I do it together!)

5. not being open to a change of my plans

What are 5 jobs that you've had?

1. Harding Admissions office slave

2. Historical house tour guide

3. Preschool teacher

4. Basketball and cheerleading coach

5. Mommy

Name 5 places where you have lived.

1. Ft. Worth, TX

2. Memphis, TN

3. Searcy, AR

4. Colorado Springs, CO

5. Tyler, TX