24 weeks

I had my 24 week appointment with my OB today, WOW, time flies. In 16 weeks, or less, I'll be holding a brand new healthy baby boy, God willing. I can't believe David and I will have four children. Quadruple WOW. My appointment went well. I've only gained about two pounds (I started out much heavier than with my other pregnancies so I am definitely hoping not to gain near as much) but the coming months will be HARD. I'm not really doing anything to avoid gaining weight, just not "over doing food". I eat when I'm hungry, and eat pretty much what I want, just try not to over indulge. I need to be walking, something, but I'm not. No one to blame but me, though! I have serious heartburn, but thankfully the headaches and nausea have subsided for the most part, thank you, God! I have this really annoying thing where my arm/arms fall "asleep" while I'm asleep. It hurts/tingles so bad that it wakes me up at night. My OB said it was from retaining fluid and the pressure it puts on my nerves or something like that. I NEVER had this with my other three. I'm thinking it's maybe because I'm older and more out of shape this time. Ahh, the joys of pregnancy. So....so far, so good for the most part.

Aside from that, just want to throw in how proud I am of my boys! They both got commended on their TAKS...YAY. So, they are out of school for Summer. The sad part is Izzy's grade is not TAKS eligible and she has to go for two more weeks, she doesn't like it and neither do I! Because of the new high school being built we won't go back until after Labor Day, right about the time I'm due to have this little one. It is going to be a loooong, hot Summer! Pool, here we come :-)

My home &...my home...

My aunt is in this week helping me organize my house. I am absolutely grateful for it, too! I am horrible at this kind of thing, and she is great! I have to admit I am a bit overwhelmed worrying if we will have enough time to get it done (I know you are all thinking, be thankful for what she can do and do the rest yourself! That's just not how I roll LOL). But, things are already looking up, can't wait to have it done, and PRAYING to sweet Jesus above that I can keep it in order and that my hubby & kids are able to also help keep it up! A family of 6 with only 3 bedrooms, surely the Lord has a reason for this! Haha

On a totally different note, there are a couple of Caring Bridge sites I keep up with, and I'm sure I've blogged about it before. I am torn between not reading them, because it absolutely breaks my heart, and I think I don't even need to read this, but then I do want to know how they are and what to specifically pray for, so I continue. There are SO many awful things in this world, and it's especially sad when it involves an innocent child. I just can't imagine one of my 3 (soon to be 4) children having to battle for their life as I sit there helplessly watching. It kills me just to consider the possibility...it hurts. I want to take the pain away for those families suffering through it, but I can't. There are times when I start to doubt, and even cry out to the Lord, "Why must these sweet,beautiful,innocent children suffer? WHYYYYYY, LORD?" But, then I have to spend time in prayer and realize that this world isn't our home, it's not perfect here, it's full of evil, sickness, and sadness. It's full of hurt, worries, and troubles. But, if we put our trust and hope in HIM, one day we WILL be in a world void of all that negative stuff. We will never watch a child, or anyone, suffer ever again. Thank You, Lord, that this Earth is NOT our permanent home. Thank you for your promises of Heaven. When I remind myself of this, it's not any easier to hear the sad stories, but it does give me peace knowing what the future hold for those who believe.

So for now, I am off to get ready for my aunt to arrive for the day, so we can get busy (on top of having a sick baby home from school, well, he's 9, but he's still my baby). It's only 9am and I've already been emotional and deep this morning, how's that for starting off your day?!

Praying...

It's amazing how you can read a book, then pick it up to read again, and think, "I don't remember reading that". Anyway, I picked up The Power of a Praying Parent last night and read just a little ways into it before I could no longer hold my eyes open. I pray, I like to pray, it makes me feel "covered", I especially like to pray for my children. I have heard it asked, and been asked myself, "Why do we have to pray? I mean, if God knows our every want, need, desire, etc, why?" The truth is, I didn't know the exact reason, I know the Lord tells us to pray, and I feel good when I'm doing it, and and I want to obey the Lord. But last night while reading, I came across a great answer...

"God knows our thoughts and needs, but He responds to our prayers. That's because He always gives us a choice about everything, including whether we will trust Him and obey by praying in Jesus' name"

So, there you have it. Yes, he knows our needs, but we have free will. We don't have to follow or obey Him, including His request for us to pray for our needs. But, if you believe in Him, and desire to live for Him, then you want to obey Him, which includes praying and petitioning Him to cover us in all areas.
When we pray, it is also important to include scripture, because it is including God's promises in our requests. And, we always need to pray "In Jesus' name"...John 16:23 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you".
So, I encourage you to pick up the book, even the praying Wife version, or any version. We, as humans, have the desire to know why we need to do this or that, we are not that great (at least I'm not) at following and obeying without explanation. These books are great for that.
I hope to finish this book in the next few days, and be refreshed in my desire to pray even more :-)

Happy Birthday to me...

So, Friday was my birthday. My hubby and I got to go (alone!) to Canton. Fun! I haven't been in years, and it has grown So much. There was SO much cute stuff, I wanted to do a walk through, and then decide what I really wanted, and go back and get those specific things. The thing was, after almost 5 hours of being there, my feet were KILLING me, and we STILL hadn't made it through the whole place. Oh. My. Lawd. I was too tired to even try and go find the stuff I originally thought I wanted. I ended up with a tote bag. A tote bag, people. Oh, and a CA-UUUTE Mother's Day gift for my Mom. Also, as much stuff there is that I dream about going back and buying...ain't gonna happen...because it was hot that day, and it's only going to get hotter. I have a heat rash (which I have NEVER had) down both sides of my face...pitiful. The Lord just didn't build me to withstand the heat, unless there is a pool nearby. Anyway, I had a blast, and David and I NEEDED the time alone. It never fails to amaze me that after 15 years together, we still have plenty to talk about. So, happy birthday to me...I am really looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me/my family this next year.

Confessions of a teenage drama queen SAHM...

This post is somewhat a confession post. Not that you're the priest, or that "Hail Mary" will make it any better. Cause it won't.
I have a problem. My first problem, that I think is the root cause of what I want to confess is that I'm ADD, I'm scattered, don't do good with planning, or sticking to a schedule. Plan ahead? What's that?

I have always dreamed about meal planning. Where I could buy the groceries I need for those certain meals of the week, etc, and cook them up. Cook up some chicken, use half for chicken and dumplings, and the save the other part for tomorrow's crock pot recipe. Make two casseroles at once instead of one, and freeze one for a later date. That what I WISH I could do. But, instead, I go buy groceries, just whatever jumps out at me. So, now I have the groceries in the house, but, I wait so late in the day to decide, that either I don't have time to prepare what I want, something doesn't have time to thaw, etc. So, we go out to eat, or I cook some frozen or boxed meal. Yum.

Or not.

I looooove cooking, but I hate cleaning up afterwards, and I'm no good at the planning part. I need serious help. So, the main part of my confession is this, I waste stuff. This week alone I had to throw out 2 pounds of ground beef, fresh green beans (that were meant for a delicious Pioneer Woman recipe), and asparagus (and that stuff ain't cheap)! That should be a sin, heck, I'm pretty sure that IS a sin. I've bought that stuff with my hubby's hard earned money, and then have to throw it out. Let's not even take into account that there are starving people in the world, or those meals would be much healthier for us than whatever CRAP we end up eating out somewhere.

I'm SO ashamed, but don't know how to improve it. I'm SICK of wasting. It's even more of an issue now that David's job is on the line and we are expecting another baby (which I'm supposed to find out the sex of today!!!).

So, since I love the Internet, and especially blogs, so much...I'm thinking there has got to be a site where some incredibly opposite of me woman plans meals, etc and then has time to blog about it, so, my new goal is to FIND that site, and pretty much follow it (unless they have something nasty, like meatloaf). Wondering if I'll stick to it? Hide and watch...just HIDE AND WATCH!

What a man...

..or boy. Either way, he's mine. Joseph, my 2nd born son. I have to say that he is defiantly (thus far) the most dimensional of my children. Just when I think I have him pegged, he throws me for a loop. I am pretty sure he's a one of a kind. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's a total blessing. The other day we were @ my Mamaw's (ok, it used to be my Mamaw's, but she now resides in the Kingdom of Heaven, and my dad is temporarily living there at her house, so really, I guess it's his house, but I just can't call it anything but Mamaw's). Anyway, My Mamaw has various flowers she had planted in her yard, that still bloom (God gave us memories so that we might have roses in December...even though it's not quite December), but the flowers just remind me of her beauty, inside and out. So, Joseph tells me he wants to pick one for me, and I said sure, but only pick one. He brought me a rose, pink and yellow, the colors were gorgeous. I know there's a specific name for this rose, but I'm not the one to ask about that. I was admiring it's beauty, and of course I had to smell it. I WISH right now, I had a scratch and sniff blog, so you could smell this flower...it was heavenly. I smelled it all the way home, and have lifted it up to smell it several times since, it smells SO good. It's like I remember how good it smelled, and I don't believe it was quite that good, so I have to prove it to myself by smelling it again, and it never fails, it smells SO GOOD! Scratch and Sniff, people!



Also, a while back he went to his grandparents and came home with these sticks. I asked him, "Do you really need to bring those home? They look sharp and scary, I'd rather you leave them here". "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM, I carved these for you!" "You carved these, from wood, with a knife, on your own?" "YES!" "Wow, you are one talented child, I need to see if we can find a wood carving class for you...although those sharp points still scare me".





That's my (little) man, people!

All the little ponies...

A few weeks back, my sweet friend, Melissa, invited us out to her in-laws barn/land to see some new colts. Except for Andrew, Isabel and Joseph have never really been in this kind of environment...and they loved it. The weather was perfect that day, everyone was in a good mood, and it was a great time! The horses were beautiful, and the baby colts were adorable. My favorite was when this HUGE horse (forgot his name) kept reaching his nose/mouth through the gate and unlatching it, he wanted to come out and play! Fortunately, they knew this horse like to do that, and they had it wired shut so he couldn't get out. They said that a while back, not only did he let himself out, but opened another horses pin as well, and they went off gallivanting around. I got a kick out of that. Anyway, here are some pics from the day...
















Such fun...and they finally got to put their boots that their Mimi got them for Christmas to good use!