Reason to Rejoice

Eight years!  I think I say it at least 50 times a day but WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!  Brice and I said "I do" eight years ago on August 7, 2004.  In some ways it seems like just yesterday and in other ways it seems like a million years ago.  I do have a hard time remembering my life without him.  We have been through so much together and have both grown and matured more than I even thought we needed to! :)  We went from being two to five in just 7 1/2 years!!  Now our life pretty much revolves around our kiddos but we still have fun and have so much to talk about.  It hasn't been easy!  Marriage is work and commitment.  Aside from parenting, it is the hardest thing I have ever done....be a wife.  Being a good godly wife requires selflessness...something that I struggle with on occasion.  We are complete opposites but that is why we work.  I love the story of how we met, how we came to be and where we are today....

My kids are fortunate (and we are too as parents) to go to a wonderful daycare (we call it school).  They teach godly principles and are really invested in making sure the children are well rounded, educated, and loved. One thing I really love is that they allow the daycare children to participate in their church's Vacation Bible School.  This is so special to me because I have to work and cannot take them to the VBS at our church.  Rachel LOVES learning about the Bible and learning songs.  It warms my heart to know that she gets to participate in this even though I cannot take her. This year the VBS was about praise and traditional Bible stories.  They learned (and Rachel retained almost ALL of it) about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Paul and Silas, and Daniel in the Lion's Den.  She retold the stories like she has known them all of her life.  She has such an incredible memory! One of the days during VBS, the girls got to dress up with Crazy ...

I skipped a few months but I will just start here and hope to continue on track!! Miss Hannah!  You are 9 months old??  How is that possible!?!  I just can't believe in 3 short months you will be A YEAR OLD!?  My baby...you are my baby and I want to keep you this age forever!!!  I love this baby stage!  If I could bottle you up right now I would.  BUT I am excited about who you are going to become.  I love you so much! Weight: 21 pounds, 3 ounces Height: 26.5 inches You are 80th percentile for weight and 75th for height!  You are still a big girl!  My sweet, squishy, BIG girl!!!  You still have really really chubby thighs and cheeks!  You are nursing just once..when you wake up in the morning (around 4:30-5:00) and then you take a 7 oz bottle at 3:00 and 5 oz bottle at bedtime. You eat fruit in the morning, veggie at lunch time, and meat/veggie at dinner and sometimes oatmeal before bedtime!  You are a SUPER eate...

So....I am hoping that this week I can catch up on the ole' blog!!!  I really do enjoy it but I just don't have it as a priority.  I need to because I want to be able to capture and remember these moments...especially as my kids are young.  So...it's summer!  Has been for nearly 3 months!  It's hot...yep, we live in Texas.  But it is not nearly as hot as it was last summer and for that, I am thankful.  We are full of daily things in our family.  The girls go to "school" and we go to work.  We come home, go to bed and do it all over again.  Saturdays and Sundays we try to do family things but that does not always work out either.  I also try to clean and, again, that might or might NOT happen!  :)  The girls are getting big and I will blog about each of them individually in the next couple of days!  They are my joy!!  I love me some Rachel, Lauren and Hannah!!!  They are mine and I could not be more pro...

I have posted about death before and everything I said in that post, I truly believe.  Today's post may seem "all over the place" but I am going to be real and transparent and just type as it comes to me.  As you may have read on my Twitter or Facebook or perhaps the post below, my family has experienced loss today.  Loss of a tiny baby that just does not seem real.  My step-sister's 8 week old baby was found without any signs of life this morning when his mom went to check on him.  Cause of death:  unknown.  Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)...I knew immediately that is what would be listed as the cause of death.  They will be doing an autopsy but I have seen SIDS come through my very ER where I work.  I have experienced death of babies and people of all ages.  Sometimes it just seems like "all in a day's work" but when it is personal and in the midst of YOUR everyday life, it isn't so much "in a day's work" anymore.  Instead, ...

My mom told me this morning that my step-sister's (Ashley) baby died.  She went to check on him and found him without life.  He was around 7-8 weeks old.  He was PRECIOUS as all God's creation is and now is forever cradled in the arms of God.  My heart is sad.  I had the privilege of getting to meet and hold Baby Jaxson.  Here I am just a couple of weeks ago at my mom's in Arkansas.  Please keep my family in your prayers.

I'm sorry! I can't hear you with this big bow on my head!!! :) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone