Mommy and a Ministry

I Never Want to Forget

2011-09-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well I've tried to keep this blog pretty private or as private as a public blog can be. But the Lord has been at work on me and I can't keep it "private" We are less than a week from moving from Huntsville back to Montgomery. Am I excited? Yes. Am I sad? Yes. And everything in between. I'm waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me its all a dream. Before we get back to Montgomery I wanted to write down a few things I never want to forget from this moving experience. The Lord had to pull me from home and put me in Huntsville to teach me some hard lessons. He has completely opened doors to us back home and every single detail has fallen exactly into place for us to move including we already sold our house here in a week and a half! We are going home but we are coming back changed. I pray my experience here will allow us to go home and reach out to those in Montgomery who are in the same place I was when I arrived here!

I Never Want to Forget...

What it was like to come to Huntsville not knowing anyone.

What it was like to complete paperwork for John Parker's school and when asked for a name and number of an emergency contact I had to leave it blank because I didn't know anyone

What it was like to go from a calendar full of things to do to a calendar completely empty. Made me realize how too busy I was back home.

What it was like to have a newborn, post partum and new town all within a few month of each other

What it was like to put on a mask that "everything is wonderful" for my family back home when I was a complete disaster.

What it was like to have strangers from church show up at my door each night with meals after Jake was born...talk about humbling. Never before our move would I have ever made a meal for someone I didn't know.

What it was like to have neighbors drop off goodies to welcome us to the neighborhood.

What it was like to take walks around the neighborhood with John Parker and make tons of friends because he talked to everyone

What it was like to make one sweet friend Holly who literally pulled me out of my house and made me join her at biblestudy and become involved. She even got me in a cooking club now you know that's definitely out of my comfort zone.

What it was like to take hours to locate a post office and car wash.

What it was like to learn I could make a friend in the grocery store.

What it was like to take John Parker to his first birthday party here and not even know who the birthday boy was.

What it was like when the highlight of my day was to pick up John Parker from school because I was able to talk to people, they didn't know they were my only friends.

What it was like to hire a babysitter. Amy you will never know how much your friendship and trust meant to us!

What it was like to sit on my stairs and cry and pray for hours "Lord please get us home!"

What it was like to have a baby who screamed every day for for four months 23 1/2 hours a day.

What it was like to have a pediatrician who wanted to help Jake as much as I did.

What it was like to be the "visitor" at a church

What it was like to not have family at John Parker's 1st t-ball game, soccer game and school programs. My family would have been there if they could weekday events didn't make it easy for them to attend.

What it was like to leave my children with strangers in a church nursery.

What it was like to miss birthday parties of our friend's children back home but their sweet invitations meant the world to us!

What it was like to be so selfish for months and not allow the Lord to use me where he placed me

What it was like to have my prayers slowly change from "Lord please get us home" to "Lord thank you for our home!"

What it was like to go eat lunch with strangers and feel so comfortable.

What it was like to realize the Lord had to put me here because I was too comfortable in Montgomery

What it was like to finally let the Lord take me and use me

What it was like to let my guard down and form friendships

What it was like to see all the special friendships the Lord placed in our life-I wish I could list every single one of them but the list is too long!

What it was like to have neighbors who literally became family-The Davidsons and The Clarks are truly the best neighbors ever!

What it was like to have a husband who stood next to me in all of my selfishness, uglyness, and bitterness. A husband who has been an amazing provider, father and best friend!

What it was like to serve a Lord that never left me nor forsaked me. When I was all alone He was the only here with me all the time.

Huntsville we will miss you! We will miss all of our sweet friends who have become our family! We will never forget lessons learned and family formed in this great town!

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Beach Boys

2011-05-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

I decided I'd better update the blog with pictures of our first beach trip to Destin this year before we head out on our next one soon! We had a great trip in April with my sis, brother-in-law and nephew. We went down a few days early and they came shortly after. The boys had the best time. John Parker still says "Mommy I miss the beach!" John Parker was totally into the sand castle building he didn't really go in the ocean alot. The water was still super cold. Jake loved the sand! He thought it was fun to eat! Oh he was such a mess! The beach was actually easier than going to the pool. Jake pretty much stayed away from the ocean and at the pool he just thought he could swim and not be in his infant float. Another favorite of John Parker's was going to play putt-putt. That boys loves some golf! We of course ate some yummy food. Some dinners were better than others. Eating in restaurants is so hard right now with Jake. ha! I absolutely love the beach! Nothing better than spending all day on the beach having good quality family time! Can't wait for our next trip with the Bowm ans!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great Mother's Day just our family of four! Yes I'm on a roll...two holidays actually staying in Huntsville. I had a wonderful Mother's day! I did miss seeing my mom and Glenn's mom. Glenn got up early with the boys and cooked breakfast and then we went off to church. I must have been an extra special mommy this year because I got two sets of flowers(roses from Glenn and spring flowers from the boys) along with some sweet cards and patio furniture. We were in desperate need of patio furniture. We left our old furniture in Montgomery at the old house and haven't bought any since we moved here. Glenn picked it out all by himself and he did a great job. Even bought some cute pillows! We ended the day with steak on the grill. Yum! Jake did have a rough little Mother's Day he's been screaming the last few days. We are praying it's not another scream phase for him. Whew! I can say honestly Jake has made me work hard for my mother's day this year! ha! I love my boys more than anything in this world! Before I had children I had "plans" of what I wanted to be and do when I grew up. Ha! Then becoming a mother changed everything. Everyday I just live for the simple moments with my children. Nothing else matters in this world but my family. I will take the title of mommy any day over any corporate title. I now know what I want to be when I grow up...a mommy!

Days I Live For....

2011-04-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

The sweetest moments with my boys are doing the most simple things...like baking pizza!

The BIG 30!!!

2011-04-03T19:05:00.001-07:00

Oh I hit the dreaded BIG 30! My husband actually made it the best birthday ever! He reserved rooms at the Westin here, scheduled a massage and pedicure and had some sweet friends from Montgomery come up for a surprise visit! The day of the big surprise Jake was sick with tonsilitus. I was in nurse mode and didn't have a clue what was about to happen. Glenn came home early then the door bell rang...first my sister, then Ellen and Whitney, then Beth from Valdosta. Kelli and Jessica joined us on Saturday. I don't do surprises real well! I was just shocked...my clothes were in the washing machine, had to get packed and take off my nurse hat and pass it along to Glenn for the weekend. It was the perfect low key weekend...lots of eating, sleeping, spa, and shopping. The PERFECT weekend! Thank you so much to my sweet husband and amazing friends that made the long trip up here to celebrate my birthday! Maybe we can do this every year! ha!

So Let Me Hold On Longer, God, to Every Precious Last

2011-04-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

This is a MUST read book if you have children "Let Me Hold You Longer" by Karen Kingsbury. Jake had his "last" bottle a few months back but I wanted to be sure I documented it. We are always so quick to catch the "firsts" and forget about the "lasts". Life is moving so fast!

Mr. Fireman!!!

2011-03-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

Yes Halloween is long past and John Parker is still wearing his costume!!! Ha!!! He is obsessed with firemen and fires. He drills us daily on what we would do if there was a fire. We have done several actual fire drills too just so he knows where to go if something horrible happened and we did have a fire. Everyday after school he comes home and wants to be "Mr. Fireman" He will not answer to John Parker. We have to call him "Mr. Fireman" If I need something done immediately I've learned the best way to get him to do it is to say "Mr. Fireman I need you to..." He responds right away! Firemen always listen to their mommies, eat all their dinner and go to bed when their parents ask. Ha! Oh and don't worry Jake isn't left out of the mix, he's Mr. Fireman's fire dog! I love this stage with John Parker or rather "Mr. Fireman"!

Jake is One!!!

2011-03-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well Jake turned the BIG #1!!! What a year it's been! Thanks to my friend Kelli for taking these cute pics!!!

This is what the first four months were like....full of screaming!

YAY I'm a happy boy!

Happy Birthday sweet Jakey!!! Mommy, Daddy and John Parker love you!!!

"Be Strong and Courageous!"

2010-12-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

We were able to do Jake's baby dedication at Heritage in Montgomery. It was so special to be able to have his dedication at the church I grew up in. It was also special because we were able to share the dedication with our special friends the Wilsons and Dickersons! We chose Jake's life verse from Deuteronomy 1:6 " Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you." If there's anything I want Jake to grow up and remember is that the Lord will always be with him. John Parker helped say Jake's life verse. It was soooo sweet! Thank you Lord for these precious sons!

We're Still Here...

2010-12-18T19:05:00.001-08:00

You know the drill...haven't blogged in awhile well because life and kiddos keep me a little preoccupied! Anyways, we took the boys to see Santa. It was soooo cute seeing John Parker's excitement as he told Santa what he wanted. Which he has just told Santa he wants a trumpet. A trumpet? Yes, we have no idea where he got that from! Santa already completed his shopping for John Parker so he is trying his best to meet his request. Thank goodness Santa has a friend that's a band director! This is Jake's first Christmas! So exciting! Jake can't talk yet to tell Santa what he wanted so John Parker told Santa for him. John Parker said "Santa, Jake wants a house, a blue house!" Ha! Don't think Jake will be getting his house this year :( And as you can tell from the pictures he isn't to fond of the man in the big red suit! The first picture looks like he's smiling but the photographer just caught him before he let loose with a big ole cry. We hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

4 Years Old!

2010-10-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well I'm not going to attempt to explain why I haven't updated this blog in the last two months. Life has just been busy!

A few weeks ago we celebrated John Parker's 4th birthday! We had his party at our church. They have an indoor playground just like McDonalds! We wanted to make his party simple because we were taking him to Disney World for his birthday! Of course I always get carried away with his birthday party. This year I tried to be a little "crafty". Those who know me(and if you don't you should if you're reading this :) ) anyways, those who know me know I struggle in the area of creativity and entertaining for that matter. But I was pretty pleased with how his party turned out. I worked hard on a few of the decorations and pulled all the ideas from the internet. It was so much fun decorating!

What was most important is that John Parker had a blast! He had so much fun with his new friends in Huntsville! And he got way too many gifts of course! I just love seeing my child's eyes light up when it's his birthday! It's crazy how big he is! He just talks like a little grown up and he tells me everyday "Mommy I'm getting to be a big kid!" Oh just breaks my heart! I wish I could freeze time and just keep him this age forever! Such a sweet boy!

Tater!

2010-08-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yep that's Jake's new nickname Tater! ha! He had his first baby food a few weeks ago and it was sweet potatoes! He ate them up! I could not get them in his mouth fast enough! We had to wait longer than usual to start food because of all his tummy issues. So far so good! Sweet potatoes are still his absolute favorite! He of course loves all the fruits too! Jake is growing super fast! Those first few months went by slowly but now he's eating, rolling over and scooting. Jake, you can slow down a little! I love these moments of "firsts"!

Mmmm!

Hurry Mommy!

Big Brother feeding Jake!

4th of July!!!

2010-08-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July was a little different! We weren't at the lake this year! We decided to stay in Huntsville because we were already traveling so much to Montgomery throughout the month of July. Sister and family came up to celebrate with us! We didn't do a whole lot just hung out at the pool, grilled out and watched fireworks. It was a nice relaxing weekend! John Parker loved the fireworks, he kepts saying "it's my birthday" He thought the fireworks were being shot for him! ha! Jake slept right through them. Nothing better then spending a nice relaxing weekend with the family!

Baby Jakey at the pool

Madelyn, Cooper and John Parker playing with Uncle Brian

Swimming all by himself!!!

He did this after he swam by himself! He was so excited!

Swimming with "Aunt Bobyn"

Cheese!

Lovin his exersaucer!

I could just eat him up!

This is by far my most favorite pic of them! They never hug and smile like this!

Time for fireworks!

Happy 4th!!!

Coop!

Watchin fireworks with Daddy!

Mommy's Not Looking!

2010-08-04T18:24:00.001-07:00

John Parker has figured out that Mommy can't always keep her eyes on him and Jake at the same time. So while I was changing Jake, John Parker decided to have a little fun in the bath tub with his clothes on! He poured a whole bottle of shampoo in the tub. What did I do when I found John Parker in the tub in his clothes with this mess? I grabbed my camera of course! Not to mention this was about 5 minutes before we were suppossed to be walking out the door for a doctor appointment. We've been to the doctor so much the last few weeks I think they've come to expect the Wilson family to be at least 5 minutes late every appointment. Ha! I love little moments like this with John Parker, this could have been a really stressful situation trying to get out the door to the doctor but instead I decided to embrace it and take pictures. I know one day I'll wish he was around to do funny things like this!

Beach Boys!!

2010-07-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying my wonderful husband got me a new camera or "real" camera as I call it. I got a Canon Rebel and LOVE it! A little too much, taking over 200 pictures at the beach is a little obsessive if you ask me but I just can't stop.

At the end of June we took a trip to the beach with both boys and Uncle Brian, Aunt Robyn and cousin Cooper. This was Jake's first trip to the beach! He did sooooo good! I will say it is a little different having two kids versus one at the beach. Glenn and I did alot of trading off kids and we hung out inside more than usual just because we didn't want Jakey to get too hot. We only got one family pic on the beach because we were hardly out there at the same time together. The beach was the prettiest I've ever seen it! I think we went a the perfect time! We didn't see one tar ball or any oil. John Parker is at such a fun age right now! He just straps on his puddle jumper and away he goes swimming in the pool! He loved digging in the sand at the beach too! Jakey loved the pool! He just kicks those cute little or big ole legs. I took a bunch of cute dresses down to the beach to wear when we went to eat. But we decided it was too much work to get everyone ready so we ordered take out every night and ate on the balcony looking at the beach. It was WONDERFUL! We stayed in our t-shirts and shorts and let the kids run around or watch a movie and we ate some yummy food! Cousin Ryan was in Destin for dance so he got to come over and visit with us one night too.

I love family vacations! I'm so blessed to have a wonderful family to go on them with!

Here are a "few" pictures from our trip!

I would LOVE to see this everyday

At the Beach!

Serious about the sand!

Cute!

Pooltime!

He loved the sand!

Sweet Nephew Cooper!

Cousins!

Baby Jakey!

Daddy and John Parker on the balcony

Playin with Daddies until the sun set!

Our one family pic on the beach :)

Getting a good pic of all 3 is impossible :)

Cheese!

Daddy was more excited than he was!

Faster, Faster!

Of course Mommy drove faster than Daddy!

Cousin Ryan!

Our one picture together! Love you!

Catch Up

2010-07-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm going to attempt to catch up on this blogging thing...between broken arms, hospital stays and screaming baby I've just had my hands a little full. I was almost tempted to retire the ole blog but I don't scrap book so this is my only outlet for documenting the lives of our little miracles.

Anyways, we had a great June filled with Father's Day, tball party, and a beach trip. I used to hate Father's Day but now my hubbie gives me something to celebrate! He is such an amazing father! Our children couldn't be more blessed. He takes bubble baths with JP, plays outside, prays with them, sings songs and gives lots of hugs and kisses. Oh and a big one, he wakes up every morning and does Jake's morning feeding while I sleep :) We went to church on Father's Day and hung out at the house. It was nice to slow down. We made Glenn a photobook from Shutterfly, which has become an annual tradition and got him a gift certificate to a neat Barber shop to get his haircut(yall should see how long his hair is getting). It's so hard to buy a gift for a guy that has everything.

Up next, was John Parker's end of the season t-ball party. John Parker had a love/hate relationship with t-ball. He loved batting but hated playing in the field! Many of his games he would come to the bleachers "to take a rest". We didn't push it! He's only 3 and if he didn't feel like playing we didn't make him play. We had a pizza party and he got his first trophy! I know we'll have many more of these to come!

Happy Father's Day!

John Parker getting his t-ball trophy

So excited!

One Proud Daddy!

Little Bro!

Proud Mommy!

I MET MANDISA!!!!

2010-06-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA lately! Life just gets so busy with the kids I don't have time to update! However tonight I couldn't wait to post this! I met Mandisa! Our church had Mandisa do a concert tonight for our women's ministry! It was amazing!

There is a really neat story about how she came to our church tonight. A girl, Rebecca, at our church was pregnant and a huge fan of Mandisa. Her friend emailed Mandisa on myspace and asked her to write a blessing for Rebecca's baby as a gift for her baby shower. So she wrote a long letter to Rebecca that was read at her shower. A few weeks later Mandisa had a concert at another church in Huntsville. Rebecca went she was 9 months pregnant then. Mandisa and her met and had an instant connection. Well a few weeks later, Rebecca went to the hospital because she thought she was in labor. They hooked her up to the monitors to find that her son, Andrew didn't have a heart beat. He had gone to be with the Lord.

So Rebecca's friend contacted Mandisa again and told her what happened. Mandisa recorded a cd of songs to encourage Rebecca. Then she wrote a song called "You Wouldn't Cry"(Andrew's Song) This song was written for Rebecca and sung in what Mandisa felt like Andrew would tell his mommy. Oh my goodness it's powerful! You must listen to it!

Tonight at the concert they shared this story with everyone! It was so powerful to hear a Mother who lost her child praise the Lord! And she has since been blessed with another child! Tonight was filled with lots of laughter and tears! I couldn't have asked for a better night! Mandisa has been blessed with such a gift!

She sang "all the single ladies" it was rockin in that church!

Cousins Wedding!

2010-05-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my cousin Lindsey got married! A little background info. my best friend Beth and I set Lindsey and Aaron up on a blind date at the La Fete ball a few years ago. We joked about how we would one day be related! Aaron and Lindsey are so cute! John Parker was the ring bearer along with his cousin Cooper and Beth's son Tanner. We weren't real sure how they would do but they did perfectly! When they got down the aisle we gave them airplanes! They were a hit!

The wedding was absolutely beautiful! It was at a plantation house in Opelika. Everything was just perfect! Lindsey made a gorgeous bride! We had the best time! One of my favorite surprises of the weekend was instead of favors for the wedding guests, Lindsey and Aaron made a donation to the Footprints Ministry! That was so special to me!

The reception was a blast! Our favorite band Az-izz played! John Parker had so much fun! He loved the band! He danced and danced! You know something crazy always has to happen to us...towards the end of the reception I was carrying John Parker down the stairs of the house and missed the last two steps! I fell and turned both ankles. John Parker didn't have a scratch thank goodness! I probably could have made a trip to the ER but wasn't going to miss one thing at this wedding so I toughed it out! The next morning I couldn't walk! Off to Primed in Montgomery and later an orthopedic in Huntsville. Now physical therapy for two sprained ankles. Seriously they still hurt and its been 3 weeks. I thought sprained ankles were something you just ace bandaged and got better in a week. No, I think it's worse than a break!

Anyways, all in all the wedding weekend could not have gone and more perfectly! We were so honored to be a part of such a special day! Congratulations Lindsey and Aaron!

Walking Down the Aisle

During the Ceremony

JP Dancin

Bridesmaids Luncheon

Cousins at Bridesmaids Luncheon

Rehearsal Dinner

The Boys!

Cousins the Night before Lindsey's big day!

My Favorite Surprise!

Getting Ready!

Such a pretty bride!

Love Her!

Balloons provided lots of entertainment!

Aren't the just precious!

JP with the band! ha!

Breakin it down!

Shake it!

One of the funniest things I've ever seen-My momma on stage! Learning how to get low!

Me and Beth!

Cousins +New Cousin Aaron!

Ellen and me!

The guys!

Sister!

John Parker's 1st Dentist Visit

2010-05-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

This month has been filled with lots of firsts for John Parker! Firsts don't come by very often once they get past the baby stage so I enjoy every single moment. John Parker recently went to the dentist for the first time. He really should have gone sooner than now but moving to a new town the dentist was not top priority. I was super impressed with John Parker's dentist. They have an indoor playground(like McDonalds), video games for the older kids and every kid gets a prize when they leave. John Parker was more concerned with the prize than anything of course. He did pretty good. He did not want the hygienist to use the electrical brush to clean his teeth so this time she used a regular tooth brush. She had so much patience with him. I guess when you're in pediatric dentistry you have to have lots of patience. She said next visit we would try a little more. The dentist checked for cavities and he didn't have any. Thank goodness! I hope he gets his daddy's teeth because Mommy's are horrible (lots of cavities). John Parker picked a camera as his prize. He loves to take pictures, he gets it honestly. You'll see a picture below he took of the hygienist with my camera. I bet she didn't know I would be blogging about it. Ha! She was super sweet! John Parker did great at his 1st visit to the dentist!

Listening to the hygienist-not sure what to think

John Parker took this picture! ha!

The prize wall-pointing to his camera

Quack Quack!

2010-05-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

One thing about this town is there are a ton of things for kids to do! We've had so much fun finding new things to do with John Parker. We recently took him downtown to the duck pond. They have a huge park with several ponds full of ducks and fish. The ducks know they will be fed there so they are very friendly and will come right up to you. We took John Parker's tricycle out there and we rode around too. He had a blast. But he was really upset when he ran out bread. He said "mommy, but the ducks are hungry!" Next time I'll take two loafs of bread! Ha!

Look at all those fish!

Riding his tricycle with his bread in his hand

Tremendous Treehouses!

2010-05-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Once again a few weeks slipped by with no updates on the blog. I had a slight injury(more on that later) that caused me to slow down some and the bloggy here was last on my list. Anyways a few weeks ago we went with our neighbors to the Botanical Gardens to see their Tremendous Treehouses. They have 12 treehouses that were built by local builders and they are amazing. John Parker and M had so much fun playing on them! Each treehouse has a theme for example, one is the Wizard of Oz. I think I had as much fun as John Parker did! Jake had a good time too. It is so pretty at the Botanical Gardens! We will definitely make more trips out there! Below are some pics of John Parker and M!

What's That Smell?

2010-05-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening I was in the kitchen making a dessert for dinner at our neighbor's house (yes, we have some friends. ha!) Anyways I kept smelling urine. Glenn kept telling me it was my imagination. So I finished up the dessert. Later I was getting ready in the bathroom and I smelled it again. I thought to myself "I know I'm not crazy" So I asked John Parker "why does it smell like tee tee in here?" He responded "Mommy, I tee teed on Snoop haha!" What in the world! My son peed on the dog! I asked John Parker "do you want Snoop to tee tee on you?" He said "Eww No Mommy!" I said "Well don't tee tee on him!" I bent over and sniffed Snoop and yes it was him. It had been so long it already dried. Sick I know!

For those of you who know John Parker he LOVES to tee tee outside. You may find him early in the morning taking care of business off the back porch. The other day I went to take some shirts to get monogrammed here and what does he want to do, tee tee in her yard. Yes, I let him. He had to go! After the fact, I thought she is NEVER going to want to monogram anything for me again for fear of my son peeing on her plants! She did give us the go ahead but I still can't believe I let him.

So the unthinkable happened. Snoop became victim to John Parker's great aiming skills. Ha! I'm sure Snoop will watch his back now when he goes outside!

The Victim-Snoop

The Tee Tee Offender

Still Friends!

Spring Fling

2010-05-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

We absolutely LOVE John Parker's school here! It is a super nice school with amazing teachers! It was one of the first things I fell in love with when we moved here. John Parker's teachers cooked me dinner when Jake was born. That was so special! And one day I called his school because Jake was having one of those days (this was prior to surgery etc) I asked if John Parker could come even though it wasn't one of his days to go. The lady at the front desk said "sure bring him on." Then she said "can I pray with you?" Wow! Right there on the phone she prayed for us and baby Jake. You don't find people like this at just any school.

Anyways, last week they had their spring fling with inflatables and sno cones. John Parker had a blast! I got in one of the inflatables to help with all the kids and man, I'm so glad I'm not a daycare teacher! I was worn out! John Parker was too! I love being able to enjoy days like these with him!

What To Do on a Rainy Day?

2010-04-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was a yucky day in Huntsville! It rained all day! I ran out to Wal-mart to find some things to keep John Parker busy. And I came across this cute piggy bank. John Parker loves money right now so I thought this would be perfect. We took it on the back porch and painted it. Of all the colors he had to pick from he wanted it to be purple! Ha! That's my boy! We had fun painting the piggy bank. John Parker had to wash his hands just about every five minutes. He hates getting dirty! ha! Below are some pictures of our masterpiece. And yes, he was still in his PJs no need to get dressed when you can't play outside :)

Birth Announcement

2010-04-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well it's been over 2 months and I just got around to getting our birth announcement out. I guess that's how things go when you have a very unhappy little boy for the first 6 weeks. Anyways my friend Kelli took this picture and Peggy Hudson did the announcement. She did add a quotation mark(on the printed announcements) to the bible verse for all you proof readers. ha! I highly recommend Kelli and Peggy!!!

My Socks are Dirty!

2010-04-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week John Parker had his first t-ball practice! Oh my goodness, I don't think I have ever seen something so stinking cute! He was super excited about going to the baseball field. Daddy took him to Dick's and bought him every supply possible for t-ball-helmet, bat, glove, balls, cleats, and baseball pants. When we got to practice the coach taught them a few basics like where the bases were, how to "get in front of the ball" and catch it, and how to hit. I think the majority of the kids kicked dirt around more than they paid attention. John Parker kicked lots of dirt and sat in the dugout. He would not get out of the dugout. I think he was worried someone was going to take his bat. ha! He was absolutely filthy with that orange dirt all over the place. I guess that's part of it! We haven't had any more practices because it won't stop raining! Our first game is the 3rd week in May. I can't wait! Watch the videos to hear about his dirty socks! ha!

Jake's 2 Month Check Up

2010-04-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Jake had a great 2 month check up. He weighed 12lbs 13oz and was 23 inches long! Bless his little heart as soon as we hit the door at the pediatrician's office he started screaming. It's like they all know when little Jake has arrived at their office. ha! The pediatrician told me she was in the room across the hall and a lady said "awe that breaks my heart to hear that baby cry. I wish there was something I could do" Dr. G told her "Oh it's ok it's just Jake!" ha! Jake you're known as the screamer at the doctor's office. I really don't know why he was so fussy this day! When we finally got him calmed down and sleeping it was time for shots :( Little man did so good! Here are a few pictures from our 2 month check-up.

2 Months Old!

2010-04-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Time continues to fly! Jake is now 2 months old! Well actually he's now almost 10 weeks I'm a little behind on my posts. Here's what our little man is up to lately.

You are such a happy boy these days! Bless your heart those first 6 weeks were rough!

You have really become a big fan of your swing.

You absolutely LOVE to be outside. If you're having a fit all I have to do is walk you outside and you cheer right up.

You've started cooing at us and it is precious!

We've caught you smiling! Nothing better than seeing my boy smile!

You took the plunge and moved to your room to sleep at night. Now everyone sleeps better at night!

You wake up at 12:30am, 3:30am and 6:30am. You have dropped a night feeding so we'll take this. Your daddy gets up with you at 6:30 so Mommy can sleep a little later.

You were 23 inches and weighed 12lbs 13oz at your two month check up.

Serious pic!

Our first picture of Jake smiling!

Biscuits Baseball!

2010-04-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

During our last visit to Montgomery the Montgomery Biscuits baseball was having their opening night. We thought it would be a great night to take Jake to his first Biscuits game! We also knew Cooper and John Parker would love going to the game! The boys were so excited about the baseball game! Jake was having "a moment" during the first few innings. I spent majority of the time in the women's bathroom bouncing him around while he was screaming. The bathroom was the quietest place, I know, think about all those germs. Yuk! Well I finally got him to sleep. He slept through the whole game. John Parker loved watching the baseball game! He cheered so loud for everyone. I'm sure the people in front of us enjoyed it! ha! Speaking of baseball John Parker just started t-ball. I'll be posting on that soon! It's absolutely precious!

The Choo-Choo Train was Loud!

Jake all geared up for the game!

Aunt "Bobyn" is the Best!

The Fam before the Game!

Sweet!

Watchin the Game!

Cooper and John Parker's 1st Biscuits Game in 2007!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-21T13:28:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter this year! We went home(Montgomery will always be home hehe!) and had the best time! John Parker has a HUGE obsession with eggs! Yes, you may see him carrying around real eggs around our house. He loves them! So Easter was a big hit with him! Jake seemed to enjoy Easter too! He was such a happy little guy for the most part! We made Easter eggs with cousin Cooper and had an Easter egg hunt at Uncle Barry's and Aunt Pamcake's. The boys even got golden eggs with $5 each. They were so excited!

The best part of Easter was going to church! We had a great sunday school class and service! It was a great day to celebrate our Risen Savior! An amazing weekend spent with an amazing family! Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Jake's 2nd Hospital Stay

2010-04-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

So about 5 days after Jake's hernia surgery he was still screaming! We went back and forth to the surgeon and hospital for several ultrasounds to make sure it wasn't the surgery. On Monday he had one last ultrasound and everything was normal. I was sooooo frustrated that no one could tell me what was wrong with him. After the ultrasound I decided to march over to the pediatrician's office to get some answers. I didn't have an appointment but they saw us right away. Bring a screaming baby in a waiting room and they'll get you back quickly. ha!

We met with our pediatrician who I just love! She is a young woman doctor. I've never had a woman doctor before. She is so awesome! I told her I could not deal with this screaming business anymore. He was on one of his screaming kicks and she agreed that it wasn't normal. She admitted us into the hospital that afternoon. I was so relieved!

We stayed in the hospital two nights. They ran every test possible on him. They x-rayed every part of his little body. The tests all came back normal except that he has severe acid reflux. On the third day the pediatrician decided to discharge us. She told us to go home and try Enfamil Gentlease. They didn't have any on hand in the hospital. I was in tears going home from the hospital because I didn't feel like I had an answer. They told us within 24 hours we should see a difference on the Gentlease. Well praise the Lord-we changed formula and bottles and had a brand new baby! I think the combination of formula, bottles and recovering from his surgery made a huge difference!

I can not tell you how aweful the first 6 weeks of Jake's little life were! He screamed all the time! I had people telling me "oh it's just colic" Oh how I hate the term Colic! I wander if it's just a term for "we don't know what's wrong with your baby" It also makes me wonder how many babies are going through the same thing and get blown off as colic. I'm a mommy that needs answers and I got them! Thank goodness! Thank you for all your prayers for Jake and our family! We are so relieved he's better!

Not a happy boy :(

John Parker in the bed with Jake

John Parker made only one appearance at the hospital. I wonder why? ha!

He had the best time coming to see Baby Jake!

John Parker took this-A krystal burger always makes things better!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GLENN!

2010-04-20T12:52:00.001-07:00

Today is our 8 year anniversary! Wow, where did the time go! We sound like old timers so just let me make it clear I got married when I was 21 years old. ha! Never in a million years would I have dreamed we would be where we are today! With two amazing children in Huntsville! Glenn thank you for all that you do for me and our family! You are an incredible husband! These 8 years have been the best years of my life! There is nothing like spending every day with your very best friend! I love you! Happy Anniversary!

PLEASE NOTE THIS WAS TAKEN AT A MATERNITY SESSION A WEEK BEFORE I HAD JAKE. HA! GLENN CRACKS ME UP!

Jake's 1st Surgery :(

2010-04-14T19:18:00.001-07:00

To say we've had our hands full lately is quite an understatement! Our little man, Jake, has had a tough little life so far! We had an appointment scheduled with a pediatric surgeon for Jake's two hernias. The surgeon was on spring break so we had to wait an extra week to see him. Then Jake got worse. He was screaming all day with the exception of about 20 minutes a day in 5 or 10 minute intervals. I called the pediatrician and they magically got me in sooner with the surgeon. So we went in on Wednesday. The surgeon checked him and said they were pretty severe but he would wait to do the surgery until Friday unless Jake continued to scream once we got home. Well we got home and the hernias came back out of place and the screaming continued. So Dr. G decided to do the surgery that afternoon. It was probably best this way because I didn't have time to worry about the surgery. Also it worked out really well because my wonderful sister came up Tuesday night because I was having a rough week. So she was here with me for the surgery. It's so hard having your baby operated on but especially stinks when your family can't be there with you. The Lord knew right when to send her up.

The surgery went well! His hernias were pretty bad. He has a 1 in 5 chance of needing the surgery again because they were so severe. Hopefully we won't need it again. We only had to stay one night in the hospital. It was the most peace and quiet we'd had in 5 weeks. Morphine was great on little Jake! ha! Then we got home....and the screaming started again! I'll post soon on our 2nd stay in the hospital. Stay tuned!

Before his surgery-probably the only picture I have of him not screaming :(

Napping with Mommy

Jake and Aunt Robyn before surgery

Sacked out after surgery

Your Daddy loves you soooo much!

Golfing with Daddy!

2010-03-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

Glenn took John Parker to play golf last Friday when it was soooo pretty here! We had some friends in town that recently moved from Montgomery to North Carolina(and had a baby like us) so Chris and Glenn went to play golf. From what I hear John Parker loved Mr. Chris! Chris was so sweet letting John Parker tag along. John Parker absolutely loves to play golf just like his Daddy! I think Daddy will start using John Parker as an excuse to get to the golf course more often. But I'm not complaining-I know how special that time is for the two of them! My little man is growing up!

My Birthday!

2010-03-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

I always love my birthday because it falls on a fun day St Patricks Day! We were in Montgomery the weekend before so we were able to go have an "adult dinner" at Jubilee Seafood with family and it was so much fun! My actual birthday was pretty low key. Glenn and I planned to eat lunch at PF Changs while John Parker was in school but that all changed when I had the horrible accident with baby Jake and the couch. I had to run him to the doctor right away. I still feel horrible about that incident!

I spent the night at home with my 3 favorite boys! We ordered dinner from the Steak Restaurant near the house and ate ice cream cake! I wanted to get a picture of all of us in our green but that didn't quite work out as planned. So I had to settle for a picture of John Parker and Daddy and then JP took a picture of me and Glenn. Thanks to my boys for making my birthday so special! Next year will be the Big 30! Geez-soooo old!

Cousins at Dinner!

John Parker took this-can you tell? ha!

John Parker did not want a picture taken!

Being my silly boy!

Singing Happy Birthday to Mommy!

1 Month Old!

2010-03-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Baby Jake turned 1 month old this past Monday! These 4 weeks have really flown by! I want to blog every month for Jake so I can remember what he's doing new every month.

You make lots of cute ohhh and ahhs. One of the first things I remember in the hospital after you were born is how quickly I forgot all those sweet noises babies make

Speaking of noises-you cry quite a bit. We're not sure if you have Colic or really bad gas. We hope to find out what the problem is because we don't like for our little man to be so upset! Mommy and the nurse at the pediatrician are becoming friends because I call everyday for help.

You love Mommy's hairdryer! When we can't get you calmed down we hang out in the bathroom with the hairdryer on.

You have started to discover your hands a little, grabbing onto things.

You love to stare into Mommy and Daddy's eyes.

You have already rolled over-not the way Mommy intended! Yes you rolled off the couch onto the hardwood floor. I can't believe I'm even admitting this on the blog. I get the worst Mommy of the Year Award! Warning Mommies he was not even near the edge of the couch while I was fixing a bottle and bam onto the floor. Mommy took you right to the dr and everything was ok. Mommy felt horrible! Daddy said that when you're older and your friends ask "did your mom drop you on your head when you were a baby?" you can answer yes. No more couch sessions for you!

You love to sit in Big Brother's lap!

You were eating every two hours. Now you usually wake at 1am, 4am and 6am for feedings.

You love to sleep in your car seat!

You're not a big fan of the swing or bouncy yet-you really just like to be held.

You like hanging out on the playmat!

You weigh 11lbs and 1oz!

You're doing lots of this these days!

Now, that's better!

Jake's 1st Trip to Church!

2010-03-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

While we were in Montgomery last weekend we decided to go ahead and take Jake to church. It was probably a little early to take him to church but I wanted his first trip to church to be at Heritage. I forgot what its like to drop a little one off in the nursery with bottles, directions etc. Heritage has the best nursery workers so I wasn't worried at all. He did great! They talked to him about how the Lord made the animals. I don't think he'll remember that sunday school lesson but it's neat to know they're in there learning about Jesus! John Parker was excited to have baby Jake with him. We tried to get a family picture near the sanctuary but as you can tell John Parker didn't want to participate. Ha! I'm so glad I got to take Jake to our "home church" We sure do miss it so much! Here's a few pictures from the big day!

In His Gown!

He was sound asleep when we left him

Jake with Mr. Jeff

Family Pic-John Parker would not look at the camera!

Patty Cake Patty Cake!

2010-03-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

While we were in Montgomery last weekend we took Jake to have his Patty Cakes done. In case you're not from Montgomery these are handprint and footprint impressions that are bronzed and come in a pretty framed shadow box. I love looking at John Parker's because you forget how small they were at this age. I will say we really missed the sweet little lady that did John Parker's. She really made the patty cakes a special experience. This time it was really quick but that was ok too because you can tell from these pictures that Jake got pretty upset when they did his patty cakes. He was so mad he clinched his fist so the lady couldn't get his handprint. He's already a strong little man! Ha!

Gillete-"The Best a LITTLE Man Can Get"

2010-03-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

John Parker seems to have grown up by five years since we've had baby Jake. He just talks so big. He doesn't miss anything anymore. One of the "grown up" things he's really getting into is shaving. He loves to shave with his Daddy! He got a Lightening McQueen shaving kit at Christmas. Santa sure did pick out a great gift! Look how big he looks in these pictures!

Cousin Time!!!

2010-03-11T08:04:00.001-08:00

Sister, bro-in-law and nephew came to visit last weekend! We had the best time! Cooper and John Parker just love each other so much! They are the bestest friends! We had the best weather so we spent lots of time outside.

Here's a few things that we did...

Went to the park and had a picnic!

Made Easter Egg and Easter Bunny Cookies!

Went for lots of walks and ate lunch on the back porch!

And of course spent lots of time with Baby Jake!

Such a good big brother!

Our Little Who!

2010-03-05T12:16:00.001-08:00

This week is Dr. Seuss week or something like that. John Parker's school has been celebrating all week. Yesterday they had a parade and the kids were supposed to dress up as their favorite character. Well me being the "not so crafty" mom checked with his teacher and she said majority of the kids in her class won't dress up. So she told me not to worry about finding him something to wear. Sounded good to me! One less thing I had to go out and find and create. So we got to school Thurs. morning and she was right only 2 or 3 kids were dressed. So his teacher decided to have a little fun with the kids. When I picked him up I found his hair like this! Ha! I cracked up! What was even more funny is that he would not let me take them out! I finally was able to get them out at bath time. I'm sure when he goes back to school on Tuesday he'll be asking Mrs. K to fix his hair again! I just love days like these when he just makes me laugh!

Friends Welcoming Baby Jake!

2010-02-28T14:04:00.001-08:00

We were so blessed to be at home to deliver Baby Jake! We were able to have all of our family and friends there with us to celebrate such an amazing blessing! We loved having visitors at the hospital! Below are pictures of the many visitors we had at the hospital. I didn't get pictures of everyone :( You'll notice my friend Kelli took some pictures and then I took some pictures. It's obvious which ones Kelli took! She's so talented! Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who came by the welcome Baby Jake into the world! We love and miss you all dearly!

My Fav Visitor Everyday!

Baby Jake's Arrival

2010-02-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

Oh I have so much to tell you about the last several weeks. It has been quite a whirlwind! John Parker and I moved to Montgomery for about 3 weeks to insure that Dr. Phillips would be there to deliver Jake. We had so much fun living with Aunt Bobyn(Robyn), Uncle Brian and Cooper. We spent everyday together doing fun things. I wouldn't take back the 3 weeks we spent together for anything!

On to the delivery...we arrived at Baptist Hospital at 6am on Feb. 15th for my scheduled c-section. To say I was a nervous wreck was an understatement. I was asking for medication to calm my nerves when I hit the door. Only to hear they don't give anything until after the baby has been born. All I could think about was my experience with John Parker and how I just wanted everything to be ok this time. Dr. Phillips came in before the surgery and prayed with us. That helped me calm down so much. To know my doctor has the Lord guiding him was such a blessing.

The epidural went great! I requested no students doing it. With John Parker it was a disaster. This lady knew exactly how to do it the very first time it took. Surgery went well! Then I heard the most beautiful noise, Jake's cry! It's unexplainable the feeling you get when you hear that for the first time. The staff was great in keeping me informed on his condition the whole time. Then I met my sweet boy! Wow, God is so good! Words can't describe the feeling you get meeting your child for the very first time. Absolutely amazing! Jake was born at 8:14am weighing 8lbs and 8oz!

We had a great stay at the hospital! I didn't take one moment for granted. I didn't get to experience having John Parker in our room when visitors came. Having Jake in our room was such a blessing. I had my moments throughout our stay where I just cried thinking about all the NICU families and why I was blessed with a healthy child.

We stayed in the hospital until Thursday. When I was discharged John Parker and Jake rode with me in the wheelchair. Another moment for me when I just cried with thankfulness. I didn't get to take a wheelchair ride with John Parker and this time John Parker was with me as well as baby Jake. The Lord has blessed us greatly! We are so thankful for the birth of baby Jake and we look forward to the days ahead as a family of four! Thank you for your prayers, visits, phone calls, emails, and meals. We have been truly blessed by all of our family and friends! I'll have to do a seperate post with more pics of our visitors :-)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

Dear Big Brother!!!

2010-02-13T21:14:00.000-08:00

Dear John Parker,

On Monday you are going to become a BIG BROTHER! Mommy and Daddy are so excited for you! We can't wait for you to meet "Baby Jake"! He can't wait to meet his big brother John Parker! You have been so sweet to Mommy while baby Jake has been in her tummy. You kiss him, bring him toys, and tell him you "wuv"(love) him. You are going to be the best big brother! We are so anxious for you and baby Jake to meet! Baby Jake is even going to bring you some special gifts when he arrives. You'll always have baby Jake to look up to you. You'll teach him so many things as he gets older. We are looking forward to seeing yall become best buddies!

Mommy and Daddy want you to know how much we love you! Being our first son you have blessed us in ways words could never describe! We thank the Lord for you every single day! And never take one moment for granted with you! Your smile and laugh lights up our lives! You've have taught us more about life and the Lord than anything else in this world. Thank you for being an amazing son!

In less than 36 hours you'll will become a Big Brother to another precious miracle from above! We love you John Parker!

picture by Kelli

Highway to the Danger Zone

2010-01-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

JPW is growing into a little man! And with that he has become interested in all kinds of crazy and DANGEROUS things! I wanted to get some pictures of him with these things then I thought I may be turned over to DHR and I didn't want to fight with JPW to get these crazy things from him. For the most part if they are "out of sight they're out of mind" Here are just a few things he is obsessed with...

the first one really isn't too dangerous compared to the others. the dryer vent on the side of the house. JPW gets so excited when the dryer is on and the vent is blowing air. every day when we pull in the driveway he asks "is the dryer on?". he also tells me every day "the dryer is soooo cute Mommy!" my boy can spot these vents from miles away. he points them out on all the other houses in the neighborhood. if I need to get him in the car I say "JP let's go look at the dryer" works like a charm everytime!

up next Scissors! he begs to use my scissors. we had to put a latch on the drawer we keep them in to keep him from getting them. i had the brilliant idea to buy the kiddie rounded scissors for him the other day and it only increased his obsession! he will sit at the kitchen table and cut paper all day long. i'm just waiting for the day when he decides to cut his hair. i'm telling him everyday that the scissors have to "take a break" and "go night night" or he will never stop cutting.

ok here's where it gets dangerous...the boy loves lighters and fire! oh my! no we don't smoke. ha! i just love to burn candles! JPW found the lighters too and decided he wanted to carry one around the kitchen. make me have a heart attack! then he tries to negotiate "mommy I put it on the table" umm....no! on the table or not my boy can't touch a lighter. we've put them in the highest place in our kitchen so he can't get to them.

and continuing along the lines of fire JPW loves candles. all kinds of candles-scented candles and birthday candles. his favorite are birthday candles. lately everytime we go in Target I'm walking out with a box of birthday candles for him. they're only $1 which is so worth my sanity while shopping in there. the last few weeks we've had several birthday parties for Snoop(our dog). G has found little ice cream cakes at Target that he loves so he'll stick a few candles in it and we'll sing happy birthday Snoop. ha! it's really cute! JPW loves blowing out Snoop's candles. I think Snoop enjoys the little parties too!

I'm hoping these things are just "little boy" things and this is all a phase(especially the fire!). Hopefully his obsessions will soon change to things a little less dangerous! We use this line alot..."Don't do that JPW or you'll have to go to the hospital." His response "Mommy I don't want to go to the hospital" and then he stops whatever he is doing. Now we've had to try to explain to him that he'll have to go to the hospital to see Mommy and baby Jake when baby Jake is ready to come out of Mommy's belly. Hopefully he won't be too scared of the hospital then! Or maybe that will be another obsession he has-going to the hospital and seeing babies :)

You Know You've Moved to a New Town When....

2010-01-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Oh the stories I have....ha! Here are just a few funnies about some recent adventures we've been on

You know you've moved to a new town when...

you leave your house 30 minutes early to get to a dr appt and you still show up 15 minutes late and the receptionist says "i'm sorry but we cancel appointments after you are 10 minutes late" and my response is to sit down and cry while the lady goes and asks the manager if they can still see JPW. Thank goodness they did see me because she would have had her hands full after we had to wait a month to get in with this doctor. Bad thing was I continued to cry as I filled out my paperwork. I know the other parents were wandering what was wrong with this enormously large pregnant lady!

your son gets invited to a birthday party for a kid in his class at school. we showed up at the party and guess what? we had no idea who the birthday kid was! ha! after an hour we finally figured it out. you just have to put yourself out there when you move. next time i'll ask his teacher who the birthday kid is the week before the party! ha!

you're watching the news and there is a funnel cloud live on the news touching down and you're wandering is it heading to your house and heck I haven't even figured out where to take cover yet. we've now made a place to take cover in the new house. and it didn't come near the house but hit near G's work-thank goodness he left early that day!

There are lots of stories I could share. Things are getting alot easier and we have some friends. Yay! It's really neat how the Lord has placed some really special people in our path! I'll save that for another post. I hope this provided you all a few laughs!

He Has a Name and Bedding!

2010-01-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

Finally our little butter bean or rather our watermelon has a name! I debated to post it on here or not but if you really want to figure out our names etc. it isn't that hard. Plus we're having another JPW so I didn't want to blog about JPW #1 and JPW #2 . ha!

Christmas shopping for G is so hard! He always knows what he's getting so I decided this year I would give him the gift of naming our child. Of course their were some stipulations. He told me if I let him pick the first name that I could pick the middle and the bedding. I was sold with the bedding! And I knew he would pick Jacob because he said Jacob since we found out we were pregnant. So his name is Jacob Price Wilson! Here are a few pictures of G opening his special Christmas gift!

And the bedding...G agreed to bedding without asking how much it was! ha! It was a big deal for G to let me do the bedding. He is really particular especially since we have boys. He doesn't like fru fru. But he lost again. I had blue and lime green with white polka dots for JPW and for Jake we're getting this....they're only babies for a little while!

Where is Warehouse Mouse?

2010-01-07T08:08:00.001-08:00

Yeah if they were only that cute! This is warehouse mouse from JPW's fav show Imagination Movers.

So we have a visitor or two in our pantry! Ahhh! I hate mice!Last week our loaf of bread had a hole through it. Someone got a nice lunch in our pantry. I went to the store and bought another loaf and guess what he found it again! Bro-in-law and sister were here over the weekend. We were up late and I heard someone moving in the pantry. I jumped up off the couch and stood by the back door so I could make a run for it. He got away. Then about 1am (bro-in-law is a late nighter) bro-in-law ran in our bedroom and said "G I've got it locked in the laundry room." So G hopped up and the search was on in laundry room. They caught him in the vacuum cleaner hose and G ran him down the road to dispose of him.

Whew glad he's was gone! But wait someone got in the grits Monday morning! Ahhhh! Pest control is called! Someone has got to get this thing or things out of here. Appt is scheduled for today during our blizzard. I prayed Dear Lord please let them come. And "Ding Dong" at 9:30 I hear the angels singing-it's the sweet pest control man who drove in the snow to get here. He said the office just called him to go home but he was already here. Thank you Lord!

So the scoop according to pest control man is mice are a problem in our new neighborhood because of construction. But this is the worse mice season they've seen up here everywhere. Oh wonderful! And it's not just winter, it's year round! Thank goodness we've set up a quarterly service with them.

We now have every trap, sticky board, and feed possible in our house to get rid of these pesky critters. Just pray I don't see one. I think it may cause me to have a heart attack or go into labor! I now have a ritual of slamming cabinets in the kitchen when I wake up! Ha! One thing the pest guy said is "you may hear them screaming when they get caught in the middle of the night!" What! Oh great! So between me slamming cabinets and beating on doors and mice screaming our house definitely won't be quiet around here until they're gone!

So thank you Huntsville for introducing me to the world of mice! One more thing that really isn't a big deal just the Lord's humor keeping me on my toes (literally)!

What is Moving Like?

2010-01-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

Hmmm. It's hard to explain! I don't think anyone could have told me what to expect or what it would be like. To be honest I've never really stopped to ever think about new people who moved to Montgomery and what they may be facing. I knew when we had visitors in Sunday School that it was probably uncomfortable for them but never thought any further about how they were adjusting in their day to day life. The holidays have helped me to adjust because I think I've been home or my sister has been here every weekend.

We've been here almost a month now. Here's a run down of the first couple of weeks. The first week was pretty aweful! I had a bad experience with an OBGYN, which I told yall that would be difficult for me, but goodness this was just quite comical. I cried leaving JPW at school probably more than when I took him to his first day to daycare when he was a baby. I've always known someone anywhere I've left him so to leave him at a place where I knew no one was really tough. On top of that on his paperwork I had to list who to contact other than parents in case of emergency, uhh well I don't know anyone! Call Montgomery! Then they moved him to a different class for 3 straight days. First day-too many new kids in that class, 2nd day-they realized his birthday didn't make the Sept 1 cutoff and 3rd day finally in the class he was supposed to be in. He did adjust wonderfully though. Next up, finding a pediatrician. Ummm....didn't like him either. Ever had someone just stare at you waiting for you to carry the conversation? Yeah that's what it was like. Reminded me of a science teacher and I just need someone I click with.

We were able to eat lunch with a pastor from a local church. He eats with visitors on a weekly basis at Longhorn Steakhouse. We actually ended up at Chili's. We ate with the pastor, associate pastor and another new couple to the area. The pastor told us he had never had lunch with visitors before they even visited the church. Well what can I say, I worked for a pastor and I want to meet the pastor before I even step in the church! We were very impressed! The other couple we ate with moved here about 6 months ago and they are so nice. Another neat coincidence everyone at lunch had a NICU baby with a chest tube just like JPW. Divine sign? The sweet girl that ate with us gave me this book. Which has been a big help! I recommend this book to anyone who has moved! They also met us that Sunday and took us to their Sunday School class and the service. It was still a little hard for me! I've been at Heritage my whole life so it's hard to let go. It's almost like a break-up. It takes time to get over it! Everyone was very friendly and they have coffee shops with hot chocolate through out the church which I loved!

The following week we headed home for Christmas! I was so glad to be home to see everyone! I have lots of pictures I'll be posting soon.

This week has been good! I saw Dr. P in Montgomery on Monday. My blood pressure was a little high and I had some protein in my urine so he was a little concerned. He told me to proceed with seeing another dr. on Tuesday in Huntsville just for a back up plan. So I showed up yesterday for that appt at 2:15 when I got there they told me to come back at 3:45. I came back at 3:45 and sat in a room until 5:30 to find out he had to leave again. I think its a divine sign that I just need to use Dr. P! ha! So they rescheduled me for this morning. I went this morning and my blood pressure was lower. I got to meet Dr. C and I really liked him. He is a really nice Christian doctor. He agreed that I should be ok to make it to Montgomery for the delivery and said I could come see him anytime if I had a complication. And if baby Jake comes unexpectedly Dr. C could deliver him here.

So things are becoming easier. I still get frustrated when my GPS takes me to a dead end street. I hate depending on that thing! I still haven't figured out where to get my hair cut, car washed, eye dr, dentist etc. But it will all work out. The few people I know have been a big help! This is definitely a learning experience! I'm so glad to have a wonderful Lord beside me along with an amazing husband and son! Please pray for us as we continue on this journey! I know the Lord has some exciting things in store for us!

"Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Here are a few pics from the move...Ozzy had ear surgery a few days before the move so he had a satelite! ha!

Glenn and the dogs headed to Hville

This is for my bunko girls!

My mom taped notes in all the boxes she packed-one of my favorites was "I know this is a God thing and I can't argue with Him."

Great sister helping unpack

Ozzy and Snoop adjusted perfectly on the couch!

JPWs first walk through at the new house

JPW in his new playroom with his new train table!

O Christmas Tree!!!

2009-12-21T19:44:00.001-08:00

I could have done without a Christmas tree this year! Unpacking boxes and getting settled was just priority to me. But G insisted we get one and I know JPW really loves them this year so I agreed to get one. We met G's mom in Bham on Sunday to get JPW and welcome him to the new house. On our way home we stopped and got us a Christmas tree. JPW was so excited! He ran up to the man that ran the Christmas tree lot and gave him a hug!

We straped the tree on top of my car and headed home! JPW loved decorating the tree! He was really good and didn't even put them all in the same place. Of course he loved the glass balls the best. Ha! He only broke one so I thought that was pretty good! He could have broke them all and it wouldn't have mattered to me, just seeing his excitement was so worth it! I didn't do a whole lot of decorating everywhere else in the house. We'll be home on Christmas so I didn't see the need to overdo the decorations when Christmas was just a week away. Below are a few pics from the Christmas tree pick-up and Christmas past. I love taking a picture of G and JPW every year. He's just grown so much! Merry Christmas!

Dec. 2007

Dec. 2008

Dec. 2009

Going Away Party

2009-12-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

I'm still alive! Just had my hands full moving, getting settled and trying to get all the Christmas shopping done! I'm going to have to back track a little to catch up.

Before we moved we had some wonderful friends give us a going away party. We had such a great time spending time with all of our amazing friends! So much fun, I didn't remember to take pictures until half the people left :-( We sure do miss each of you so much! The Lord has blessed us with the most incredible friends ever in Montgomery! Thank you so much for being a part of our lives! This isn't a "good-bye" it's a "see you soon!" because you know we'll be back very often! Thank you to all of the hosts who helped with the party! We had a blast!

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”

What It Feels Like to be Led

2009-12-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Lord,
We're 6 days away from the big move! Wow, I'm feeling excited, scared, nervous, and peaceful all at one time. You know I tried really hard to resist your calling to a new city. Every reason to stay in Montgomery included a selfish desire. Why now in the middle of my pregnancy, What happens if I have another NICU baby, How will I find a new doctor(yes, i'm still struggling with this one :) ), How will I make new friends, How will I ever find a church as good as Heritage, Why are you wanting us to move when I'm comfortable? Instead I should have said wherever you lead me Lord I will go. When I surrendered my life to ministry I knew I was surrendering every goal, plan, and desire I had in life to you. Oh how it was still a tough decision to make this leap of faith. Forgive me for my selfish desires. I've prayed you would provide a way for me to do Footprints full time and thank you Lord for providing it!

So Lord, I don't know what things will look like in this new town. I may not have as many friends, it may take awhile to find a church, I may even have another NICU baby in a town where I know no one. But I know one person that will be at my side and that is you. Lord, I want nothing more than for you to receive glory through my life. I'm excited about the things you have in store for us! Thank you for this amazing opportunity to move to a new city! Take my life, lead me Lord!

What It Feels Like by FFH
This may not have be the road I would have choose for me
but it still feels right somehow
I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now
This is what it feels like to be led.

I came across this verse below the week G was offered his promotion, I know this was the Lord knocking me in the head reminding me that it's not always about me and my desires. I love when he puts scripture in the perfect place exactly when I need it.

"I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved." 1 Cor. 10:33

"Thank You Jesus"

2009-12-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Here's the big kicker with our move to our new town-leaving the most amazing doctor ever! I had placenta previa again which was super rare. Due to the previa Dr. P told me I would HAVE to find a doctor in our new town when we move in case of an emergency. I really, seriously would commute 3 hours to see Dr. P! I know I'm maybe a little psycho over my doctor but he's more than just a doctor. He brought my miracle JPW into this world. He followed us on our NICU journey with JPW(even personally calling us to check on JPW). He is a HUGE supporter of Footprints. And most importantly he is an incredible man of God who prays with me! If anyone is going to cut me open and deliver my children they better know Jesus!

So today was my last visit with Dr. P(sniff, sniff)! JPW went with me because he has a cold and had a dr appt today too. I knew today would be hard and I'm still not convinced that it will be my last visit with Dr. P. Anyways a few incredible things happened today. The placenta has moved. So no more previa! Of course when I found that out my first question to Dr. P was does that mean I can deliver in Montgomery? He said I could but if I was his wife he would recommend me finding a doctor up there in case something happens. Ugh what a decision! We're still sorting through it. I may try a doctor up there and see what I think. I just don't know if anyone can compare.

Here's where I lost it today...Dr P said let's pray(as he does every visit). I told JPW to put his prayer hands together. I didn't ask JPW to pray or say anything. As soon as we all bowed our heads. JPW started praying "Thank you Jesus for this doctor, thank you Jesus for this doctor, thank you Jesus for this doctor" Yes I was blubbering crying at this point. Then Dr. P prayed for us. After the prayer I think Dr. P was about as moved as I was by JPW. He said "I feel really special he prayed for me not once but 3 times" So not only do I think Dr. P is pretty special apparently JPW does too! He even mentioned him again during prayers tonight before I put him to bed. Sigh....this is so hard! Please pray for me as I try to figure out which doctor to use. And if you need a doctor here call Dr. P! He is an absolute God-send! From the words of my precious son "Thank You Jesus for Dr. P!"

JPW and Dr. P!

Baby Furniture!!!

2009-11-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

With our big move, things for Baby Wilson have been moving quite slow. We've had so many decisions to make with this move but I'll save all that for another post. We've finally accomplished something for our little man! We bought furniture! Yay! Below is a picture-I'm super excited about it! We got an expresso finish. This new friend helped me find a store in our new town to order from so I did everything by looking online and sending G to the store up there to order it. I realized the other day if I didn't hurry and get things ordered it wouldn't be here in time! Baby W doesn't have a name or bedding but at least he's got some furniture now! One thing accomplised, two more to go!

WAR EAGLE!!!!

2009-10-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday we took JPW to his first Auburn football game! We had a super busy Saturday starting with pictures that morning, followed by Tanner's 1st birthday and then the big game. JPW was so excited about the "Futbol game". We lucked up with tickets in the scholarship seats and a parking pass thanks to the Brendle family. It was a good thing because it rained during the game. Also the parking pass was much needed as "tons of fun" here can't walk to far without getting winded. ha! Another bonus to scholarship seats is FREE food and drinks. Basically it was preggo heaven! Although JPW definitely took advantage of the free food. JPW ate a hotdog, nachos, popcorn, cookie, bag of chips, rice crispie treat and lots of water and tea.

You can see in the pictures below his amazement when he first saw the football field. He was just so excited. The Eagle flew from the endzone closest to us and JPW was so happy to see that "bird" as he called it. I think during the game he spent more time looking for the "bird" than watching the game. And he loved watching the band and shaking his shaker(also hitting the man in front of us several times). We stayed until half-time because it was a night game and we had to JPW home. We had such a blast! Another fun-filled family day! I can't think of a better way to spend a Satuday than with my family!

He was napping when we first got to the game!

Daddy and JPW in their jerseys!

Ready to go in the game!

Just precious!

Right before this picture JPW said "No pictures Mommy!" ha! Got one anyways!

Holding Mommy's hand

1st time seeing the football field.

Finding our seats

Eating his hotdog and shakin his shaker!

Waiting on kickoff

Kickoff! That's a K look-eyes big and mouth opened. ha!

We told JPW to look for the "bird" so we could get a pic!

Daddy is so funny!

On the way home! War Eagle!

Happy 3rd Birthday JPW!!!

2009-09-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Our baby turned 3 years old on Tuesday! Oh my goodness I can't believe he's already three! We had such a wonderful day. We had cake at JPW's school and then took him to play golf with his new golf clubs he got for his birthday. He had a blast playing golf with Daddy! And I had a blast watching! It was such a gorgeous day yesterday to be outside. Watching JPW playing golf may me realize what a big boy he's becoming!(Tears) After golf we headed out to get dinner at Texas Roadhouse. JPW didn't know what to think when they started singing to him. He loved watching the waiters and waitresses line dance. We couldn't convince him to dance with them though. Ha!

I thought for JPWs birthday I would reflect on the things JPW has taught me.

What JPW has taught his Mommy

You have taught me about Christ's love for us
You have taught me how to become a servant in the NICU
You have taught me that the love for a child is like no other
You have taught me that if that house is in shambles it's ok you won't remember how much cleaning Mommy did rather how much playing Mommy did
You have taught me to be selfless, I would do anything for you and Daddy
You have taught me to laugh at the simpliest things
You have taught me all the silly songs I forgot I sang when I was a child
You have taught me that I will never have another best buddie like you
You have taught me that family is the most important thing after our relationship with Christ
You have taught me how to love and cherish every moment with you

JPW I love you more and more each day! I hope you had the greatest birthday ever!

Coming up next the birthday party :-)

Don't ask for Mickey Mouse cake from the Cookie Company b/c it's copyrighted and this is what you'll get! Ha! That's supposed to be Mickey's Ears

He just woke up from his nap. Excuse the bed head!

Loving his cookie cake!

Trying to get the boys to take a pic together!

Mrs. Tammy and JPW! We love her!

On the golf cart ready to play!

Teeing up!

Love this pic of my boys!

Cheese!

Driving the cart with Daddy

Family Pic at Texas Roadhouse

JPW and Aunt Robyn. He loved the Yo Gabba Gabba microphone she bought him!

Not sure about this singing!

Opening more presents after bathtime. Of course Mommy and Daddy had to get him a few extra toys besides the golf clubs

Preggo's Favorite Things

2009-09-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

I would never dare post a belly picture of myself right now! Let's say I look like I'm due tomorrow. When I was pregnant with JPW I hated getting larger. Well think goodness this time I'm ok with getting large because it was going to happen regardless. ha! I wanted to make a note of the lovely things I enjoy to eat right now. I'm just having fun eating whatever I want. I haven't gained alot of lbs. but my stomach is gigantic! Beware this post may make you hungry!

Ahh...Applejuice-I love this before I go to bed

Lek's Pud Thai...Yummo Only Problem G doesn't like it!

This is a semi-healthy dessert only 140 calories you must try...only at Publix and Winn Dixie

Yes I frequent Chickfila in the mornings for these chicken minis

I have a small addiction to these but got in trouble at the dr. the other day b/c I was dehydrated so trying to cut back...I know you're thinking oh pregnant people can't have caffiene. umm yes I can when I don't migraines occur so it's medically necessary.

Yes you can sometimes find me here for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some favs are cheese grits, hashbrowns with cheese, chicken salad and chef salad

Chick-fil-a Lemonade to go with those yummy chicken minis. See I am staying away from caffiene

I've only had Popeyes once before I got pregnant. Now more often. I just love fried chicken!

I like these as snack around 10am. ha! I don't know why.

I used to eat these year round now it's only when I'm preggo. Only 10 calories a pickle!

mmmm. Mandarin Oranges just sweet and good! I eat these at night.

I just pick these up randomly at the store when I'm in the check out line. I think they make me feel like I'm eating healthy chocolate!

Another Caffiene free drink-Cherry Limeade. Anything with cherry is so good!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle is the best here!

Good ole Kabuki! Love me some Hibachi Shrimp

A cheese calzone please! Oh my goodness just divine!

If you come in my office you will smell this....popcorn. By the way, the BEST popcorn ever is sold HERE try the chocolate carmel.

And of course.....WATER! Working on getting those 64 ounces for Dr. P and Baby W.

Tonsilectomy+Adnoidectomy+3rd Set of Tubes=Disaster

2009-09-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

So we can finally breathe now....after 2 weeks of recovery from surgery. JPW is pretty much back to usual. I want to make a public service announcement and say DO NOT do this surgery on your 2 or 3 yr old! It was an absolute nightmare to put it nicely. The surgery went as planned but the recovery was like something I've never experienced. G was really opposed to the tonsilectomy but the doctor convinced him it was needed. What can I say G is usually right when it comes to JPW as much as I hate to admit it! ha!

The day we got home from surgery was great! JPW ate like 4 popcicles, 3 cups of ice cream, drank juice and we were able to get good ole Lortab in him. Day #2 the complete opposite-no ice cream, no popsicles, nothing to drink, no medicine, and no peepee in the potty or pants which = dehydration. So off to Baptist South ER-oh geez another nightmare. They put us in a room with four other people with a curtain pulled. No swine flu patients but trauma patients(I don't know what would have been worse)-two from car accidents plus one man hemroging and hollering and one old man snoring really loud. So to say JPW was freaked out is an understatement. Oh and Mommy was freaked out too. And Daddy well he was not a happy camper. We stayed and JPW received fluids and antibiotic(b/c his blood count was high)through an IV which this is gross-but blood shot everywhere when they stuck him. I thought they were going to have to admit me as I was in hysterics.

They let us go home after 4 hours so Day #2 was finally over. After that I lost count of the days. G took off work and stayed with us for 2 days thank goodness. JPW still refused his medicine-ever tried to reason with an almost 3 yr old on why he should take his medicine. Well it doesn't work! We wrestled, held down, shut his mouth, mixed it with things, we tried everything. I would have inserted it rectally if I could have. 7 days passed by so back to the doctor because he still had no relief and was bleeding. Of course our pediatrician was off that day so we got to see the very last doctor I ask for when I need an appt. He told us it was his adnoids that were bleeding so he would be ok. I requested a shot of pain medicine and guess what they don't have pain meds in their office. Nice! He told me to get him some choclate milk to coat his throat. Choclate milk? Seriously, I just paid $25 for a dr to tell me to buy choclate milk. There was no other pain med he could prescribe us that would taste better or not hurt JPW's throat. So he sent us on our way telling us JPW would turn the corner in the next few days. Ughhh.

So the saga continued...JPW woke up every hour screaming at night and could not stay with anyone other than mommy. I can tell you I felt more needed the last two weeks than I have in entire my life. Have you ever tried to go to the bathroom with a 30+ pound child in your lap along with a huge preggo belly. It's quite comical!

I would have done anything for JPW that week and a half. Whatever he wanted he got. I would have woke up every 30 minutes if needed just to make him better. I'm just so thankful it's all over. We'll see if the end results were worth it. At this point I still don't think I would do it again.

And guess what JPW has now learned to say "I don't feel good Mommy...I think I need a milkshake" Of course after he's all better he learns how to tell me how he's feeling and doesn't refuse milk shakes!

Thanks for all of your prayers for us! They were definitely felt!

At home right after surgery

All better and lovin his ice cream cone!

He Is With You

2009-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

I heard this song for the first time today and I thought it was a really amazing song! Hope it reminds each of you that "He is with you" no matter what you're facing. Happy Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3CVlv2dz3w

"The Lord your God is with you" 1 Chronicles 22:18

Officially Outnumbered

2009-08-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I ran by the doctors office to pick up my pregnancy kit they give you at your first appt. I left mine when I went to see Dr. P a few weeks ago. I decided I probably needed it since they give you a list of meds you can take and I can't remember any of those from when I was pregnant with JPW. So I called my wonderful friend at the doctor office and she got my kit for me and I ran by to pick it up. I didn't even park in a parking spot. I went in and we chatted. Then she said you want to peek at it(baby)? My friend is an ultrasound tech. I was like of course I want to see the baby! She said I think it may be a little early to see if its a boy or a girl. She then scanned the baby's bottom and there is was.... a WEE WEE! My first thought was.....Oh no G isn't with me! But there wasn't anything I could do. I saw "it" before she even said anything.

So I'm officially outnumbered in the W household. Everyone is male including the dogs! I'll go back for another check on Sept. 11th just to make sure that wee wee has disappeared. ha! I was only 12 weeks last week so was extremely early to find out. We'll probably hold out on buying anything till our next visit.

I immediately called G when I left and he headed to my office. I didn't have alot of time to prepare anything to tell him. So I printed a note off the computer that said "it's a boy!" G was super excited! I know he'll enjoy having another golf buddy around! And of course I'm just as excited! There's nothing like mommy's little boys!

Next step.... names! If you remember with JPW it was a HUGE ordeal deciding on a name G and I both liked. Then we named him and later realized it was the same name as some loser quarterback. Oh well! So do you have any name suggestions?? If so, post a comment.

Proud Daddy!

JPW Unplugged

2009-08-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I just realized I haven't posted in over a month! I've been a little preoccupied with life, getting rest, and trying to feel good :-) JPW has really shown an interest in guitars and drums lately. It could be something all kids go through I don't know. I'm thinking little man maybe a musician! We're looking into getting him some guitar or drum lessons. I'm pulling for the guitar-b/c of less noise :-) Below are a few clips of JPW playing the guitar. We've created a monster he gets really mad when the guitar has to go "night-night" He is using the ear of his Mr. Potato Head as his pic. We didn't even show him that-he went running around the house looking for "my pic, my pic". Kelli, your Mr. Potato Head is being put to good use. Ha!

No More Monkeys Jumpin on the Bed

ABCs

God is Faithful!

2009-07-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

So I've been keeping a little secret...I'M PREGNANT! The other part to this secret is that we've been "trying" for 7 months. Oh and how long these 7 months have been! With JPW it took a year so I knew it wouldn't come easy again. I didn't tell but a close friend about us trying only because it's so stressful and I didn't want to be asked about it. Last month I was at my breaking point(not really but close) but I was just frustrated. I finally decided to let it go. I did tell myself if it didn't work out this month I was going in to see Dr. P to pray with me. Last time we were trying I went in his office and he reminded me it was in God's timing and then he prayed with me. I could do a whole post on my dr and how amazing he is but I'll save that for another day. So I did the ovulation kits and counted my days etc. This month G went to California for a week which happened to be my ovulation week. I just told myself it wouldn't be this month either. I have prayed, prayed and prayed more. Well God is faithful and blessed us with another baby! Waiting is so, so hard!When we were going through all of this "trying" I just knew the Lord just wanted us to have JPW. I guess I was wrong! I just can't imagine the stress on people who try for years. If you are one of those people "trying" I would love to pray for you. I really want to be there for people struggling with this.

So I took a test on Saturday. I was only a few days late which isn't unusual for my wacky cycle. I couldn't believe what I saw "PREGNANT". I thought No Way! I called my friend b/c I had to tell someone. I know you're thinking how could you tell a friend before G? Well G was playing golf so I had to come up with a plan to announce it to him and I didn't want to do it over the phone. My sister and I were running errands and I knew I had to get to Storkland somehow. I told her "I need to stop by Storkland to get something for a FP baby" she was like "Kim we were just at Target" She wouldn't let it go so I had to tell her that I needed to go in and buy a Big Brother t-shirt. Really wasn't the way I wanted to tell her. Oh well!

So we got JPW a Big Brother shirt and I got a cookie cake to announce it to G. He came in from golf and JPW was sitting next to the cake in his shirt. G was so excited! I really don't think he was expecting it. JPW also said "I'm a big bruder" It was so precious! So here's the pictures from the big announcement below. Please pray for us. It's completely different going through this-this time after all we went through with JPW. We know that whatever happens is God's will and we want nothing more than to bring Him glory. Baby #2 will arrive around February 28th!

"For the Lord is a faithful God" Isaiah 30:18

Waiting on Daddy-He wanted to touch it so bad!

Proud Daddy and Big Brother

The soon-to-be family of four!

The Best Big Brother ever!

My Kid Says the Darndest Things

2009-06-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Last night we were putting JPW to bed. Below is the conversation G and JPW had.

G-"JPW who do you want to thank Jesus for?"

JPW-"Ummm Bobyn(Robyn), and Donalds (translation McDonalds)"

We were cracking up! He was thanking Jesus for good ole McDonalds! How precious is that! I can't do a post without a picture so below is a picture I took a few weeks ago. Yes, JPW has a baby. We bought it when JPW was potty training. You can feed the baby and it goes potty. We would tell JPW to watch Baby go potty. Now he has a huge attachment to "Baby" as he calls him. "Baby" has to be covered up every night with JPW. My son is so sweet! Guess we'll have to get rid of "Baby" eventually but gosh it's just cute right now!

Need Help in the Kitchen?

2009-06-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine gave me the link to this great website E-mealz! You sign-up for $5 a month and you receive easy dinner recipes weekly. It seems like I cook the same things over and over so I'm excited about some new dinners! Along with recipes you specify the store you shop at and it gives you a price breakdown and a grocery list. This price divides out to be $1.25 a week. I don't mind paying someone that to make my grocery list! I hate making my grocery list! And I sure could use some budgeting help at the grocery store! I never come out of the grocery store under $200 every other week! Isn't that insane? I thought after JPW got out of diapers my cost would be cut some but apparently I've found somewhere else to spend that $20 because I'm still not saving any money. So I'm trying this website out. Dave Ramsey recommends it too! By the way if you type in "Dave" as the promotional code you receive $2.50 off. Try it out and let me know what you think. I'll post my progress soon! Happy Cooking!

Please Pray for Our Friends!

2009-06-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

Mike and April Reed are very special friends of ours. They have a precious 5 month old son Trent. Mike has been fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma for 10 years. Yesterday they went to the doctor and found out that his chemo was not doing it's job. He is starting a new chemo today. Please pray that he is healed. Mike has an amazing testimony! They are a family of incredible faith and courage. Please pray for the Reed family! You can visit their site HERE

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you." Isaiah 41:10

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

2009-06-11T19:43:00.001-07:00

JPW has a new favorite song (we've try to get him away from the phone song) it's Take Me Out to the Ball Game! JPW has his own spin on it-there are 10 strikes instead of 3. Yall will be proud I'm not driving this time while recording-G is driving. Don't you just love JPW's vacuum! He carries it everywhere! Hope yall enjoy! I think we have a performer on our hands!

You have to pause the music player to the right to hear this.

Amazing Concert

2009-06-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

We took JPW to his first concert Friday night to see Casting Crowns! I don't know of a better band that we could have taken him to see. He was so excited! JPW LOVES music! It was cloudy all day and we had a few showers so we weren't sure if we were going to be able to go. We got there and gave JPW his ticket. He was just walking in like he knew exactly what to do. Along with the great weather-JPW was on his BEST behavoir!

One of the most amazing things happened. When Casting Crowns was playing "Praise You in this Storm" The sun dropped down from behind these dark clouds. And shined across the whole crowd. I know that was the Lord shining down on us! The Burnham family weighed on my heart at that time. They are coming up on the anniversary of little Matthew going to heaven on June 20th. Please keep them in your prayers. When that sun shined down on us I knew he was reminding me to always praise him in all the storms we face in life. What an amazing God we serve!

Here's some pics of JPW's 1st concert and one AMAZING night!

My Kid Says the Darndest Things!

2009-06-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

JPW says some of the most hilarious things! I keep telling myself I'm going to write them down so I'll remember them. So I decided to start blogging them here. Welcome to the 1st edition of My Kid Says the Dardest Things! Please feel free to copy this to your blog and do your own edition! Even if your little one isn't making words yet-please do this. I miss those days of cooing! And if anyone can create a blog button for this I would be so appreciative! I never realized how complicated those things are to make!

JPW and I were on the way home the other day and JPW proceeded to say "I'm gonna spank you Mommy" Well I was driving, of course, and instead of correcting him I'm pulled out my camera to try and get him to repeat it. Watch the video below and Enjoy watching a two-year old threaten to spank his mommy. It was cute this time but next time I'm sure I won't be pulling my camera out first!

"The Pone Song" also known as "The Phone Song"

2009-06-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Ha! Ok so I love "booty music" as I refer to it! And it looks as the my boy has picked up this from his Mommy. I'm careful about what we listen to not only for him but for me too. He loves this song and he gets really mad when the song ends. I told G we've got to get this burned to a CD. Watch this video....yes I'm driving and recording again. I'm watching the road and holding the camera behind me. No comments from the peanut gallery...they may have outlawed texting but they haven't outlawed photography/videography in the car. ha! Enjoy the future JPDUBB!
Oh and he is getting a haircut on Tuesday!

Bestest Friends in the Whole World!

2009-06-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Do you have that one friend that you can tell anything? A friend that will be there no matter what? A friend that will pray with you over the phone? A friend that you call when you have that really big decision to make? A friend that you just instantly clicked with? Well that friend for me is Beth! And she moved this weekend to Georgia! Boo Hoo! I'm super excited for her and Jon! And I'm so proud of them for following the Lord's will for their life! I could write pages and pages about how much they mean to me and G! The Lord brought the 4 of us together for a reason and our lives have been blessed by their incredible friendship! We had a going away party for them last week. It was so great to have all of their friends in one place. We are going to miss them sooo much! We know that these past 5 years are is just the beginning of the lifetime friendship we'll have with them! We love you Jon, Beth and Tanner!!!

JPW's 1st Swimming Lesson!

2009-06-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today was JPW 1st swimming lesson! I almost drown twice as a child so we knew if JPW got my swimming skills we may be in trouble. Ha! It makes me so nervous when he's around water! I was a little worried about how he would do today but he do SOOOO Good! Mommy was so proud! When we first got there he was like no way but then Mrs. K got him to get in the pool. One of the other teachers had to hold him for a little while but then he warmed up. The parents stay on the porch-I had to hide behind bushes so he wouldn't see me. He kicked around the pool, put his head under water and jumped off the side! He is the youngest in the group-she usually doesn't take kids until they're 3 years old. He was so happy when they were done. He said "Mommy I kicked" I took him to get a Sno Cone after his hard day at swimming lessons. He got "Bue" thats blue. Ha! I'm excited to see what they'll do tomorrow!

My cutie before swimming lessons

One of the teachers holding JPW

Kick-Kick

Swimming through the hula hoop!

Why I Love Being a Mommy...

2009-05-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

So I had a awesome Mother's Day! I won't bore you with all the details. I love Mother's Day! I get to celebrate my mom who is absolutely incredible. She raised my sister and I all by herself and I think we turned out perfect! She worked two jobs and one included being a factory worker. Did yall ever watch that show Grace Under Fire that would be my mom. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I also have an awesome mother-in-law too! She did an outstanding job raising Glenn to treat me well! She makes me feel like a daughter! And she is a wonderful mawmaw too! I couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law!

Now to me being a Mommy....Well I have had some great examples to go by so of course I'm perfect! ha! Not even close... I'm learning along the way! I lose my temper sometimes, I get frustrated and sometimes I'm just slap tired. But I wouldn't trade it for anything! Motherhood is one thing I never want to take for granted!

Here's why I Love Being a Mommy....

I love that God sent JPW to me for a divine purpose(FP Ministry)
I love remembering the first moment I held him at 5 days old
I love holding his little hand

I love seeing that big smile
I love seeing him run to me when I pick him up from school
I love hearing him sing songs about Jesus

I love watching him in the rear view mirror on the way to school

I love his big hugs and wet kisses

I love saying prayers with him every night

I love taking him to the park
I love seeing him playing with his Daddy
I love being the one to make his boo boos all better

I love snuggling with him at night

I love how he plays with my hair

I love how he dips everything in Ranch or Ketchup(like mom has to have a "dip")

I love hearing him say "Mommy I stinkied"(he tooted!)

I love how he says he's sorry when he's done something wrong-melts my heart
I love singing with him

I love going on walks with him

I love reading to him

I love that he's my buddy
I love holding him
I love every moment with him

I love that my love for him grows stronger and stronger everyday!

I love that the Lord gave me the opportunity of raising a child!

I love him more than any words could ever express!

Thank you JPW and G for making my Mother's Day so wonderful! Your Mommy Loves You So Much!

We Needed an Ark!

2009-05-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today was very eventful at work! Most of you know where I work and if you don't know where I work you probably shouldn't be reading my blog. Just kidding....I blog stalk too! I won't post the name of my employer because I'm funny like that. Anyways, Montgomery had a torrential downpour. I've never seen anything like this. It was coming through the doors and there was nothing we could do to stop it. It was up to my ankles. And in the parking lot the guys ran out to move cars and it was up to their waist. It covered several cars in the parking lot up past their doors. I was parked on the other side. Thank goodness everyone is safe at work and our house is fine. It makes me want to sing

Rain, rain go away

Come again another day(of course not like this)!

Hope you and your family are safe and dry!

See it just flooding in at the bottom

the sand didn't help-we didn't have alot

that's water you see the reflection in

My Desire...To Be Used By You

2009-05-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is a very special day in more ways than one! I will post my Mommy post soon. Another reason Mother's Day is so, so special to me is this time last year I accepted my calling into Ministry on Mother's Day last year. I hope in sharing this with you-someone's heart will be touched. I hope it encourages someone to jump.

So how did I know I was being "called"? Well, I just knew. I was at a point where I was ready to sell, move, and give up all of my possessions and plans for the future. I'm such a planner-get married, have x-amount of children by 30, live here and do this so this was so out of character. And of course I talked it over with my pastor. I have never in my life been so passionate about sharing Christ with others. After beginning Footprints the Lord placed this passion in my heart. It is unexplainable. I wish I could give just an ounce of it to everyone. I'm at the point in my life where I just want to share it with everyone. Ask Robyn-I'll even talk to people at Pizza Hut about it. ha!

What did I do after my "calling"-that sounds so serious doesn't it? I prayed and prayed. I still wasn't sure where and what to do. So I sat still and listened. I was working for a law firm that I loved, handling Footprints on the side. Things were great! Then one morning the pastor called looking for G. He knew G had to lay off some employees and the pastor had an opening as his assistant. I was like Bro. David that would be perfect for me. I was literally in tears-have you ever had one of those God moments? It was like "Hello, Lord you called me this morning" Well it wasn't just handed to me. I had to interview and then discuss pay. Oh goodness-that was the clincher-a pay cut. Hmmm...that's wasn't going to work. So then I prayed more and more. You know when you're about to make a decision, you just want the Lord to shine a bright light down and say "Kim take this job, it will be ok" It did not make since on paper. But I had a peace about it so I jumped. And since then we have been blessed beyond measure in all areas of our life.

So now, I feel like I'm finally serving where I'm supposed to be. It is amazing! I can work and do Footprints. I look back now and think wow-the Lord knew exactly what he was doing. I just had to TRUST him. Now, this doesn't mean I won't be called to something else. I'm praying- Lord where you lead me I will follow.

If you are at a point of not sure what road to take. Pray, Pray, Pray. Then follow where the Lord is leading you! He has a plan for everyone!

All this stuff here on earth isn't going with us....So do something that will last and change the hearts of people eternally and share your faith with someone today.

So with this said "This is my Desire....To Be Used By You"

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him" 1 Timothy 1:12

Last Mother's Day making my decision public at church

Meltdowns, Manners(or lack of!) and M&Ms

2009-04-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

So Robyn and I had a great plan Friday night after a long day at work-Let's go to Eastside Grille and sit on the patio and listen to the band. Great idea! Right? The boys will love listening to the music. Well there were a few warning signs-Cooper wanted to ride with me and JPW wanted to ride with Aunt Robyn aka My Robyn. Then once Cooper was straped in NOOOOO!! He didn't want to ride with Aunt Kim but guess what? He did. Then we said hey let's all ride together. NOOO! JPW wasn't having it. So Cooper rode on with me and JPW with His Robyn. They were not happy campers but we were not doing McDonalds again!

We get to Eastside Grille-no seats outside of course! So we proceeded to eat inside. We requested a booth. It's the safest bet to keep the boys in their seat. Well, look what they sat us beside.

Oh yes, the lovely candy dispenser! Ok so JPW didn't notice it at first, well the first 5 minutes. After the boys decided to fight over the two Thomas the trains, we took them away. Then next "My M&Ms" over and over and over. I kept telling JPW "after we eat buddy". Uh, no that wasn't good enough. JPW decided to hit me! I know yall are all thinking my kid would NEVER hit me but just wait till they turn 2! We took a little trip to the bathroom I asked "JPW what do you say?" We always make him apologize when he's in trouble-He said "Thank you Mommy" ha! Just made me laugh! So after our trip to the bathroom and back to the table. He started to scream. I mean scream! Like his head was going to start spinning at any moment. The poor people in the booth behind us! So I had enough "Robyn I'm going home" The boys hadn't even received their food. We got to the car and Robyn called "the food is here"

So attempt number 2....what was I thinking? We go back in and again "My M&Ms" I would have paid $1000 for a quarter. We didn't have one! I flagged the waitress down, "Maam can we please have a quarter" She brought us two. Yes-I tipped her big! So it turned into quite a comical night-I decided to take lots of pictures for this here little bloggy.

I failed to mention my son has an obsession with butter. He's a Butter Boy! He was dipping chips, M&Ms and his grilled cheese in it. I did not even care! At this point-whatever makes him happy. Oh and Robyn and I hadn't even ordered-we just stuck with our appetizer so we could get out of there quick! We were on borrowed time! So lesson learned-if they seem a little ill, don't attempt to take them in public.

After we got home-I watched Grey's that I had DVRed. And thought I'll take this kind of night any day before going through what that Daddy went through. So even though it was quite an ordeal-I'm so thankful to have a healthy son that I can take out in public(behaving or misbehaving)

PS-if you see us in a restaurant BEWARE-2yr old in training!

Look at all that Butter!

Watch out-head is about to spin

Here Goes Cooper under the table for his meltdown

Thank you Lord for M&Ms!

Finally he got "My M&Ms"

Chips & Butter-Great Combination!

Butter Boy!

Happy Anniversary Glenn!

2009-04-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our 7 year anniversary! That sounds like such a long time! We've been together for 9 years! I can't tell you how much Glenn has blessed my life! I would have never imagined I could be as happy as I am! He is my best friend and the greatest daddy in the world. I just wanted to write a few things I'm thankful for that Glenn does for me

*He gets up every morning and cooks JPW's breakfast
*He gets JPW dressed for school
*He empties and loads the dishwasher every morning
*He loads JPW in the car every morning
*He takes me to lunch at least once a week
*He works VERY hard at his job
*He is a wonderful provider for JPW and me
*He handles all of our Finances(what a headache!)
*He encouragers me to be my best
*He supports me and all the work I do with FP
*He dresses up as Santa and the Easter Bunny for the NICU (He really does love it)
*He makes me laugh
*He prays with me and JPW everyday
*He is the spiritual leader in our house
*He watches Desperate Housewives,Grey's Anatomy, and Jon and Kate plus 8 (he hates Kate)with me
*He is a great Daddy!
*He's hilarious when he reads JPW's books in his character voices(he's got Elmo down pat)
*He makes me so Happy
*He is my best friend
*He makes me laugh(i know i already said it)
*He is my dream come true!

I Love You Glenn!
Happy Anniversary!

"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Easter

2009-04-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend! We went to JPW's daycare Easter egg hunt and party on Friday. He had such a great time! Can I brag on my husband? He's always the only dad at the parties at school. This makes me so proud that he takes time away from work to come to them. I know JPW LOVES having his Daddy there.

Saturday our Sunday School Class had an Easter Egg Hunt at Deer Creek and G dressed up as the Easter Bunny. We had so much fun!! The kids really enjoyed it. Can I tell you that G put the Easter Bunny Costume on backwards so the tail of the bunny was in his lower region. Ha! Seriously we laughed and laughed at him! The zipper which is supposed to be down his back was right down the front. Look at the pics so funny! Saturday we also had our annual Easter Bunny visits at the NICUs here. I'll be blogging on that more on the FP website soon. It was amazing! A wonderful reminder of how blessed we are and a time to reflect on where we've been.

Saturday night we dyed Easter eggs for the 1st time! We almost weren't able to because Mommy didn't know it required Vinegar. But Daddy to the rescue..we had red wine vinegar that he uses for his salads and it worked like a charm. JPW loved dying the eggs. He didn't quite understand that they would break if he threw them so most of the eggs were cracked. Mommy thought they were just beautiful cracked and all!

Sunday we woke up to what the Easter Bunny left! It didn't take JPW long at all to find his basket! He tried to open every piece of candy. He was super excited about his new Thomas the Train set! I was excited to find I got an Easter basket this year too! Mommy never gets a basket and JPW and Daddy always do. So can I brag on my hubbie again! Thank You! We went to church of course! JPW did not want to part with Daddy's Bible. You'll see it in all of the pictures. I think it's a sign I need to get JPW a Bible to carry to church. He kept saying "My Bible" I had to wrestle him for literally in his Sunday School class then he threw it. To the bathroom we went to have "our little talk" Throwing Bibles? I mean really....and on Easter.....he was in BIG trouble. Church was wonderful as always! G did a great job teaching Sunday School. It's funny how we live together and he always teaches me things I never knew in SS. After church we headed to G's aunt's house. We decided this year to rotate family visits on Easter so we're not trying to hit up two families in one afternoon. We had a yummy lunch and a great visit.

Hope you all had a Wonderful Easter! God is so good!!!

"He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!" Mark 16:6

Happy Easter!

Daycare Party

JPW and Cooper

Hunting Eggs with His Friends

Found One

JPW's best friend!

The Infamous Backwards Bunny!

Family Pic with Bunny(AKA Daddy)

He did so Good!

Aunt Robyn AKA "My Robyn" as JPW calls her

Got it!

Hunting with Mommy

All the Alpha Sunday School Kids

Dying Eggs

So Happy

His Beautiful Eggs!

What the Easter Bunny Brought

LOVED his Thomas the Train!

At Church with Daddy

Walking into Church

So Excited about His Bible or rathe Daddy's Bible

Handsome Little Man

Cousins at Church

JPW and our Children's Minister Mrs. Jennifer

JPW's annual pic with Bro. David

Ashton Dickey and JPW

Family Photo At Church

Spring is Here!

2009-04-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

My most favorite time of year is Spring time! I just LOVE it! Not too hot-not too cold!

We recently took JPW for his first fishing trip to the pond in the neighborhood. Daddy just tied one of the red and white balls(what are those called?) to the end of JPW's fishing pole. He had a a great time! He loved watching the ball fly into the water. If there were any fish-he scared them off!

I was a nervous wreck, of course, just having him near the water. I really don't think he's the least bit scared of water. He kept saying "Mummy look wuter" He's taking swimming lessons this summer so hopefully that will help ease my fears some. Although I took swim lessons and almost drowned twice. Oh Lord please give him Daddy's swimming skills.

I love just hanging out with G and JPW! Can I just tell you how blessed I am! My hubbie and son mean the absolute world to me! It's in these moments I just sit back and thank God! My life is blessed beyond measure!

"Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed" Deuteronomy 28:6

Life can't get better than this!

Such an amazing Daddy!

Doesn't he look like a big boy!

My little man!

B-L-E-S-S-E-D

It's Been Awhile

2009-03-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

I just realized it's been a month since I've updated the ole blog here. We've been super busy with JPW, Footprints events, and the day to day hustle. I'm going to try to catch you up with us in a few posts. Since it snowed almost a month ago I will start with that first.

We woke up Sunday morning and it was snowing! I mean snowing! Not just the normal Montgomery Snow/Rain mix. It was beautiful! The whole family was outside by 6:30am! JPW is really getting interested in rain so he was sooo excited to see snow. He kept saying "it snoooowing" Of course Cousin Cooper came over to play with us! Those boys are the bestest buddies! Daddy showed JPW how to make snow balls! And we made a homemade sled. I knew those Huggies boxes would come in handy. ha! That picture was actually in the Montgomery Independant too. It was JPW 1st appearance in the Independant. Mommy was so proud!

We really enjoyed the snow! After a good time outside we headed in to get ready for church. It continued to come down while we were there. JPW's Sunday School class got to play in it at church. Which by the way, I left his jacket at home. How could a mommy forget her son's jacket when it's snowing. ha! Only me!

I am glad I don't live up North. The snow was pretty for awhile but I definitely wouldn't want to have it everyday!

Hope your family had fun in the snow too! Now it's time for Spring! My favorite time of the year!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition in Montgomery

2009-02-23T17:14:00.001-08:00

This past week Extreme Makeover was in Montgomery! I wasn't able to volunteer but I was there for the big "Move that Bus" event! My wonderful employer was a sponsor so I was able to go today. We got there at 11am today and the "move that bus" was at 2pm. It wasn't quite as crowded as I imagined. I guess with it being a work day it kept alot of people from participating. We learned alot today about the production of the show. Like they did drive thrus with the limo and no family in it and made us all scream for the cameras so they could get several shots. They also moved that bus several times too. I was about worn out before the family even got there.

Ty also came running down the street and gave us a high five. I don't think he's quite as hot as everyone think he is. He looks old to me. But I will say my hands were shaking like I just met McDreamy from Grey's. I'm quite a dork I know. We also had a few small signs. ha! Of course I had to make one for Footprints. I doubt me or the sign got on tv but I figured might as well. I mean really do you EVER read any of those signs when you're watching the show. I don't!

Anyways, the time finally arrived for the family to arrive. And of course I screamed and screamed! You'll here me in the video below. ha! Usually I cry watching the reveal but I was too distracted with recording and taking pictures. The Jordan family was so excited! I think I would faint if that were us or any of our family. Anyways, see below for the pics and videos! It was fun fun fun!

The House

Adam and Jeremy

The Best Staff EVER

Lindsey had to love this!

Jeremy with his new friends

People Everywhere

Production guy telling us to scream and not look at the cameras

More Ty

More Ty high fiving!

Move that Bus!

Seeing their house

My Most Favorite Time of Day!

2009-02-12T18:30:00.001-08:00

Below is a video of my most favorite time of day-prayer time with JPW! He did leave a few people out tonight but his prayers change day to day. He loves each and everyone of you! This just melts my heart! Thank you Lord for our precious son!

"But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” Matthew 19:14

My Car Riding Complex in a Commercial

2009-02-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

So I just saw the funniest commercial of the Super Bowl and it reminded me quite of myself riding in the car with G or for that matter riding with anyone other than when I'm driving. I have a serious serious problem and fear of car wrecks. My hands sweat when we travel and if it's a trip over 3 hours it's not even worth going. Friends have made me ride in the back seat so I won't drive them crazy! And now JPW says "whoa" in the car too so I think I've passed it on. Ha! Poor G! Too bad my lips can't fall off! Enjoy! Click Here to see the commercial! Click on the play button to the right.

School Days!

2009-01-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well after all the daycare drama we've been through over the past 2 years, we're finally happy! JPW is going to daycare with me at work for $35 a week! It has been wonderful! He has been here since November and seems to like it alot. He likes it even more now that "Poopers" has now started too. The easiest transition for Cooper was to ride to school with Aunt K and JPW. Robyn has been worrying about Cooper adjusting and everyday I've been telling her once we start driving to school Cooper gets so happy and sings and talks. I'm not so sure she believed me so I snapped this picture this week on the way to school. Yes I'm driving and taking pictures. See the trees in the background? ha! I couldn't resist taking this one. It was not staged! I turned around and saw them holding hands and quickly grabbed my camera. Isn't it the sweetest picture ever! I have to say I'm very blessed to have JPW and a wonderful nephew Cooper! They both bring so much joy into our lives! I couldn't imagine life without either one of these two boys! The Lord definitely knew what he was doing when he blessed my sister and I with children. I enjoy every single moment on the way to school everyday!