Friday, November 30, 2007

Round one...

We celebrated Anna's Birthday....just the five of us....last night. She opened presents, we ate pizza and had cake. We had worship practice that evening, but she did get phone calls and birthday wishes from lots of family members (thank-you!!). She is a blessed little girl. And she loved all the attention :) Below we have Anna, Daddy, and her very excited brothers helping her open presents.
Here we are with the "flutta-fly" (butterfly) cake. Anna has a mild obsession with butterflies so Will helped me decorate a butterfly cake for her. When I showed it to her, she guessed what it was. That's all that matters, right?
" Happy Birthday Dear Anna.......Happy Birthday to YOU!" She was very excited to blow out her candle, she actually blew it out before we finished singing.
This is Anna's "sweet" face. The scrunched up smile with eyes closed. I don't know how she learned this but whenever we ask for the sweet face, this is what we get!
Looking proud to be 2.....and ready for some cake!

Stay tuned for round 2 pictures coming soon. We celebrate with cousin Halle who's turning 7, on Sunday!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Go Ducks!

Craig will love this picture. Anna found his Ducks hat and was wearing it all around the house. Saturday is the big Civil War game, so I thought it appropriate to post this picture. Go Ducks!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Anna's story.....


Here I sit almost two years later, finally typing out Anna's story for her scrapbook. I knew I would get to it at some point. Read on if you so desire (warning, it's LONG):

I had a wonderful pregnancy. Those pregnancy hormones really seemed to agree with me and after the initial weeks of nausea, I started to fell better than ever. I really felt like you were going to be a girl, early on, and at about 13 weeks, I mentioned the name Anna to your daddy in conversation at a restaurant. It was funny because it literally had just popped into my head at that moment, yet it felt like the perfect name. Daddy agreed that he liked it, too, so inside I knew if you were a girl you would be Anna. Later, just weeks before my ultrasound, I suddenly got a feeling that I was going to be the mother of three boys. I talked to the Lord, prayed and cried about this reality and felt a
complete peace at whatever sex you would be. It sounds so selfish and insignificant, now, but I really did WANT and girl, yet I knew I would be completely ecstatic with whatever the Lord chose to bless me with.


The day of your ultrasound....still convinced you were a boy, the tech searched around to tell us what you were. She couldn't get a real clear picture so she did all the other measurements and then had me go pee and come back....when I layed back down she tried to look again and said...."here I've got a clear view now" and clicked on the fact that you were a GIRL! I immediately started crying and laughing at the same time.... let me tell you it can be pretty embarrassing and I even snorted a few times. But I didn't care. You were a girl, I could hardly believe it!


When we left the hospital we started calling everyone to tell them you were a girl. The boys were at Aunt Paige's house with Aunt Brooke as well, so we decided to stop and buy an '"it's a girl" balloon to share the news with them. As we walked in the front door both my sisters came around the corner with expectant looks on their faces. They saw the balloon and immediately we were all jumping, screaming and hugging each other there in the entryway. It is one moment I will never forget.

The days leading up to your birth were quite busy and to tell the truth I'm sure I over did it. With all those pregnancy hormones raging through my body I had decided that we needed to our tree up and our house fully decorated for Christmas before I went in to have you. The day after Thanksgiving (4 days before your arrival) I was up at the crack of dawn and in Freddies at 5am for my annual after Thanksgiving day shopping extravaganza. I also went to the Nutcracker that evening. Sheesh....is it any wonder that on the eve of your birth I was hit with a horrible migraine right before bed? I took my medicine, but couldn't sleep. I was in pain and completely stressed out, but I remember feeling you roll and bump around inside of me like crazy that night. Like you were ready to come out. I lay awake thanking God for this, my last night of pregnancy and became very expectant and nervous about the day to come. That morning we had been told we were scheduled for 7:30am. Being the third time around I don't know why I assumed that meant be at the hospital at 7:30, but at 6:40 that morning right as we were preparing to leave we get a call from a crabby nurse scolding me for not being at the hospital at 6am. Come to find out 7:30 was the time they were suppose to be getting you out!

I felt like we had to rush out the door which made me even more nervous. When we got to the hospital and I was getting checked in I felt like I was going to throw up. For me, too much information was a bad thing, and having been through the c-section twice before all I could think about was the needle going into my back. When the nurse took my resting heart rate I think it was something like 130 beats/minutes she made the comment that we were rushing too much and freaking me out. She was right! But it was time to get started and once the spinal was in, I was relaxed and happy :). You came out at 8:14 am..... and cried and cried and cried. You were the only one of our babies who kept crying even after being wrapped up. But you were perfect in every way. Our little girl had arrived.

Back in the recovery room, I once again got incredible shakes and had to be given some drugs for that. They worked well. Your brothers were first to come see you. They had been at the hospital that morning and daddy brought them in. I will never forget the looks on their faces as they saw you for the first time. This little two and four year old were in complete awe and totally taken with you, their baby sister. Their faces completely lit up and they were so amazed at how tiny you were. That is another one of those moments I will never forget.

We got to take you home on December 2nd in a bright red stocking. I was so excited when they came around the day before and put stockings on the doors. 29 years prior I had gone home in a red stocking, which I still have. That was another special moment for me.

The rest is history. Bringing you home was one the most exciting and exhausting stages of my like thus far. I felt like I merely just survived the first few months, but survived I did, and everyday you have brought so much joy to our family. You were a blessing on that day almost two years ago. As I watch you grow and mature to all of two years I am amazed by what I see. My baby is no longer a baby....you are moving toward independence in so many ways. I wish I could go back....if even just for a day and cuddle you, watch you as you lay sleeping, so small in your crib. But time passes, and so I am reminded in this moment to cherish who you are, each and everyday. I'm so excited to see who you will become. I love you my sweet Annie-Beth! Happy 2nd Birthday.

Love,
mommy




Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Pies & Potters


Yesterday we made turkey cupcakes....I copied the idea from the family fun magazine. Mine weren't nearly as cute, but they were yummy! Earlier the boys were discussing turkey's while I was driving. Wyatt's comment was, "turkey's don't have bottoms, their legs just come out of their bodies." It was funny.
Will and I just got finished making our Thanksgiving pies. Right now I have pumpkin and apple cranberry stuessel pie in the oven and let me tell ya, my house smells really good. I don't know if there's anything better than those yummy cinnamon spice smells this time of year.

I asked the boys what they were thankful for. Will replied, "legos" and Wyatt's answer was, "mommy, daddy, my sweet little cupcake girl Anna, my house, wrestling with daddy, playing tea set with mommy....." and that's where I stopped. My boys are so different.

This week I started reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. Here is a passage from the book that I loved. As you read, think about how this pertains to your unique children.

"I have a friend who is a potter. He told me that he can only create the type of pot the clay he is working with will allow him to create. The clay is not merely passive in his hands. The clay responds to him. Some clay is elastic and supple. Some clay is crumbly and hard to shape."

Here's what I learned: don't fight your clay. Work with the clay you have been given. As you mold it, it will actively respond to you in a good or bad way. Realize that you are not creating identical pots. Each one was designed by the Master Potter to be different. The final product is for you to discover, along with the clay.

How encouraging.

Happy Thanksgiving!



Saturday, November 17, 2007

It's official!

Anna is officially out of the crib. A couple weeks ago she had another incident in the middle of the night where she tried to climb out and pinned her foot between the crib and the wall. She was in there screaming and it totally freaked me out. So I decided I had definitely put this off long enough and the next morning she moved to the crib mattress on the floor. It's been challenging getting her to stay in her "bed" to go to sleep, but lately she seems to be getting the hang of it. The night waking still happens every once in a while (we are waiting the LAST baby tooth to pop through!) and last night I heard her crying. It sounded like she was up out of her bed, in the hall, but then she stopped crying and in my 1/2 asleep state I figured she had gotten back in her bed, and I fell back asleep without checking on her. Later, about 4am, I had to get up and go the the bathroom so I decided to check on her. Of course she wasn't in her room......what was I thinking? I headed to the boys room where I found her and Wyatt curled up together in his bed. Too cute, I guess she needed someone to snuggle with. And we ALWAYS take her back to her bed if she gets in with us. So, she's learning! I would have taken a picture to post, but c'mon, it was 4am!

Friday, November 09, 2007

The right equasion

1 cute but mischievous toddler, completely obsessed with the bathroom sink and toilet +
1 play dough rolling pin =

yep, she flushed it (without me knowing)! I plunged the heck out of it all day, but could never get it to fully drain. My hero, Craig, saved the day by getting a toilet "snake" and figuring out there was definitely something in there. He had to pull out the toilet and reach up to push the object out. He deserves the husband of the year award!

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Autumn Leaves

Creation brings an offering as autumn leaves turn to gold......
.....the trees bow down in highest praise, now laid bare before the throne."
~Lyrics from On the Third Day by Michael Olson.


Pictures in the park ~ Anna "almost" 2 years


More of the three.....






"Who is that handsome blondie with your children?", you ask.


It is my husband, who dyed his hair as the result of a Jog-a-thon incentive!


We took these pictures Sunday afternoon, hoping to get one of the kids for our Chirstmas card. I think there are at least a few to choose from, but boy was it a lot of work!!
Happy Fall!







Thursday, November 01, 2007

Happy Halloween!

The three.....looking ever so cute.
Power Ranger Ninja Storm, Will, complete with a serious expression and the ninja stick!

Wyatt, the cute and very excited scarecrow!


My (sometimes) Angel girl, Annie!