My Sweet Little Namesake!

Sisters!!

Checking out little girls face...boy did she come out hun-ga-rrryyy.

Can't you see our bond already...

She's got my toes and my big eyes...

and my loud mouth too!

My sister, Heather gave birth today to a very sweet and beautiful baby girl. They named her Delilah Dianne. Dianne happens to be my middle name so I kind of think we are going to be tight. Heather did great as usual birthing a baby. Her body was obviously made better for it than mine. I got to witness the beauty of birth again and loved it. It is such a joy when you aren't the one in pain:) Sorry, Heather. Delilah was born today at 2:50, weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces and was 21 inches long! Baby girl and Momma are both doing really well and getting to know one another...it took all I had to leave her at the hospital, but they frown on stealing babies there.

Oh How I love My Bird!

This is a sappy Momma post so you've been warned.

Dear Micahbird,
Since you've turned four you have turned in to quite the "gentleman and a scholar". You love when I call you this! I was just thinking last night that I didn't want this time to pass without acknowledging what a fun age it is and what a special boy we have. We used to spend all kinds of time just me and you, but no more. Last night we somehow ended up just us going to get ice cream at MickeyD's. We had a date!! You talked and talked and I got to actually hear you and listen. I loved it. You were so excited about your ice cream with fudge brownie. I got extra for both of us and you couldn't have been more thankful. I remember a time where we went to MCD's and got ice creams almost a year ago, how you've changed. I hope we make this a tradition for me and you. I really need to get that time with just my bird. Another favorite are our snuggles and when you tell me "I love you more than anything in this world" I know you tell other people this to, but I don't care. You are all about your Daddy now and sports and boy things, you love him and think he is a rockstar whenever he walks in the door. I am so thankful that you love him and want to be like him. You aren't the Momma's boy you once were and while this makes me sad I know that you are turning into the young man God wants you to be. You aren't all roses now and you have your moments but your heart and spirit are starting to show through all that toddler/fit pitching mess and I love what I see. Although your first few years were beyond challenging I think they make it easier to be appreciative of how you are changing and growing. There are rarely days when I have to deal with you in the ways that I used to and I look forward to you getting up and miss you when I am not with you. Before I "needed" a break and sometimes wished you'd sleep a little bit longer. Sorry, but you were quite the little monster. Even with all that each day I didn't think I could love you any more but each day my heart gets bigger and bigger! I pray I take more time to focus on those things. It isn't your birthday or anything special while I am writing I just want you to know you were loved every step of the way in your life. Especially this grown up four year old year.
Love always,
Momma

Ugh, I know, I am having a moment here. It'll pass soon...like when the bird wakes up:)

Welcome Sawyer!!

My dear friend Brittany had a sweet baby boy with NO drugs last week while we were on vacation. Actually two of my friends had babies while we were in Florida! How rude for them not to wait in the 100 degree heat til I got back. Suzie, the other new momma, had a much harder road at the delivery so I haven't overwhelmed her just quite yet with a visit but I hope to very soon:)
Brittany and I have become close friends over the last few years and you have seen pictures of her other son Rhett, since we've betrothed he and SadieJane, even though she could squash him sizewise. We are close friends for so many reasons but I find it the funniest that neither of us can remember how we became friends in the first place. We've known "of" each other for a long time but somehow became fast friends...but aren't sure how:) I love her so much and while a little (ok, a good bit) younger than me the Lord has used her mightily in my life and I am so thankful. We have tons of similarities but our differences are what makes us friends I think. (it seems that way with most of my friends) Her sincerity, go with the flow, trusttheLordness, makes her just what this girl needed in a friend. She is so go with the flow that she allowed me to bring my kiddos and me to see her two day old baby....a way that we are soooo different. She definitely brings balance to me. Here are a few pictures from our first meeting. Here comes the baby fever...
Congrats to the Hanes' family!!

Family Beach Trip 2011

These are just some of my favorites from our annual beach trip with Mick's family. We had an overall great time...but I'll tell ya, sleepin' in twin beds with one baby in the closet and one in your bed will inevitably put a hurtin' on the healthiest of marriages. (No, not yours, I am sure you would've been fine, but some people...) I am so thankful that we got to go and that we ate well, played well and most importantly our kiddos got great time with their cousins and the in laws. I took a trip to target alone, ran a six miler, had ice cream almost every night (hence the 6 miles:)), watched both kiddos swim like fish, and loved seeing so much delight on my kiddos faces. We went back to the good ole Panty - maw City...as Mick got Micah to refer to it. While there was much fun in the sun going on I don't want you to be TOO envious, it wasn't all sunshine and roses, celebrating your 7th anniversary "I Love Lucy style" in twin beds will do that to ya. But the inlaws(Love you nana!) that graciously took us on the trip read my blog so I'll just leave it at that (10 people- 3 bedrooms, strong personalities, screaming children(children being SadieJane), you can use your imagination:)). I guess I didn't completely leave it at that...nevertheless so thankful that we even had a vacation!

The Ever Elusive Family Photo.

Micah is still looking at the big bull at Angelo's...I mean who wouldn't with the balls on that thing.

Now we are all looking but SadieJane's gone hoochiemomma with her shirt. And I feel the need to restrain Micah's foot.

Again with Micah needing restraint and SayJ lookin' squeezy peezy!

I guess the best one, but I've still got the death grip on the bird?

Micah with the belly showing and we all can see what SayJ is saying:)

And this my friends is the best of the best. I am not even putting up the worst ones. Oh to have a good family picture of the four of us, they are so hard to come by. It didn't help that my sweet nieces saddled up and posed with my sisterinlaw and brotherinlaw for some of the cutest family photo ops ever. Next year, I say, next year.

Harry Potter's Got Nothing on Micah Harper

Well, we've been on vacation in the good ole' redneck riveria. Great times but before we left we found out Micah needed glasses. After his 4 year old check up the Dr. said he was borderline and we could take him to an eye dr if we wanted. Hmmm...as you can see from the pictures above, he wasn't borderline at all. He. could. not. see. Sad Momma of the Year for me after our visit with the eye dr. Dr. S said that all children should have their eyes checked at age 1!! No one had told me that and obviously my pediatrician missed that memo because for 2 years in a row he didn't seem concerned at all. Boy am I glad we went. Micahbird has an astigmatism in both eyes. Which means he sees blurry out of both. (As a side note, I didn't know but this is how a child develops lazy eye, when they only have one astigmatism, the other eye does all the work and one eye becomes lazy, if not treated with glasses, etc.) Both of Micah's eyes are affected so he didn't have that option, but hopefully by wearing glasses he will strengthen those muscles and possibly one day not need them?? I know, sounds weird but I will spare you the even longer synopsis:) So far, Micah has been a champ about wearing them. Although I am not so sure how much they are helping. He often wants to take them off while watching tv, etc. which doesn't make sense because he should be able to see better with them. Ahh....I hope to goodness he doesn't inherit my vision too, as I am almost legally blind. Either way he sports his Harley Davidson's nicely, at least in his Momma's eyes. He is turned to the side above because they have flames on the side. The main selling point to a four year old.

Cows and Cake, Playdates and Potty's!!

We have been having so much fun in the sun! We celebrated Cow Appreciation Day by going to see my Grandmama, Sissy and cousins. I wish I had gotten more pictures but the LaGrange chicken house had a real. live. cow. Love it. We then rushed back for Jaxson Oakley's Birthday Party. It was so much fun and I love that Micah has a friend so close in age with such an awesome family. Then over the weekend Aunt April agreed to let me housesit so we could enjoy her amenities and let me tell you we loved it. It is great inviting friends to something that isn't yours:) We took the Hanes', the Keatons' and the Dobbs'. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures til our last hooray there, but Amy and I took the most kiddos in our trip (including the one in her belly). Thanks to the Richs' for being so generous!! Lastly I need to write a whole post on sweet SayJ but bless her second childness heart. She is loving the potty and is in no way being trained but she will go anytime and loves to spend time there. She refuses to sit on any kind of kiddie potty so she is spreading her self pretty thin. Haha. All in all with all the joblessness my children remind me how fun life is job or no job!

lessons in life.

Disclaimer: This is a free therapy session for myself. Feel free to skip and come back on another day with pictures:)

So I am learning more about myself than I'd care to know lately. I found out a bit ago that I am losing my job at the chicken house. I knew that it was a possibility with the economy and a couple of other factors but after working there so long I just never thought about what came next. But God (and my boss) had other plans. You see I've had my job since before I got pregnant with Micah. I worked at the chicken house full time until I gave birth and then cut back a little and then a little after each child til now I am working just enough to make ends meet. I have taken Micah and then SadieJane in a sling and stapled bulletin boards, delivered chicken, put flowers out and counted coupons all with my babies in tow. It has been the best job to have if you want to stay at home with your children but have to make money. Of course, it has had more than its share of stressors and trying to balance both lives has often gotten me down; you've all heard my pity party before on here. Nonetheless, I am so thankful for the time I got to spend both contributing to our income as well as getting to be with my babies. No matter what happens now, I was given such a gift in being able to do both and I don't want to lose sight of that in all the stress. I am now looking high and low for something to do that would afford me the same luxury(I'll use that term loosely here:)) of working without having to leave my babies somewhere. So far my options are very limited and with that I am learning...

When I found out I was getting canned I didn't cry or beg for my job like I thought that I would(looking back, maybe I should have:)). I was surprisingly calm and felt God's hand in it. I knew at that moment it would be a lesson in trusting God. One that I needed to learn. But not five minutes after I had that peace, satan popped in to remind me of all the ways I am failing and all of the ways this could be just plain BAD news. But I know that is not the case. God is FOR me. He loves me and promises to "give me a hope and future". He does not promise me everything I want in just the way I want it. Nor does He promise me that I am going to have to do the very thing I don't want to do. You see my crazy brain is like a playground for satan's icky thoughts and anxiety. But in all that I can see God refining what is important. Like my trips to target...notsomuch top priority. Then reading to my babies or playing little people or saying good night prayers...pretty earthshattering.

Shortly after finding out I was getting the boot, I hurt my achilles so I couldn't run off the stress that was starting to mount up. Mick's truck broke. I'm having some minor health issues. Micah needs glasses. You know, life just kept on happening even after some bad news hit. Praise the Lord it was minor things and don't I know it could be MUCH worse. God answered in all of those things too. My ankle healed in a weeks time, but long enough for God to keep me from "running" away from Him. We thought we were going to have to tow Mick's truck in, but Destiny's friend came over and magically found the problem and FIXED it.(unfortunately it broke again before I posted:(, but we know it'll be ok:)) I feel better and Micah is I am sure going to look too cute in his new glasses. (cute picture post coming soon:))So even in the details God is there...telling us, I got this, Stephanie. Stop it.

I know that losing my job is one of the only ways God could teach me the things that He wanted. I HAVE to rely on Him. There is just no way around it. I do not know how I will find another job that will work with our family and what we feel is right for us, but I know that God is in control of finding it. (Small disclaimer: I know what we feel is right for our family is not the same as everyone else, I am in no way knocking those who work outside the home, I know you do what is right for your family and I am just trying to do the same for mine) Not that I'm sitting back and doing nothing, in fact, just the contrary, I had been running around searching for any little position. But even in that God is reminding me to both look and search but to trust Him for the outcome and NOT try to do it myself.

Even in my personal time with the Lord He is so kind to speak directly to me. Here are some of the verses that I have been encouraged by...

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

"With everlasting kindness, I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer." Isaiah 54:8

and of course...

"God works together for the good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Amen.

Baseball Birthday!

Hayden's 7th birthday was yesterday. As usual he spent the whole day with us and we did all the things he wanted to do. Chuck e Cheese. Pool. NO nap. Setting up for the party. Mick did another lawn ornamentation and I'll have to say it was pretty impressive. It looks like we've started a new tradition. It'll be hard to do My Little Pony, or Princesses though so he better keep practicing. We had a hitting contest, pitching contest, and a pie eating contest upon Haydee's request. It was a great day and he is growing up far too fast. He is with my parents now on his way to Orlando for some vacation. We will miss him alot. SadieJane woke up this morning asking for him! We had a lot of friends and family come out for the party but since I was overseeing the competitions I got very few pictures until everyone had already gone! Phooey! Nonetheless we are so thankful for those that came and made Hayden feel so special. Happy Day to my oldest nephew and almost baby!