The Smith's

2006-10-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Family is so wonderful!!!!

I am so lucky to have such wonderful in-laws. Mike's parents, Mawmaw and Pawpaw, came for a visit on Thursday and it couldn't of happened at a better time. I have been on some bed-rest for the past few days because of contractions and the kids have had the best time. It makes it so much easier knowing that your kids are happy. The weekend has been filled with soccer. Ashlyn has had two soccer games, one yesterday morning and then this afternoon. I was able to go yesterday to watch and it was pretty hilarious. My daughter is not a morning person and a game at 9:30 is not her idea of fun. I just had to laugh as she ran with her shoulders slumped down because she was so tired. I missed this afternoon's game and I hate that because she scored her first goal. Mike said that she a Trinity just squealed and hugged. She is still really excited!!!

Thank you so much,Mawmaw and Pawpaw for taking such wonderful care of all of us. They are leaving in the morning and it sure will be quiet around here. Parker wants to go with them because he is ready to go visit the horses at the barn. He is my outdoor lover and would love nothing more than to spend his life outside on the farm, playing on the fourwheeler and tractors. Ashlyn likes outside, but does not like to get dirty or sweaty, she is such a girl!!!

I had my first visit to the hospital a week ago for a few hours of monitoring. Luckily, nothing showed up on the monitor so was just sent home on bedrest. I have been very, very lazy this week and it is working. I am feeling great today, so hopefully, this little fella will cooperate and stay put for many more weeks. I will be 27 weeks on Tuesday, this has been the longest pregnancy in history. We have a sonogram scheduled for the next week to take a closer look. So far, the contractions are not changing anything, just causing a little pain. I have finally given in and am taking it very easy. I have quit Sunshine School and am doing as little as possible. My goal is to have a healthy little baby boy and to bring him home with me from the hospital. Please continue with your prayers. They are helping.

2006-09-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Wow!!!
It has been a very busy few weeks around here. I haven't blogged in a while because my computer had been so slow but now it is fixed so hopefully blogger will cooperate with me. Here are just a few updates.

Ashlyn's Birthday-My little girl just turned 5 years old. She had a very exciting birthday which went on and on and on. This is the first year that she was really excited about her birthday. She had her birthday party at a place called My Gym in Plano which was so much fun. It was the most exciting party that I have seen in a long time and they made sure to make Ashlyn the special birthday girl. She loved her My Little Pony birthday cake and didn't even want the ariel statue on it that she had talked about for a month.

Her actual birthday was on Monday the 18th. We met my side of the family at her favorite restaurant, Red Lobster, for her birthday dinner. The evening was great and she loved all of her shrimp. She cracks me up, she loves that place and can't wait to go back.

My sweet Parker can't wait for it to be his birthday. He says that he wants a My Little Pony cake too. Hopefully, by April he will change his mind. He had a blast with Ashlyn during her birthday weekend. They are playing so well together. I love to hear them laugh and make up games. He does so well following Ashlyn's rules. He is such a precious boy.

Soccer She has had two soccer games so far and I was able to make the first one which was hilarious. There are two little girls who are amazing and are able to kick the ball wherever they want. Ashlyn does a good job keeping up. Mike said that she dribbled the ball down the entire field and then someone stole it right before she was about to kick it in. She has told me that soccer is not her favorite "It is just too crazy". She does love her uniform, shoes and shin guards. Parker can't wait to play.

Baby Carter's update-I had my first hospital visit on Saturday for some monitoring. I was having contractions and when I took my medication, they didn't fully go away. Of course, I had my last strong contraction about 5 minutes before we got to the hospital and another one about 10 minutes after we left. I was monitored for about 3 hours and nothing really showed up, which is great news. I was sent home on bedrest until my next doctor's appointment which is tomorrow. I am feeling better and am hoping that this spell is almost done. I am 26 weeks tomorrow so he needs to wait a whole lot longer before entering the world. Please keep us in your prayers.

I would love to download some pictures but for some reason, blogger doesn't want to let me. Does anyone have any suggestions?

2006-08-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I have blogged that I am going to back track a little.

First Day of School
The first day of school was on Monday, August 28th. The morning didn't start off very well. I got up early so that we could all be ready and get donuts before school. We never do this, so I thought it would be fun. Let's just say that we didn't make it. Miss Ashlyn was oh so tired and wouldn't get out of bed. I finally got her up only to have the hair argument. She wanted it is a french braid, which I don't do, and I was just going to put it up quickly. That led to tears which led to no donuts. After going back to her room, she came out and was ready to start again. Such drama!!!!

We finally made it to school and both kids went right into their classroom. Each took a gift which Parker thought was his and opened it. They each have some very special teachers. Parker is all ready in love with Mrs. Beca. He can't wait to go to school again. I was worried that he would be a handful but he did great. He even slept on his napmat, I wish he went down so well at home.

Ashlyn's teacher is Mrs. Kristen who I just found out is moving to Keller. She will be very missed this year because I know that Ashlyn was going to learn so much. I know that God will bless her with another wonderful teacher but we will miss Mrs. Kristen.

Parker's new skills
Last Sunday, let's just say that Mr. Parker shocked me. He did so many boy type things.
1. He spit a very well formed loogie on the ground before church.
2. He let out the biggest man burp I have ever heard at lunch with about 12 people watching.
3. He blew his nose into his fists. We were in the car and he put one fist to each nostril and just let himself go. We couldn't help but laugh because it was the most abnormal thing. We finally stopped when he started to do it again.

I am a little worried about what is to come.

Ashlyn's first soccer practice

We had our first official soccer practice last night. Ashlyn has been so excited about it. She has been wearing her cleats and shin guards for days. Mike is the assistant coach and Trinity is also on her team. Parker also took his new green soccer ball to watch. He was very excited for her.

The practice started out great. There are eight adorable little girls on the team. During the first kicking drill, Ashlyn started crying. When I asked her about it she said that she was too slow and was last. I had no idea how competitive she was. After some encouraging she went back out there and had a blast. The scrimmage was hilarious, their were eight little girls running around in a pack around the ball. There were two girls who were pretty fast, so the rest of them just followed. We are all looking forward to more practices and games.

2006-08-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

IT'S A BOY!!!

We went for our 20 week sonogram today and everything looked great. The little guy is not nearly as active as Parker was. She could only get a few pictures. He is growing perfectly and everything seems to be perfect. Mike and I met my mom and the kids at Cheddar's for lunch to tell them the news. Let's just say that I have been preparing Ashlyn for a brother. Since I was 12 weeks, I told her that it might be a boy but she insisted it was a girl and her name was going to be Ariel. When she was told, she cried and cried and cried. We told her that she is so lucky because now she is the only special princess. Her reply to that was "If I am the princess, who will be the angel?". It took about 10 minutes for her to calm down and then she blamed me. She said it was my fault because I said I wanted a boy. I just smiled and told her that God gives us what he wants us to have. Parker was excited. Now he will have someone else to pick on.

After lunch, Ashlyn and I went to Toys R Us to buy the baby a present ( and one for her and Parker, of course). She picked out a ducky blanket for the baby, a green soccer ball for Parker and a My Little Pony hair salon. When we left, I asked her if she felt better about having another brother. She informed me that "No, I still want a girl but I love my new My Little Pony toy". She is such a hoot. When we pulled up in the drive way she said "Mommy, you are my sister. You are my sister is Christ". That made me smile so big. She is such a precious little girl. I am happy to know that she will always be my princess.

2006-08-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

ASHLYN'S STORY

Ashlyn and I decided to create a story together the other day. I wrote as she dictated. I thought she did a wonderful job. I smiled several times. Where did she come up with snakes. Her grammatical mistakes were also pretty adorable. She had to finish her story abruptly because she was at the end of the paper. Otherwise, it would of gone on and on and on.

Once upon a time their was a beautiful princess, her name was Ashlyn. And then Ashlyn had a ball in her castle. But she was locked up in her tower. She had to get a key from the witches pocket. She put her hair down that had snakes and the snakes grabbed the key. She got out of her tower and then she danced at the ball. The next time she had to get back in her tower and the witch was really mad. Then the witch grabbed the key and told her to "Don't get out of the tower" and "Don't try to sneak up and get the keys". In the meantime, she had to clean up her room because the witch broke things with her power. The better time, she had to dance at the ball. And the even better time, she married the prince. She fell in love with him, but the witch was pretending to be Ashlyn. His bride turned back into a witch and the girl who was locked up in the tower came to the ball. the prince fights the witch who turns into a dragon. The prince wins the fight. Meanwhile, the dragon became alive again. Then the princess had to fight. The dragon winned this time. Finally, when the princess woke up, the dragon was still alive. And then the prince and princess fell in love. THE END

When she was finished, she said, "Okay, now I get two check marks and a smiley face". She carried around her story for days.

PARKER'S TOP 5 CUTE PHRASES

"Daddy, I am dissappointed in you
"Hug, hug, hug"
"No, Mommy, say yes sir"
"I do it by myself"
"Daddy, I ride motorcycle 5 minutes"

2006-08-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

SUMMER FUN!!!

We had some great family fun last week. We went to a waterpark, had a small barbeque with friends and went to a Rough Riders game. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. The Ownby's and Brantley's came over for a spontaneous barbeque and it was so cute watching the kids swim. Brooke and Trenton loved the slip and slide. Cute Brooke just stood in the spray. Parker gave his first black eye to Emma. They ran into each other on the slip and slide and she just waxed. She is one tough little girl and kept on playing. Ashlyn would of cried the entire night. Friday night was Parker's first baseball game experience. It was our first time in the outfield sitting in the grass. The kids loved it and we had a blast, even in the 105 weather. The kids ate hot dogs, popcorn, and ice cream. What could be better. Next time I know to take a change of clothes because Ashlyn tinkled in her panties laughing and Parker spilled his entire red drink in his lap. I am also turning into an old soul. I kept telling other peoples kids to be careful, I am not quite sure where their parents were. One kid was leaning over the rail to the field and almost fell over.

Apparently, I over did it this weekend because I am now having some pretty severe contractions. I went to the doctor earlier today and she has decided to start me on progesterone shots until I am 37 weeks pregnant. A nurse is going to come to the house once a week to check the baby and give the shot. I am not on full bedrest, but I am suppose to have limited activity. We are just trying to keep our spirits up. This has been a very eventfull pregnancy. The babies heartbeat was strong today and my stitch is still in place. I will have a sonogram next week to check my cervix to make sure it hasn't thinned. Please keep us all in your prayers.

2006-08-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Life is back to normal!!! Finally!!!!

I got back from Alabama on Thursday night with the kids and my neice, Erin. She decided to come and spend the week with us before school started. She was so much help on the 11 hour drive back from Alabama. I am not quite sure how I would of survived without her. Here is an quick update on what is going on with us.

No more bedrest, YEAH!! The contractions have been gone for about a week. I am finally feeling normal and am so excited. I am actually ready for school to start.
The kids loved spending time in Alabama. They went swimming, rode 4-wheelers, played with the horses, went to the kiddy carnival twice and went to see Cars at the drive-in. I was able to go with them to the movie and it was so much fun. I wish we had a drive-in around here. It makes seeing a movie with a two year old bearable.
My mom is now back from Virginia and Florida. Her brother passed away this past week and the funeral was on Saturday. It was a military burial, with a 21 gun salute. What is crazy is that they pointed the guns straight at us and fired. Definetely, wasn't expecting that. I think that my mom is staying in the area for a while, which is great.
No more dog. Life is so quiet without KOTA. The kids played in the backyard for hours yesterday without any tears.
Ashlyn is going to start soccer soon and can't stop talking about it. She grilled Mike and I for details last night at bedtime, both of us have no idea about soccer except that you kick the ball and run a lot. I am hoping that Mike will be the assistant coach, he will be so great at it.
Parker figured out how to use a pedal on his big wheel. He doesn't have to scoot around, even though he is faster that way.
My son has become a hitter, he has spent more time in time-out lately. He really loves to hit my big bottom, gotta love that.
I have finally figured out that if my kids do not watch morning cartoons, they will actually play with their toys, amazing huh!!! It only took me four years to figure out that one. I am a quick learner.

That is about all I can think of right now. We are going to swimming with my mom, aunt, two neices and the kids. It should be an adventure!!!

2006-07-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

I was upstairs cleaning up a little, since this house is a tornado. When I walked into Ashlyn's room I just smiled. She has spent hours decorating her room with My Little Pony Pictures. All of them are unique, some painted, some colored, some cut out and some made on the computer. Her best friend, Trinity, knew how much Ashlyn loved My Little Pony and also made some green ones to go on the wall. She knows the name of ever single pony that she has decorated. Other things she has taped on her wall: photos, ribbon, birthday cards and she wanted to tape seashells she found at the lakehouse. Luckily I was able to talk her out of that one. Tape is her friend!!! What she really wants is for her daddy to paint her room in a rainbow of colors but if that is too much she will settle for pink polka dots all over. She also wants her room sparkley. She and a little friend, Lexi, used make-up one day to make the walls shine. I heard what I thought was a car on the wall. When I went up, she and Lexi had covered an entire wall with glitter. I couldn't help but smile. When I asked who did this, Ashlyn said "Lexi and I did, doesn't it look so beautiful". She was upset when she had to wipe off her masterpiece.

2006-07-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

YEAH!!!

I am released from bedrest!!!!! I just got back from the doctor and she feels that everything has calmed down. She was so funny when she came in. She looked at me with these concerned eyes and asked if I was still having problems. When I told her the contractions stopped yesterday she was so glad. She said that she didn't know what she was going to do with me. I think we are both relieved. She had planned on doing an internal exam, fun, fun, but decided not to even touch my cervix. It was pretty funny because she has a very dry sense of humor and was trying to make jokes. It would of been very ironic to have bedrest for 24 weeks when I had the procedure done to prevent bedrest.

I am now a "normal" patient with just a few restrictions, no exercise (darn!!!) and then one other thing that is to embarressing to share (you bedrest people know what I am talking about!!!). So, I am without kids for the rest of the week and will continue to take it easy. I just want to make sure that I am completely ready for my kids. I am planning on driving to Alabama on Sunday to get them and maybe spend a few days with my in-laws.

Ashlyn and Parker are having a blast. Pawpaw took the day of work today to play with them. I am sure that they ate cheetos for breakfast and McDonald's for lunch. They just have to blink their eyes and their Pawpaw gets them what they want. They went swimming last night at Mike's cousins and had a blast. I talked with them last night on the phone and their little voices sound so sweet, I miss them all ready.

Hopefully, I will be blogging about fun moments from now on. Thanks so much for all your prayers, they worked:)

2006-07-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I am still having to rest. I got up today to meet Mike up at church because he needed the dog. Unfortunately, I started having contractions pretty close together, even with the medicine. It is not looking good so far but hopefully, this week of rest will be the key.

I met Mike with the dog because he and the kids are now on their way to Alabama. I have the most caring and wonderful in-laws. They are so excited to have the kids and now I know that they are fine and will have such a wonderful week. Poor Mike, he is so tired and now will be in the car for 10 hours today. It appears that I am a going to be a loner this week, no kids, no dog and no husband. Just me and my trusty bed. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday so we will see what she says.

Ashlyn was such a sweetheart yesterday. I was going through a mini breakdown and she was so comforting to me. She hasn't really seen me cry before so she just hugged and kissed me and told me not to be sad. It did make me feel better. She is my affectionate girl and Parker loves to copy. He always says "hug, hug, mommy" right after her. I will miss them so much this week but my goal is to take it easy and to stop these contractions. Thank you for your continued prayers. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends.

2006-07-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

BED REST!!!!
Two words I thought I would be avoiding by having the stitch put in place. It appears however that I cannot do anything normally. I have been placed on bed rest and Brethene, to stop contractions since Wednesday. The contractions are getting better but the medicine is about to kill me. I feel like I have drank about 10 cups of coffee and sleep, no way.

I could not of survived the past few days without my best friend, Steph. She has watched my kids, cooked for me, rented movies and sat with me during the past few days. Mike is also being a lifesaver. I actually went back to the doctor on Thursday for a heartbeat check because I was feeling really down and worried. The babies heartbeat was strong and the doctor feels that a bladder infection may be causing the contractions. So, I am on antibiotics and bed rest until everything stops. I am hoping that tomorrow I can at least stop taking the Brethene.

Enough complaining!! I guess I will go back to the couch, I am so tired of bed I am going to try sleeping somewhere different tonight. I'll keep everyone updated.

2006-07-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the dreaded procedure. Mike and I got to the surgery center at 6:00 a.m. and it went very quickly from there. The doctor came in at 7:00, one minute I was talking and the next minute I was in recovery waking up. It is amazing to me how they can knock you out like that. Everything went great, just a little cramping and spotting, but everything should be fine. I stayed in bed all day today which just reminded me how thankful I am that I went through with this. I don't know that I could manage another month in bed with two kids. Ashlyn was my little nurse today. She took such good care of me and showered me with kisses. When anyone is sick she brings them an apple because she says "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". The first time she said this was when my mom was so sick. We drove over an hour one day so that she could take her an apple before she went into surgery. She just warms my heart.

Parker was also very sweet today. He gave me many kisses and said to "feel better mommy". He would then pounce on me and act like his crazy self. Mike took the whole day off and thank goodness for Mary. She is so wonderful to watch the kids whenever we need them. They love her so much. She is moving into her own apartment this weekend. She is nervous but excited.

Mary and I took the kids to Hawaiian Falls yesterday. My dardevil, Ashlyn, did every ride possible. The only thing slowing her down was her height. She loved it, Parker and I left for a few hours while they stayed and played. I love watching her swim. I am amazed at how well she does, if only she would close her eyes. They were still red this morning, my sweet girl. She is very insistent that the baby is a girl and her name should be Ariel. A boy is just not okay with her, we will have to keep working on her because the heartbeat today was pretty slow, indicating a boy. We shall see on Aug 17th.

My dad and Connie are not doing any better. My dad has decided that they don't need to be "partner's" anymore. He wants a divorce, she is not talking to him at the moment and continues to hang up on him. I know that she is not happy with her life either. We are all concerned about both of them and just want them to be happy. It is so hard to see your parent's suffering, it just isn't normal. I decided that my dad needed some comfort food because since he is by himself his diet consists of cheetos and bologna sandwiches, yuck. I made his favorite meatloaf, which is huge for me because I cannot stand the smell or look of it. I also made him a fruit pizza. When I gave it to him, his eyes teared up. He is such a special man and deserves so much. Please continue to pray for both of them.

2006-07-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!

I know it has been several weeks since I have blogged but I have been a little down. I am feeling much better, especially after such a great weekend. Friday night we went to the second annual 4th of July festival in Wylie. The Brantley's went with us this year and it was so much fun. We took a picnic, listented to music and watched some great fireworks. I am glad that we took the opportunity to watch those fireworks because the cops shut down the fireworks on the lake. The girls were so funny, they squealed with every burst of fire. When we were walking back to the car, we realized that the firework truck caught on fire. That was by far the most exciting part of the night for Ashlyn. She talked about fire for three days.

We also spent four days at my dad's lakehouse fishing, swimming, riding jet ski's, boats and motorcycles. Of course with me pregnant, I did a lot or watching with is hard for me because I am a daredevil. Ashlyn has apparently inherited that from me. A few weeks ago, she had her dad throwing her into the pool from the diving board and this weekend, the faster and bumpier it was, the more she squealed with delight. Parker on the other hand only liked the motorcycle. He would go up to Mike and say "Ride motorcycle for 5 minutes". It was so adorable. I know that we are bad parents, the helmet was left at home. We couldn't turn the sweet guy down and Mike only went like 5 miles an hour.

My brother and sister both came on Monday night and we spent the day Tuesday all together. Unfortunately, my dad broke a toe on Saturday, kick starting the scooter and burst an artery. The poor guy is diabetic and didn't know what happened. He went to the emergency room and everything because it was so bad. It should heal okay, but it sure was nasty. It was so wonderful spending time with him and the kids. Here a some cute pictures with the kids .

Please pray for my dad, he and Connie are not doing very well. She also came on Monday and caused a few problems that night. I had all ready gone to bed but she said some pretty nasty things to my brother and brother-in-law. My dad wasn't there but found out about it and is pretty upset. Many of you know how they have struggled and I think it put my dad over the edge, hearing how mean she was to his kids. Just pray they can work things out and to also open her heart to us.

2006-06-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

What a great day. It was Mike's birthday which turned out to be a day full of smiles. It was so cute listening to Ashlyn, Trinity, and Parker sing "Happy Birthday". All Parker could get out was "Happy Day Daddy". He is the biggest Daddy's boy ever. I thought boy's were supposed to love their mommies.

We had VBS this morning which I am absolutely loving. Rebecca Sutton is my co-teacher and you should watch her move. She is like Brittany Spears with those sign movements. We have the best little 1st grade class with just a little girl drama, but since they are so cute we don't care.

All Ashlyn could talk about today was making her Daddy a birthday cake. It was a tough decision to either come home and make a cake or go and play with Lexi and Zach. The play date won, but poor Pam. She had to clean up after her. After almost 2 years of potty training, my daughter had an accident on a slide at McDonald's. When do they end?

Mike and I went for the Nuchal Fold Test today which included a detailed sonogram of the baby. I was a little concerned because I didn't want to see the other baby. The doctor was very good about focusing on what she thinks is a BOY. We shall see in a few months. He or she looked great. They couldn't really do any of the blood work because my hormone levels are still a little crazy from the twin. So the accuracy of the test isn't great, but she said it looked great, all the parts were there with no obvious concerns. It was just so amazing to see something so little look so real. I mean it is only like 2 inches but you could see everything. It really helped to see this precious baby. Most of you know I want a little girl but the only reason is to dress her girly. I really don't care at all what it is. Especially when I look at my precious kids, another boy or girl would be great. The only problem is that Mike and I cannot agree on a name at all for a boy. The poor thing is going to come home from the hospital as "Baby Boy Smith". Any suggestions?

2006-06-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

SAD DAY

As all of you know, I was very anxious about my 12 week visit. Mike and I went today and it did not go as I hoped. Just like with Parker's twin, one twin did not make it. We don't know what happened or what went wrong. Apparantly my body just doesn't handle twins well. I am just trusting my faith in God and know that this happened for a reason. I am very sad and dissappointed but I need to look forward to the active little one in my body. The baby looks very healthy and after my tears stop I will be able to look towards the future of holding this precious baby. Please keep us in your prayers.

2006-06-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

LAST DAY OF SWIM CLASS!!!!!

I can't believe how fast these past two weeks have gone. We had graduation day today with Mrs. Linda. She said that either the kids would do great and perform or there would be a lot of tears. Ashlyn did great. She swam the entire length of the pool, I was so proud. Man, do tears come easily when you are pregnant. Parker on the other hand, did only what he wanted to. He was so excited to see Daddy watching but that sure didn't motivate him to try new things. There were a lot of tears today from him.

Come to find out, he is still not quite over is virus. He now has a rash on his body. Hopefully, nothing too serious. Ashlyn woke up with 104.7 fever after swim class. It went down some with medicine but it is going to be a very long night. She is now sleeping with up and shaking. This reminds me of two years ago when she spiked these fevers every two weeks. I would be worried except that Parker just got better from his.

Here are few pictures of the kids from today. I have worked on these silly pictures forever. I don't understand how to paste them where I want and to type around them. How do you girls do that?

2006-06-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

WHAT A DAY!

I sure can cause some drama. I accidentally let my blood sugar drop significantly after Parker's swim class yesterday. I only had about 10 minutes to drive back to the church and by the time I got there I was shaking and crying so bad. It didn't help that I was having a panic attack as well. Everyone in the church nursery was so great and just kept bringing me food. It only took about 10 minutes to get it back up but it wiped me out. I felt bad the rest of the day. I got several lectures about not pulling over, not my smartest moment. Especially with my sweet Parker in the car. I talked with my Endocrinologist and I am actually going to stop the insulin for now to see if that helps stop my low sugars. Enough about that.

Only two more days of swim class, YEAH!!!! Both kids have done great. Ashlyn is basically an independent swimmer, taking breaths all by herself. And Parker loves to swim. He has no fear, except for jumping and does everything Mrs. Linda asks. It has been so much fun spending that time with him. I have also really enjoyed getting to know Lauren and Josh, they are so adorable!

Ashlyn is obsessed with Starbuck's. I feel like such a bad mom but she loves Carmel Macciatto's, decaf of course. What is funny is that she has only had two in her entire life and she cannot stop talking about them. Everytime she sees a Starbuck's she talks about how yummy they are. Parker's obsession is McDonald's, which I feel is normal but Starbuck's, I don't think that is so normal. She is such a teenager.

We go back to the doctor on Tuesday for another sono. I can't wait to see the babies. I am just praying that they are both growing normally. Please keep us in your prayers.

2006-06-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

What a day!

Today was the first busy day of summer. I worked up at church while a bunch of other girls decorated the building for VBS. They work entirely too hard. I was in with Parker's age, every one of the kids was so great. However, my son was a mess. He was a crazy man. For those who knew my class last year at school, there were some similarities with Parker today like my crazy man (you know who). I am a little scared about my sweet Parker. He is definetely developing a little wild personality in him. His favorite activity is too bother his sister or push on me.

During the workday I took Parker to his second day of swim class. I put Ashlyn in a mommy and tot class when she was a baby but she obviously didn't do much. I love spending this time with him. I never get to play just with him and I think this is going to be a special time for me at least. He is doing great, didn't even choke once today.

Ashlyn can't wait to jump of the diving board. That is all she can talk about. She got to go to her first gymnastics class today. She is going with Trinity and they had a blast. The smiled and squealed during the entire class.

I am exhausted so am off to bed. I do not like staying in this house by myself. At least Ashlyn loves to sleep with me. Hopefully, I will make it through the night without to many bruises. Man, can she move.

It is so sad that I can't fit into any of my clothes. I am starting my eleventh week and am all ready having to wear some maternity pants. I am going to be HUGE!!!! It is funny because I now see twins everywhere. I am getting used to the idea but if I think too far ahead, like the actual birth, feeding, bathing, sleeping, etc of two newborns I get a little overwhelmed. This is a day to day process. Overall, I am doing great. I am excited about my next visit on the 20th. I think I will feel a lot better about things once I know that both babies are doing well. Apart of me is still worried that I will have another "invisible twin" like Parker. I know that worrying doesn't help, just prayers.

I am really off to bed now. Night, Night.

2006-06-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the best weekend trip. My sister and I surprised my mom with a trip to Fredericksburg for her Mother's Day present. We had the most amazing time. It felt like we were gone for days. It has been way to long since just the three of us had spent time together. It was extra special because of my mom's health issues. She is doing so great and we just wanted to celebrate being together. We spent our time laughing, shopping, sleeping, and eating. Alison and I found the most adorable cottage right near Main St. It reminded me of a cottage in Key West and it would so wonderful.

The kids just got back from Alabama today and it was so great to see them. I got the biggest hug from both of them and Parker actually wanted to sit with me during dinner. A week away from the chaos of kids really revitalizes you. Of course, Mike leaves tomorrow for a week long trip to Virginia. By Tuesday, I will be quite exhausted again. I brought Ashlyn back the cutest tea party set. Of course it is pink. She has all ready had a real tea party with my mom. She had to have real tea, cream and sugar. It is so adorable watching her make tea, she puts in everything herself and is oh so careful. I brought Parker a cowboy hat which he quickly threw on the floor so that he could also play tea party. Poor Parker needs a brother. He is getting a little to comfortable playing with girl things.

Back to normal and exciting life tomorrow. We start swim lessons, I don't know what I was thinking but signed Parker up also and it is a mommy and tot class. I just love being in my bathing suit. My tummy is all ready getting big, we'll see how long my bathing suit fits.

I start week 11 next week. I feel like I have been pregnant forever and feel huge all ready. I also can't wait to find out what these babies are. I can think of fun things for all situations. I am kind of hoping for one of each but we shall see.

2006-05-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past few days without kids. And you know what, I hate to say it but I am bored. I miss the chaos of my life with two young kids. I am currently locked in the office because I have a new housekeeper (YEAH!!!) who is working very hard cleaning my house and all I want to do is take a nap. I am not complaining, just sharing.

Most of you know but we are expecting two new members to our family in January. It came as quite a surprise to us but we are very excited and nervous at the same time. To think that at this time next year I will have four children. It's so crazy to think about.

I think that this blogging will be fun. I am so bad about forgetting the adorable things my kids say and do and so I hope to use this as a journal for myself. I want to always remember the day that Ashlyn said "Mommy, your breath is disgusting" and how obsessed Parker is with his Daddy. I do not exist when Daddy is home. He has also developed this new run where he cranks one arm like he is about to throw a ball. I guess he thinks it makes him faster.

I will have more to come later, I have to take a nap!!!