YAY PREGNANCY!

Just wanted to say...I LOVE PREGNANCY (so far, LOL)

I am sure that I will have my not-so-great moments in the days to come, but right now, all is well! By this time with Mady’s pregnancy I couldn’t keep anything down, but not this time! I am eating healthy, it’s staying in my tummy & I have even lost a little weight (awesome).

The best part, well at least the funniest, is that Matt is having "sympathy sickness" HAHAHA...he thought it was SOOO easy for me last time & couldn’t understand the naseau...he isn’t laughing so hard now. SCORE ONE for women everywhere!

Ashley is being my "big helper" and won’t let me pick anything up. She tells Mady that she has to "be easy with mommy because her baby is in her tummy." Mady still doesn’t get it and still climbs all over me of course, but I think she is starting to understand a little. Ash just wants to kiss the "baby" all the time...she even gives her "baby hugs" that we showed her how to do when we were pregnant w/Madyson...she still remembers!!!

I am so glad that both of them get to be such a big part of the pregnancy! The birth center is WONDERFUL about that! They get to go to every one of my appointments and experience everything!!! We are hoping to video most of the "big moments" w/this pregnancy! Ashley is already such a great big sister & I am sure Mady will follow right in her footsteps.

This pregnancy is SOOOOO much less stressful than Mady’s!!! No crazy boss, no crazy people, no crazy stupid termites (LOL)!!! I am going to keep it that way no matter what. I have made a promise to myself & my family that NO person, event, or thing will have an impact on our child if I choose not to let it. I am staying away from "the drama" and focusing on myself, my baby, and my family. So, if you have the "drama bug" STAY AWAY!!!

WOOHOO!!! November will NEVER get here fast enough!!!

PLAY BALL!

Ashley had her first t-ball game last night in the pre-season tourney...and it ROCKED!!!

WOW, watching them practice for the last few weeks I would have never guessed they would be able to play at all...they didn’t even have uniforms yet! Boy, was I surprised! They were all so excited. It made my job as "dugout mom" pretty tough because they ALL wanted to put helmets on and grab their bats every 5 seconds, LOL. We finally got a system going...It was great!

They all batted at least twice, most three times. Ashley didn’t "technically" make it to a base (she is pretty slow), but she ran the bases to 3rd on the way home to the dugout! She wasn’t gonna let a ball in a glove stop her! OMGosh...my favorite part was seeing ASHLEY in the catcher’s gear!!! She played "catcher" for the first 3 innings...in t-ball that just means getting the foul balls and catching the ball at home plate, but it was SUPER CUTE!!! For the second half of the game she played left field, and was a little more interested in the dirt, but she helped in a few plays.

Although they didn’t win, they could care less because they didn’t see a score ever anyway! They’ll play at least one more time because its double-elim.

Tiny BIG News

YEP! WE ARE PREGNANT!!!

We are so excited & can’t hold it in! Yeah, we were going to wait, but now that our family knows, why not make the general announcement.

The next (probably final) member of our family will be welcomed into our home before the end of November! The "official" date is November 24, but we’ll see how that works out!

I feel so blessed after all that has happened to be able to have this EXTRA SPECIAL joy in our lives right now.

Matt said I have to put this next part in..."It only took one try!"

LOL, he can’t wait to know the sex because he LITERALLY went by the book to have a boy! We won’t be disappointed if it isn’t, but he wants to even out the playing field in his estrogen filled home! Hopefully we can find out by our anniversary!

Our girls are SOOOO excited! Ashley is already kissing "the baby" every chance she gets. She asked if we could look at a baby magazine to pick out one we like, I almost died laughing! Madyson is a little young, so she thinks we are going to buy a baby at the store, which is super cute too!

We’ll be going to our first appointment soon, please pray that everything is as perfect as can be! YAY!!!

I LOVE MY LIFE! It is funny how many times I have said that in the past few months. I am truly happy with my husband & family...we are happier than we have ever been. Of course we all have our moments, no one is perfect...Life is never "calm" around here, but I really feel that we are reaching a sense of balance.

Ashley is LOVING t-ball practice & we can’t wait for her first game. She even hit the ball into the grass at her last practice! She’s come a long way in a few weeks. We’ve also been working on some stuff for Kindergarten next year & she’s doing wonderfully. She struggles with some things, but hey, who doesn’t. She is excited that she will be going to school at "Granny’s School" (my mother-in-law, Angie, works there as a 1st grade assistant). Her counselor has been working with her every other week, which is helping dramatically. I am so glad we found her someone who is genuinely concerned.

On a side note, things with her mom have been getting better, I hope they will continue. We are trying to show her that we want what is best for Ashley & everyone else involved. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for her, the best chance at a "normal" life. She didn’t choose this, adults did, so they should have to make it right for her.

Madyson is just as wild & crazy & loving as ever!!! WOW, is all I have to say. We definitely have our hands full with her. I love to watch her play & grow, it amazes me. She has such an interesting way of thinking already. I can see the wheels turning everytime I look in her eyes. She will find a way to do whatever she wants (which doesn’t always work out for me, LOL). MadyMonkey is DEFINITELY the right nickname for her, she climbs on everything she can!

Matthew & I are so in love with each other, our lives, and our children. We can’t wait to add another one into the mix (maybe even before the end of the year)! He’s been at Ramseur PD for a year now & though there are some kinks that could be worked out, he loves his job. Even though its not much, he now has the title of "Senior Patrolman." I am loving my Mary Kay business & the women I meet/work with daily. I can’t wait for Career Conference (coming up soon) in Charlotte & then Seminar in the summer.

Love you all!!!

Invisible Mom

I LOVE THIS!!! It really made me think. My girls aren't old enough for me to feel this way quite yet, but I know one day they will be. I know I am not the only one that feels this way, so I wanted to share it with my friends! I know that one day after we've lived our lives, our Cathedrals, and the ones that follow, will be monuments to the people we were. What will yours say about you?

Invisible Mom

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please. I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fuelled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, S/MOMS!

Whazup?!

Hey everyone...

Ashley started TBall this past Saturday!!! SHE LOVES IT! I hope everyone has a chance to check out her pics sometime. Kindergarten registration is next month (OMGosh)! We are SO going to have a kindergartner "in the house" in a few months...AAAAAAHHHH! I feel so old, but hey, its great!

Madyson is doing SUPER! She keeps me on my toes for sure. Some days I wonder if she EVER has to recharge. She takes "cat naps" like I do and she is ready to go again. YES, even at night. She sleeps like 6 hours, LOL.

I am having a "Passion Party" on March 15th at 5 pm (my place). If anyone is interested send me your info for an invite.

Matt & I are IN LOVE more than ever & are LOVING life! Maybe we'll have some "big news" soon for everyone, if not we're having fun anyway!

Looking forward to...

1. MY 25th BDAY PARTY!!! IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME...YOU COMING?

2. Going to WV to visit my grandparents at the end of March. The girls can't wait to visit their Great-granparents, Papa Bud & Grandma Ev. I love that Matt & I both have schedule thats allows us to take a week off when we feel like it!

3. Ashley's 1st Game (probably in April)

SO MUCH MORE!!!