Playdate!

On the 15th of Feb, the girls and I had a play date scheduled with Aimee Morgan and her twin girls, Macie and Makenna. Marshall wasn't working and we planned on getting groceries afterwards so he tagged along and that worked out great!! We met and ate at the Sandwich Shop before heading to the park. The weather was perfect!! The sun was shinning but it was also kinda cloudy and the breeze was just perfect. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again!

Addison...

Annslee..

Makenna and Macie

Macie

Makenna

Makenna and Macie

Addison..

I'm so very thankful to God for blessing me with a wonderful friend in Aimee and that the girls have great friends in the twins! :-)

2nd Snow of 2011

Exactly ONE month since it snowed in January, it snowed AGAIN! This time however it was in the middle of the week and a BUSY one at that. The girls had appointments in Little Rock Wednesday and Thursday. We had planned on trying to make the Wednesday one because it was an early morning appointment and the meteorologists weren't "calling" for the snow to start until later that morning. I woke up early to get ready because we were going to take Taylor to school and then head on to LR but as I started getting ready I watched the "closed" schools scroll across the bottom of the TV..Ridgeway was listed. BOO..I had gotten up and dressed for nothing! I sat down to watch the weather report and almost cried when they said that at 6:30 it was ALREADY snowing in Little Rock. Plans were canceled and we would be stuck inside for most likely days! Marshall worked a little that morning and then came home to spend the snow days with his family! :-) We played cards and did some pictures for Annslee's third birthday! It snowed all day Wednesday and we wound up with 4.5 inches of snow this time! We didn't play in it this time...but we did get the girls some mittens just in case we decided to play. We did let Annslee eat some more of it! :-) Thursday, Marshall and I ventured out into the snow and rode to town. We  did some shopping at JcPenny's in Pine Bluff and I got several new outfits for church and some blue jeans! I also go three pairs of shoes at Payless Shoes! :-) I desperately needed some new clothes. :-)

Super Bowl..Doctor's Appointment

Yep, I'm behind, it happens when you have two kids 3 and under to care for 24/7/365! :-) Super bowl Sunday consisted of us getting up and going to church that morning and enjoying some delicious chili afterwards. Feb 6th was Calvary Baptist's annual AWANA Chili Cook-off. Volunteers make chili and  booths with different themes in "competition." Donations are made to the favorite chili; donations go to the AWANA program and votes are cast for the favorite decorated booth. It's a fun time for all and a great way  for fellowship to be had throughout the church! They have hot, or "dot" in our house, dogs for the children.  After the chili cook-off, we headed out to daddy's house and visited with them before the game started. The WHOLE family was scheduled to come out closer to time of the start of the game. We left shortly before church so we could run home and get Annslee's left over birthday cake so that Aunt Brandi could get a piece since she didn't get a piece at her party! We also called and told mamaw and papaw Bostian about our new addition on the way! They were shocked but excited! Then we headed back to church for evening services. After church, we headed back out to daddy's for supper and the end of the game! We got home later than expected but we had a blast! Kaylee was still with us so I had to get up her the next morning for school. We missed the bus so she rode with Nana. :-)

My first OB appointment for this pregnancy was on Annslee's ACTUAL birthday! It was after lunch and was still a little too cold to go to the park! Mamaw and Papaw came and sat with the girls in the waiting room during my appointment. All went well...I don't know if the exam or weigh in was the worst part! Ha! Getting my history wasn't that bad because He delivered my last two babies so all he had to do was copy from my old chart and get a few updates from me. On 2-8-2011, I was exactly 5 weeks along, which means today I am exactly 6 weeks. I'm so very excited for my ultrasound on Feb 21st!! :-) I can't wait to find out if there's one baby or two and to hear the heartbeat/s! :-)

Annslee's 3rd Birthday Party.

Last Saturday, the 5th of February, we had Annslee's 3rd birthday party at our church in Warren. We rented a blow up slide castle combo contraption that was a HUGE hit with all the age groups that attended the party. Annslee and Addison LOVED the play gym and we had to deflate it to go to their friends' birthday part in the fellowship hall at 10. Annslee's party didn't start until 12 but we had to pick up the blow up house between 8:30 and 9 am so Marshall set it up with help from Tyler Harrison and Randy and let the girls start playing on it then. While they went to that birthday party, Marshall started getting the food ready while Tyler and I blew up her balloons. By the time the other party was over we had the gym all decorated and ready to PARTY!

view from the kitchen in the gym

view from the other end of the gym

All grandparents and aunts were present plus several friends from church and a few from around town. We did presents first because our Children's Church group was going bowling and out to eat and Kaylee was invited and wanted to go so she left around 1:30. It was hard to keep our secret from some of the family that didn't know about our new addition. They would all find out later that night and Sunday afternoon, but some of my church friends and my mom knew as soon as I found out! It was hard keeping the secret from Aimee because she had told me the night before I found out that SHE was expecting too! And the other Amy, knew we were trying and I simply can't keep that kind of secret from my mom! :-) Not for too long anyway! I wasn't able to try out the bouncy house...due to the pregnancy. *sigh* LOL! But I have a feeling it's going to be a every birthday thing...come to think of it..it might be cheaper in the long run to check into buying one for that reason! Ha! 

The theme of the party was Wow Wow Wubbzy. It's a cartoon on Nick Jr that Annslee just loves! She requests to watch it ALL the time. It is definitely her favorite, followed closely by Mickey Mouse Club House. She has most of the episodes memorized! It's very educational and teaches kids about being truthful, about manners and etc. She has talked about her Wow Wow party and cake since before my birthday in December!!! She still to this day...(I know only 8 days later) finds the picture of her cake on my phone and tells everyone she meets about her Wow Wow cake and party! That morning when we were setting up and showing her all the Wow Wow stuff and the blowup, she kept saying, "Momma, I like this." and "Oh, momma." "Momma, I love you." "Momma, thank you." "Oh, momma..I like this and this and that too!" It makes me feel so great to know that the simplest things can make her happy...for now. 

Made with love by Tiffany Barnard

WOW WOW! 

She got TONS of presents. She said thank you for each one! She makes me laugh. When she opened her gift from Sydney (her bestest friend from church), she was like "OOOHHHH." She got her a Mickey Mouse cup that looks like Sydney's and Annslee said "Oh..Sydney..it's yours!" Haha! She still calls it her Sydney Mickey Mouse cup! :-) 

Thank you for all that came and made her day even more special than we could have ever imagined! After her party, we headed to Pine Bluff to pay for some furniture, which we pick up tomorrow, and to get some fresh prenatal vitamins. I also bought a 3 pack pregnancy test box, took one when I got home and then the other two the next morning! :-)

Expecting Again. :-)

While we shopped for groceries and Annslee's birthday presents, I picked up a 2 pack of pregnancy tests to use for next month. I had taken one earlier that week and it was negative. The box said that at the time I took it, it was 52% correct. I was holding on that 48% and when I got home that evening I talked myself into taking one of the two tests. This time instead of just peeing on the stick, I used the cup like they suggested in the instruction packet. I followed all of the instructions to a T...It said to wait until 3 minutes to read...but I was impatient and couldn't wait. I was shocked, excited, thrilled to see TWO pink lines. First person I called...Heather. She was the first person I told with both of my other pregnancies so we had to keep the tradition alive.  Then I sent a text message to my mom of a picture of the test. Her response was "What does it say?" "Two lines," I responded. "What does that me," she said. "Why would I send you a picture of a negative test." LOL. She then said that, "After this one, please get your tubes tided." "I plan on it mom," Then she went on to say, "Now lets just hope this one...is just one." Can you say jinx? :-) We will be happy with whatever God decides to bless our family with and consider ourselves blessed to have more babies! I took the other one that night when we got home. TWO LINES!

Saturday night on top and Sunday morning x 2 on bottom

Friday night. 

Friday afternoon. :-) 

Saturday, after Annslee's party (which is a post all it's own), we went to pay for some furniture in Pine Bluff and I picked up some prenatal vitamins and a 3 pack of pregnancy tests. I took another one when we got home and TWO pink lines! :-) Sunday I was up at the butt crack of dawn, which is EXTREMELY unusual for me so I took the other two and TWO pink lines. Ha! :-) No period yesterday either. It's finally starting to set in...we are having another baby!! I texted my dad and his mom that night to tell them. All that was left to tell was mamaw and papaw JB...and since I had told EVERYBODY else...I left them to Marshall! Ha! He called them Sunday evening between church and told them. Mamaw said "why didn't you just come up here and shoot me?" Haha! By the end of the conversation, they were laughing and happy for us. :-) Then it was FB official! I made my first OB appointment today for tomorrow. I hope that goes well. One of my ex-coworkers is now my doctor's nurse, but I am so excited! :-)


*Note* It it so WEIRD finding out by peeing on a stick and it turning blue or whatever the saying is because when I found out I was pregnant with Annslee I had went to the doctor for what I suspected was an ulcer and Karen told me that before she could medicate me for an ulcer she needed to do a pregnancy test. She led me to a small waiting area to wait for the results...when the results came in she took me to a exam room. I knew something was up. The first words that came out of her mouth, "How badly do you want to be pregnant?" "uhhhh." was my only response! :-) Today, I am very grateful for that "ulcer." THEN when I found out with Addison, I went to the doctor for shortness of breath and they tested me for a pulmonary embolism since I was six or so much out from my c-section with Annslee. The doctor ran a test that had to be sent off so he told me I could wait in the office for results or at home. I chose to wait home and went to nap while I waited for the scariest phone call of my life thus far. I remember the nurse telling me that my levels were extremely elevated and that I needed to head to the hospital for more tests. I immediately called Heather, who was in town with her mom so she meet me at the hospital. After the leg dopplers were done, the ultrasound tech called the doctor to tell him all was clear he asked to speak to me. His first words, "Baby, you are pregnant. Call your OB as soon as possible."

:-)

Prayer...and Annslee

Friday, (2/4/11), Marshall and I were planning to go shopping for groceries and Annslee's birthday party food items and a couple presents. Marshall was off because the weather was horrid. It was raining with sleet but earlier the roads were covered with snow. Mom came to watch the girls so that we didn't have to get them out in the mess. We decided to eat a quick lunch of left over pizza before we left and as we waited for Annslee and Addison's pizza to cool off we started saying the blessing. We bowed our heads and placed our hands together per Annslee's instructions and began to pray, "God is great, God is good, Let us thank him for our food....." Annslee would STOP every time at the food part, point to the table in front of her and shake her head, "I don't have food, momma." Then 10 seconds later, "Let's talk to God." We start all over again....and then stop at the food part again. FINALLY, her food was ready and together we said the whole pray for the fifth or sixth time. She has it memorized by now and I love that! It was so precious listening to her talking to God. Thursday night when we all sat down for dinner and said this wonderful prayer before dinner and three or four times during dinner. I'm very glad that she's making praying apart of her daily routine. Later Thursday night we prayed for our family, and Thanked God for every one in our family...one by one. We thanked him for our house, lights, food, love, and clothes. I say little bits of the pray and she repeats...she always add clothes in herself. I guess I don't get to it fast enough for her.

Security of the Believer

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." I John 1:1

How can we know we are saved? Because God SAID so! The spirit confirms it and our lives WILL show it!! You must believe in God's word to have eternal life.

The main thing that stuck in my head about this lesson was that if you never covet, or commit adultery, or murder or any of the other commandments but you lie, which humans consider a "small" sin, you break ALL of his commandments. There is no such as a big or small sin. Some signs have a more earthly consequence that other signs..the consequences for lying isn't as bad as murder...but the key is that ALL sin is wicked rebellion against God and God's righteousness demands ETERNAL DEATH for ONE sin.

If ANY sin or sins, no matter how big or how many, could cause us to lose our salvation, then ANY 1 sin would, no matter how small!! If any sin or sins could cause us to lose our salvation, then the very 1st sin we commit after salvation would do so, because to be guilty of one is to be "guilty of all." This would turn salvation into pure works dependent upon our goodness, not God's grace.

He illustrated this by telling this story: (I'll try not to tear it up too bad!)

After you are saved,  you would have to walk around saying "God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me." We would have to say this ALL the time..24/7/365 if salvation was dependent on OUR good behavior to get us to heaven! Then one day when you are busy walking down the street saying,  "God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me. God, please forgive me." that you accidently walked out into the crosswalk when there was a big truck headed straight for you..you looked up and saw it, said "Oh *beep*" and then you were dead...and in hell!

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John 10:28

I am so very thankful for God's amazing grace and for His undying love for me!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16




"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." I Corinthians 5:17

Praise Jesus!