keeps getting better

Nine years ago today, I walked down an aisle, dressed in white and changed my last name. It's a name that I carry with honor. Every day, I'm blown away by God's goodness in giving me Joey. He loves me unconditionally (and believe me, I'm not always loveable), he supports me (even when he may not necessarily agree with how I'm feeling), he challenges me to be better, he prays with me, he provides for our family, he is God's perfect match for me.

On our wedding day, I really didn't think there was any way that I could love Joey more than I did at that exact moment. Little did I know! The amount of love I feel for him has grown and multiplied day after day, year after year. Adding Tripp and Makinley (and soon Addie Grey) has made me truly appreciate the man that Joey is. He is an unbelievable father. He plays with the kids, he makes their lunches, he tucks them in at night, he says their bedtime prayers, he coaches their sport's teams, he NEVER misses a function that they have for school or church. He is 100% present physically, mentally, and emotionally in the raising of our children....and I am so thankful. God knew exactly what he was doing when he paired us together.

The last nine years have gone by so quickly, and it's hard to imagine what life will bring in the nine years to come. I look forward to sharing whatever lies ahead. Because I know that, no matter what, we will face life together. I love you, Joey. Thank you for sharing this life with me.

awana's awards

From the very first week we visited our church, the kids have been attending Awana's. They LOVE it. Tripp is in Sparks and Makinley is in Cubbies. Wednesday nights were one of their favorite nights of the week and they were sad if there was a Wednesday that they could not go. Luckily, that did not happen often. I think they've only missed 3 or 4 times since January. Last night was the awards ceremony. At the beginning of the program, the Sparks performed one of their songs. Can you tell by Tripp's face that he wasn't really feeling it?

Right after I took this picture, a bucket of tears began to fall and he ran down off the stage. Oh well!

 Makinley was awarded a little Cubbie's bear for completing her first year of Cubbies.

 And she was proud!

 Once her turn being recognized was over, she spent the rest of the service acting like a fool in the aisles. Twirling, dancing, talking, singing...you name it, she did it. This is exactly why she does NOT come into "big church" on Sundays. The child cannot handle it.

 Tripp was awarded his ribbon for completing his first book. I'm really proud of him because he has completed it since January whereas the rest of his Sparks' friends began in August. He has "memorized" 35 verses. Of course, he still needs prompting on some of them. But, that's okay. He's learning.

 Can you tell how proud?

 Comparing with a friend!

 Our attempt at a family picture. Yet, Makinley wouldn't come sit on the other side of me, or by her daddy, so that we could be closer together.

They are excited to begin another year of Awana's in the fall and Joey and I love all that they are learning about God and His promises through our church.

first and last

For comparison's sake:

First day of 3K and Kindergarten:

To the last day of 3K and Kindergarten:

They weren't really feeling the picture taking process the last day of school, so this is as good as it got!

last preschool program

On Thursday, I was able to go to the preschool to see Makinley's very last program. This church preschool has been so wonderful for both of my children. The teachers, director and children are amazing and my kids have felt loved and I have had peace knowing they are being cared for. We'll take a two year break and start over again with Addie Grey!

Look how much taller she is! You can really tell she's almost a year older than some of her classmates.

 After singing her heart out and doing the signs for every song, it was time for a picture break for the mommies!

 Then we headed down to her classroom for her party. She put away some food. She rarely, if ever, eats breakfast. So, by 10:00 every day she is STARVING. It's going to be interesting when she starts PReK next year for her to adjust her natural eating patterns to fit in with a public school schedule.

 I love this beautiful girl!!!! She is so ready to go to the "big school" with her brother and talks about it on a regular basis. It gives me comfort to know they will be together. She had a wonderful year and she will miss her teachers next year!

kindergarten honor's program

On Tuesday, I snuck out of school for a few minutes and rode over to the primary school to see Tripp receive his final "dog tags" for the year in kindergarten. Each nine weeks, he has gotten his dog tag for both math and language arts. I haven't been able to attend a ceremony since the first one, so I was glad I was able to go this last time.

We could not have asked for a better school year for Tripp. He had the most amazing teachers who loved him like he was their own. He grew leaps and bounds academically and in maturity. It is so hard for me to believe he is going to be in first grade....especially since that's the grade I taught for 4 years. In fact, that's what I was teaching when I was pregnant with Tripp and his first year of life. I remember at the time feeling like my students were HUGE and that Joey and I would never reach that milestone with Tripp. Ha! Little did I know! I don't think there is any way life could have moved any faster than it has the last 6 years. But, it is so much fun to watch him learn and grow. I know first grade is going to be just as great as kindergarten.

moving and shaking

As I've said before, this blog is helping me to document all the small things of this pregnancy so that I can enjoy, remember, and relish every second of Addie Grey growing inside me. This is it, folks, and I don't want to look back with any regrets over how I viewed or felt about this pregnancy. Yes, there are moments and days when it's hard. But...that's okay. I will blink and be holding her and never again experience the miracle of a baby growing inside my tummy. Last night, Joey went to play softball with our church and I had about 45 minutes of time with the kids before they were heading to bed. Addie Grey had been on the quiet side all day yesterday, and I hadn't felt her move much. So, I told the kids I was going to lay down on my back and see if I could get her to wake up and move around for a few minutes. Makinley immediately ran into my bedroom and got our home doppler. I've had the doppler since I was 12 weeks pregnant, but I have not been lucky enough to actually find Addie Grey's heartbeat with it yet (well, there was one time I found her for a split second, but she immediately moved away). It's a cheap version, so I knew she would probably have to get much bigger before I could find her. Well, last night, the second I put the doppler on my tummy, her heartbeat came through LOUD and clear! The kids were SO excited and couldn't believe how loud and fast it was. After listening to her for a few minutes, we started trying to get her to move. With a few nudges from mommy, I immediately started feeling her squirm around. It's so funny that sometimes now I can just feel her squirming...not really kicking or punching....just readjusting herself. Makinley left her hand on my tummy for a good 10-15 minutes feeling her sister move. Each time AG would kick, Makinley would get the sweetest smile and point on her hand where she felt her. Tripp still swears he couldn't feel anything. Such a "man". There is no way he wasn't feeling her; I just think he wasn't real sure what he was looking for. Makinley's a pro at distinguishing AG's movements from mommy's breathing. At one point, Makinley told me to hold my breath so that my tummy wouldn't move up and down. Then she said, "Well, mommy, it's okay if you breathe. I know you have to." Ha! Another sweet memory made.
     Then at bedtime, we talked about what AG would probably call Tripp and Makinley. Of course, "Bubba" and "Sissy" came up because that's what Tripp and Makinley called each other for so long. Makinley still calls Tripp "Bubba" quite often, but he never really calls her "Sissy" anymore. I call her that quite often though. And I call Tripp "Bubba". It's hard to let those baby "pet names" go as they get older. In fact, last night, I was talking to Makinley and called her "baby girl" and thought to myself for a split second, "Wow....in just a few months, she won't be my only baby girl anymore." It's such a crazy thought to me. Because even though I feel her, hear her heartbeat, see her on an ultrasound screen....I still just can't wrap my head around another Lancaster baby. Joey and I talk about it quite often. I guess until she is actually in our arms, she isn't going to really feel "real" to us. We are so busy being Tripp and Makinley's parents that it's hard to envision adding in another. But she IS already loved. Very, very much so.

bad dreams

The last two nights, Makinley has woken up during the night with "bad dreams". Pitiful crying and looking for her momma. So, obviously, I've gone to get her and she's snuggled down to finish her night in our bed, safe between us two. Yesterday, I tried to get her to tell me what her "bad dream" had been about. She couldn't remember. This morning, I asked her what her bad dream was about last night. She said, "I dreamed someone killed Jesus." Welllll.....baby girl.....someone DID kill Jesus.....but it breaks my heart that you are dreaming about it. Funny enough...she didn't dream about the cross....she dreamed about a gun. Not sure where this is coming from since she basically only watches Wow Wow Wubzy...and they've never had guns on there. Praying for a peaceful night's sleep for my baby girl.

mother's day

We spent Mother's Day visiting with both of our moms. We got up early before church and took Linda to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Then we went to Sunday School and church and then headed to my parents house for the afternoon. It was very relaxing, which was exactly what this momma wanted!

 Bear started walking a few weeks ago and it is SO cute!

 He also loves climbing all over his Poppa.

 My whole reason for getting to celebrate this day! Makinley wasn't really in a picture taking mode, but that's okay because this pretty much sums her up! :-)

 GiGi and her grandbabies! So hard to believe that next year, she'll be holding Addie Grey too!!

I am blessed beyond measure in my family. I really and truly am. I love these two (ahem, three) children that God has entrusted to me more than my own life. Every day that I get to watch them learn, grow and become more and more independent is a gift. I pray I don't ever take a second of being their momma for granted.

pinewood derby

This year, because the kids are participating in Awana's at our new church, they were able to build cars for the annual Pinewood Derby race. I can remember my dad and my brother building cars for Trey when he was in Boy Scouts. In fact, we still have the cars and now Tripp plays with them. So, it was exciting for Tripp to be able to build his own car with his Poppa and Daddy. Joey couldn't take Tripp to the work day at church in order to actually cut the car shape out of the wood, so my dad came and took him. Then Tripp and Joey painted the car. Finally, Tom helped Joey to get the weights in the car so that it would go faster. It was definitely a group effort! Unfortunately, my camera went MIA for a second, and I didn't get any pictures of the final product with my real camera. When I upload my pictures from my phone, I'll update it then. I was able to get pictures at the race with my phone.

After my dad drew out the shape on the block of wood, we had it cut.

 Mak observed.

 Poppa and Tripp watching the cutting process.

 Poppa sanding.

 Still sanding.

 And sanding.

 And sanding! :-)

 Mak even got in on the sanding action.

 All sanded up and ready for paint.

 Joey spray painted it first. And taped it off to put stripes where Tripp wanted them.

 Tripp just stood back and took it all in.

And that's all I got with my actual camera! :-( The night of the race was so much fun. We planned on just letting Makinley watch and then she could participate next year. When we got there, our neighbor's little girl was sick (and had already built her car), so Mak got to race Lily's car. Funny part? She won first place and got to bring home a trophy! Ha! Tripp won 3rd place with his...which Joey was proud of since it was the first time he had ever done anything like this. He said next year he will  know what to do to make Tripp's faster! I'll get up pictures from the actual race soon!