VBS Performance

We had our VBS performance Friday night and then we went out to dinner with my mom and dad for Father's Day!

They look like they could be twins in this picture!

 The sillies kicked in while they were waiting to start their performance.

 This is a fellow third grade teacher, who Makinley ADORES! She also goes to church with us, and I really think Mak would move in her back pocket if given the option!!

 The performance got underway and the kids did GREAT. Knew every movement and sang loud!

 After dinner at a little cafe, we went across the street to the park to take some Father's Day pictures with my dad and let the kids play. Me, Daddy and Addie Grey!! Ha!

 The one that made him a Poppa!

 His princess! The kids and I answered questions about Poppa and I had them laminated. Their answers were hilarious and my dad loved it.

 His first two grands.

 And another so we could document that Addie Grey was a part of it all too!

 A little swinging and see-sawing and it was time to go home!

threatened

The bigger my tummy gets, and the closer the reality of Addie Grey becomes, the more threatened I think Makinley feels. Don't get me wrong, she is super excited about becoming a big sister, and I know that she is going to love the baby. But, if we are being real, she feels threatened too. After all, she has been my baby for almost five years. And there is nothing this girl loves more than her momma. She has always been that way. She obviously loves the other members of her family, but I'm not sure anybody can compete with momma on most days. It's actually pretty exhausting for me. But, she is starting to act out and do things that we should have been past LONG ago as far as temper tantrums and things like that are concerned. And just being flat out disobedient. Joey and I are spending most of our days disciplining her and trying to remind her that she's not the one in charge. It's not fun. But, it has to be done. I do worry about how the transition will go. The last thing I want is for Makinley to feel "replaced" or slighted in the least little way. I want her to see Addie Grey as a wonderful addition to our family....not as someone that caused her world to change for the negative. So, we are just trying to work through this difficult time with her and we'll make sure we make a conscious effort in the first few weeks that AG is here to make sure Makinley feels just as loved and special as always.

catch up

I realized last night that there have been several things that I haven't blogged about, and I wanted to get caught up. So, this is going to be kind of haphazard, but it will be a way for me to make sure I hit on all the highlights!

1. About a year ago, Tripp had to (unfortunately) have a pretty big cavity filled. Over the last year, we've had a couple of different times where that tooth has bothered him and shown signs of infection, but we've been able to use antibiotics and get it cleared up. On the Sunday before the last day of school, Tripp came to us during "big church" complaining of his tooth hurting. We got him through the rest of that Sunday fine. The next morning, when he went to go take a bite of his breakfast, he started screaming and holding the side of his face saying that his tooth was hurting really bad. Well, Tripp can tend to be melodramatic, so we don't ever know when he is really hurting and when he is putting on a show, but I gave him some Motrin and sent him to school. I had only been at school about an hour when I got a text from Joey that the school nurse called saying Tripp had a fever. I knew right away that it was his tooth. So, Linda went and picked him up and took him straight to the dentist. Joey met them there. Sure enough, the tooth had to come out right then. It was already cracked down the middle, and when Josh pulled it, it crumbled into four pieces! :-( Tripp did AWESOME!!! Sat right there and let them numb him up without a sound. In fact, it probably gave him a lot of relief from his pain. I didn't know how he would do for the rest of the day, but he did great. Joey even took him back to school so that he could participate in the last big activity for Kindergarten (beach day!).

He actually has 5 more teeth that are loose right now. So, if they all fall out at the same time, he's going to look pretty funny. Hopefully, we won't have any more teeth drama for a very, very long time!

2. In preparation for the baby, we had to make a decision about who would get new furniture....the baby, or Tripp. We decided to let Tripp get new bunk beds because he recently started asking for them, and it worked out that we already had a dresser and nightstand that we could use with bunk beds. Then we could just use his furniture for the baby. We hunted around and found a set of bunks for exactly what we wanted to spend at a furniture store in N.C. It took FOREVER for the beds to come in, but they are exactly what Tripp wanted. Makinley hasn't spent even one night in her own bed since Tripp got his bunk beds because they alternate every night as to who sleeps on the top and who sleeps on the bottom. Made bedtime around here pretty easy! (Please excuse the fact that they aren't made up in the picture. Bunk beds aren't the easiest thing to make when you AREN'T pregnant....when you ARE, you can forget it).

3. The baby's room is slowly coming along. We had the french doors and transom installed last week. Joey painted this week. Now, I just have to clean the carpet (it is AWFUL) and we can get the crib put together and her bedding on. I've passed on some canvases that I'm having painted. We are having maternity pictures taken in a couple of weeks to hang over her changing table. We have the glider sitting in the garage, ready to take its place of importance. I bought materials to ATTEMPT to make her a bow holder! Ha! If it all comes together in reality the way that I have it pictured in my head, it's going to be so pretty. Here is a sneak peak of her bumper:

4. Last week, Makinley participated in VBS at the Methodist church where she went to school and Tripp had baseball camp all week. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but they had a great time! It was nice having every morning free to get some stuff down around the house too.
5. This week, we have had VBS every night at our church from 5:30-9. Again, I don't have pictures yet, but I will after tonight when they do their performance. They have had an amazing time and have learned so much. It has made for VERY late nights at our house this week; therefore, Makinley has slept in until at least 10 every morning. Tripp has even slept until 9 the last two days. You KNOW that boy is tired if he sleeps past 7 or 7:30. We've also had lunch dates every day, pool time every day, park time twice, and friends over to play. It has been so busy, but my kids have had a blast all week long. When they're happy, momma's happy!

Okay, I think that's it as far as "catch up" goes. I gotta do better about capturing pictures on a daily basis. I know that come September, I'll have my camera out all the time again, but I need to do better this summer while I'm enjoying my time with Tripp and Makinley!

a bear of a recital

This is purely a picture dump for the sole purpose of my blog book at the end of the year. Makinley had her dance recital Friday night, and when I turned the camera on to get some pictures before we left, she was FULL of poses. I couldn't pick just one to upload because they were all so funny and totally showed her personality!

month six

Not the best picture, but it will do!

How far along: 24 weeks (6 months)

Size of baby: an ear of corn in length and just over a pound! 

Total weight gain/loss: We've definitely hit a growth spurt this month and I've been able to tell in my appetite. As in, there are days that I just can't get enough to eat. I'm thinking I've gained between 6-10 pounds total so far this pregnancy...but I'm sitting right at my prepregnancy weight right now (if that makes any sense whatsoever). In my mind, I'll start actually adding pounds gained when I pass where I was before I got pregnant because that's what I'll really feel like I need to "lose" afterwards. Not that I won't be able to handle losing an extra 10 pounds past whatever that may be.

Maternity Clothes: Yes! I can still fit in my Nike running shorts and some of my t-shirts on days where I can just be comfy. But on days that I have to look presentable, it's maternity all the way.

Gender: Girl!!!!

Baby Name: Addison Grey ("Addie Grey") Joey's grandma's name was Addie and my grandma's middle name was Grey. So, we are putting the two names together to honor both grandmas.

Movement: Definitely. Now Joey, Tripp and Mak have all felt her move. Last night, while lying in bed, Joey and I watched my tummy jump around. I'm past the point of just feeling kicks and punches and I'm feeling her shift and roll.

Sleep: Other than having to get up to go to the bathroom (or Tripp and Mak still making occasional night time calls) I'm sleeping pretty good right now.

What I miss: I actually can't think of anything right now. I'm enjoying every second!

Cravings: Definite surge in my appetite this month. I pretty much only eat my normal 3 meals/day and I don't really do any snacking in between meals. But when my feet hit the floor in the morning, I am STARVING. My biggest craving is chocolate milk. I have to have a glass first thing in the morning, and right before falling asleep at night. It's not good when there's no milk in the house (which luckily rarely happens). And, I've actually enjoyed vegetables A LOT more this pregnancy than I ever did with Tripp or Makinley.

Symptoms: Just the typical ones for this stage of pregnancy. Nothing crazy.

Best moment this month: Watching her move around from the outside. Getting lots of clothes for her from two sweet friends.....and the beginning of SUMMER. Now, I can really focus on getting her room ready! I can't believe how quickly everything is flying by!

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.