More Fun with Daddy

Last Saturday Dan took the girls with him to Fort Worth. He needed to get his books for his Seminary class and I needed some rest! So they packed up and took off early Saturday morning and visited some of our old haunts. The girls were pretty excited to visit the Fort Worth Museum of Science AND their all time favorite....The Cowgirl Museum! They had a blast!!

Just the Six of us.....Now WHAT!?!?

I was quite a bit more emotional about waking up without Mimi here than I thought I would be. The task before me seemed quite large. The emotional breakdown probably had something to do with the kind of night I had with Judson. Not the greatest but we are still learning right?

We have made it slowly but surely through the biggest part of the day. Tonight is church and Dan is going to take the girls to church with him. That way I can get a little rest.

I was a little more overwhelmed than I bargained for with the needs of the big girls. They wanted to be with me all day and unfortunately I haven't the energy to entertain. But tonight is another night to try again with Judson and tomorrow is another day to try again with the girls. At least I don't have to make dinner for a while! God Bless those church members who are bringing meals for the next 10 nights!! Praise the Lord!!

Thanks Mimi, for making it even easier than I realized while you were here. We have been praying for your trip home! I bet Pop Pop will sure be glad to have you back! We sure do miss you though!

Settling In

We are starting to get settled in. Thanks to Diana, Mimi, we are plugging away. She has been a lifesaver! She has kept life moving right along as normal as possible for the big girls. I dare say they have been having quite a bit more fun than will be possible in the coming weeks. She is the resident hero around here!
Tomorrow Dan starts back to work and it's Mimi's last day. . . I find myself wishing I had slept more while I could.

Last night, or should I say this morning,the exhaustion set in at about 4:30 when I was feeding Judson. Dan had to get him for me and just lay him bed with us. But life with four is going to be so sweet and such an adventure!

The girls are so sweet and very much in love with their baby brother. Elise asks everytime she sees Judson if she can hold him for me. She has such a caring heart! She got Olivia's first smile and laugh and she is well on her way to winning Judson's heart too.

Olivia keeps wanting to "tiss, tiss" (kiss) the baby everytime she sees him which is usually when I am feeding him.

We are having so much fun with a little boy. I am not sure why it is so different but it is SOOO VERY DIFFERENT! And this little Momma LOVES it! He is my little man and it is so sweet!











MORE TO COME.........

Here's our little Man!

Judson Elliott

August 5, 2007

3:56 pm

7lbs. 4 oz.

19 3/4 in.

These are a little out of order but this is our man on his way home from the hospital. Then some relaxing at home. The other pictures are pretty self explanitory. My parents drove in and kept the girls right after church as Dan and I dashed off to the hospital. Then when Dan's mom got here around 12:30 am my parents made the 3 hour drive back home. I got some pictures of them holding Judson because they forgot their camera in the rush to get here to help. When I get a little time to think about it a little more I will write out the whole birth story for those of you who like that sort of thing, but first things first, right? We need to see some pictures of this little guy!

He got a great bill of health from the doctor. The sonogram on his kidneys came back 100% normal. They aren't the slightest bit enlarged. Praise the Lord! He is eating like a champ and sleeping really well too. But that's no surprise most newborns sleep well.

We came home Tuesday night from the hospital. I was feeling so well and ready to get home that the doctor let me go. I will give all the details later but God was so gracious to us through this whole process. I can't wait to tell of all of the ways that God blessed us through this time! It was such a great experience. Thank you all for your prayers!

Prayer Request

It looks like I will be making a trip to the hopital this morning as soon as Dan gets home from church. He was preaching this morning.

I am having similar pain to when Olivia was born. No definite contractions but enough pain to keep me up all night and achy all over. The pain is concentrated in my belly. The fear is that my uterin wall is getting too thin to support baby any more. That's my fear anyway. So I will soon be making a trip to the hospital to see what the Dr. thinks. It has been about a day and half that I have had pretty intense pain. It isn't getting better so we are going in.

I got to hear Dan in the early service this morning. I was awake, I might as well go and sit there. He did a great job by the way.

We'll keep you posted!

Worry Wart

Sometimes I have these bouts of worry. They usually descend on me in times of transition. I have one coming up...a new baby. The thing is. . . . all these things I worry about, well, for the most part they are out of my control. Most of them come from irrational fear. Like......what if one of the children becomes severely ill. GOOD GRIEF WOMAN!! Don't you remember the verse about borrowing trouble from tomorrow?

Even now as I am confessing this weakness to you it seems so much smaller, yet moments ago, my heart was pounding and I was overcome with all of the what ifs that were floating around in my head.

Back in Fort Worth I realized that I needed to learn to live in contentment. The very definition of contentment goes against my current state of mind. Contentment: a feeling of calm satisfaction.

As I struggled this morning with my fear and worry I also was crying out to God for peace. You see I don't have to live like this! I can choose contentment. I CAN be satisfied with the life and lot that God given me. Usually my discontent comes when I focus on the things I do not have. How can I be satisfied if I am only thinking of what I do not have! I assure you my list of blessings FAR outweighs the list of not haves. In my journey to peace and contentment I realized that I need to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7 (emphasis mine)

SO if I am making my requests known to GOd with thanksgiving, then that means that I am thanking him for His part in providing for me. I pray BELIEVING that my God will provide for my needs. That's where the peace that passes all understanding comes from!

I sometimes have to make lists. If I can see my thoughts written down then very often they are not quite as intimidating and I can put them in their proper place. So, practically, I need to sit down with my fears and worries and write them down. In an attitude of prayer I can seperate my fears into things I can help change and things I have no control over. Then with thanksgiving I can give this list over to God and let Him develop a plan of action or simply provide His all surpassing peace. It sure beats laying in bed thinking of all the bad things that could happen. Sheesh! This morning I felt paralyzed by these fears that were constantly rolling around in my head. I couldn't escape the should of's, what if's and Heaven Forbid scenarios that I had created.

This morning I realized that contentment is a discipline we must learn to practice. Contentment isn't some desired state that we arrive at. There will always be something more we could have or something we wish we had done differently. Contentment is satisfaction. Satisfaction is fleeting. I am going to strive to pursue and practice contentment. TRUE CONTENTMENT that is only available through my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Through an attitude of gratitude I am determined to set aside those things that hinder me from achieving the life of joy and reconciliation my Lord died to give me. and YOU!

The Official Countdown Has Begun!

7 Days and counting!

5 Days until Mimi Comes to HELP!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Olivia!

What a day! Nana and Papa came for the festivities, we made ice cream and had cake, opened some presents and played in the water. It was fun for everyone! We love it when Nana and Papa can come even if it's only for a few hours.

Olivia, I can't believe you are already 2 years old. I can't imagine our family without you. You are growing and learning so much. Pretty soon FaithLyn is going to have some real competition for the role of boss. You already have such strong opinions. You know what you like yet you still try new things. You are so much fun. I love to hear you laugh and play. I love to hear your sweet little voice. Everytime you ask to pray like the ''big girls'' it just melts my heart to hear you say, Der Jsus.

You are so eager to learn. I pray that your heart stays eager to learn. I pray that you always desire to call out to Jesus. I also pray that you will build strong and healthy relationships with your sisters, your brother, and all those close to you. May God bless your desire to lead in a way that makes that the beauty of the Cross desirable to all those around you.

I love you so much, sweet girl. It is amazing how fast you are growing. I love you more each day. Even on the days that you stay in trouble for pushing the boundries your Daddy and I have set for you I love you still. And even more than your Daddy and I love you Your heavenly Father loves you perfectly and passionately. May He be your desire and may all your desires be fulfilled!

AUGUST 10!!

I have just returned from my weekly visit to the doctor and we have finally scheduled the C-section.

The big day will be August 10, 2007. That is exactly two weeks from today. WHOO Hooo! I am so ready to see this little guy on the outside. I have gotten some pretty good visuals of his little tail end trying to poke through my tummy, so it will be nice to see his little face.

Please be in prayer for us as we prepare for this transition.

Baby Update

Well we got the official word from a specialist today that this little guy is doing fine. The kidneys are a little large but not overly large. And they do have a small amount of fluid retention but nothing to worry about. He concluded that they are functioning just as they should and we will just let the pediatrician know and he will follow up after this guy makes his appearance.

We should know a definite date for said arrival soon. It could be as soon as 3 weeks!
Thanks again to Gerlthouse for the fun day for the girls!! But I am swollen to twice the size I was this morning and that's just not even funny, comfortable, or attractive so I am going to bed. Hopefully the magic of slumber will morph my poor legs and ankles back to their normal pregnant larger than normal but not elephantine size.

Texas Heat Wave!

This is about the only way I can stand to be outside! Water is required.

And since the girls have been BEGGING me to play outside I finally gave in. The water felt great! Not too cold but not hot. Very refreshing. We went out again this morning and enjoyed some good time outside.

For all of those of you that have been praying for me while Dan is away this week, THANK YOU!! It has been a much better week than I anticipated. I have done some cooking, cleaning, and we haven't had the TV on non-stop. It's just been a nice slow week for us. We have enjoyed our time but MAN do we miss Daddy!

Almost immediately after I finished posting about the baby's kidney's and waiting to hear the results of the sonogram, my Doctor called. Ok, how many times have any of you other mothers had your OB actually call you at your house, just to chat or see how you are doing? Yeah, I thought so. It really freaked me out. He said that the baby's kidneys are still enlarged and show that they are holding some fluid so he wanted to send me to see a specialist for a level 2 sonogram to further diagnose the situation. I realize now that he needed to call to find out when to make the appointment. I mean, the clock is ticking on this pregnancy, right!? At the time I was just too taken back by an actual phone call from my doctor to think clearly. Oh, and did I mention he wanted to send me to Fort Worth the following week! Yep, that's right, the week that Dan is gone to New Orleans with the youth group I am packing the girls up for a trip to FW to see a specialist. Thankfully we have some great friends there who have agreed to keep the girls so I can actually concentrate at my appointment. Thanks, Gerlthouse! This will definitely make the day a lot more enjoyable for me. Not only will I have a more definite idea about what is going on with this baby but I also get to visit with some friends.

Who do you think I called first after my phone call with the doctor? My husband, right. Wrong. I called Gerlthouse immediately! I had to make sure that she was going to be around and would be willing to make her house a day care for a while. Maybe it would have been a better idea to call my husband first. I was like a blubbering fool! I am sure Erin would have agreed to anything I was so upset. I should have taken advantage of that! I might have been able to get a week out of her! ;)

To make a long story short, Dan went with me to see the doctor for my scheduled appointment the day following my chat with the Dr. on the phone. We went, after I had called all my family and alerted them enough to keep most of them from sleeping well that night, to get a few more questions answered. I just needed to know what to expect. I mean, with Dan being a couple of states away I needed to know if there was any possibility that I might be wisked into a delivery room. It has happened before!

The doctor answered all of my questions and was very reassuring. He assured me that he would let me know if I needed to be concerned. This is just a precaution. Although he can't be certain it isn't something serious none of the symptoms that would cause real concern are present. So, I have been biding my time this week to find out the skinny on my baby boy's big kidneys. We go tomorrow. The appointment is at 3. SO if you have the desire to pray for us, we sure would appreciate it. You might also pray for a good trip to FW as far as travel goes. You can look back a few months to experience our last trip back to FW. I really would hate to duplicate that visit!

Happy Birthday, Pop Pop!!

Happy Birthday, Pop Pop!!

We sure do wish we could be there to celebrate with you! We miss you and love you so much!!

What a week!

We had a whirlwind week last week. And I am just now recovered enough to tell you about it!

Dan took some time off to make up for some lost days off and just to recoup before we make the final stretch of the summer and final baby prep. Our friends Adam and Mandy came by for a visit on Tuesday and Wednesday with their two boys, Jonah and Caleb. We had such a blast! I was a little too tired to be much fun but we REALLY enjoyed their visit. Our home feels more like home now that we have had some more of our friends and family over. Then Dan went back to the office Thursday and on Friday we headed to the panhandle to visit Nana, Papa and Aunt Angie and cousin Luke. What a fun time!! I came home with a sore stomach from all the laughing we did. The girls got to take their bikes and show off their mad skills! It was tons of fun. Then we came home Saturday just in time to make dinner for some friends in the military who came for an overnight visit. They are both single males so I always enjoy cooking for men who like to eat homecooked meals! Then on Sunday night we had the Youth Led Service at church and Dan to debut his preaching skills for the whole church. Well, at least those that come on Sunday nights! Dan did a great job communicating the scriptures! I love to hear him speak. he always brings lots of energy to what ever he is doing. After the service we were blessed TREMENDOUSLY by a gift card pounding by our church family! What a blessing!! Now I can buy that baby swing that I have been keeping my eyes on at Target! And it looks like we won't have to dress the little man in pink after all! ;) I was never worried! God has always provided so much more than we ask! We have NEVER gone without anything necessary and I can't really say a baby swing is necessary! But I digress!
Then on Monday we got to go visit our sweet friends Chris and Nichole Clayman and their son Hudson in Mineral Wells for the day. That visit was LONG overdue!! They were in from NY for a wedding and we were fortunate enough to get to steal some of their precious time with family! We were both refreshed and renewed by that visit. Although I have to say it was more of a spiritual refreshment and renewal for me. By the end of our marathon week I was pretty pooped!

On Tuesday I had a follow-up sonogram to check on the babies kidneys. The technician would't tell me anything. SO I will have to wait to see what the doctor says tomorrow. But I have learned to wait and trust the Lord for the final outcome no matter how scary the situation may seem right now. Not that I don't sneak in a wayward worry or two every now and then, but I know in my heart of hearts that THE Creator knows much more than the doctors and I trust Him more because He has proven himself time and again!

Yesterday was my catch up day. We layed around and did nothing. I let the girls watch a lot of tv. And I don't even feel guilty about it! I didn't even go to church last night. After Olivia's early arrival I have decided to try and take it a little easier this time around. That has to start now. SO I am doing the basics that have to be done and that is IT! I am trying to keep my feet up and get as much rest as I can between trips to the bathroom and trying to get comfortable.

Dan is leaving for a mission trip to New Orleans with the Youth Group on Saturday. I will be offering prayer support. But if you think of it I would covet your prayers as well. We sure are going to miss Daddy!

I have lots more I want to say but this post is wordy enough for today. I sometimes forget that I am not just writing this for my Mom and Mother-in-Law. They care about the little things!

Our Sweet Daddy!

The girls have been really looking forward to these next few days. Dan is taking a few days to make up for some lost days off due to Youth activities. This morning I had a doctors appointment so the girls were pumped about getting to have some Daddy time. I think I was equally pumped about some Mommy time! This morning when I got up with the girls they instantly started asking where Daddy was. We tried to let him sleep in, but alas, we miss him too much! Before I even left the fun started. The girls have been waiting for a long time to play Princesses with Daddy. He's lots of fun, let me tell you! I snapped some pictures while I was getting ready. I missed the best parts, like the journey to the cave, and the battle with the dreaded witch. (the girls really love the Wizard of OZ.) But here are the pics I did get.





The prince and princesses had to take a break on their long journey. They were running from a dragon, I think.


And everyone knows that royalty MUST have tea every day, NO MATTER WHAT! This was the tea break.


Here they are working hard to revive princess FaithLyn from her long sleep. She was attacked by the witch and the only thing to revive her is the magic journey flower. Then you have to blow on her belly button. It's not conventional healing, but it always works!

Later, Dan found Olivia laying in the same spot pretending to be asleep. When Dan came with the other princesses to rescue her she started moaning and said, Boog, and pointed between the chair and the chest. Apparently the dead roach she found sent her into hysterics and she went limp. She seems a little young to be picking up on those kind of dramatics!


Aren't we blessed to have such a fun and loving Daddy!? How many Daddies do you know that will play princess with his little girls? They were so fun I almost didn't want to leave them! But I did anyway! I had a very enjoyable time ALL BY MYSELF, by the way!





Here is Olivia trying so very hard to get dressed all by herself just like her big sisters!! She's growing up so fast!

Hard Work really Does Pay Off!

For about 6 long weeks now the girls have been very diligent in doing their chores to make sure they could stamp off every spot on their chore charts. The end goal was two fold. First, and in my opinion, most importantly the girls have developed some great new helpful habits. Secondly, they both got to work for their very own brand new bikes with training wheels! We have made a couple of trips to look at bikes to keep the enthusiasm going and FaithLyn has wanted a princess bike almost the whole 6 weeks. Elise fell in love with this Dora bike recently and it is just her size. We had such fun picking out helmets. Dan and I have a hard time remembering why helmets are necessary but we bought them anyway.


Olivia has done a great job mimicking her big sisters and she has been very helpful too. She has really learned how to help pick up her room and put shoes away and help set and clear the table. I am so glad that this helped the girls enjoy helping in those ways. I am just praying it lasts!!

But we felt like Olivia's efforts should be recognized too. She got this really cool swing and she is pretty pumped about it!!

Rain, Rain, Go away and take the Roaches with you!!!

WOW! It just won't stop raining!! If we wanted to keep our yard in good shape we would have to mow every 3 days! Good thing we aren't too concerned about that.

It's flooding all over the place. No one knows what to think or do. This just isn't supposed to happen. The plants and grass are all in shock and we actually have some green algae like substance growing on our back porch!

Not to mention that we just aren't equipped for this kind of weather. None of the houses in our neighborhood have gutters. Our chimney is leaking. Oh, and did I mention that the bugs are all a bit confused as well? They love the muggy mild weather but the rain has them kind of freaked out. I think they held a meeting and decided that the best plan for them was to come and camp out at my house! And by bugs, I mean roaches. I have commented on how I feel about roaches before so I will spare you the details of my long, LONG, journey to overcome this deep seeded hatred for roaches.
But every time it rains we find about 4-5 roaches dead or dying in our house. Don't even get me started on the garage. But because of my dislike of roaches I know how to deal with them (kill them). One of the girls favorite things to do in the morning is to go searching for dead bugs. FaithLyn has realized that if she could overcome her fear of the bugs she could make herself invaluable in the family. She has become the new hero around here. The first bug was discovered while I was unable to help so she went and got her shoe and stomped it while Elise hung out on the fireplace. Ever since then she has been my number one roach hunter. The other girls are a lot less afraid now too. They enjoy pointing them out for the shoe squashers. But Dan and I are the squashed bug collectors. We get to do the dirty work and if Dan is around I let him hold that title alone.

But every time it rains, which is about 2-3 times a day, more bugs find there way in. And this week it has rained every night! It's raining right now. I would go and look for more bugs but I don't want to spoil the girls fun when they get up from their naps. I mean we have to get our excercise somehow!

Our last few weeks....

Our sweet Memaw Cumbie in Plainview.
Elise loving on PawPaw . Olivia with PawPaw.

This is the pool at Nana and Papa's house. Dad just finished the porch around the front of the house and we thought this was a good place for the pool. We (I) just didn't think about trying to get the water OUT of the pool. The girls were helping Nana water the flowers and Papa suggested getting water from the pool. You see we couldn't swim in it because it was infested with june bugs! GROSS! Well, that's what the girls thought anyway.
Olivia was really getting into it and she got a little carried away. She was just dumping the water right out onto the dirt. She created quite a mudpile.
FaithLyn was the first to experience the mud up close and personal.
After VBS Aunt Angie came to visit. She is a super star at our house now. The girls LOVED her visit and we got to introduce her to all our new church friends.
The large slug we caught trying to get in our house! Did I tell you Dan accidentally stepped on one in front of the closet? It left a yellow slime in our carpet! GROSS!FaithLyn and Olivia enjoying the hammock. We sure have been enjoying this nice summer weather!!

I will NOT feel Guilty for......

As a mom it is so easy to pile on the guilt about what we have done wrong or have failed to do all together. My Mom gave me a book called "Motherhood: The Guilt that Keeps on Giving" by Julie Ann Barnhill. In the preface she gives an assignment to all mothers prior to reading the rest of the book. The assignment is to make a list of as many things as you can think of that you refuse to feel guilty about as a mom. I haven't filled out my list in the book yet, but my mind has been going back to this list for days now. It was such a refreshing thing for me to be able to think of some of the things that I feel good about as a Mom. I thought maybe it was time to write that list down. Maybe some of you tired Moms out there would benefit from doing this too?

SO... here goes....

As a Mother I refuse to feel guilty for.......

1. Letting my little girls scream as much as they want when we are playing ... OUTSIDE.

2. Teaching my children to respect others by answering when someone speaks to them.

3. Disciplining my children in whatever way Dan and I see fit, ie. spankings, time-outs, loss of
priviledge.

4. NEVER withholding love from my children, even through discipline.

5. Expecting first time obedience from my children.

6. Reading to my children LOTS.

7. Making my relationship with the Lord and then my husband a priority over them.

8. Teaching my children to respect authority.

9. Allowing my children to watch an hour or TWO of TV every day.

10. Putting my children to bed at 7:30 so I can enjoy some time with their father.

11. Allowing my babies to cry themselves to sleep.

12. Putting my children on a schedule that promotes a schedule that works best for Dan and I
and our lifestyle.

13. Telling my children about Jesus' love and reading from the Bible.

14. Trying my best to imitate Christ for the little eyes that are watching me CONSTANTLY.

15. Saying sorry when I fail to imitate Christ before those little eyes.

16. Hugging and kissing my little ones as much as they will let me!

17. Allowing myself to be silly and play with my girls.

18. Putting off the dishes if my girls want to spend some time with me.

Well, that's just for starters. I have plenty to feel guilty for, believe me, but today I want to focus on the things that I feel confident about.

Another quick update!

Summer hasn't slowed down for us so unfortunately my blog probably will!

We started VBS this week and I am leading a 2nd grade class. It's a lot of fun and this is the girl's first year to really experience a week of VBS. We all took long naps today!

I had another sonogram today and we are still having a boy! I guess we better get busy with those boy names! Maybe we should start looking for a car seat, too, You think? Anyway, praise the Lord, my marginal placenta previa looks like it has moved and that shouldn't be any problem. Thank You, LORD!! Now if He can just hold my womb together for a few more weeks!!

Last weekend we went to visit Nana and Papa while Dan took the youth group on the 1st annual Brazos River Canoe/Camping trip. It went well and I think there might be a 2nd annual trip! We had a fun but short visit to good ole West Texas. Dan will be taking the youth group to Centrifuge next week after VBS so we will be traveling back to Nana and Papa's. We are trying to take advantage of the close proximity. It's only a 3 hr. drive and it's very pretty and relaxing. Something about those wide open spaces makes me feel so free and calm. Plus, the rain has made everything so green. I can't remember the last time I saw it this green around here.

I will try to update with pictures as I have time but time is short and I am not getting any less pregnant so you will have to settle for my best effort right now.