12 Weeks on our 8th Anniversary

Joseph and I got married eight years ago today. We celebrated with Mexican food for lunch. Really, we celebrated in mid-October with our trip to Gatlinburg. The month of December is really busy at UPS, so we usually do something special at a different time to celebrate our anniversary. We always find time to go out to eat, though.

I'm also 12 weeks along in my pregnancy. I've never really understood the comparisons to fruit because I'm pretty sure my baby isn't as fat as a lemon right now, though he/she may be as long. I did come across a figure online that said my baby is about as big as a Vienna sausage. Now, that sounds more realistic.

I'm feeling pretty good these days. I just get pretty tired around mid-afternoon time. I'm not one who typically requires great amounts of caffeine, but I splurged today and got a fountain drink from the gas station. A Coke on ice never tasted so sweet.

Christmas is coming soon! We will be here in Louisville for the week and will be celebrating with family closer to New Years. I believe I'm all finished shopping- picked up the last of the stocking stuffers today. I like to get the kids juice boxes and individual snacky things in their stockings since I don't usually keep these kinds of treats around the house. This is the year of the Ninja Turtle in our house, so many of the boys' presents are along that theme. I'm excited to see Joseph on Christmas morning, too. He is a little boy at heart when it comes to retro action figure stuff.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Glad tidings of great joy...

I know my last post was a downer, so I promised the next one would be full of good news. I'm not one to disappoint, so here's the news:

We are having another baby!

Yep, Baby #3 is set to arrive by late June 2013. I am currently 10 weeks pregnant, and it's no joke when they say you start showing earlier with each baby. Here's what my baby bump looks like today. Now that the news is out, I can actually start wearing clothes that don't hide my growing figure!

10 weeks

For those who are wondering whether we were trying for another, I'll just say that this one was a gift. Call it an early Christmas present. It's definitely going to shake things up around here, but we are excited. I had a doctor checkup today and got to see the baby moving around on an ultrasound. He/she already has little arms and legs and was squirming around.

Happy weekend, ya'll!

Whew! November is finally over...

Whew! November was a whirlwind of a month to say the least. I don't think I had a single normal day all month long. I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and my MWFs were booked up with doctor appointments for the kids and myself. We've met our deductible for the year, so I wanted to get as many appointments as I could scheduled before 2013.

an outtake of our Christmas card photo shoot

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Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. 

To be or not to be... healthy, that is

Doctor appointments come in waves in our house. They seem to come in six month intervals- probably because I get my mutant thyroid/goiter/Hoshimoto issue checked about that often. Thankfully, my doctor does her own ultrasounds at her office now, so I don't have to go through the whole outpatient radiology at a hospital drill. [For years, just to have a thyroid ultrasound performed, I had to go through the same registration process as someone having surgery-- and I wouldn't even find out the results until I talked to my doctor some time later. Unnecessarily stressful and inconvenient.]

Enough about my mutant glands--- but, if you are interested, I'll elaborate here (otherwise, skip to the big print down below)--- When I was pregnant with Austin six and a half years ago, all of a sudden my neck swelled up all puffy and crazy. My OB sent me for an ultrasound which confirmed I had cysts in my thyroid, some solid and one partly with fluid (hence the large goiter). I had a terrible core biopsy at that time, which was inconclusive. (errr- It means they didn't get a good tissue sample, and the biopsy was an utter waste of time and pain.) Then, while Austin was in the NICU, I had a fine needle biopsy (no pain meds, but less unpleasant than the core biopsy), which confirmed that I did NOT have cancer. Whoo hoo! Unfortunately, that was not the end of it. There is always a chance of the cysts/nodules becoming cancerous, so I have to have ultrasounds performed regularly, along with a biopsy if there is significant growth. Long story short, in the past six years, I have had four biopsies done on my neck, all of which were negative for cancer. The latest one diagnosed me with Hoshimoto's Disease, which means that on top of becoming possibly cancerous, my thyroid is also going to start attacking itself at some point in the future. Thankfully, my thyroid has been working normally up to this point. I do have a checkup/ultrasound in two weeks, so we'll see what the doctor says then. I'm pretty much over the whole biopsy thing- meaning, I would rather have my thyroid removed surgically than to undergo another miserable neck biopsy. It's terrible- really. But, we'll see if I can convince my doctor of the surgical route if the cysts have grown enough for her to want a biopsy.

Basically, I have a thyroid issue that I have to get checked every six months. 

Then, there is David, who has been generally healthy except for the fact that he doesn't talk like he should. So, for the past seven or more months, he has been receiving in-home speech therapy once every week-- equaling more appointments to fit into the schedule. Now, we are also dealing with the school system, so there are additional evaluations and meetings to attend to get him qualified for speech through the public preschool system.

Of course, there is Austin who has a neurological condition that has to be checked every year or so via a sedated MRI at the Children's hospital. This is actually coming up in about a week. We are hoping the scan will show no worsening of the anatomy of his Chiari malformation- hence, no need for surgery at this time. Of course, with him being in school, there are also parent teacher conferences to schedule, testing, etc.

On top of all these things, there are dentist appointments and vision appointments to schedule, well visits and sick visits, etc. Of the lot of us, Joseph is the only one who isn't followed by some kind of specialist. He goes to the clinic at Walgreens when he has some kind of sickness (which is rare).

I did find a new pediatrician for the boys a few weeks ago. It's a small two doctor practice, and the doctor we saw is very nice. I think she will be perfect for our quirky little family :)

Life Update- David might be going to school...

It's been awhile since I did a blog update. Here's what's going on with us lately:

Joseph- work, work and work- UPS and Learning Rx are keeping him pretty busy, not to mention that he keeps David while I work two days a week. He did get a few days off last weekend, though, and we went to Gatlinburg with some people he works with. Mom kept the boys for us.

In Gatlinburg

Emily- I'm still working at the law office two days a week. Between dropping Austin off and picking him up from school, the rest of my day is spent doing housework, errands and occasionally watching one of my favorite TV programs- Once Upon a Time, Last Resort, Vegas, Person of Interest... I've also been reading a few Agatha Christie mysteries. Other than the murder part, her books are such good, clean entertainment.

on a date with Austin

Austin- Austin is a few months into first grade. He had his sixth birthday in September. He is dressing up like Hawkeye from the Avengers movie for Halloween this week. He even has a toy bow and arrow that really shoots suction cup arrows. I was going to take the boys to do some fun halloween events around town this weekend, but the weather has turned very cold and dreary. We are definitely doing Trunk or Treat at our church on Sunday, and I'm sure I'll take them in the neighborhood on Wednesday. I took Austin last year, and the houses on our street give very good candy :)

on a field trip to the pumpkin patch

David- We are in the process of getting David evaluated for speech services through the public school system. He's been receiving in-home speech therapy through the state since he turned 2, but he's not building his vocabulary as quickly as we had hoped, and they only provide services until he turns 3 in January.  Because he still has a lot of language to develop, we are looking into public preschool, which would be free if he qualifies for services. He can get therapy in the classroom, and the interaction with other kids would be good for his vocabulary. We didn't send Austin to preschool and never even considered it. However, I think David would really enjoy it. He loves going to classroom settings (aka- BSF childcare and Sunday School). He just trots right on into his class with his little backpack and waves good-bye. It's very sweet. No separation anxiety for David these days.

David having Starbucks with my friend Heather while I
went to the pumpkin patch with Austin's class

We've also been visiting a new church and intend to start the membership process. Joseph gave his resignation at Farmdale Baptist in July. Our time there was sweet, but the one hour commute was really wearing us down. We've been going to Sojourn Community Church's East campus (less than 20 minutes away!) and are really enjoying it. The church is rather large, so they divide into community home groups on Sunday nights, where five or six families meet to discuss the sermon, prayer requests, etc. They even provide babysitters for the kids, which is great. Joseph isn't closing the door on ministry in the future, but right now we are just excited to serve as members in a growing, thriving church near our neighborhood.

Well, that's all to share for now.

Too early to think about Christmas? I don't think so... especially when it comes to your holiday cards.

It's the second week of October, and I'm already listening to Christmas music. There's just something to be said for savoring the fun of festive music before all the hustle and bustle of the holidays actually arrives.

With that being said, it's getting to be that time of year when everybody starts having family pictures taken to be sent out in their Christmas cards. A few years ago, I started designing our Holiday Cards online through Shutterfly. You can upload your high resolution pictures, pick a fantastic design and add the text of your choice. Then, they ship your order to you at lightning fast speed (just kidding- but really it's within a week or less).

I've always been very impressed with the quality of Shutterfly's work. I get the matte finish (versus the shiny photo paper cards), and they always turn out beautiful. It also helps when you have a good photographer. Most photographers will provide you with a CD of the photo files, and you can use those to make your cards. If you take your own, I recommend using photos that have a natural or outdoor background, and make sure there aren't any cars or extra junk in the pictures. Also be sure to take the photos at a high resolution so they won't turn out blurry.

Shutterfly has several cool retro styles this year.  I like this one. 

Keep your eye out on Shutterfly's facebook page and the special offers page on their website for promotions. They almost always have free shipping with orders over $30, and you can often get an extra 20% off of greeting card orders.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. They are going to give me a super awesome promo code for sharing this post with you all. But really, everything I wrote was true. Shutterfly produces quality products, and I highly recommend them!

Life as a NICU Mommy- blog post recaps

Over the years, I have written quite a bit about our experience with prematurity. For those who are interested, here are some links to some of my prior blog posts:

Joseph with Austin in the delivery room after my c-section.

How a Creme Pie Helped me Remember- My most recent recollections of those difficult days in September 2006.

29 Weeks- A day by day rundown of my experience with preeclampsia and preterm delivery at 29 weeks gestation.

Here is a post I wrote about life once we brought our preemie home after his 72 day visit in the hospital.

Austin's Birthday- 6 years old- Pictures from Conquer Chiari Walk

Austin had a birthday a few weeks ago. He is six years old! We celebrated with family and friends by participating in the Conquer Chiari Walk in Louisville. After our walk along the riverfront, we shared cupcakes and let the kids climb on a statue of Abraham Lincoln. It was a fun day.

Austin's 6th Birthday

Conquer Chiari Walk- There were 25 of us who participated, including kids.

Joseph's parents, along with my mom and sister, were able to celebrate with us.

David waiting for a cupcake.

Abraham Lincoln Memorial. 

Austin and his friends. 

To blog or not to blog.... and do I really have anything interesting to share?

For those who read this blog, what are the kinds of posts that you tend to enjoy most? I'm going to try to write some more in the near future, but I don't want to waste time and mental energy (both of which are limited these days) on posts that people aren't interested in.

Here are some of the series that I have written about in the past. Let me know if any of them are of particular interest to you:

- Public School
- Learning to Read or books in general
- Life as a NICU Mommy- prematurity
- Funny stories about the kids (I tend to just post these as short quips on facebook these days.)
- pictures of the kids (again, on Facebook)
-Melancholy
- Couponing (I'm actually taking a break from deal-seeking, although my checkbook is screaming that I need to start clipping coupons again soon!)
-Stuff to do in Louisville
- spiritual stuff

So, what do you think? What kind of blogs do you check regularly, and which posts do you tend to actually read all the way through?

Life as a NICU Mommy and the Issue of Germs

Joseph is a germaphobe. He doesn't like it when I take the boys swimming in lakes or public pools or when they climb in the tunnels at McDonalds. If a food so much as touches the counter, even if it was just washed, the food goes in the garbage.

I'm health conscious as well. But I don't get scared about a little bit of dirt.  As far as I am concerned, there are bad germs and there are good germs. I make sure my kids wash their hands when they've been playing with something nasty and before meals, but I don't stress out about whether we are going to pick up a germ at the grocery store.

Most people fall into one of the categories above (excepting that gross minority who don't even bother to wash their hands after using the toilet- eww).

And then there are NICU Mommies and Daddies....

I can still remember the first time I was able to leave my hospital room to go see my tiny preemie son. I had only gotten a short glimpse of him in the operating room, and then they had whisked him away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with me confined to my hospital bed. I didn't get to see him for a whole day after he was born. Family, friends and co-workers all got to visit my baby before I even really laid eyes on him. Thankfully I don't remember much of that day, which is a good thing because I must have been very sad.

Anyway, about the first time I left my room to see my baby--- I remember Joseph told me I needed to wash my hands really well. (He had been in the NICU room many times already, so he knew the protocol.) Well, I learned how to wash my hands very thoroughly in my high school medical electives, so I thought I was good. Nope, Joseph wasn't satisfied. He said I had to wash for like 30 seconds all the way up to my elbows and scrub harder. That was my initiation into the world of a NICU Mommy.

The parents of NICU babies are very concerned about germs--- and for good reason. Preemies are not as hardy as full term babies. A little bit of dirt really will hurt them, and the tiniest germ can wreak complete havoc on the system of a preemie. If you so much as scratch your nose or touch your mouth, you need to wash your hands for fear of spreading sickness to your baby.

I remember worrying so much about germs. We would make sure our visitors weren't sick, and we didn't even want healthy people to visit if they had even been around someone who was sick. The NICU is a very sterile place, and it should be that way.

Once you take your baby home, however, keeping your baby healthy becomes more tricky. Therefore, the safest place to be is at home. Austin came home from the NICU in December. We didn't take him anywhere but the doctor's office until the end of March. He was six months old before we even took him to church. I guess if it had been summer, we wouldn't have worried so much, but we were terrified that he would catch RSV and end up back in the hospital. (Thankfully, he didn't get sick at all that winter.)

Fast forward to 2010 when David was born, and we were like totally different parents. Our full term baby was more hardy and able to fight off sickness without fear of hospitalization. It's amazing what another two months in the womb will do for a kid.

All that being said, if you are going to be around a premature baby, please be conscious of germs, and don't visit if you are sick or if your kids are sick!

Austin is in First Grade

Here's the run down of life with the Goulds these days:

• Austin started First Grade last week.
• David is still getting speech therapy once a week. He is very slowly picking up new words. His newest word is "car," which is wonderful since David absolutely loves to play with toy cars.
• Joseph and I have birthdays this weekend, and we are taking a family vacation for two nights. So exciting! By the way, my birthday is on Labor Day this year. It also just so happens that September 3 fell on Labor Day the year I was born. Fancy that!
• We are gearing up for Austin's birthday in a few weeks. The gifts are purchased, Avengers paper products are waiting to be used, and we are gathering friends to join us for the Chiari Walk in Louisville. Contact me if you want to walk or donate to the cause.
• We are considering sending David to public preschool when he turns three in January. They would be able to offer him additional speech therapy, and I think the classroom interaction would be a good thing for him. We'll see, though, how things turn out once we start the process with the school system.
• Austin is still reading and absolutely loving it. This warms my heart. His favorite books to read are graphic novels (aka a bunch of comic books in an actual book form). He is still surprising me with the words he can read. I think he's smart :)
• We've got some new neighbors from British Columbia, and I've been hanging out with the wife, Heather, quite a bit lately. She walks with me in the morning when I take Austin to school. Her husband is a student at the seminary. It's fun hearing about her life on the West coast since my sister Jane lives pretty close to that area in Washington state.

That's all for now, folks! We are having our new neighbor friends over for dinner, so I'd better go clean my bathroom. Ha!

Life as a NICU Mommy- Before the days of Facebook

It used to be that everyone knew about our NICU story. Not so much anymore. I mean people don't usually go around talking about their 6 year old's birth story. There are typically other things to talk about- school stuff, younger siblings, etc.  So, if you've never heard our story, please keep reading...

Austin was born at 29 weeks gestation. Don't let his sweet demeanor fool you.
He was just as fiesty then as he is now!

If Austin were born today, people would know about his dramatic birth almost instantly via the world wide web. However,  the internet was a much different place six years ago than it is now. I'd never heard of Facebook, Twitter or Google Reader. People didn't send as many emails. Nobody sent text messages because it was too expensive. Information just didn't travel as quickly six years ago as it does now. What that meant in our case was that, other than our parents, very few people even knew I had developed pregnancy complications until days or weeks after Austin was born. If the same thing had happened today, I'm sure we would very quickly make a Facebook status- maybe it would be something like this:

"We had our baby 11 weeks early today. Our cute little peanut weighs two and half pounds and is a tiny 14 inches long. We'll post a picture as soon as we can. "

Or maybe it would be more like this:

"Austin was delivered this morning by emergency c-section. We haven't been able to hold him or even touch him because he is so fragile- only 2.5 pounds and 14 inches long. Emily is still very sick from the preeclampsia. Please pray for us."

It's crazy how technology has changed our lives so much in so little time.

Speaking of technology, I don't know what I would do without my blog. Every once in awhile, I get in the mood to write and reminisce about our experience. This is usually precipitated by some sort of momento that I find laying around the house- a picture, a preemie diaper, or in this case, a journal.

You know, I've come across this journal before- years ago- but I guess it was all too fresh for me to be affected by it. It's now been six years, though, and I've forgotten so many of the details. Looking back in my mind, it almost seems like a dream or a movie. It's only when I read something I once wrote or I touch a piece of preemie clothing that Austin once wore that the memories flood back.

I used to journal every day. I would write out my prayers in detail, list bible verses that I read, and document praises. I wish that I could say I still continue in this spiritual discipline, but in fact, I journal very seldom these days. The demands of having two small children, along with a bit of laziness on my part, mean that I am doing good if I can read a few chapters of my Bible each day. With that being said, it is easy for me to look back on journal entries from the past and think that I was once ultra holy or something. I know myself well enough to know that is not the case. I used to often "preach" to myself from scripture as I wrote out my prayers, so I have to remind myself that the words I wrote down may not be indicative of my exact spiritual state at the time.

All that being said, I was encouraged by what I read in the journal that I found. It is good for me to remember that I was close to God during that difficult trial. I found it fascinating to read the entries that I wrote immediately before being admitted to the hospital and throughout the time that Austin was in the NICU. I also have specific medicals stats marked down that are very interesting to read now.

Here's a little timeline:

Monday, September 18, 2006-

I had blood glucose testing done at my doctor's office. I was 28 weeks pregnant. My blood pressure was slightly elevated. On the way home from the doctor's office, I called my mom, and she mentioned something about toxemia. I'd never heard of it, so I looked it up. Here was my prayer:

"Lord, please take care of Austin and myself. I am concerned about the high blood pressure. Please let it go back to normal and let my bloodwork come back normal. Thank you for the doctor's wisdom. Help me not to worry this week. You are sovereign and will take care of all my needs..."

Tuesday, September 19, 2006-

I got very little sleep overnight, I remember. I was stricken with some kind of terrible stomach ailment, and I felt just awful. Before heading back to the doctor's office to get some labs done, here is what I wrote:

"Dear Lord, please heal my body. help my blood pressure to go down and my stomach to feel better. Help my contractions to be harmless and not labor preterm. Help me to have a good day and not to worry. I trust you to take care of me. Thank you for Joseph and for my mom. Thank you for my unborn baby. Help him to grow and develop. Help him to go to full term...Let me have a good day at work... Be with Joseph this morning. Get him through his classes. Give him restful sleep this afternoon...."

I had no idea that my world was about to be turned upside down. I was working at the seminary as a secretary. Joseph had just started working nights at UPS in addition to Smoothie King. He had a full load of seminary classes, and he was doing an internship at our church. I can't help but remember that Joseph ended up getting very little sleep that day or the days that were to follow...

My journal stops here for a few days. Here is a blog post I once wrote that will fill in the gaps. When I got to the doctor's office, it was discovered that I was much sicker than anyone realized. I was admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia and got sicker and sicker until they delivered Austin on Saturday.

My journal picks back up on Sunday, September 24, 2006:

"Praises: Austin was born yesterday without complications. The Lord helped me to make it through a c-section. I am feeling better. Encouragement from friends; good doctors. Prayers: Baby Austin's health; Joseph and myself as we come to reality..."

Our reality was like a dream for the next three months. Austin spent the first 72 days of his life away from us- being cared for night and day by NICU nurses. We visited him every day with the exception of one or two days when I was sick with a fever. Somehow God saw us through. It was hard, and it is still hard. But there is one thing that I know with confidence- God is sovereign, all-powerful, in control and good even when circumstances are difficult.

This is Austin now- almost 6 years old!

Louisville Science Center

Last weekend, Joseph went with us to the Louisville Science Center for the first time ever, and it was so fun. I can't believe we have lived here for seven years and never visited. (Well, I guess I can believe it because I really hate going downtown... but now that we have, I'm not nearly so nervous :)

Sitting in the cockpit of a space shuttle thing. The boys could have stayed in there for hours.

Here's how all four of us had a family outing at the science center for $10 total: We went after 5:00 on a Saturday, so adult admission was only $5. The kids had free tickets through our public library's summer reading program, so the total was $10 for Joseph and me. You usually have to pay $5 to park downtown, but nobody was there taking money at the Frazier Museum parking lot, so maybe it is free in the evening?

Regular admission is rather expensive. However, there are several other ways to go cheap. I wanted to share what I found out:

Go from 5-9 on Friday or Saturday night, and admission is only $5 per person. You can also see an imax show for an additional $5. Plan on paying $5 somewhere to park unless you luck out and find free parking.

Another option is to pay $20 for a months worth of weekday visits for you and up to four of your kids. This deal is good through the end of the year, so if you think you might want to go several times in a one month period, just pay $20 and go as much as you want. You have to buy this pass at the center. See the bottom of this link for more information.

Also, once a month, there is a FREE one hour playdate in their temporary exhibit for kids ages 0-4 and their parent. See this link for the dates and more information.

I'm definitely going back. There is a really fun KidZone where you can let your small children run around and play pretend in a safe and child friendly area.

David building with soft blocks.

Shutterfly- Long Live Summer Photo Contest

Shutterfly contacted me recently about a Facebook promotion they are having this summer. Here is the link: Long Live Summer Photo Contest.

If you "like" their facebook page, you have the chance to win a trip for four to The Bahamas and a professional photo shoot so you’ll remember your vacation forever.  All you need to do is upload your favorite photo and caption based on the theme of the week.  Get a gift from Shutterfly just for entering! You can enter at any point during the 5-week sweepstakes period.

Here are the photo themes:
•       Week 1(7/9): Americana
•       Week 2 (7/16): Great Outdoors
•       Week 3 (7/23): Water Fun
•       Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities
•       Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

Here are the prizes you can win:
•      Instant win prizes just for submitting a photo!
•      Weekly prizes (contestants can enter one time/week)
•      Weekly featured photos: up to 5 weekly entries will be selected from the gallery and featured on the Facebook fan page and awarded a $500 gift card on Shutterfly and a copy of the new Lonely Planet travel photography book.
•      Grand prize: trip for 4 to Bahamas, 4 nights, family photo shoot

    Shutterfly Sweepstakes - Official Rules

Fun outings with my boys

Since Joseph works Friday night, sleeps Saturday morning and works his second job during the day on Saturday, I've been trying to do fun things on my own with the boys.

A few times lately, we've gone to Barnes and Noble's storytime at the Summit. The boys really respond well to the lady who does the storytime, which lasts about 20-30 minutes. There is also a train table and a lego table to play with before and after the storytime. I've heard there is a new playground at the Summit, but it has been too hot for me to check it out yet.

A few weeks ago, we went to the Creasey Mahon Nature Center in Goshen, KY for a special event all about snakes. We took a picnic lunch and walked on a short trail by a frog pond. It was a fun little outing. Free, of course.

Well, today I thought I would try out the Home Depot Kids Workshop. Most of the kids had their dad's with them for the wood working project, but I didn't feel out of place or anything. There were lots of moms there too. It is really geared towards older kids Austin's age and up, but they gave me a truck building kit for David without any problem whatsoever. It is a free event held the first Saturday of each month from 9-12. You don't have to get there right at 9:00, but plan on spending at least an hour or more working on your craft. This week, the boys made Penske rental trucks. These are some seriously high quality craft projects, and the apron is just like the ones the store employees wear. Definitely a cool thing to do on a Saturday morning.

David in his Home Depot apron with his Penske moving truck.

Austin with his Home Depot craft.

I've been keeping a list of things to do in Louisville as a Page on my blog. Here is the link: Things to Do in Louisville, Kentucky

Conquer Chiari

Our little boy Austin had spinal surgery in 2009 to correct a tethered cord. During that same time period, they diagnosed him with a Chiari Malformation. He is asymptomatic at this point, so the only treatment necessary is a brain MRI every year and a half, along with an appointment to see his neurosurgeon.

For me, this video highlights the urgency of finding a cure or alternative treatment before Austin develops symptoms.

There is a Conquer Chiari walk on September 22 of this year at locations around the country. If you live near Louisville, think about joining us.

Perm- Before and After Videos

Here's what my hair looked like yesterday:




And here is what it looks like after my perm today:



If you are interested in the specifics, I went to J. Michael's Spa and Salon and got a "flash wave" from Kara. She was a great stylist. She also cut quite a bit of length off my hair and gave me layers. I'm so happy with the result!

Extra time on my hands

Guess what?

Joseph and I are kid-free this week! My parents came to pick them up yesterday, and I'm going to pick them back up the middle of next week. Whoo Hoo!

(Disclaimer: Of course we love our kids, but everybody needs a break from time to time :)

You may be wondering what I plan to do with all this extra free time. Well, today was a washout since I worked till 2:00 and then went to the doctor (thyroid check-up and everything's fine). But tomorrow---

Tomorrow, I am getting a perm! No more straight hair for me (at least for a few months). I'm going to have curls! I figure it's about time I set a new hair trend. A few years ago, I got a short bob with bangs, and several of my friends and family members followed suit. So, if the perm thing turns out for me, it won't hurt my feelings if you all decide to try it as well :) I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures. After all, I do have a little bit of extra time for blogging this week since it is so quiet around here.

Bye for now!

JCPS Kindergarten and Academics

School is out for summer! Hurray!

Kindergarten Graduation- In case you didn't notice, Austin is sporting a new short haircut for summer.

I've written off and on about our public school experience this past year, so I thought I would give a few closing thoughts to wrap things up for summer.

I suppose our mundane is interesting for some...

Dear Grandma (and anyone else who thinks our life is interesting enough to keep reading :),

I've been meaning to respond to your email, and I thought some of my other friends and family might be interested to read about our life lately.

It was so good to see you at Jane's wedding. I can't believe my little sister is married! The wedding was just beautiful, wasn't it? Jane looked so elegant and pretty. She seems to be settling into her life on the West coast very nicely. We've skyped some, and she seems so happy with Zach. It's so romantic how they drove out west with no belongings except for what they could fit into Zach's car. Talk about starting a new life together! She's actually inspired me to do a big purge of my belongings, and I've given quite a bit of stuff away lately.

Sisters having a laugh after the ceremony.

Well, Austin is fully recovered from his tonsillectomy. I'm really happy that he wasn't too uncomfortable (or unpleasant!) while we were in Tennessee for the wedding. Austin's snoring has stopped, so the surgery must have cured the apnea. Hurray!

Lots of fun things going on at Austin's school lately. He took a field trip to the Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts a few weeks ago. Here's a picture of his art creation.

Austin made an alligator out of clay and wood. Everyone loved it!

By the way, we gave Austin a buzz cut this week. His pretty golden locks are all gone for the summer. I liked the long hair on him, but he was already sweating too much with the hot weather. It's been around 90 degrees for much of the past week or so. It will grow back.

Today, Austin had Kindergarten Graduation. Tomorrow is Field Day. He wraps up after-school soccer on Friday. Then, he has a three day weekend for Memorial Day. Tuesday is Beach Day. And, the last day of school is next Wednesday. It's all fun days from here on out- no more homework. Austin is really happy about that :)

I'll be sure to post pictures later of all the fun we are going to have this week. Love you!

Thoughts regarding Infertility and Mother's Day

I just read an excellent article written by Dr. Russell Moore titled Mother's Day and the Infertile.

Moore writes regarding Mother's Day:

It is good and right to honor mothers. The Bible calls us to do so. Jesus does so with his own mother. We must recognize though that many infertile women find this day almost unbearable. This is not because these women are (necessarily) bitter or covetous or envious. The day is simply a reminder of unfulfilled longings, longings that are good.

However, Moore goes on to say that:

...almost every congregation is filled with previously infertile people, including lots and lots who were told by medical professionals that they would never have children! Most of those (most of us, I should say) who fit into that category don’t really talk about it much because they simply don’t think of themselves in those terms. The baby or babies are here, and the pain of the infertility has subsided. Infertile couples need to see others who were once where they are, but who have been granted the blessing they seek.

My eyes welled up with tears when I read that article because I understand.

I understand the pain of unfulfilled longings, longings that are good and right.

I understand the pain that comes when everyone around you is having babies, but you are not.

I really do understand.

I am on the other side of things, now. Our babies are here, and the pain has subsided. God has granted us two little boys, and we are more than content. This article helped me realize that even though I am no longer walking through the valley, I can still be an encouragement to those who are hurting because I have been there, too.

To 4H and Beyond

To my 4H Girls:

Hard to believe it has been nearly seven years since I left West Tennessee. This time in 2005, I was newly married, was finishing up at Martin, and we were all waiting for Grace's big wedding day to arrive. I remember even after I had gotten married and moved out, I would still come up to the 4H dorm to eat lunch and visit with Chelsea and the others between classes. That was before the new apartments were built. Did any of you end up living in one? I remember seeing the models for the new apartments, and they looked awesome compared to what we lived in. 4H was a fun little place, though.

Remember when we first moved in our sophomore year, and you all threw me a surprise birthday party? And then we all got written up for being too noisy! And we were just folding BCM newsletters or something. I was so scared I was going to have to talk to the head of housing or something, but nothing ever came of it. Lacey and I were talking about that experience a few years ago. I think she actually mentioned it in a game we were playing at my baby shower with David. I'm smiling just thinking about it. It makes for a funny story.

You may be wondering what's up with this blog post. Well, I got to thinking that maybe I should tailor some posts to certain groups of people. This post is obviously tailored towards my old roommates and other friends I knew from college. Other posts later on may be directed more towards family or high school friends. I just thought I would change it up a little. I feel like I've been in a blogging rut lately, and I think these letters are just what my blog has been needing.

Oh, and feel free to copy my idea on your blog. I'd love to read some of the things you remember from our time in 4H.

Love you all!

How a creme pie helped me remember...

It all started when I raided my mother-in-law's pantry for snacks to eat on the way back to Louisville after our long weekend in Tennessee. I grabbed a few packs of crackers for the boys, some snack bars and one oatmeal creme pie. There's nothing worse than being hungry on a car ride, so after making sure the snacks were within reach, we started to head up I-65 towards home.

Oatmeal Creme Pie

It didn't take long before the boys started asking for food, so I gave them some crackers and then quietly started to open the oatmeal creme pie ... so as not to alert the cookie monsters in the back seat. It had been awhile since I had eaten an oatmeal creme pie, and I was going to enjoy this one all by myself.

Much to my surprise, instead of sweetness, that first bite of oatmeal cookie brought to my mind a flood of powerful memories. You see, I had forgotten, but when Austin was a baby, those Little Debbie cookies were our favorite NICU snack. It's amazing how food can suddenly trigger memories that have laid dormant for years.

I can't remember the last time I bought oatmeal creme pies, but back in 2006, Joseph and I went through boxes of them. I don't remember who it was, but somebody brought us a box to the hospital right after Austin was born in case we needed something to snack on. They tasted so good to us at the time, we just kept buying them. They were part of the fuel that kept us going those long weeks and months...

I remember...

Easter Eggs and Tonka Trucks

Spiderman and a Ninja Turtle with Easter eggs in the back end of their truck

David's two favorite things these days are action figures and beep-beeps (cars, trucks, trains, etc.). Since we've been to a few Easter celebrations lately, there are also quite a few plastic eggs laying around the house.

Oops, they got cracked.

When I saw this Tonka truck sitting in the middle of the floor, my first thought was- "How cute! Where's my camera? This will make the perfect blog post."

Bye boys!

So, I got down on the floor with my camera and tried to take a few pictures. David thought it would be a fun time for a horsey ride, which made it very difficult to keep my camera still.


And this is what David was doing while I was taking pictures...

 Well, I finally got a few pictures, and then it occurred to me that David was in underwear.... that he hadn't gone potty in awhile... that he might possibly be wet... Oops

This is the part where I realize David has wet underwear.... oh, the joys of being a mother :)

Pretty good blog material for the day, I'd say.