Pancakes with Pop!

Claire and Daddy before School!!!

This morning was "Pancakes with Pop" at school. Claire was excited for Daddy to take her to school and she wasn't exactly pleased to see him go. My mom said that when they dropped Drew off, he was very aware that the day wasn't a normal day so he started to panic. Claire instantly sensed this and started telling him, "Now Drew, it's going to be okay." She comforted him and even did her impression of a bull in order to put a smile on his face. I couldn't be more proud of my girl if I tried! Don't get me wrong....she keeps me HUMBLE! But man I love her!

I used the opportunity to spend some quality time with my little boy. We played with the train table, read some books and even squeezed in a little Baby Yoga! I find that I don't spend near as much one on one time with Cohen as I would like, but I have learned to TREASURE the moments I get with my little man. I love his little personality. My favorite book to read with him is "Hug." It is a picture book about a monkey who sees all kinds of animals hugging their mommys. He goes to each set of animals and asks, "HUG?" Then at the end he finds his mom and they live happily ever after. Every single time I read the word "hug" Cohen throws his arms around me and lays his head on my chest! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! He is such a sweet little soul.

Here is a picture of him eating a new grilled cheese recipe I got from my "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. (Thanks Uncle Broshus and Aunt Scotti!) It is full of recipes that use vegetable and fruit purees in order to sneak in extra vitamins and nutrients. Cohen LOVED this new sandwich! Claire on the other hand asked me if I had burnt it. I said, "No, why?" She said,"Well, is that why it tastes so bad?" What is crazy is she is my GOOD eater! She loves fruits and veggies...apparently just not on her grilled cheese sandwiches!

And Grammy, this pic is for you!!! Cohen has CURLY hair! It is usually straight when he gets up in the morning after sleeping on it but after baths....it is crazy curly! It is fine and blonde like mine was but he's got his Daddy's curls! He's gonna need his first haircut but we will wait for Grammy. She gave Claire her first haircut at 8 weeks and believe it or not, she needed it! All this Grammy talk makes me miss her. Love you Grammy!!!!!

If you don't watch Ellen, you won't get this. If you do....this is Claire's impression of the "marshmallow game." Tune in to Ellen tomorrow if you want to see what I'm talking about. They play the game everyday and it is hilarious!

Valentine's Day #13

Today Brian and I celebrated our 13th Valentine's Day together! I was laying in bed this afternoon nursing a TERRIBLE migraine headache while Brian had Cohen outside playing. Claire was at Nanny & Papa's house and our power had gone out for a bit and it was SILENT. I couldn't help but think about our first V-day together.

It was 1996 and we were Sophomores in high school. Brian had been sick that day so I was totally bummed. I had finally managed to nab THE Brian George! He was finally MY VALENTINE and he was at home. Sick. In Bed. BUT, he sent his mom over with my gift. Little did I know that she would be my mother-in-law and the grandmother to my children! She brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a teddy bear and a picture frame. I think there was some other stuff, but that's not what stands out. I remember the exact feeling that I had as I sat in my room and looked at those flowers. Since 7th grade I had been "in loooove" with that boy and I was sitting there looking at flowers that he sent me! For years I wished that he would finally see me as something besides just a friend. It is wierd to look back and think about all of that. It's amazing that a Jr. High crush could turn into a beautiful life full of love, laughter, children and friendship!

The next year was very different. There was a school dance that night but we opted out. It was the ONE dance of 13 that I didn't go to! Things had changed in my life. A few months before, October of 1996, I was involved in a very serious car accident. My best friend Kim and I were unharmed because there was an angel there that night. We were spared, but 2 of the 3 young girls in the other car were not. It was a night that changed my life forever. I went through a serious bout with depression over the next few months so a high school dance wasn't something that was on the top of my list! I was afraid to leave my loved ones for fear that I may never see them again. I spent the evening at a basketball game cheering on my big bad boyfriend and then we may have watched a movie or something but pretty uneventful!

#3 has left my memory completely. This is why we have an anniversary book that my mom got us for our first anniversary to write down what we do every year. BY FAR the best anniversary gift we have ever gotten because it's so easy to forget the little moments!

#4 was nice because we were "getting back together" after a SHORT but very valuable break-up. It was a time of growth for both of us. We decided that we were better off together! My gift was a jewelry box that played "I Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis. (This will later be the song that our wedding party walks into played on the piano by the talented Uncle James!)

#5 & #6 Again, it's left me.

#7 was a very exciting one! This year, wedding plans were in full swing! I remember being sick sitting in bed watching all of my chick flicks of the year.."The Wedding Planner" "My Best Friend's Wedding"....you get the drift!

#8 2003 our first Valentine's Day as a married couple! We went to Kansas City and stayed downtown. We shopped for a while but it was FREEZING! So we decided to enjoy our super nice hotel room and order room service and a movie.

#9 2004 We went back to KC and stayed near the Plaza this time. I was sitting in an ice cream shop resting my tired feet when something happened for the first time. I heard a voice say, "how far along are you?" HOORAY! Someone had finally noticed that I was carrying our first child! I was 4 months along and was sooooo proud of my baby bump.

#10 2005 We spent the night in while Grandma Connie watched the little one. It was a very relaxing and quiet evening. This would be the first (and possibly last) time that we used our wedding china.

#11 2006 OOOHHHH this was a bad one. We had made plans to go to KC and eat at....ummm I think it was Capital Grille. Supposed to be great steak. Well, I had mashed potatoes and sprite because I threw up ALL the way there. I fell into the super comfy bed and only got out for dinner. It wasn't pretty but it was worth it because 7 months later we had our perfect BIG baby boy!

#12 2007. Neither Brian or I can remember what we did last year. Is that sad or what? We decided it must have been really impressive!

So now here we are! We went to dinner and a movie on Saturday because we think fighting the crowds on this one night is annoying. My hubby did surprise me with a certificate for a massage this morning!!! I can't wait to schedule it! He's getting a homemade apple pie! Just a little look back at our history! I hope everyone had a great day!

So Fun!

This morning I took a call from Dr. Spade in Kansas City. She was just following up with me about a few questions and I made the mistake of stepping around the corner for 2 SECONDS!!! Here's what I found! Guess I better add Honeycomb cereal to the grocery list! You can tell we all have a BAD case of cabin fever! We can't wait for spring!!!!!

Life Group

I am so thankful for the way that God has been working in my life lately. Our church recently switched to a small groups format where we meet the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month instead of having evening service. I wasn't really sure about it, and we probably would have not gotten involved. BUT when our neighbors and good friends Tony and Carmen agreed that their Life Group would meet at their house and invited us to join....how could we say no? All we have to do is walk across the street! God got us there, and now we are building relationships with some pretty great people. I am so excited to get to know them even better and I feel so comforted to know that there are 5 other couples that will be praying for our need over the next two weeks as we prepare for Claire's second ultrasound. And I get to pray for their needs and watch God meet those needs (in due time!). Our fearless leaders are high school sweethearts and the parents of 5 wonderful children. I feel they have so much to offer us as we meet the challenges of marriage, parenting and our walk with God. There is just so much to learn and to look forward to. My heart is full of hope and joy because I know that God holds my future in his hands. He is there to listen no matter how big or how small the need. I am just feeling so loved today, and let me tell you.....that's a great way to feel on an icy cold Monday morning!

Results

Just wanted to let everyone know that I talked to the doc yesterday. They want to redo the ultrasound in KC because the results were inconclusive. That's all I know right now and we will go back Feb. 22nd and get another ultrasound. Just please pray that this one goes better!

My future decided

God heard my prayers last night. I was having a pretty rough day yesterday, but today is a new one! I got in the car with my 2 little angels and wondered what the day would bring me. I asked Claire what she would like to listen to on the way to school. Without missing a beat she yelled "CHURCH MUSIC!" She has said that a few times over the last few days but this morning she said it with passion! I was relieved that she didn't say her princess CD! No offense Aunt Debbie because Claire absolutely LOVES that CD with her name in it.....but after the 532nd time of hearing how to get dressed for a tea party I think I am more than prepared for tea with the queen of England! So anyway, I put on the Hillsong CD and turned it to one of my favorites "Future Decided" and we cranked it up. As I looked in the backseat, both babies were just clapping away with the biggest smiles on their faces. It doesn't get any better than that! That's the way to start a day. God is with me, I know for a fact. He will never give me anything I can't handle, I know that too. Today is not a wobbly day, and I don't plan to have anymore of those any time soon! I will just stick to His plan, it's probably way better than mine anyway!

Wobbly

Furst off, spel chek isnt wurking so bare wiht me. ;-)

Claire had her ultrasound today and everything went fine. We don't know anything yet but will hopefully hear from Dr. Turpin's office tomorrow. Here is how our morning went!

I gave Claire a cup of milk first thing in the morning. We got ready and headed out to take Coco to Nanny and Papa's house. I stopped and got us all drinks from Sonic. I got Claire a 32 oz. Cherry Limeade (not a normal thing!) so that she would have a full bladder for the ultrasound. By the time we dropped Cohen off and got into the waiting room at St. John's.....IT WAS GONE! And of course, she never asked to go potty! This child is unbelievable! The receptionists and nurses were awesome. Claire got a special coloring book and crayons so we could color in the girl who was getting an ultrasound and talk a little bit about it. We got in and she started to get a little freaked out. When the tech actually came in and started she started crying. We quickly turned the conversation to other things and she soon forgot what he was even doing. He did say that he had NEVER seen a 3 year old's bladder so full. He asked her if she needed to go potty and she said, "Nope." He couldn't believe it! He did want her to go so that he could get a few pictures without her "mega-bladder" in the way! She was then loaded down with stickers and compliments from the receptionists and we were on our way. We decided to make the most of a girls morning out and went for a little pampering! We stopped in at Cookie Cutters and got her hair cut. What is crazy it that her hair still goes to the middle of her back and we cut off 2&1/2 inches! It looks beautiful and so healthy. Then we picked up lunch for Nanny, Cohen, Steph, Drew and Levi and headed back to Nanny and Papa's house. The kids played outside and enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL 76 degree weather!

This time in my life has been a real challenge. There are things happening that I just don't understand. There are days when I just have to really work on myself. Some days my faith can get a little "wobbly" (that's a technical term). I have a second cousin who lives in Washington. I just learned that her little boy (Caleb) who is 4 months old passed away in his sleep. My heart knows that he is with the Lord and that he is in a much better place than we are. But my brain can't understand. I don't know how you survive that. I just feel like I can't pray enough for Michelle. The baby's father is in Iraq but had just been home for Christmas. My heart aches for her and every parent in the world who has been dealt this devastating blow. It makes me sick to my stomach and I'm really struggling with this one.

So tonight, I will thank God for every second that I have with my children. I will do my very best to remember that each second is a gift that I have been blessed with, not a luxury I am entitled to. I still can't believe that God has entrusted me with these perfect little beings and has faith in me that I will raise them up to serve Him. It's a little overwhelming, but I like a challenge.

On a lighter note. I just remembered as I was typing that last sentence something that Claire said today that filled me with joy. As we were walking out of the hospital I said, "Oh Claire what a beautiful day!" She said, "That's because God made it!" I have so much to learn from my 3 year old!