Merry Christmas 08

What a busy time it has been. We hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas...

Here are just a few of the pictures we took over Christmas this year.

Noah all excited about his kitchen set

Eli in his new bumbo!

Noah and Daisy...how cute!

Austin, Eli, and Makena at Nanny's party

Eli Smiling in his new outfit! Banana Bandit...how cute!

Noah riding his new toy!

Noah waiting patiently

Nanny holding Eli

Me and Eli and Jill and Hadlee..baby's 1st Christmas!

Aunt Beth and Eli

Merry Christmas! WE have been so busy...I haven't had much time to write. I started back to work on Dec. 1st and it has been very hectic at the church with programs and parties....lots of them.

Smiling

These are my smiling boys...

I finally got pictures of Eli smiling! I had to post them for my mom and Aunt Beth!

Tagged!

I have been tagged by http://thewestbrookswaltzes.blogspot.com/ so here it goes:First, the rules.....Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of your post. Let each person know he or she has been tagged. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here they are:
1. I really love all of the seasons for different reasons. I love summer because of the HOT weather, sunscreen smells, and of course swimming at Nanny's house. I love fall time for the football games, autumn leaves, and walks with my 3 handsome boys. I love winter for hot cocoa( my husband and hot chocolate too! ),cuddling under the covers, and movie nights at the Simpson's house. I love Spring for the excitement of newly budding flowers, baseball games, and the end of the school year.

2. I really truly enjoy working out. I have just started working out again and it just makes me feel better all over. I sleep better, I watch what I eat more, and I tend to drink more water than sodas.

3. I am writing a Bible Study out of Jeremiah. I feel like God has told me to do this, and I am just following. It is going slowly because it does take a lot of time, thought, prayer, and actual study, but it is so rewarding when I finish one of the "days".

4. I would love to have another boy someday,(most people think I'm crazy), but I really enjoy my boys, and there's not much maintenance as far as hair bows and tights. The downside is they EAT EVERYTHING, have gas all the time, and think it's funny!

5. I want to get my master's degree in marriage and family therapy. I don't know when I'll go back to school, but it will most likely be within the next 3 years (Lord willing, of course).

6. I never knew my husband being in the ministry would be hard on the whole family. It makes me really appreciate my pastor's and their wives in the past. It is a sacrifice for the families to do what they do in order for the members of the church to feel like the pastor cares for them. We should definitely show more respect for Preachers and their wives.

So now, I am tagging Beth, Lauren, and Terry.

Yesterday Nanny and Pop came up to Morrilton. He had to work around the area so she stayed and played with the boys. When Pop came in to pick Nanny up and complained about the boys finger nails and toe nails, so I gave him the clippers, and this is him cutting Noah's toe nails. I hate doing it!

Look at those beautiful eyes! Honestly, he reminds me so much of my sister....it's crazy!

Nanny did get to hold Eli when she and Pop came yesterday. I thought this one was adorable.

THis is one of my favorite pictures just because they are both in their diapers. We are potty training Noah..and he has his days when he does really well, but there are a lot more days when he doesn't. It's just going to take time. Also, to get Noah to smile like that Cody says "Smile for daddy," and he did. That's just one of his latest tricks. He has also started saying please, but it comes out as "peease" (so cute).

Tuesday we went to the auto museum at petit jean mountain (only about 20 minutes away), and this was our favorite vehicle there...why don't they make cars like this anymore? It had a peanut roaster, salter, coffee machine, and lots of other stuff. We had a great time. While we were there I looked at a machine that had a lady in a bikini on top of it...I had an idea of what it was, but I just wanted to see for myself. Sure enough you look through the lenses and it was a woman taking off her outfit. (I did not watch the whole thing) I thought that the older generation did not have stuff like that...it's a joke by the way. I know that our world is getting worse, but a lot of times the older generation acts as if they did not have pornography, alcohol, and drugs. When in fact it was very rampant, it just was not talked about. This is a soap box of mine...i'll climb down now.

Eli in his robe...he looks like a little old rich man...how cute!

Noah refers to Nanny as "mine". She is his toy and he doesn't really like it when she holds Eli.

My dad and Eli got quality bonding time when they came up last week. They have been up once a week since Eli was born

Okay, so today Cody is gone to a funeral and then to the hospital in Conway because a church memeber's grandmother is having surgery. Me and the boys are chillin and I plugged beth's old camera cord up to my camera (again) and it WORKED! so I can put new pictures up more often again. I hope everyone has a great week, and Thanksiving is only 1 week away today! God Bless Ya'll!

Around the House

We had to take Eli to the doctor last week. He had his first cold. It was so sad to see a baby so little sick! He weighed 11 lbs! I could hardly believe it!

This is Eli at 4 weeks old. It is a small picture cause I copied it off the internet....can't figure out how get it bigger.

One morning Cody, Eli and myself were sitting on the bed playing and Noah was wandering around. We heard a tinkling noise and looked up and saw him playing with the vent in the floor. We looked closer and this is what we saw...he was putting fruit loops in the holes!

I went to get Noah to sleep in his bed for a nap, and I accidentally fell asleep with him. Cody walked in and took a picture of us. It was really sweet!

I have to go for now, but I'll write more when I get more time!

BUSY Times

Well, we have been SUPER busy the past few weeks. We have been to my parent's house 2 times and we have had lots of church activities going on! This week is no exception. We bought a Jeep Cherokee last week and traded Cody's truck in. It was tough trying to get Noah in and out of the truck without a 3rd door. So this way we have 2 vehicles for the kids to ge in & out of. It's really nice. It has a sun roof, 6 disc CD changer, and Cody's favorite - a Hemi Engine (It's a guy thing...I don't understand it). Cody went to the ABA State Meeting on Thursday & Friday of this week so the kids and I went to my parents house...it was fun. I know that Noah certainly had a great time playing with Trey..but I'm not so sure Trey had a great time playing with Noah. It was good for them both though. I've got pictures, but I'm busy right now so I'll have to post them later. Write more when i get a chance!

Pumpkin Patch and The Boys

Mommy and E at the shower. We got tons of stuff, and the best part was that Aunt Beth, Nanny, Trey, Carlie Kena, Uncle Carl, and Pop got to come to!

This is Noah with his first ever pumpkin!

This is Noah after he got out of the shower one day. He decided he NEEDED to put on his firefighter's hat!I cannot wait to show him this picture in about 15 years!

A picture of my adorable boys..I'm so blessed.

3 Cutie Pies!





This is a picture of my 3 boys. They truly enjoy eachother. Noah is a veryy good big brother.

This is the group picture from the pumpkin patch trip. It was a blast, and as you can see, Noah had fun being with all of the kids.

this is just funny! Noah brought the little horse in the living room and we decided to put E on it and then he went to get his horse and he got on it. He thought it was hilarious!

Mommy and Noah at the Patch

Noah would not look at the camera because he was too excited about all of the pumpkins!

It has been a very busy past few days! We had a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with the church Youth Group and we had a Necessities Shower at Bethel for Eli. We got a TON of diapers and wipes and baby wash, etc. Here are a few pictures from all of that! i don't have much time to write, but I will later!

Count Your Blessings Name them ONE BY ONE!

Today was just one of those days! Eli and Noah neither one wanted to take naps. I felt like I spent all day just trying to pick up, feed, and then lay one down for the other to ge up! Everyone has told me that it is really different going from 1 to 2 children & finally believe them. It is really tough because there is never any down time for either parent, but when things are going good it is SOO good! Today I walked into the living room from feeding Eli in our bedroom and Cody had Todd Agnew playing on our computer. We all sat in the floor and played and laughed. Then, after dinner Noah and Cody took a shower together and Noah came out with a firefighter's play hat and nothing else!!! I took a picture, but I lost my camera cord! Eli is growing and changing everyday. I think to myself God has blessed us so much. We think we have it so hard, and then we meet someone who has it so much worse than we do. Yesterday Cody & I went to Wal-Mart and met a cashier whose 9 month old son was put in the hospital for sickle cell. Please remember him. His name is Caden. It broke my heart. Count the Many Wonderful Blessings that God has given you!

born to breastfeed!

We went to the doctor for Eli on Tuesday and when we left the hospital he had lost from 6 lbs 15 oz to 6 lbs 12 oz. Well, at the doctor he weighed 7 lbs 6 oz!!!! He is definitley getting enough milk. He was born to breastfeed. He does so awesome. It's not even an effort for me. I just have to be available about every hour and a half or so!! Noah is being such a good big brother. He has done wonderfully. The only times we have to be extra careful is when he is tired and a little cranky...you never know what will happen then. Well, I gotta run. Just wanted to let everyone know how big E is getting!

Eli's here!

Mommy & Eli in the hospital

Family pic in the hospital

Eli in his bouncy seat Grammy gave him

Cody, Noah & Eli

Nanny and her two boys...where's trey?

Eli getting changed by Nanny

Eli is finally here! He was born October 1, 2008 at 4:35 a.m. and weighed 6 lbs and 15 oz. I started having contractions Tuesday evening into early Wednesday morning. We went to the hospital and he was born an hour and a half later! He started breastfeeding right away and has done wonderfully since! We are enjoying our time together.

A Lil' bit of Everything

This is the burp cloth that Aunt Beth got for Eli! It's so cute. There is also a taggie blanket that looks like it! Noah "eyed" the blanket because he loves taggie stuff!

This is Cody and the boys at the Midsouth Youth Conference in Jonesboro.

Cody bought me flowers today which was so sweet! I cannot remember the last time I got flowers! This blog is going to contain several different pics and maybe even a video...I'm starting to figure things out now. Ladies night out last night was so much fun. We each told things about ourselves (depending on how many sheets of toilet paper we took. Also, we sat one older woman, one younger woman....etc. Which gave us a chance to get to know everyone! God has really shown himself to these older women if us younger women would just listen! So, we're just waiting on Eli, and having a good time. That video of Noah will have to wait, other things have come up!

Okay, so both yesterday and today I have had contractions. Unfortunately when I took tylenol like my doctor recommended they got better. I am really getting so excited I can hardly stand it! We've had the hospital bag packed for a while now...and in the car too! This past weekend Cody, Noah, and I went with the Teens from Bethel to the Mid South Youth Conference in jonesboro. It was fun...what I got to go of it. I had the stomach bug on Saturday and could not move. Cody got it last night, and we're praying Noah doesn't get it period. The only good thing is that it seems to only last for 12-24 hours. This weekend was great for Cody to get to bond with the teens that went. We stayed at Cody's parents house so we did not have to get a hotel, and Noah got to spend time with Mimi and Papaw. He also got to see Jade and Uncle Casey, and Aunt Megan. He doesn't get to see them near enough. Tonight we have Ladies Night Out at the church, and Friday night we're going to Conway to see Fireproof! Lots of exciting things! I went to Wal Mart by myself this afternoon for about an hour to get a few things and I realized how much I am going to miss Noah when I do go back to work. I'm praying that God provides something.....With him ALL things are possible. I never thought I would like staying home so much, but with Cody having the job he does there is never a dull time! Noah did the cutest thing today...well, he got into trouble, and Cody spatted him on the bottom, then he climbed back in the chair and got into trouble again, & started laughing. I know it's bad, but Cody and I could not keep from laughing too. He is so precious. For now, the Simpsons say Ciao!

Disappointing News

Well, I went to the doctor today and he did not agree to take me off of my medicine...so I am still on my brethine, unfortunately. I know that God has a bigger plan than I do and the reason that I want to have Eli is for selfish reasons, and not really FOR him. Anyway, on the way home from the doctor's office we went by the Christian Book Outlet and we found the book "love dare" from the new movie Fireproof! It is the book that is featured in the movie and it is soo good! It is about working on your marriage and gives you "dares" to complete everyday. Today's dare is to not say anything negative about your spouse...this is very difficult for me!!! Not that Cody has so many faults, but that I nag sometimes too much! The movie comes out in theaters next weekend! We are so excited about getting to go! Noah threw up in his car seat on the way home and we had to get out at the Menifee exit and clean him up and put him in Eli's car seat until we could get back home. He makes himself so mad and he throws up! He has such a temper problem! I don't know where he could possibly get that from - ha! Tomorrow we are heading to Jonesboro to the Midsouth Youth Conference! Until then, Adios!

The Parade

Noah got to ride in the parade this afternoon in Morrilton! He had so much fun! I was home lying down because I was having contractions, but Cody took pictures for me and even some videos. I also found my beloved camera cord. Life is better now...but eternal life is better ( I HATE that song, by the way). I go to the doctor tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. I am excited, but don't want to get my hopes up either. I'll tell ya'll what he says tomorrow! Until then, the Simpsons are going to sleep!

Well, we are just waiting on Eli to be born! Cody and I are still going on with life and making plans just like he might wait until October 6th. We are taking the teens to the Midsouth Youth Conference in Jonesboro this weekend and then next weekend the movie Fireproof is coming out!! We are so excited to see it! The young adults from church are going to see it together. We got to go to Trey's birthday party this past weekend! We had a lot of fun...Noah & Trey had fun together, well as much fun as a 3 year old and 18 month old can have without getting in trouble! Aunt Beth got Eli the CUTEST burp cloth and taggie blanket! It has monkeys on it and is soo soft! Eli is going to love Aunt Beth just as much as Noah does. If you ask Noah who he wants to go see, it's ALWAYS "Beth". It's so cute! We have internet at our house now, so maybe I can blog more...we'll see. Now if I can just find my camera cord...to get my new pictures on the computer! :)

Morrilton

Well, we've moved to morrilton! Cody is the youth & music director at Bethel there. It is very exciting. Noah is adjusting pretty well. The first week there he was pretty wild, but he is getting more used to it now. The friendliness of the people there truly helps in this process! I was put on bedrest because I was having contractions 3 minutes apart at 33 1/2 weeks and so the doctor put me on brethine and I have to be on it for 1 more week! I'm definitely ready to get off of that stuff. It just makes me feel funny. Cody enjoys the position that God has blessed him with, and it is so fun getting to see God work in his life and ministry. We miss being around family tremendously, but we also believe that God moved us there, and he will provide even for our emotional needs! Noah is growing up! He is saying almost everything anyone else says, it's just not always understandable!
Now that I"m on bed rest maybe I can blog more!

BUSY MONTH!

Well, we made it through July! I don't even hardly remember it. Cody has preached so much this month! We enjoy getting to hear him preach and meeting new people at God's great churches. August is already filled up with Birthdays and Sunday's of preaching! We are moving right along in the pregnancy and it won't be long now until baby Eli comes to visit! I know that whereever God leads us we must go, but it sure has been nice to be home and around family so Noah can play with Carlie, Kena & Trey (mostly Trey - he wants to be just like him).

Cody's back from Camp

Cody LOVED camp! He had such a great time. It was an awesome experience for him and he got to meet preachers and youth pastors which is great. We were away from home for a while, but we're back and there is truly "no place like home". Cody is preaching Sunday morning & Sunday night in Casscoe. I look so forward to hearing him preach. It's so strange to hear your husband filling you with the word of God...pretty cool!

Cody's first trip to Camp

Okay, so Cody is on his way home from camp at Budd Creek. This was his first time to go and I'm pretty sure he had a GREAT time. He said that the Lord really blessed them this week with a great theme and spirit filled sermons to go along with it.
Noah is visiting the Simpsons in Jonesboro and I'm sure will be very spoiled when we get up there this weekend. Meanwhile, it's just me waiting to see my boys! This past weekend was fun. It was Noah's 2nd Fourth of July...Man, that's really hard to believe! Eli is still growing....He's supposed to be here on October 6th, if the Lord allows him to come as scheduled. Nothing in my life has EVER stuck to a schedule, so I doubt he will either. Meanwhile, Noah pats my tummy and says "baby" when he sees it. It will be quite interesting to see what he's like when Eli gets here.