IT'S A.....

BOY!!!!!!



I had a gut feeling that it was :)



The doctor said he is perfectly healthy, already measuring big and that everything looks wonderful. PRAISE GOD!!!

Oh. My.

I am TIRED.

And it is only 9:10 a.m.

Clay has been out of town since yesterday morning and while many women have husbands who travel regularly, I have one that is home every night by seven. Most nights he is even home by dinner! We are blessed that he has a job that requires very little overnight travel.

However, last night he was in Atlanta and I was up and down reassuring children that various things would be okay.

Laura Grace couldn't find her mini bottle of Germ-X. She said she REALLY needed it for school the next day. Why hand sanitizer had dire importance I am not sure.

Layton said he could hear the train and wanted it to be quiet. We live in a town that is COVERED with train tracks. You can hear a train no matter where you live, almost every hour. I have gotten to the point where I do not hear it at all. Layton, who is train obsessed, hears it all the time and usually LOVES it. Last night he did not. I tried to explain that I couldn't tell the train to be quiet and that enraged him to no end.

Gotta love three year old irrationality.

I finally got them settled down and turned in early myself.

I woke up this morning, got Laura Grace off to school (with her Germ-X) and rushed home to clean. I teach preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so my house only gets straightened at the end of the day. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are my days to clean.

So far I have scrubbed out the showers and tubs, washed and folded several loads of laundry, swept floors, washed dishes, disinfected bath toys, wiped down counter tops, stripped beds, picked up toys in the living room and now I am sitting.

I am trying to convince myself to tackle Laura Grace and Layton's rooms because they are absolutely trashed. Laura Grace is really good about tidying her room every day, but during Spring Break it got away from us. She had her Barbies set up all over the room and begged me to let her keep them all out so she could play with them every day. I did and the Barbies multiplied. Along with the My Little Ponies, miscellaneous trash, books, stuffed animals, and puzzles pieces. Her room is now so bad you can't walk on the floor. I have put it off all week and I can't do it any longer because our company is coming tomorrow.

Layton's room is in similar dire straits. He plays during nap time and for a week and a half has happily dumped everything he owns onto his floor. Sigh.

So, here I go. Maybe I will be finished sorting and organizing by bedtime tonight!

UPDATE

Well, an hour and a half later, I am finished with Layton's room. I threatened him with bodily harm and loss of train table if he so much as breathes on his room. He giggled.

I am taken really seriously around here.

GUESS WHAT!?!?!??!?!?!?

Today, at the preschool, one of my friends mentioned that she used to homeschool her oldest (who is now in third grade). I perked up and told her that I was thinking about homeschooling Laura Grace but was still praying about it.

AND GUESS WHAT!?!?!

That very morning she had boxed up her FIRST GRADE curriculum with the intention of driving to the Salvation Army and donating it. It is Sonlight and it is nearly the complete curriculum package. It even has the Science kit and supplies!! She very happily put it in my van and declared that she didn't even really know why she had decided to get rid of it that morning but was so glad she had!

I WAS FLOORED. Now I can try it out this summer and not have to buy a huge amount of curriculum!

So Excited!!! And a possible decision...

Pam and her sweet children are coming to visit!! I haven't met the youngest one yet, they adopted him from China right after we moved here. They will be here on Thursday. Dora, Pam's oldest, is one of Laura Grace's "bestest friends". Poor Laura Grace keeps telling everyone here that Dora is coming to visit and none of her friends believe her because they are thinking of Dora the Explorer!


We are going to the Memphis zoo Friday so Laura Grace will get to play hookey from school.

Thursday is my FIRST doctor's appointment! Isn't that crazy!?!?! I am 14 weeks and just now going to the doctor. I had my beta levels monitored by a family doctor in the early weeks of pregnancy, but since then have not been able to get in anywhere. I called in January to make appointments and the first one I could get was Thursday!

When I talked to the nurse last week (she was calling to confirm) she told me that they would do an ultrasound and since I am 14 weeks they should be able to tell me the sex of the baby!! That will be really strange to find out on my very first visit, but I am excited about the possibility. I am feeling the baby move daily so I am fairly confident that all will be well.

Sunday was the Lord's Supper at church. During the prayer, I encouraged Laura Grace to bow her head and talk to Jesus. I told her it was a special time for us to look at our hearts and tell God we were sorry for anything we have been doing wrong. I told her it was a time to celebrate Christ dying for us and rising again. She nodded enthusiastically, bent her head and said...

"Dear Jesus, thank you for dying for me. Thank you for Spring. Thank you for my family and friends and teachers who teach me. Thank you for my daddy. I love you, Jesus. Thank you for everything. Amen."

It was so precious.

That is all that is really new here. School started back this week so it was back to reality for us. Sigh. Only two months until summer, thank goodness! I have noticed that Laura Grace is like me. She likes going places and doing fun things with family and friends. However, she is much happier when she is at home! I have become such a homebody since we moved here and I am seeing the same thing with her.

This has led me to...ahem...thinking about homeschooling again.

I KNOW!

I KNOW!

Ya'll are probably beating your heads against your computer right now or at the very least rolling your eyes because this was something I have struggled with for what....two years now? Laura Grace just does so well at home. We are very structured, we do our thing and everyone is fine. Not to say that you shouldn't be surprised to come in and see Layton whining, Laura Grace in the corner and me still in my pajamas! BUT, all in all, when I see my kids at all day, every day, life is just smoother. There is consistency, there is routine, and discipline problems are so much less than when we are busy.


At school, Laura Grace gets in school suspension for two days because a little boy hit her and she hit him back. Seriously. They have a no tolerance policy for violence.

Now, I can respect that. BUT SHE IS FIVE. I teach preschool and do you know how many times my precious preschoolers haul off and slap the mess out of each other? Ummm....every five minutes? They are still learning impulse control and while children should be disciplined when they fail, two days of in school suspension is a little much.

I am also tired of her coming home from school knowing the lyrics of songs that I have not even heard and am appalled to hear coming out of my daughter's mouth. I am tired of her sticking out her hip and rolling her eyes. I am tired of hearing that so and so has a boyfriend and that a boy kissed her on the playground.

I am tired of seeing Satan try his best to make my child fall AT THE AGE OF FIVE. After two days of Spring Break her attitude was gone, the hip swinging was no longer (thanks to the artful application of a wooden spoon) and there was ZERO mention of boyfriends. Bickering was less between my kids, disrespectful language was heard less and less...

I am thinking that my child's innocence and childhood is far too important for me to leave up to the public school system. So many people shake their heads and say sadly, "that is just how it is now."

But you know what? I am the parent and I don't have to allow it to be that way. My child is still young and while I have the power to control it, I will.

Clay said to go ahead and order the curriculum in one or two subjects and then start homeschooling in June. When July rolls around if it is going well, order the rest and homeschool until the baby is born. Then, I will take two months off, and we will get back into it. I will be several months ahead because we are not taking vacation this summer so I think that will work out...

I have not made a final decision yet. I am still praying and earnestly trying to seperate my emotions from what is truly best for my family. I feel right now like I disobeyed God in the beginning by putting her in school to begin with. I was so strongly FOR it and really, truly felt that was what I should do. I let people talk me out of itbecause I was scared that she would be lonely because I was lonely at the time. Now, I really regret that.

I will hush now. I ended up preaching without that being my intention!

A Quick Suggestion...

Don't listen to the song "Water Color Ponies" when you are pregnant. If you happen to be this unwise, make sure you are not in public. The mascara smears are not pretty on anyone.

Have you figured out what causes that?!

People crack me up.

Now, I am not the best at choosing my words wisely. This is something that I am getting BETTER at, but sometimes my size 8 feet find themselves quite firmly planted alongside my molars.

However, you should never tell OR ask a pregnant woman the following things...

"How much weight have you gained?!?" This was from a man at church that I don't even know very well. He found out today that I am pregnant and after telling me congratulations, winked and asked that question. His wife was just as curious. She kept poking my stomach and asking me suspiciously why I wasn't showing yet. THEN, she had the nerve to ask me if I was really 14 weeks because she sure couldn't tell it...

"I didn't know you were pregnant!! That explains why you have been wearing such comfortable clothes lately!" This was from a woman, who again, I don't know. Honestly. I don't even know her name.

"Congratulations! This is the last one...right?" I DID know this person and the look of fascination/horror on her face was very true to her.

And my favorite....

"HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT CAUSES THAT?!"

I didn't bat an eye. I just smiled sweetly and said, "Yes, and it seems we have gotten pretty good at it."


I can take it all in stride-I know that all of them meant well and none of them are malicious or even rude. I just couldn't help but laugh with Clay later about how people truly do not think before they talk!

Growing Up!

When we found out that a new baby was coming, my first thought was "OH NO! It can't fit in our car!!"

Okay, it wasn't my FIRST thought, but it was one of the first. It WAS Clay's first thought. He lit up and said, "We need a bigger car!"

Bless his heart, he was thinking some big SUV. I was thinking minivan...those fully loaded ones are awesome. Our finances? They were screaming NOOOOOO!!!!!! It was cut WAY back on expenses or never leave the house once the baby is born. We could have done it, it would have been tight, but we have been there and done that. I am sure I have even written long posts about it. We just refuse to go back there.

Today we solved that problem.

This is Layton's new seat. He was in one of those bulky carseats that took up half the back seat it seemed. This is not exactly like the one we got him-but close enough. It takes up less room and he proclaimed it his "big boy seat". Now, if he would just consider the potty a big boy seat!!

This is Laura Grace's new booster. She is so small that we have kept her in a car seat. She proclaimed that she was the ONLY kindergartner still riding like a baby. But she FINALLY broke 40 pounds and is now the proud new owner of a booster seat-pink flowers and everything. She is very proud.

We are very excited because an infant seat will fit between these two car seats. It is a tight fit. A little too tight possibly... but it solves an immediate problem. The children will be close during car trips but Laura Grace is very excited. She says she will take care of her baby sister in the event she needs a pacifier adjustment or bottle. I try to explain that this baby may be a boy but Laura Grace will hear nothing of it. It is a girl and we are naming her Davina, Beatrice, Flora, or Emily.

I try not to gag at these name suggestions. I did tell her that if it is a girl we have the name picked out and will share it with her later on. Laura Grace just looked at me with narrowed eyes and said it should be a family decision.

We are all growing up a little too fast around here.

TGIF!

There is something about the sunshine and warmer days that make me stir crazy. Suddenly, I am scrubbing baseboards, getting our carpets steam cleaned, and actually wearing jewelry around my house. It is a strange phenomenon that happens every spring...

I get so motivated and stay that way until about August or September. Then I remember how much I hate 98% humidity and 98 degree days! But until those dog days of summer, I am enthusiastically embracing the warmer weather! Clay thinks I have that seasonal disorder and he may be right. As soon as those grey January days hit... I run for my sweat shirt collection and stay in them until Spring.

Seeing as how I have two sweat shirts that is kind of scary.

Anyway, back to my jewelry wearing and obsessive cleaning...

This morning I woke up determined to clean some more. My house has this strange tendency to revert back to its former hurricane devastated status every evening, no matter how many hours I put into cleaning it that morning. I have created a chore list for Laura Grace, made sure that Layton was picking up his messes, but for some reason the messes seem to over take us all. Clay says this is life and to move on. I think that I will lose my sanity if I don't come up with some method other than throwing away all our possessions. Socks and Matchbox cars would be the first things to go!

Fortunately, for my sanity as well as my children's, Rebecca called and asked me if I wanted to ride to Tupelo with her.

As if she had to ask!

Tupelo is 30 minutes South of where we live and while that isn't really THAT far, to my homebody self it seems excruciatingly far. If I need to go to the mall or any store other than
Walmart, I just wait for my poor husband to accompany me. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I then decided that I couldn't go to Tupelo with gray in my hair (it is LONG overdue for a hair appointment) and I could just put one of those temporary colors in my hair.

I had an hour to get myself and the kids ready and I decided to dye my hair. I have had the box for several weeks, taunting me with its promise of salon quality hair. I grabbed the box, locked my door, and got to work.

Twenty minutes later my hair looks exactly the same. Only, maybe a tad redder.

So much for that idea.

However, despite my disappointing hair, we had a great time. We went to Lifeway and let the kids play in the kid's section while we browsed nearby. I did get a mini lecture from a nosy, although well meaning, woman who did not think we were being wise by allowing our children to "wander". I gritted my teeth and tried to restrain from telling her that we were keeping them in visual sight at all times THANKYOUVERYMUCH.

I am sure the employees were thinking the same thing when Rebecca's 2 year old pulled down an entire Veggie Tales display and when Layton followed that mess by pulling down a shelf of stuffed animals. Rebecca's older son (who is 6) and Laura Grace thought it would be hilarious to start saying potty words as loud as they could. We quickly left after that. I tried to ignore the woman's smug glare.

We followed Lifeway up with a visit to Chick fil a. The kids played while Rebecca and I ate and talked. I love Chick fil a! The employees brought us napkins, ketchup, straws, ect... without us even asking. They would come refill our drinks so we didn't have to leave the kids. One man even brought us packets of Germ X wipes for the kids' hands after they played. I know they are an openly Christian company and I am so glad because to me that is SUCH a ministry. Good business sense but really, truly a blessing to moms like me and Rebecca who were able to sit and enjoy each other's company! The employees are always cheerful, always eager to help in any way and to me really show what a "Christian" company should be like.

So, that is my plug for the day!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, we are going to set up Layton's new furniture in his room and move the crib into our bedroom!

Jackson Trip

We had so much fun yesterday! The kids and I woke up bright and early-well, we were not very BRIGHT but it was early! Even my early birds whined as they ate breakfast and I don't think truly woke up until we were an hour or two into the drive. I forced myself to drink coffee, despite my aversion to it, and as a result got to feel the baby kicking all day! I have been feeling flutters and rolls but all day yesterday I felt MAJOR kicks and could even put my hand on my stomach and feel them.



We started the day off at my mother's house. Laura Grace and Layton played with Trey and Tye and visited with their granny.



After we played at my mother's, we met my sister, Amy, and her children, Coen and Adeline at Backyard Burger. Amy and I got to talk while the kids ate and played in the treehouse play area. Layton and Coen had more fun playing under the table!


Laura Grace and Layton as we were walking into the zoo.

Sweet Adeline. She is the best baby-she was content to sit in her stroller and look around!

Laura Grace being...well...Laura Grace!

We saw the giraffes first. They came really close to the crowd and seemed to be performing.

Coen really liked the giraffes. Layton and Coen also enjoyed the many ant beds they found. We would be looking at a really cool animal and the boys would be on the ground poking at ants!

The tigers were a big hit with the kids. All three tigers growled and snarled and acted tigerish so the children thought that was cool. At first they were pretty calm and Laura Grace was exclaiming over how cute they where. Then, they started fighting and Laura Grace jumped back and said, "Those tigers lose their cuteness pretty fast!"

The zoo employee fed the tigers huge steaks while we were there but we didn't get to see very much. The tigers immediately took their food behind some bushes to eat in privacy. Laura Grace was rather disappointed, she was all set for blood and gore. I have to admit, I was too! I guess we both had pictured the tigers fighting over the meat or at least eating messily...

We also got to see the elephants being fed. I thought the zoo employee was feeding them puffy Cheetos, but after my daughter looked at me strangely I looked closer and realized they were carrots. Oops. Cheetos sound better to me right now!

The elephants were more exciting than the tigers. They did tricks for their food and seemed to enjoy their audience. The other day, I watched a show on elephants (yes, I am weird) and learned that they show emotions like humans. They smile when happy, frown when angry, cry when scared or sad. These elephants were grinning from ear to ear!

After about an hour at the zoo, the kids were done. Amy and I tried to convince them to wait and see the monkeys, but they were all hot and tired. As promised, we let them ride the train on the way out of the zoo. Laura Grace got to sit with Adeline and her Aunt Amy. She was very excited-she said that she is practicing for our new baby by taking care of Adeline.

For Coen and Layton, the best part of the zoo was the train! I sat with them and laughed the whole time at their sheer excitement. Layton kept saying, "All aboard! Choo Choo!" and Coen would say, "Go faster train! Go faster!" In my opinion, you can really tell Coen and Layton are cousins. There are obvious differences in their looks-Coen looks like his daddy and Layton looks like Clay, but once they are together and grinning you can tell they come from the same family!

After we rode the train, we went back to my mom's house and played at the park across the street. The park has sand, so needless to say when we got in the car to come home I had some DIRTY children. Laura Grace and Layton were covered in red dirt, sand, grass, and who knows what else. They were also HUNGRY children. Both ate a Happy Meal, granola bar, craisins, goldfish and then begged me to stop and buy more snacks. It was a busy day!

Promise Of Spring

When I saw that we were going to have a high of 76 today, I made the mistake of telling the children it would be warm.

Laura Grace's eyes lit up, she ran to her bedroom, and emerged ten minutes later with her entire summer wardrobe bundled in her arms and trailing behind her. "What outfit should I wear!?" she asked excitedly.

We painstakingly went through every possible choice until she was finally satisfied that she had picked the best outfit. It was a long, rather amusing process.

Layton on the other hand did not mention his outfit, he just exclaimed, "Oh, yes! We can play outside all day!"

Sounded good to me!

However, when we woke up this morning it was to discover that everything is covered in a dense fog. Fog so dense we can't see our neighors. Refusing to be discouraged, Laura Grace immediately put on her new outfit and flip flops and flung open the front door.

To find out that it was only 40 degrees.

It seems that it will be 76 degrees at 4 o'clock this afternoon.

So, until then, we are dressed in our summer clothes. Waiting. Walmart needs a visit, as does the cleaners and alterations shop. Tomorrow we are making the trip to Jackson to visit with my family and go to the zoo. I am in search of a new bedding set for my bed because the current comforter is in a sad, sad state.

HOPEFULLY, it will be warmer soon!

Birthday, Furniture, Bedding and Clothes....

Our internet was down all last week and the children were sick with strep and a fever virus so needless to say, blogging did NOT get done.

SO, I am going to do a picture update!

This is a picture of Layton's big boy bed! We FINALLY went shopping for the poor thing and got him out of his crib. Well, we will once we get it delivered. Layton picked it out and is very excited! We found a dresser that is the same color wood and bought it as well. I didn't like the pieces that came with the bed.

This is Layton's bedding set...he also picked this out.



Layton celebrated his third birthday in several stages. First, several weekends ago we went to Jackson to visit with family. My sisters, parents, and all the cousins met at Gatti Town so the kids could play and run around. Layton loved it despite running a fever the entire time. He had strep and I didn't realize it at the time!

The next weekend we had lunch and cake at my in laws. All of the great grandparents came, as well as Clay's aunt Barbara. Here are some pictures from that...



The kids always get books, puzzles, games and clothes from us for their birthday. They have PLENTY of toys and they love books and games so they are always excited. Layton has gotten into dinosaurs so he was thrilled to get this giant pop-up book.



Layton is also very interested in ALL things trains. One of my sweet friends, Jenny, made this cute birthday cake for him.




Finally, last and really least, I HAVE MATERNITY CLOTHES!!!!!!!!

My friend Rebecca is smarter than I am and instead of purging all of her maternity clothes after each pregnancy (she has two children the same age as Laura Grace and Layton) she KEPT them. What a novel idea!! She was kind enough to let me borrow them and I am so stinking excited. Not only is it a complete wardrobe, we are the same height (short) and body type (well...pregnant anyway. In real life she is much cuter), and this leaves me with having to buy NOTHING.

Will this stop me from shopping? No.

This weekend I went to Anne Taylor's Loft and found this cute, cute dress.



It isn't maternity, BUT is loose and stretchy so I will be able to wear it for most of my pregnancy. I am loving empire waists!! I think I will be able to wear a lot of my summer tops because they are almost all peasant tops and empire waists...

I have many other things I could talk about, but my children need to be fed!

Sweet Layton

Brand New!

Six months

First Year

Second Year


I can't believe how fast time has gone!!!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Both kids have strep throat and sinus infections.

While sitting in the doctor's office for three hours yesterday, listening to various cell phones ring and children cough, it hit me.

I am about to add another child to my family that will get sick every time I turn around.

That exhausted me just thinking about it. Laura Grace wasn't really a sick baby-in fact she rarely got sick. When she did it was run of the mill ear infections. Layton on the other hand is ALWAYS sick. He has slight childhood asthma according to his allergist and that unfortunately causes him to catch EVERYTHING. If there is a germ, Layton will find it!!

So, I sat there, doing deep breathing excersizes and hoping beyond all hope that this baby isn't a germ magnet.

I know, I know, in the grand scheme of things strep throat is nothing. It could be SO much worse. But yesterday it seemed unsurmountable. Kind of like Mount Laundry in the wash room.

I do have to add a very ugly fact about this part of the world.

Every time a cell phone rings I hear is some awful country song. Now, don't get me wrong. I do like some country songs. I love Martina Mcbride and several other artists. It is those twangy, "cross my heart and promise too" songs that make my skin crawl and teeth hurt. And every single time a cell phone rings I hear "Achy Breaky Heart" or some other song that should have died out a LONG time ago.

On a MUCH brighter note, we told Laura Grace and Layton about the baby!

Laura Grace's face lit up and she said, "Really!? Really!??! A baby!??! You have a baby in your stomach!!!!"

Then she frowned and looked at my stomach suspiciously, "Where is it?"

She then brightened again and said, "Oh my goodness, a sweet baby for us to take care of! I love babies! Awwww, what if it is a sister! I have always wanted a sister!!! But, if it is a brother, that is okay too. I LOVE brothers!"

Layton just looked at my stomach with a bored expression and said, "No, that's not a baby! No baby in there!"

He is in denial.

Laura Grace got up this morning and ran into our room and said, "I just thought of this! When the baby is born there will be THREE CHILDREN in this house!!! That will be SO MUCH FUN!!!"


And, last but not least, my sweet baby boy is THREE today. THREE YEARS OLD. How is that possible?!??!?!