Happy 6 Month B-day: October 3, 2009

Avery and Ryleigh,

I cannot believe you guys are 1/2 a year old! You are so much fun and make every day exciting! I am truly blessed to be your mom!

Ryleigh, our first born:
You have a laugh that is contagious! You want all of the attention and we love to give it to you! You are a beautiful little girl! I love your BIG blue eyes that you get from your Aunt Dana. You are daddy's girl for sure, but you love your time with me too. You don't like to sleep because you are afraid you will miss out on something. I hear that you get that from me :o) You LOVE dogs. Whenever Noodle or Homer are nearby they have your full attention. You enjoy laughing at them and when they let you you enjoy petting them. You know how to get what you want whether it be by batting your long eye lashes or screaming. You are so close to crawling. You get frustrated with not being able to crawl. You still have a love for baseball, but you also like to watch Sid the Science Kid and football (especially the Dawgs). We are looking forward to all you will learn and do in the coming months! We love you so much and are blessed to be called your parents!

Avery, our little man:
Your smile melts my heart! You love to flirt and the girls seem to love you! You are so handsome! You are our laid back child. You love to observe and take things in. I think you get this from your daddy. There is no doubt that you are mommy's boy! You love playing rough and "flying" with daddy too though. You are always reaching out for Noodle and want her to cuddle with you so bad. You are also close to crawling. You are rolling everywhere. Just today you rolled up under my bed so that 1/2 of your body was under the bed and the other 1/2 was out. You are too cute! You love to watch Sid the Science Kid and football. You like cheering on the bulldogs with mommy! We love you so much and are excited about all that you will be learning and doing in the next few months. You are a true blessing to us!

Avery and Ryleigh, we love you both! You are both so different, but yet similar at the same time! You bring so much fun into our lives. Your daddy and I know that we are truly blessed to have such easy and good babies! We love you so much!

Busy Busy Busy

So I have not had a spare second to blog in forever. I really don't have the time now, but I have 2 rollers so during floor time I can't leave the room. I never imagined working with kids would be as hard as it has been! I knew I would be fine emotionally, and I have been in regards to separation from the kids. I never realized how much of a perfectionist I was at work and not being perfect would tear me apart!

I spent the first 3-4 weeks of school trying to figure out how I could quit. I have NEVER wanted to be a stay at home mom, but I was so down about not being able to be the best teacher that I was ready to walk out the door. Don't get me wrong... I love my school, coworkers, administration, and I have great students this year.

I am use to being able to work until 6 or 7 to have everything ready and be on top of things daily. Well, I can't stay past 3:30 most days with an occasional late day of working until 5 or 6. It has been a very hard adjustment for me.

All that being said, I love my children and wouldn't trade them for the world. In fact, after having our 2 flood days I know that I could be a stay at home mom even when I thought I never could be. I know that God has me where I am for a purpose. I just have to learn to balance the kids, work, and time with Rando better!

Happy Birthday America

We celebrated the 4th in grand style! We loaded up the car, met mom, dad, Dana, and Adam, and headed to Gratis, GA. You are probably asking where Gratis is. It is in the middle of nowhere in Walton County (where we live). Gratis only has a gas station/general store. They have a jar out all year long to collect money for the fireworks.

Mom had fried chicken, chips, desserts, and drinks ready for us! Rando brought the entertainment - tailgating games! We had friends come with their families and they hung out with us at our tent.

I was amazed at how intrigued my kids were with the fireworks. They loved it!

We are so blessed to live in a nation where we are free! I pray that we never lose sight of how we got our freedom. Thank you to the many men and women have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. I am also grateful for my savior that laid down His life for my freedom from sin and death!

3 mths

WOW! I cannot believe my babies are 3 months old! The time has flown by. Managing 2 babies (and a husband) is getting easier by the day! Of course there are bad days where we take a few steps back, but overall things are going great! I love being a mom! Rando is a wonderful dad and jumps in to do whatever is needed!

Ryleigh Lynn:

Ryleigh loves baseball! She glues her eyes to the TV when the Braves are playing. She loves to swing in her swing as well. There is no doubt she is daddy's girl! She enjoys cuddling with him! She is most amused by looking at herself in the mirror. It is funny to watch her look at herself for hours. Her favorite toy is her Taggie (a glorified blanket). Ryleigh loves to eat. She doesn't waste food. She is now eating about 8oz at most feedings. Ryleigh is full of smiles! She looks just like Aunt Dana and is her little mini-me (oh my...Dana was a pistol as a kid).

Avery Lavon:

Avery loves Baby Einstein. He has also started showing interest in baseball. He likes to swing, but he seems to enjoy the rocking chair the most. He is mommy's boy! He loves to curl up on mommy! He enjoys looking at the dog on their play mat. His favorite toy is also the Taggie. Avery doesn't eat as much as Ryleigh. He eats about 5-6 oz each feeding. He has started to smile lately. His smiles will melt your heart! He is his Great-granddaddy's buddy!

Both kids are unique but loved equally! We are so blessed by them! Enjoy the slide show of their first few months!

Happy Father's Day (and Mother's Day)

For some reason I have been too busy to blog (hmmmmm probably the 2 kids I have now). I usually get to type with one hand and just can't do a whole blog that way. I never got around to doing a mother's day blog so I will combine the two.

First, I have to talk about the newest father in my life! Rando is an incredible dad to Avery and Ryleigh. Every night he stays up late to help with the last feeding. He changes diapers, makes bottles, plays, and holds the kids. It is so much fun watching him be a dad. Before Avery and Ryleigh were born he had never been around a baby - much less 2 at a time. You would never know it. The next thing I have to teach him is how to do bath time! God truly blessed me with Rando 8 years ago and he is a blessing to our kids as well!

Now I want to thank my parents for the millions of things they have done for me!

1. They have always loved unconditionally. I was not perfect (even though I like to claim I was the perfect child but we all know that is not true), but they loved me in the good and bad times!

2. They let us be kids! We never had to be the "perfect little preacher's kids". We were able to be a part of our community through school, sports, activities, and church of course.

3. They prayed for us before we were even born and never quit. They prayed for my spouse and God answered far beyond our imaginations!

4. They raised us in a wonderful church!

5. As dad preached about yesterday they were practical. Biblical principals were taught each and every day through their lives and the events of our lives.

6. My dad let me travel with him which meant more than he will ever know! I have gone all over North Georgia with him as he spoke in churches. I enjoyed that special daddy/daughter time! As I grew older and moved off he also allowed me to join him for staff lunch when I was in town.

7. My mom taught me the role of the pastor's wife. Pastor's wives do not have to be involved in every ministry the church offers (many churches expect this). Our role is to support our husband, be the constant in the home, create a loving and refreshing environment for him to come home to, pray for him, and support his ministry.

8. I'll never forget the day dad met me at softball practice with a ticket to a Braves playoff game. He had been given this ticket to go with some of the staff. He knew my love for baseball and surprised me with it. I spent the evening with some of the Hebron staff at the game while dad stayed back in Dacula! He could have given that coveted ticket to anyone, but he chose to give it to me!

9. They were at every ball game, awards ceremony, and church program possible. I always had the best dressed dad at Friday and Saturday games as he would come in his suits/tuxes before or after weddings. Mom drove all over Gwinnett and surrounding counties to get the 3 of us where we needed to be! They sacrificed so much so that we could be involved in the things we loved!

10. They are wonderful grandparents! I enjoy watching them with the kids. Mom has that special touch to calm a fussy baby and dad seems to make the kids giggle!

I am truly blessed by a wonderful husband and awesome parents! Thank you God for these blessings and so many more!

Thank you

WOW! We have been so blessed by our church family, friends, and family. The meals, cards, gifts, extra hands, and especially prayers have been greatly appreciated! Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ!

Introducing Avery and Ryleigh

This post is long overdue, but as you can imagine life is pretty busy now!

On April 3, 2009 our restful Friday quickly turned into a very eventful and exciting day when Ryleigh broke her water. Rando's response was priceless when I told him. We soon headed to Emory Eastside and at 2:53 pm welcomed Ryleigh Lynn into the world. 2 minutes later we welcomed Avery Lavon. Ryleigh weighed 4 lbs 7.4 oz and was 17 1/4 in.long. Avery weighed 5 lbs 6.6 oz and was 18 3/4 in. long. The c-section went smooth and was a neat experience. I had never had any type of surgery before. Avery struggled with breathing so he was taken to the NICU. Ryleigh went on to our room with her daddy while I spent time in recovery.

As you can imagine our families were ecstatic! Ryleigh got lots of attention that first day. Later in the day Rando and both sets of grandparents got to go see Avery in the NICU. After everyone left for the evening (except for Rando) my blood pressure shot up and my kidneys began to fail. We got wheeled back to labor and delivery and I was given several medications including magnesium. The biggest problem with this was I wasn't allowed out of bed so I couldn't go see Avery. One benefit was that Rando had no choice but to change diapers so he got to change his first diaper ever when Ryleigh had a dirty and no one else was around.

Early Sunday morning I came off of my magnesium and an hour later I got to spend time with Avery. Throughout the pregnancy I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of NICU and coming home without my babies, but nothing can prepare you for what you see in the NICU. Needless to say I was a mess. God blessed me with a precious nurse that hugged on me and encouraged me. Rando was at home that night b/c we had some things left undone and my mom had to stay in the room with Ryleigh.

On Tuesday, April 7th we took Ryleigh home from the hospital. It was very difficult leaving Avery behind, but as I look back it was a blessing to have some time to get use to having 1 baby at home. We spent the next 3 days going back and forth to the hospital. My dad, grandparents, and mom took turns babysitting Ryleigh in the waiting room while we spent time with our little man.

On Friday, April 10th Avery was released from the hospital. It was so neat to finally get to hold both babies at once. I am getting emotional right now just thinking about that moment. God has truly blessed us! We drove home as a family of 4!

Life is crazy, but we wouldn't trade it for the world!

Avery in NICU



Ryleigh



Their first night in bed



1st family picture