House Update....

House Progress.....

The house is coming along slowly but surely. The leveling, plumbing, electrical, windows, air conditioning and part of the fascia boards are complete. As soon as the fascia boards are done, the roofers can get started on our new roof. I can't wait to start making it look like a house again. So far most of the work has been things you can't see. While I was at my mom's house last week I got a great deal on all of our appliances, so that is exciting.

If we leave a ladder out anywhere, in the blink of an eye, Carter is on top of it. The roofers were at Nana's house last week and next thing we knew Puddin was at the top of their ladder about to step on to the roof! He is a little dare devil!

Chris and Grandpa were working on replacing the fascia board...

Carter got to get on the roof with Daddy.... I almost had a heart attack!

This is our new AC unit!

Our New Windows...

This fantastic tub I found at a garage sale for $35, we are going to refinish it.

My latest find is an old cottage door I found at an antique store in Ft. Worth.

It even has a mail slot.

This will be our new front door, Oh, how I love it!

Welcome to Holland

When we took Collin to Scottish Rites in June his doctor gave me a packet of information and this poem was enclosed. I believe it was originally written for a child with downs syndrome but I believe any mother who has had a child with any disability or difference can relate. Welcome to Holland   I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.  After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.  It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."  And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.  But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.  by Emily Perl Kingsley I read this poem and I wanted to scream "YES"! Yes, that is it, Yes, that is exactly what it feels like. It's not that it is horrible, just unexpected and quite heartbreaking because you love your child so much! So, here we are, settling in Holland. The questions and confused stares have become our new kind of normal. There is the woman who blurts out "Oh my, what happened to his fingers?" to the curious old lady who stares uncontrollably dying inside to ask but doesn't. The ladies who say "Aww..look at those fat rolls on his wrist." and I giggle inside and say "yeah". (there not fat rolls, they are scars from the bands) The child that checks his fingers out every time she sees him and apologizes that he has "owie's" on his hands. I'm learning not to lash out at them in my mother bear kind of reaction but instead to take the opportunity to share with them how much we have felt God's love through this and how we know that God has great plans for Collin despite his hand differences. Picking the fuzzies out of his creases on his fingers and wrist has become normal. They seem to be great places to collect lint. ;) Being overjoyed when he grips my finger has become normal. Who knew such a simple task would bring such joy? Those are the little things I would have taken for granted before. So as crazy as it sounds, his ABS is a blessing. I have met wonderful mothers and precious children through this experience that I would never have met otherwise. I have look forward to everything that God has to teach us through this baby boy of ours.

Our Family

"Oh the Lord is good to me......."

Our first family picture since the hospital!

Four Year Anniversary!

What was I doing on this day 4 years ago? Let's see, I started the morning out in the hair salon where I threw a fit (I was Bridezilla)  because they did a terrible job, then moved to another salon where my maid of honor fixed everyones hair from the previous nightmare. (she was a lifesaver). Then went to the church where I chowed down on Taco Villa before it was time to get into my dress. (which I loved) Spent 20 minutes having my dress laced up before going to see my soon-to-be hubby waiting for me at the end of the aisle.  Then met hand in hand and committed our lives to each other in one of the greatest covenants God created. (and I became Mrs. N...) Then spent another 20 minutes waiting for my bridesmaids to figure out how to bussel my dress, which they never did. (The Groom was the only one who could do it ;) Had a wonderful reception filled with family and friends, and walk away Mrs. N....! Oh, it was a great day!

It's hard to believe that we have been married four years. It has been a busy and ever changing four years of our lives for sure. Let's see, we have moved to College Station, then Chris quit school, we moved back to M-town into one apartment, then moved to another apartment, had Carter, then Chris decided to go back to school, we moved in with his parents, had Collin, and bought a house! Yeah, I would say we have been busy. We haven't always done things the easy way but I don't think I would change anything. I wouldn't change the hard times because they have brought us closer and our character has grown stronger. At times it seemed that life was going to rip us apart but by the grace of God we survived the storms. I thank the Lord daily that it didn't rip us apart. Oh what great joy we would be missing out on now had we backed out when things got rocky. I truly believe that God honors obedience. When you choose to obey his commands for your marriage he blesses your relationship with a new love for each other that you never knew before. It has been so awesome to watch how God has moved and restored our relationship. We might have got knocked down but we didn't get wiped out. I love Chris so much and love the life we are building together. Love is a choice not a feeling. Once I realized this it changed our whole marriage. You can choose to love someone even when you don't feel love. That is the kind of love that God call us to show in all of life's relationships. It truly is a choice. I can't wait to see what all God has in store for our future. I look forward to the next 60 years of our life together. It is so exciting and I wouldn't choose anyone else to share it with! 

Happy Anniversary Honey!

Catch Up!

I know, I know.....I have been neglecting the blog lately! But today the boys and I have enjoyed a day at home. We have stayed in our jammies and watched lots of Mickey Mouse, done some laundry, and just spent some sweet time together. Speaking of laundry...isn't baby laundry just the sweetest thing? That may sound crazy but it makes me smile. I love the way it smells and folding all those tiny pieces just reminds me that it doesn't last long. I hate doing our laundry but there is something sweet about folding burp cloths and onesies. I guess because it will soon change to poop stained undies and socks covered in mud. 

Collin is doing great! He is spends the majority of his days eating and sleeping, what else do you do at two months old? Last night he went 6 hours before waking up for another feeding. Praise God! It was wonderful to get six straight hours of sleep. Hopefully we are getting closer and closer to sleeping through the night. ( I guess to some people that is sleeping through the night but for me I need 8 hours). He has also started smiling the last two weeks. When I catch one of his precious grins it melts my heart. It is one of those sweet reminders in the midst of a crazy day of why it is all worth it. He is growing like a weed. He is quickly moving out of his 3 month clothes and into his 6 month clothes. I have already had to pack up a tub of clothes he has outgrown. He is our chunky monkey!!! At seven weeks he weighed 12 pounds 3 ounces. That means he gained 5 pounds in 7 weeks. His Mommy's milk must be like gold. ;) 

(Collin on his 2 month birthday!)

Carter is full of energy and trying to test my limits every time he has the chance. He has been giving all kinds of grief over potty training for the past couple of weeks. I feel like I'm going crazy. He will poop in his undies and then go outside, take them off, and through them over the fence, or in the tree, or on the roof. Yes I said on the roof! When I picked him up from Mother's Day Out last week his teachers informed me that Carter had thrown his shoes on the two story church building and the janitor had to come with a latter to retrieve them. They weren't at all bothered by this, instead they were convinced that they were teaching a future professional baseball player. I will admit he has a great arm on him.  But I am tired of cleaning up poop, and having the neighbors return all the toys they find in the alley, and worrying at all of our friends houses if he is going to chunk all there toys over the fence. I have to admit it is quite funny! I don't know why he enjoys this so much, but he does. The backyard is starting to look bear as the roof begins to fill up with toys. He throws everything up there. When the roofers came to give an estimate they threw it all back down but it has all made its way back up there again.

( I took this picture out of the window from the second story....lets see what we have here? A pair of shoes, tongs, golf clubs, bottle of bubbles, toy cars and a cup. Yep, thats my son!)

Chris is hanging in there. He is taking two classes in summer session 2. He leaves at 7:15am and I don't see him again until about 10:00pm Bless his heart, his plate is overflowing. I think we are both so ready for him to be done with school. But we know there is an end, so we are just holding tight and hanging in there. I can't wait to be in our new house, have my hubby home for dinner, and feel like our normal family again. I think I will appreciate "that normalcy" more  than I ever could before.

And Me: Well I'm doing lots of laundry, soaking up every memory with my quickly growing baby, making special Mommy time with Carter (he tends to feel a little left out), and trying to make myself get up early in the morning to spend time with the Lord. I have really felt convicted about that lately. Soooo......New Rule! No Blogging, No Facebooking, No emailing, until I have spent some time with the Lord each day. It is essential for me as  a woman, a wife, and a mother. Without that quiet time with me and the Lord, I am frustrated, overwhelmed, and in a bad mood all day. That doesn't do anyone any good.  Now that I have put that out for the world to know, you can hold me accountable. If you see me facebooking early in the morning, feel free to ask if I have spent time with Lord yet! I'm serious, I am not good with self-discipline so I am insisting on the help of others.

So today (after having some quiet time) I had lots of Internet business to take care of. I had several emails to return, pictures to upload, and some research I had been meaning to do. I spent some time researching about Collin's ABS. I wanted to find some things out for myself about hand surgeries, Dr.'s, and so forth. I feel more informed and equipped now which is a good feeling. 

The other thing I had been meaning to do some research on was vaccinations. I know, I know, I know......... its a controversial topic! I was raised getting all my vaccines, my mom worked where they administered theses vaccines, and Carter has had all his vaccines so far. So why now am I second guessing? I am responsible for every decision I make for my children. And I don't want to make any decision with blinders on. I want to be informed about every decision I make for them. So I had to ask myself......Do you know what they are getting? Do you know what the risks are? Do you know what the risks are of not getting them? Do you know what these do to their bodies? Do you know where these vaccines come from? Have you prayed about this?And the answer to all of these is NO! So I decided that I would become informed about what I am going to put into my children's bodies. I am not against vaccinations. I don't know that much about them at this point. I have just decided to become informed. So I did some research today and I plan to talk to my pediatrician about it some more as well. But most importantly Chris and I have decided to really pray about this and ask the Lord to show us what is right for our children and our family. Maybe its going along with the CDC's guidelines. Maybe its just delaying the vaccines until their bodies are stronger, maybe its spacing the vaccines out, maybe its not doing them at all, I don't know my opinion on it yet but I know that I need to be in the "KNOW" about this whole vaccination thing. In the midst of my research I came across something extremely disturbing. I found out today that there are three childhood vaccines that are made from aborted fetus cell tissues. Drop every health issue at the door, this is a moral issue that is obviously being kept in the dark. You can read more about this your self here. You can also google vaccines from aborted fetal cells and find out more. This really rocked my world when I read this and is even more reason why I need to partner my research with prayer. 

"Not Me" Monday

Feeling guilty for not doing things you know you should have been? Are you feeling guilty for letting your young children spend the entire day in their pajamas, then sleeping in them because it is too hot outside to do anything anyway? What about not answering phone calls from your friends simply because you are not in the mood to talk? Well don't; instead, join us for Not Me! Monday, it was born out of a desire to admit imperfections and reveal a few moments we'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing! When you are finished here, hop on over to My Charming Kids and see what everyone else has not been doing!

I did not forget the cleaning lady was coming this morning forcing me to rush around and find somewhere for the boys and I to go at 8:00am. I did not get into the car and realize that I hadn't brushed my teeth or hair. "Not Me" I wouldn't go out of the house looking like that. 

I did not get into my car and Cry because once again Carter pooped in his undies. 

I did not put Collin in the bed with me all night because I was too tired to sit in the chair to nurse him.

I did not let our room get completely covered in laundry before I decided to hang it up. "Not Me" I put my laundry up after every load.

I did not wear a tank top to bed and then go the whole next day wearing the same tank top. No, Not me! I have time to shower every morning and put on new clothes.

I did not give Collin a paci that had just fallen out of the car in the street. No, I am to germ conscious to do that.

I did not let Carter watch 3 episodes of Mickey Mouse in a row just so I could get ready in silence. 

I did not go to the bank and write the wrong account number on the deposit slip. I am not too sleep deprived to do that.

I did not secretly cry Saturday night while putting Collin to bed because I realized he was two months old. I am not that sappy!

And tonight I am not going to rush through dinner so that I will have enough time to watch The Secret Life of An American Teenager. Surely I don't watch shows that are geared for junior high kids. No, NOT ME!