Let Baby Season BEGIN! :)

One of my dearest friends in the world, Sarah, is having her baby this month. It is the beginning of baby season around here. I have been surrounded by pregnant women for months and months. I went through a brief baby envy phase and it has quickly left me. ;) I am being a bit nostalgic tonight, so please forgive me. You should know I get that way sometimes. This one is about Sarah because she is just really on my mind tonight.

Sarah was the kind of friend you just need when you walk through what I did. She and I spent hours and hours rocking in my rocking chairs on our front porch talking about life. She was just such a good listening ear for me when I was trying to get pregnant. She and I walked this neighborhood a million times just talking. Then she rejoiced with me when I found out we were having K. Right before Kennedy was born, Sarah lost a baby. I don't think I'll ever forget how strong she was when she showed up in my room at the hospital the day Kennedy was born. I knew that pain. I knew how she felt. I also knew how incredibly hard it was for her to come and smile and see my precious miracle for the first time. She was just that friend. I have a picture of Sarah and J (with his pink shirt for Kennedy on) that means so much to me from that day. It is the true testament of a friend. I am so thankful for grown up friendships. I have dear, dear friends from my childhood. As you get older, it is harder to become good friends. We met them as adults and I feel like we have known them our whole lives. God's blessings are wonderful. Friendship is such a blessing.

So, my fun friend, I look forward to the beginning of my baby season. I look forward to rejoicing with you as you welcome your second child into this world. I look back on our history with fondness because we are stronger because of it. I am thankful that when I had no words for you I knew what to pray. I prayed for a hold it baby for you and He answered with Banks. What a time of rejoicing. I think it is very fitting that Eli is due around Kennedy's birthday. It was a time when you stood strong with God holding you up. You stood there with me only by his grace. And now, you will be in my place, there holding your son. What a good God we serve!

Let baby season begin!!!!!!!

Oh, and Jen, yes, there is a future sappy blog about you too. :) Waiting on cupid! :)

Good Tidings of Great Joy!

I adore this time of year. One of my most favorite things this year is church on Sundays. I love Christmas music, but there is just something about singing a Christmas song in God's house. Today, we all made it to church without a single grumble from anyone. It is always a fight to get them dressed and out the door. Today, it was wonderful! I sat in church with my husband and sweet babies at my side and there is nothing better.

I was pregnant with Kennedy and due right around Christmas 4 years ago. Greg said today that I might as well call her 4 already. I snapped back, I know for a fact that she was not born this time 4 years ago. I wanted her out SO badly!! :) I think about that Christmas now so much we when talk about Mary and how she traveled before Jesus was born. I am thankful for that year. I am thankful that my very first miracle was born around the same time we celebrate our world's greatest miracle. So, this Christmas season, through the busyness and shopping, I hope I take time to stand still. I hope that even more than on Sundays, that I stop and thank our God for the things He does for us. For it is because of Him, that I have this joy. It is because of Him that I hold my sweet miracles each day.

Luke 2:10 "Behold, I bring you tidings of great JOY, which shall be to all people."

Merry, Merry Christmas!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like CHRISTMAS!

Well, she was all talk. She couldn't wait to get there. When it was time to talk to Santa, she said, "No thanks!"' I ask Whit if he wants to go. His reply, "YES!" He very bravely goes up to Santa, gets really close and clings to me for dear life. Santa asks him his name and Whit tells him. Then Santa asked, "Well, what would you like for Christmas, Whit?" I feel him let go of me, relief washes over him, his eyes lights up with truly the joy only a child can have, and he says, "I want some train tracks!" Oh, dear lord, I love the magic of Christmas. It is moments like those that I will forever see when I look at him. Kennedy quickly felt left out and decided maybe she would at least talk to Santa. She very bravely told him her name. She said later that she forgot to tell him what she wanted. She did put on a brave face and smile for a photo. I love Christmas. I always have. I love it even more now. It truly has brought back the magic having these babies to share it with. I love it!

GSU had the lighting of the tree and they had SNOW!! It doesn't snow ever down here in the boro. We only have the kind of snow the machine in the background makes. hahahaha!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are a few of my favorites from our trip! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I Believe in Miracles

A picture is worth a thousand words, so says someone I don't know. :) This one can speak for itself, but of course in Katie fashion I have things to add. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It wasn't about the food or location this year. It was about FAMILY. I loved that. I loved the laughter that came when all the cousins played and played. I loved being able to see Blake and Tonya for a least just a little while. One thing we have all learned this year is to cherish each moment. I take pictures all the time. I want those moments to stay with me. Being with Tonya and hearing how she feels will change you. It will change every ounce of your soul. She isn't aware of that and that's ok. She is just out changing the world, without even trying.

This picture will forever mean something to me. I am printing it out and putting it somewhere in my house that I will look at it everyday. We were not supposed to be able to have kids on our own. God had bigger plans and now we have Whit. Tonya's cancer is one that has a high chance of reoccurance. Doctors and research say that there is a chance it will come back. I am praying God has bigger plans. Miracles happen everyday. We give the credit to medicine or doctors. I am saying out loud here that all the credit will be given to the God we serve. I pray for her to be that one in a gazillion that has no reoccurances for the rest of her life. I pray that we can all spend Thanksgiving together 40 years from now and laugh at how we were worried. She's a miracle walking around too. So, when I look at this picture I will pray for a miraculous recovery. I pray for a long life. It is just so fitting for me to have them together here looking at each other like this with such a love in their eyes. I ask you to join our family in prayer for Tonya and her family. I believe our prayers matter. I believe God hears our plea. I also believe that in HIS name she can be healed.

I believe in miracles.

The Pair

I always thought I would have at least 2 children. I just didn't want an only child. I would NEVER have had mine this close together. I wonder now how far apart they would have been if I had planned it. Lately, I can't help but think about how wonderful their age difference is. I adore it. It's been a crazy, yet wonderful 2 years of seeing my babies together. Today, they were having a very serious conversation in the backseat about the moon. Whit gets so exctited and yells, "Kennedy!" when he wants her to listen. Then he says a million things. I don't even remember the whole conversation. It is funny how a moment like that sticks with you and you want to stay there forever. I love these moments. They adore each other. I adore that about them. My little pair, they are precious to me. Tonight we were going to eat and they were in K's room playing( aka destroying it). I yelled to see who wanted to ride with Greg. A long pause happened and then I hear K yell, "NOBODY!" :) Oh, you two.......I am sure I will be in for it with the things you will come up with. Right now, I love it. I hope I always will.

Moments for Me to Remember :)

All my friends are pregnant. Well, maybe I should say a LOT of my friends are pregnant. Kennedy has announced to large groups of people (on multiple occasions) that I have a baby in my belly. Whit said on the way home the other day, "Mommy, I have a baby in my belly like Sandi." BAHAHAHA! I love it! He came home and stuffed one under his shirt. Tonight as I was tucking Kennedy in she said, "Mommy, can you please go and get a baby in your belly?I really want you to have one in there." I laughed and told her to ask Daddy. I tried to explain that Whit was a her baby brother. She didn't like that. She did like hearing stories about her holding him as a baby. Gosh, she was so still a baby back then too! Then we start talking about going to the hospital and getting a baby. She says, "The doctor gives you the baby, then you put the baby in the glowing box and put things over it's eyes, so it can't see anything." Now, if you know our history with our jaundice babies you will laugh at that. She has seen so many pictures of newborns in the billi lights that she thinks that is the process at the hospital! I love it!

Today, we ran by the Dollar store for a few things. I told the kids they could get a little prize. K chose a baby (of course) and Whit went through tons of options. A bag of dinosaurs, cars, and a sword. Then he saw a little toy iron and he was in heaven. It was quite hilarious to me. Greg is our ironer so it is only fitting that our son wants an iron to be like his daddy. He insisted on taking his clothes off so he could iron them. When Greg got home, he asked him to go get his iron so they could iron together. He did not once associate me with the iron. I love that. LOVE IT!

So, my sweet babies, your Mommy is busy cherishing your little moments. Kennedy, you were born to be a mother. I know your entire life you will beg me for more kids. It is who you are. You've been carrying around a baby doll since before you could walk. You learned to walk with a walker with baby Bobby stuffed in the walker so he could come too. And my Whitfield, the way you adore your Daddy make me adore you even more. You get so excited about deer and golf. An iron even brings you joy. We love it. What a blessed life I lead. Truly, truly, truly BLESSED.