August 7, 2010

Together At Last!!!

We were finally able to bring our sweet girls home on Thursday (August 5^th) evening and couldn’t be happier!  What a wonderful blessing it is to have all FOUR of our precious babies together under one roof.  Their smells and sounds are absolutely intoxicating.  And their little cries can even get baby daddy out of bed faster than a 16 point buck grunting during the rut.

Ashlyn is already proving to be a great big sister and truly loves her baby sisters and brother.  She’s a big helper and enjoys turning their vibrating chairs on for them and helping mommy and daddy throw away dirty diapers.  We’re hoping she’ll actually be able to help change the diapers soon…haha!

We’re settling into life with three newborns…which means very little sleep but LOTS of love!
Stay tuned for updates and pictures of our family of SIX!!!!!!

Much love,
  The Matthews Family

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August 3, 2010

BLESSED.  BLESSED.  BLESSED.

Just 15 short days ago, our lives changed forever.  That Monday morning started out like a typical one for us (over the past 35 weeks).  We had an appointment with our Maternal Fetal Specialist and then with our OB/GYN...Only these visits didn’t go at all how we had envisioned.  We were 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant…still targeting at least 36 weeks to deliver our precious trio.

The MF specialist believed that Baby A wasn’t growing as well as Babies B and C.  He recommended we go ahead and deliver in the next day or two.  To say we were in shock would be an understatement.  Our pregnancy had progressed just as planned thus far, and the babies had been growing great up to this point, so we didn’t see this one coming at all.  Next, we headed across the street to our OB’s office.  It was then that we learned that in less than 8 hours we’d be meeting our sweet little angels! 

Come to find out, our Dr. had already scheduled my c-section for that evening, after receiving the results from some tests that we had done the week before.  My body had had enough.  It was showing signs of preeclampsia, which meant it was time to deliver the babies right away.
We jumped into rush mode and began finalizing all of the last minute details that needed to be taken care of before our munchkins arrived…final arrangements for Ashlyn, installing car seats, charging the camera battery, throwing things in our suitcase, etc...and by 3:15 that afternoon, I was suited up in my lovely hospital gown and we were preparing for surgery.
 
Thankfully, everything went just as planned and by the grace of God, our THREE beautiful, healthy little angels arrived safely!

Sweet Ainsley Reece (baby A) was born at 5:28pm and weighed 4lbs, 8oz and was 18 inches long

Precious Robert Lewis Matthews III (Asher) (baby B) was born at 5:29pm, weighed 4lbs, 9oz and measured 19 1/4 inches long
 
And Adorable Alexa Rylee (baby C) was born at 5:30pm and weighed in at 4lbs, 7oz and 17 1/4 inches long
 
They began breathing on their own immediately, but have had to spend some time in the NICU to master the art of eating (which is learned around week 35 in the womb). 
 
We were able to bring Asher home this past Saturday (July 31^st) and are hoping to bring the girls home later this week.
 
Big sister Ashlyn is crazy about her new brother and sisters (so far!) and has been super sweet to them.  We’re hoping that continues once they’re all home!
 
We’re madly in love with our amazing little blessings and are so grateful to God for entrusting us with them!
 
Thank you all for your continued love, support, prayers, well wishes, gifts, cards, meals, flowers, etc., etc.  We’re so blessed to know each and every one of you!

Much love,
The Matthews 6

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July 9, 2010

34 Weeks Today!!!

We’re so excited to have reached the 34 week mark today!  The babies are still doing great…measuring at just over 4lbs each…praise God!  Mama bear is getting more uncomfortable by the day, but hanging in there. 

Still no delivery date scheduled, as my Dr. is trying to convince me to go into labor on my own, which doesn’t sound very appealing at all.  I just can’t get my mind around the idea of working through the pains of labor and THEN having to prepare myself mentally for a c-section.  I should mention that I’d never even had an IV before I went into the hospital to deliver Ashlyn, so maybe I’m just a little too green when it comes to hospitals, surgery, etc.  Whatever the reason, I’m still leaning towards scheduling our delivery.  Either way, we’ll definitely keep you posted. 
 
We have a couple of finishing touches to put on the trio’s nursery this weekend, but I promise to post some pictures as soon as it’s done.  We were really torn about having to paint over Ashlyn’s beautiful pink and brown walls and ceiling, but we’re super pleased with how the new nursery turned out…colors are black, bone and apple green!
 
Thanks for your continued love, support and prayers for our growing family!

Blessings,
The Matthews Family

PS...the photo at the top of the page is from yesterday...33 weeks, 6 days...measuring 46 weeks!!

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June 16, 2010

We're GROWING!!!

Wow!  I can't believe it's been so incredibly long since my last post.  Where has the time gone?!?  I hope you and yours are having a great summer and staying cool.  Man has it been HOT here in Dallas!  We've been hitting record temperatures...of course when I'm carrying around THREE babies!  HA! 

We've been staying super busy...watching our beautiful Ashlyn grow into an amazing little person right before our eyes, getting ready for the trio's arrival and on many days for me...just surviving!

This pregnancy hasn't been an easy journey for me and it's unfortunately only getting harder and harder.  The good news though is that the babies are all doing WONDERFUL!  When they measured them last Monday (6/7), they were each weighing in at right around 3lbs. which is right on track. 

We had another appointment this morning and the babes look great (they'll measure them again next week).  As of today my belly is measuring 42 weeks pregnant!...yes, that's 2 weeks overdue if I were having just one baby!  Guess that's why so many people want to know "when are you due?...Any day???"  And unfortunately, I feel even bigger than 42 weeks.  Just when I think my belly can't get ANY bigger...it does...haha! 

We've started seeing our Dr. weekly now and he's extremely pleased with how everything is progressing.  Actually, I think he may be a little TOO pleased as he keeps stretching my delivery date!  We've been targeting 36 weeks all along but now he's wanting me to go to 37 or 38.  I'm still not sure how I feel about 38 weeks, but we'll see!  I'd probably feel differently if I didn't already have an adorable 2 year-old to keep up with.

We cherish each of you and ask for your continued prayers for our little ones.  Please also pray that my body will hang in there another 6 or 7 weeks!

Love & blessings,
The Matthews Bunch

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March 8, 2010

Three HEALTHY babes and an announcement...

We're so pleased with how well our dr's appointment went today.  The trio is looking GREAT!...growing healthy and strong and progressing right on track.  God is GOOD! 

We're also beyond excited to finally know what we're having!  That's right...we got a good look at all three of those tiny hineys!  We'll be welcoming....wait for it.....two PRINCESSES and a PRINCE into our loving family!!!  Rob is just beside himself with excitement that he'll have a buddy in the house (he's super excited about the princesses too...in fact, he's been hoping for two girls and a boy all along:).  I think he's already planned out his first bow hunting trip with the little guy...although that won't be for a LONG time!  And our dr. reminded us that now we'll just have three weddings to pay for...hehe  

We're both so incredibly thankful that all of our angels look great!  We had some specific questions/concerns for the sonographer and she said..."You've got three healthy babies!"  Hearing those words quickly erased the last week of pain (round ligament pain which I've learned is excruciating with multiples) that I've been having and reminded me how we must always trust in the Lord...He will see us through. 

BTW...As I'm typing this, baby girl A just kicked me several times and it was actually visible through my shirt!  Wow, they really are getting big!  She must know I'm talking about her. :)

I do have lots of sonogram and bump photos to share with you but I'm just way too tired to post them tonight.  I'll definitely do my best to get them up later this week though!

Blessings,

The Matthews Bunch

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February 22, 2010

Still No News!

We got to see the trio this morning and they look great!  Unfortunately though, they weren't very cooperative in showing us what we were really hoping to see...haha.  We're still a little too early to tell what sex the babies are, so really the only way we would've been able to is if they had sat their tiny hiney's right on top of the sonogram wand, and well, that didn't happen.  So now we wait some more!  Our next appointment is on March 8th and I've decided that I'm not getting up from that table until they tell us what we're having!!!  LOL  Seriously though, I've got to start planning and shopping! 

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February 19, 2010

Waking up is hard to do

Well, my surgery went great today!  It was the post surgery part that I could've done without.  I was feeling good, until I actually tried to get out of the bed, that is.  The anesthesia nausea hit me like a ton of bricks!  It was then that I was oh so thankful that I had followed the "no food or drink after midnight" rule (even though the babies weren't too happy about that!)!  After a lot of rest today I think I'm finally over the worst of it and so glad to have the anesthesia out of all four of our systems. 

Thanks so much for your prayers today...they mean so much.  Thanks also to my fabulous nurse and chauffeur...my hubby...AKA: baby daddy. :)  And a big thanks to my precious friend Katy who was so generous with her time to come and stay with us last night so she'd be here early, early this morning to watch Ashlyn for us.  You're the best, sweet friend!  And lastly, our bellies are all happy and full thanks to the wonderful dinner my adorable friend Jess brought over for us...thanks so very much for your thoughtfulness!  Love you both!!

Okay, so I know what you guys are really here for...to find out if we know what we're having yet!  As sad as I am to say it, we don't. :(  We were planning to swing by our Dr's office once we left the surgery center today, but we decided after I threw up all over BD's (Baby Daddy;) truck, we probably needed to just get me home and in bed.  Sooo, we have an appointment on Monday morning and are keeping our fingers crossed that the babes are "revealing"...hehe.  I will most definitely keep you posted!  In the meantime, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.  Eat something really spicy for me...queso and chips, preferably. :)

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February 17, 2010

THANK  YOU!!!

A big thank you for all of your well wishes, thoughts and prayers.  We are so grateful to be blessed with such amazing friends and family! 

Well, the babies attended their first pageant!  We had a great weekend in Austin for the Miss Austin pageant (which the trio and I co-hosted:), although I've been worn out since we've been home.  I thankfully felt pretty well most of the weekend, but I've been catching up on my rest ever since.

  Ashlyn did awesome on the long drive there and back and enjoyed the show, although was super frustrated to see mommy (on stage) but not be able to hold mommy.  Poor Rob spent most of the pageant trying to calm her down!  He finally went to my "go-to"...M&M's!...and she calmly sat in her chair, munching on her candy and occasionally waving up to me on stage. :) 

We'll see the Dr. again on Friday, although it's not exactly the kind of visit I'm looking forward to.  I'll be having some day surgery...a cerclage (stitches placed in the cervix) to help prevent preterm labor.  While I'm certainly not looking forward to it, I know it's necessary to help ensure that I'm able to carry the babies as long as possible.  Honestly, I am a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, as the only other time I've been "put under" was when I had my birthmark removed in 4th grade, which I obviously have no recollection of.  

Your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated...for me and for the babies.

On a positive note, we're hoping that they might be able to determine the babies' gender when I have the surgery on Friday.  I will certainly keep you posted!  In the meantime, keep the votes coming!! 

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February 10, 2010

August 30, 2009

July 30, 2009 

Frequent Flyer

Did you know that Ashlyn has a frequent flyer number?  She does.  And it’s a good thing because we’re at it again...Traveling that is.  This time we’re in San Diego, enjoying a much needed reprieve from the 100+ degree temperatures in Dallas.  Rob’s new company is based in SD so we decided to tag along and play while he works.  Not a bad scenario, huh?  Actually, it’s proven to be a bit challenging being away from home with Ashlyn at this age (16 months).  She’s so active these days and doesn’t have much interest in sitting in a high chair for a meal or her stroller for an outing.  No, she’d rather run around and explore the restaurant (preferably up and down the stairs if available) or wherever it is we may be.  To say we’ve developed a new respect and understanding for those parents who just let their child cry at the table would be an understatement.  I mean seriously, what else are you supposed to do?....Especially when you’re on vacation and have no choice but to eat out?!?  I guess you could do what I did today….attempt to coerce her into the highchair for lunch and when she cries incessantly and everyone nearby is giving you dirty looks, ask if they could package everything up to go and eat your now cold fish tacos in the car in the parking lot.  Bon Appétit! 

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July 1, 2009

There's NO PLACE like HOME!

We recently returned home from a fabulous vacation to the beautiful Caribbean island of Curacao....And while our time there was wonderful, we couldn't wait to get home.  There's just something about sleeping in your own bed, showering in your own shower and eating food that you're used to.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to go on vacation....not having to worry about cleaning the house or preparing a meal is so refreshing!  But you know what I LOVE even more?....That I WANT to come home!  We are truly blessed beyond words and are so very grateful for all that we have.

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June 16, 2009

Where has the time gone?!? 

It seems like just yesterday we were hiding eggs for Ashlyn's first Easter Egg Hunt.  Is it really already the middle of June?!?  Boy has time flown by! 

We had a great trip to California last month to see Rob's family....stay tuned for pics from all of our fun...That is if I ever get caught up on my picture posting!  Speaking of that Easter Egg Hunt....I still have the pictures to post!  Enough chatting, I'm going to get to posting now.....

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May 10, 2009

Happy MOTHER'S Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mommies out there!  There really isn't a more important or better job (in my opinion:).  Hope your day is filled with love and laughter!   

If you can't tell, I LOVE being a Mom!  I knew it was going to be great but I had no idea just how unbelievably amazing and fulfilling it was going to be!  Being a Mama has brought me so much joy.  Who would've thought that one tiny little person could add so much to your life?  God is good I tell ya!....And I thank Him for my precious angel everyday.

My hope was that Ashlyn would suddenly start calling everything 'mommy' today, instead of 'daddy' (like she's been doing for months!  LOL)....just for this one day.  I mean seriously, is that too much to ask???  Well, she's still calling most everything daddy but she did something even sweeter on this very special day...

When we went to pick her up from the nursery at church she was happily playing with some toys on the floor.  But then as soon as she saw me she started bawling (and I mean BAWLING!!) and reaching toward me.  While I obviously didn't want to see her upset, it was so touching at the same time.  She wanted her mommy! :)

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May 7, 2009

Happy Anniversary, Love! 

Happy 4th Anniversary to the love of my life!  I'm so very blessed and thankful that God brought us together.  I love you with all that I am!

Oh, and PS....I can't wait until we're celebrating our 40th! 

Yours always, Wifey

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April 29, 2009

Where oh where has Ashlyn's appetite gone?!?

You know how it is after you've been sick to your stomach and haven't wanted to eat in a while?....Like, days at a time?  When you're feeling better don't you just want to eat and eat and eat?....And then eat some more?  Well, that's how I am (Which hasn't been a good thing as far as last years jeans go!  Guess I better wear them while I can!) at least.  Unfortunately though, Ashlyn's appetite doesn't work like that.  She used to be such a GREAT eater....keywords, USED TO BE.  Since she was sick the only things we can get her to eat are cheese and bread.  Every once in a while we'll sneak some fruit in there, but it's not very often.  Oh, and she did eat a few bites of egg (who would've thought?!?) from my Starbucks breakfast sandwich (which was delish by the way) this morning....but other then that, it's just bread and cheese.  I'm beginning to wonder if this girl has some Italian in her that I don't know about.  Next thing you know she's going to be asking for vino in her sippy cup!  LOL

This wouldn't be such a concern if she wasn't such a petite little thing.  At her one-year check up she was in the 10th percentile for both weight and height....which is shocking since I'm over 5'10" and Rob's 6'1".  I'm hoping she'll just be a late bloomer. :)  In the meantime though, I'm praying that she gets her appetite back!!!  Maybe this will help....

Dear stomach virus, 

What exactly have you done with my daughter's appetite???  Ever since you made your unexpected (and unrequested) appearance, she hasn't been the same.  She used to eat all sorts of healthy foods....turkey, green beans, even BROCCOLI!  Now she simply picks them up and promptly throws them off of her tray.  Is it not enough that because of you she lost almost a pound???  After all, she's got a TON of precious 12-18 month clothes in her closet just waiting for her to wear!  You've done PLENTY of damage in our household (and our bathroom!)already.  I'd appreciate you giving Ashlyn's appetite back ASAP!  Oh, and take that little Italian woman's that you replaced it with, back with you!

Sincerely yours, Ashlyn's concerned Mama

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April 28, 2009

We're back to our old selves!!!

We're all on the mend and feeling oh, so much better!  That wasn't exactly what I had in mind to fit into that pair of last years jeans, but I guess at least something good came out of that awful illness.  LOL  I posted some new photos tonight....still not completely caught up, but it's a start!  I hope to post our annual Arboretum visit and our trip to the most amazing field of bluebonnets this Texan has ever seen, very soon...so stay tuned!

Oh, and a BIG thank you to my mom for playing with Ashlyn while we were both feeling rotten.  She had a ball with her Baubie and I don't know what we would've done without you!!!

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April 27, 2009

Teething + Stomach Bug = 2 Rough Weeks!

To say the last two weeks have been difficult would be an understatement.  It all started with Ashlyn teething like crazy....so bad that she ran a low-grade fever and was fussier than she's ever been.  Poor little princess!  We thought for sure she was working on her one-year molars, but low and behold, after a few days of misery, a new pearly white appeared!....Front and center!  Her "vampire" teeth aren't rolling solo up top anymore....yippeee! 

Then, just when we thought we were in the clear, she came down with a nasty stomach bug.  (We've been SO hesitant to put her in the nursery at church for fear of her getting sick, and purposely waited until flu season had long passed....but then on just her 3rd visit, she picked up something!)  Of course the yucky stomach virus decided to rear it's ugly head when mommy was away at a Junior League meeting....but daddy handled it like a champ!  By the time I got home Ashlyn had thrown up 6 times and daddy was sitting in just his undies and UGG slippers (since all of his other clothes were covered in vomit) holding our freshly bathed little beauty.  LOL  (By the way, I must commend my prince charming for his "vomit catching skills".  Somehow he was able to keep all of it from getting on the off-white shag rug, chair and ottoman in her room.  Now that's SKILL!)  Ashlyn unfortunately threw up another 5 times before she finally went to bed around 1:30 the next morning.  Oh, and did I mention that we were planning to fly to Palm Springs to visit Rob's family that evening?  Perfect timing for Ashlyn to get sick!  We ended up rescheduling our trip for May and thank goodness we did.  She got sick again Wednesday night and then AGAIN Friday night when we were out to dinner at our Friday night spot, Texas Roadhouse. Yes, that's what we thought too....lovely! 

The good news is, the princess is finally feeling better.  The bad new is, now mommy and daddy have it! 

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April 9, 2009

Happy Easter!

I hope you have a blessed Easter weekend with your loved ones!  Have a deviled egg or two and some yummy Easter candy....just don't eat too many peeps, my peeps! 

We're heading to visit our family in Houston tomorrow and while I'm not looking forward to the drive, I can't wait for the huge egg hunt I've planned for Saturday.  I stuffed over 200 eggs and my sister and I have a delicious menu planned for our "post hunt" dinner.

Many of you have asked about the pictures from Ashlyn's birthday party...I do have them....yippee!  I just haven't had time to post them yet.  If you received our Easter card, you'll probably understand why...like I do on all of our cards, I printed the address on each envelope....and then to add a little something extra, I did this embossing technique on them as well (polka dots to match the cards, of course!).  The embossing process isn't a very difficult one, except that you can only do one envelope at a time....and I had to do 100 envelopes.  Anyway, I promise I'll post the pics first thing next week!

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March 18, 2009

Happy 1st Birthday Ashlyn!!!!!

Wow, can you believe it's already been a year?!?!?  We sure can't!  It has flown by way too fast!  It's so hard to believe our little princess is already ONE!  We had her birthday celebration this past Saturday and it was a huge success.  Then we spent the day today going to Little Gym, shopping for her new "big girl" car seat and eating all of her favorite foods for her birthday dinner.  Stay tuned for lots of new photos of all of the festivities.

And to our sweet little angel....Happy, happy birthday!  We hope you had a wonderful day.  Thanks for making our lives richer, fuller and SO much sweeter.  We are so very blessed to have you for our daughter and we thank God for you every day.  We love you more than words!  Love, Mommy & Daddy

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February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!!! 

We hope your day is as sweet as you are!  Our V-Day card is posted at the top of this page...it's a tri-fold card, so you have to use  your imagination as to what it looks like folded. :)  Connie did another fabulous job designing it..thanks Connie!

  Ashlyn and I made Daddy a Valentine's Day breakfast this morning...complete with heart pancakes and a super cute monkey Valentine's balloon that Ashlyn picked out all by herself.

Rob has something up his sleeve for tonight...but who knows what.  He's such the romantic!...and always so creative when it comes to surprises for me. :)  How did I ever get so lucky?!?

Ashlyn update for the week...

Our little princess is now signing milk, drink and eat...in addition to "more" which she mastered a while back.  She tried cheese pizza for the first time, and no huge surprise...LOVED it!  Oh, and I gave her a little mac and cheese and she of course loved it too.

I'm busy working on Ashlyn's upcoming birthday party.  I can't believe she's almost ONE!!!  Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun.  If you know me, you know that I go all out when it comes to planning a party.  I know, I know, she's just going to be one...she won't even know about all of the sweet little details and goodies...but the way I look at it is this...we'll just have what, probably 16 of these sweet little celebrations to plan?  So I better make each one super special and PERFECT, just like her!

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February 4, 2009

Mashed Potatoes, Bread & Water

Why, you might ask, have I titled this post with several fabulously delicious foods (with the exception of the water :) ????  No, I'm not counting my daily calorie intake for all to see...those three items my friends, are Ashlyn's new favorite foods (and drink).  I should probably just call them her three staples because it's virtually impossible to get her to eat anything else these days.  Let me clarify one thing though...the girl has ONLY had water (and mommy's milk) so she doesn't have much else to choose from in the drink department...no juice and no soda (sorry Brittany :)...no sir...just plain old water...and she LOVES it!  I think for the most part it's the independence of handling her own little cup.  But whatever it is, I'm not questioning it, because let's face it, it's great for you!  The bread and mashed potatoes on the other hand...well, let's not even go there.  Just like her mommy, she LOVES her carbs!

On a more serious note...

As many of you know I've become quite a blog hunter...or huntress, I guess in my case.  I used to call myself a blog stalker, but Rob says I shouldn't call myself that, so we'll go with "huntress"....anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was visiting one of my favorite blogs and there was a link to another blog that I've absolutely fallen in love with...it's about a family who lives in Colorado and one of their 2-year old twin daughters, Tuesday has been battling cancer. 

Yes, I said TWO years-old.  I have such a soft spot for children, always have, and I really do now that I'm a mama myself.  Anyway, I was moved to tears when I first read on their site that Tuesday had cancer and was going through chemo treatment, etc.  I mean, seriously...you hate for anyone to have to go through that...but a TWO YEAR-OLD!?!  I immediately got on my knees and cried to God to please heal this little angel.  Every chance I had from that moment on, I was praying for Tuesday and her family.  I literally found myself waking up in the middle of the night praying for this little girl who I'd never met, but had touched my heart so deeply. 

It seems though, that God had other plans for sweet Tuesday.  This past Friday, she went to be with Him. 

My heart is just aching for her family.  I'm telling you this story, not so you too will ache, but LOVE...love on your children like never before, hug your husband or wife a little tighter tonight and call that friend that you haven't talked to in a while...take advantage of every sweet moment you have with your loved ones.  And pray.  Please pray for Tuesday's family as they mourn the loss of their sweet little angel. ( http://half12.blogspot.com/ )

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January 23, 2008

I know I usually talk about how busy I've been lately, but this has been a super busy week for our little princess!  She's been waving for a while now but hadn't quite gotten the clapping thing down.  Not anymore!!!  She started off the week clapping her little chubby hands like nobody's business.  And let me tell you, she was SOOO proud of herself for reaching this milestone...as were we. :) 

Then, as if that wasn't enough reason for us to tell her over and over that she was the smartest 10-month old on the planet...she started signing "more!"  We've been working with her on signing for as long as I can remember, and our most frequent sign is "more"...mainly because she gets so frustrated at mealtime when she wants another piece of bread and my mind reading skills fail me and I think she wants a drink of water.  Poor thing!...she wants so badly to be able to communicate...and believe me, she does!...But it's in a language that daddy and I can't quite understand.  So her getting the signing thing down is HUGE!  (A little shout out and huge thank you to our good friends (The Gardner's) for the baby signing DVDs and Cd's that you sent Ashlyn for Christmas...she loves them and they're obviously working!)  Now let me bring my proud mama-self down a couple of notches...she's not signing perfectly...I mean, she does the sign PERFECTLY, but I'm not sure that she knows exactly when she should be signing "more."  For example, instead of waving, like she normally would do, to the guy at the take-out counter at Chili's, she signed more!  LOL  But then on our way home from Chili's the "sign more, more, more" song on the signing CD came on and I looked back and she was signing it with the song!  Just about brought a tear to my eye.  Our little peanut is growing up! 

I have so much more to report, but I better post some pictures before I get any further behind.  I'll post another update soon...promise!

Before I head off to picture posting...I have a favor to ask.  I came across this blog tonight and was so touched by this family and their story.  Their week-old baby girl Harper needs our prayers.  Please pray that she'll be able to get out of that incubator soon and into the loving arms of her mommy and daddy.  Their website is  http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/  With your help we can lift this family up with prayer!

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Hello 2009!!! 

Happy New Year!  We hope you and yours had a blessed holiday season celebrating our Saviour's birth.  We sure enjoyed spending time with our loved ones. 

Ashlyn's first Christmas was a huge success!  Of course her favorite part was the wrapping paper, tissue paper and bows.  LOL  She was such a trooper as we traveled all over the Lone Star state to visit with family and friends.  After our little family (just the three of us and the dogs of course:) celebrated here at home...opening gifts and sharing a delicious breakfast Christmas morning, we headed to Houston to be with my mom and my sister and her family.  Then we traveled to College Station on the 26th to spend the day with my grandmother and some more family...that afternoon we headed back to my sister's house to have Christmas with my dad and step-mom.  Then on the 27th we all packed up and caravaned to Nederland for our annual Krueger Christmas get together.  On the 28th we finally made our way back home just in time to ring in the New Year! 

The three of us welcomed 2009 with a low key evening...we had a great dinner at Maggiano's and then went to see Marley and Me at the drive-in.  Yes, I said drive-in!  There's one not too far from our house and it was the perfect fit for our little munchkin.  We changed her into her pj's right before the movie started and she snuggled in and snoozed on daddy's lap while we watched the show.  For a slight second we considered staying for the second feature, but who are we kidding...we ended up home and tucked into bed by 11:00pm!

The images at the top of this page are from our Christmas card this year.  A huge thank you to Connie Roper (www.connieroperphotography.com) for always doing a fantastic job and for being such a joy to work with!  Thanks also for making my "Christmas card vision" a reality. :) 

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December 10, 2008

Where did November go?!?  I feel like such a slacker for not updating our site in over a month!  Actually though, I haven't been slacking at all.  Things have been so incredibly busy preparing for the holidays...I took several cooking classes to brush up on my skills for Thanksgiving...yes, that's right, I cooked "the bird" all by myself and he was delicious!  For those foodies out there...my biggest dilemma was to brine or not to brine...well, I brined our gobbler and he was super tasty.  Anyway, enough about things with feathers...

  My beautiful sister and her precious family came to see us for turkey day and we had so much fun visiting with them.  Don't get me wrong, it was a bit crazy at times with 6 kiddos running around (my sister and brother-in-law have 5 boys in case you're not a frequent visitor)...okay, just 5 were "running" around...Ashlyn just scoots:)  The boys had a ball playing on the Wii...although I think they enjoy creating Mii's more than actually playing.  LOL  Can't wait for them to see that we got them one for Christmas.  By the way, Happy early Birthday Jesus!  I have to give a shout out to my Saviour:)  After all, He is the reason for the season.

Back to Thanksgiving...