3rd TImes A Charm...Maybe

Well...we just returned from our 2nd trip to the hospital. We decided to go in around 7:30 p.m. My contractions had been getting really strong all day. We for sure knew that I was going to go in and be in full blown labor. I was checked, and was STILL at a 4! So...they sent us walking for an hour to see if that would make any progress. No such luck. Still a 4. I had never done any of this with the girls. When I went to the hospital with Lily, I was at a 6. Then with Maggie, I showed up already dilated to an 8. So, all of that being said, I felt really stupid going in two nights in a row. They said they would keep me and break my water and probably put me on pitocin, but once again, we chose to come home and see what happens. Conn said we are not going back until Cash is literally hanging out between my legs. :)

We May Have An Early Bird...

I started having pretty consistent contractions last night during church (we were at our Sat. night service). After getting home, and putting the girls to bed, Conn started timing them (while watching a football game, of course) and they were about 4-5 min. a part for over an hour. Around 11:30, we decided to go to the hospital just to "check things out". My parents came right over to stay with the girls. My friend and nurse, Linda, met us up at the hospital. She wasn't even on call. Man, we are so blessed! Well, she checked me and I was dilated to 4cm and having regular contractions on the screen. She then wanted me to walk around for 30 min., and then check my progress. After the 30 min., she checked me again, and...no change. Just, stronger contractions. So...not wanting to sit up at the hospital for who knows how long, Conn and I decided to come home and "wait it out". We both really thought we would be back up there a couple of hours later. I did come home and eventually fall asleep, but did wake up several times with a tight tummy and some pressure. But, here it is 9:45 a.m., and I am blogging while Conn is at church doing his pastoral duties. The contractions are still pretty much the same and are still pretty frequent. So....we shall see. This little man will probably be making an early entrance...or he could just be teasing us all. Stay tuned!!!

a Gobble...a Wobble...and a Poop

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! We went up to the farm and had a very low-key fun filled day. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. Here are some pics of our gobble of a day. Hope yours was just as blessed!

Playing in the leavesWhile Maggie was napping, we headed out in the Rhino for a ride around the land. We thought this may put me into labor. But, no such luck. Conn made sure to point out all the deer stands. He and Lily even climbed up in one, while Cash and I sat comfy and took pictures from down below. :) Conn was showing Lily where the deer come out of hiding . Then, they played a game of the deer and the hunter. Can you guess who is playing who? :)I thought this was a cute picture, but "hello" crows feet! Can you tell 30 is only a month away? Oh, goodness!!!Lily and cousin CamilleThe boys had bath duty

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Today, I am a wobbly 38 weeks. I am feeling good. Cash is for sure a mover and a shaker! I really can't tell if he'll be early or late. Either way, we are ready. I guess we'll see in the next 2 weeks. Stay tuned!

Week Thirty-Eight

• If he is the "average baby," he weights 6.8 pounds (3083gm)and is 19.6 inches (49.8cm) long.
• Have you noticed she hiccups a lot? Because there is no air around her, those breathing exercises cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe. The result? Hiccups!
• Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium. Meconium takes on the role of being your baby's first bowel movement -- removing the waste that has accumulated.
• He may have a full head of hair now -- an inch or more long! Don't be surprised if it's an unexpected color. Some blond couples have dark haired babies; some dark haired couples have red-haired babies; some couples have babies with only peach fuzz! It may just persuade you to take a closer look at your family tree!
• Circumference of head and abdomen are about the same size for your baby. No wonder it's so hard to get a t-shirt over a newborn's head!

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Yesterday, before we left for the farm, we made the girls go potty. All of the sudden, I hear Maggie yell, "Mommy, I went poo-poo in the potty!" Woo-hoo!!! Thank you, Lord!!! We have been waiting for this day that we thought would NEVER come. All four of us stood around the potty and did the poo-poo dance! Oh, what a glorious start to the day it was. I never thought we would be so thankful for poo-poo. Sorry I don't have any pictures of our little party around the potty. I know you were really hoping for some! :)

Jack Is Back

Season Premiere - Jan. 11

Gobble...Gobble

Lily and Maggie had their Thanksgiving Feasts at school yesterday. Conn and I were both able to go and it worked out where we were able to spend time in both classes. Besides the feasts itself, it was so fun to see each of the girls in a classroom environment. Conn and I kept looking at each other and saying, "Who are these children?" "Did she really just use that great of manners?" "Should we tell the teacher that we just bought The Strong Willed Child, yesterday, because we are at our wit's end?" "She really does know how to eat a whole meal with out getting out of her seat!" It really reassured us that maybe we are doing something right with these two girls, after all.

Maggie's class made "gobble...gobble" shirts using their own hand prints and feet.

Lily's class dressed as Indians. Her chosen Indian name was White Dove. She told us later that she was upset when they had drawn their names, because she wanted to be Flower Princess like her friend Hannah. When we asked her why, she said because her real name really is a kind of flower. Good point! :)

Real Life, Real Music

On Tuesday night, my life long friend Callie, invited Conn and I (and my parents) to go with her and her husband (and her parents) to a little local music venue/coffee shop to hear the famous Bryan White. Who, you ask? Well, if you were any kind of country music fan in the 90's, then you probably have heard of this extremely cute heart throb. I'll let Callie's post on her blog explain our love for him. I could not have said it better myself. :)

Here we are over 10 years later, married, have many children between us, and we find out he is coming to The Woodlands of all places. Like right down the street, and the concert is free!!! We were soooooo excited, and the fluttering emotions were all starting to return. Husbands or not, Callie and I were going to meet him. Oh yes...what a night we had!!!

Me and Callie

THE Bryan White

Me and my REAL true love. We actually danced to a Bryan White song for our first dance at our wedding.

This is how close we were!

My dad went up to the balcony to take some pictures for me.

Me, THE Bryan White, and Callie
He asked all about us: if we had children, when my baby was due, if I was excited to finally have a boy (he has two), and was just down right nice. We introduced him to our husbands and told him that we don't really need to cry over his songs anymore b/c we were no longer wishing on "someone else's star" - a song he had wrote.

Oh...and if we couldn't love him enough, my mom sent me this article he wrote a couple of years ago about his testimony.

BRYAN'S TESTIMONY
September 6th, 2005

I am sure that you have heard several different stories regarding my personal testimony and the current vision I have for my life and career. Since many of you have played a huge part in helping me achieve my dreams, I feel the desire to share with you the vision I now have from this platform that you’ve helped build.

In many ways, my childhood was blessed beyond imagination. I was raised in a “Christian” home, but I never grasped the true meaning of church and spiritual family. As a result, I had no impression of the divine power that Christ possesses. A lot of you may already know that immediately after I graduated high school, I moved from Oklahoma to Nashville to pursue a music career. Unlike most artists, success came very fast and in great measure. It was a lot for an insecure and irresponsible 18 year old to handle and was very overwhelming. As a result, my identity was formed by the music industry rather than through the Word of God.

My life hinged on the success of my career; number one records, awards, touring with Vince Gill, LeAnn Rimes and duets with Shania Twain and many others, etc. I really let my career and voice define who I was. But, just like Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, it all came crashing down. In the midst of success, because of my many prideful decisions, it all started to wane. Because I had no proper foundation, I let what people said effect me very deeply as well. I began to second-guess my work and talent. It became not fun anymore. I began to plummet into a deep depression and became a recluse. All confidence in my voice was lost. I was feeling forced to consider a way out. Many thoughts and options began to cross my mind.

Finally, in my depression and in my brokenness, I began to seek Jesus Christ. When I called on Him, He met me in such real and powerful way (Jeremiah 29:11-13). He freed me from depression and the power of sin and gave me new life (II Cor. 5:17). The scales were pulled from my eyes and I received total illumination of how much He loves me (us). Because He lives in me I now have a new heart and I'll never be the same!

God has since placed me into a church family, to teach and encourage me in the way of the Lord. Now, my vision is to see that very same power reach my peers, the music industry and the youth of the world.

I wouldn’t change a thing about my life if I could because without this awakening there’s no telling where I would be. I am so grateful to know the one and only true God of the universe! I hope this has been an encouragement to you. You have been such a part of my life that there’s no way I could not share this with you. Feel free to share this with others in hopes that they will know that God is alive and moving in our generation! I love you very much and want you to know that I am singing great again and I am ready to conquer the world, ha! Thank you so much for being there for me.

In Christ,
Bryan
2/01/2005

Happy 5th Birthday, Cousin Carson!!!

We love you!!! Hope your big day is oh-so great!!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Cousin Camille

We love you!!! Hope you have a great day!!!
We can't wait until Sunday!!! :)

Cash's "Crib"

Well, here is Cash's finished room...for the most part. We still have a couple of things that need to be added, but for now, we are considering it "checked off the list".

Many have asked why we chose the "vintage music/guitar" theme, and it really all started when I saw Conn's guitars sitting in our office one day. It just sort of came to me. I kept telling my mom that I had it all figured out in my head, but it just needed to come to life. Well, it did, and it is everything I dreamed it would be. I love it! It was so fun to decorate for a boy after being engulfed by pink for over 4 years! :)

So, here is the big reveal. No more "sneak peeks", I promise. :)

This is the view to the left, when you walk into his room.

This is the same iron bed that both of the girls had slept in, but we spray painted it black. We bought the bumper from Pottery Barn and my mom made the bed skirt. I still want to add a big red tin star on the blank wall above the head of his bed.
We bought plain wooden letters and spray painted them red. My mom then came up with the cool idea to mount them on sheet music from a Johnny Cash song book. The pages were bright white, so we tea stained them literally in a bowl of tea. We stuck them in the microwave for a couple of seconds, and they dried right up.
I actually bought this dresser at Canton before I was ever even pregnant. It has been sitting in our garage for over a year. The red was a little brighter than the rest of the red in the room, so we put a couple of coats of stain on it, and voila . It was already distressed with the paint peeling off, which was exactly what we wanted.
I got this idea from a coffee shop in Tomball. We bought these albums at an Estate Sale for $1 a piece. Except for the Johnny Cash one...middle on the top. That was a very special gift from our sweet friend, Molly! :)
This is the view to the right, when you walk into his room. We still need to make a cushion for the black rocker.
This was the first guitar that Conn learned to play when he was 9.

The window valance was once again my mom's brilliant idea. We bought a shelf and broke the back off of it making what was supposed to be the top, the front. We spray painted it red (sensing a theme here?) and bought some old 45's at an antique store. The material has sheet music printed all over it. Once again, it was a bright white, so we tea stained it, as well. My mom just hot glued the fabric to the molding of the windows.
Here is another one of Conn's guitars. The cabinet, was actually our island in our kitchen at our old house. We will probably turn it into a changing table. It has great storage underneath.
This was just a plain black lamp that we glued fringe on to. We painted the Ukulele, that was hot pink. We had bought it for the girls on one of our trips to Mexico. Sorry, girlies! :)
This is the whole view when you walk into his room.

His first monogrammed item that I had made for him.
These are his first ever cowboy boots that I CANNOT wait for him to grow in to. They were given to Cash by our sweet, sweet friends, the Sherman's.
Well...there you have it! Hope he enjoys it as much as we do.
Please come on by for a visit! I know Cash would LOVE to meet you when he gets here and show you his new "crib". :)