Our little House

It's official our little house is on the market. Our first home, the place we brought 3 of our 4 babies home to, the place they took their first steps and the place where birthdays were celebrated. This house is FULL to the brim of our wonderful memories. It was my first nest.

Trey has been working so hard to get it ready and all by himself I might add. I am not much help while nursing a newborn and trying to keep an eye on 3 other kiddos. It will be sad to watch it go but also exciting to move onto something bigger and better. We are ready to see what the LORD has in store.

Snake bite

Samuel had his first, I would say and last but I am also realistic, ER visit. On Monday July 19th mid morning he came running to the house screaming. I ran out to him and immediately saw the marks on his arm. I was not sure but did think...SNAKE! So, I called Trey at the office and thankfully he, well he and a man we will affectionately call "Nice Olde Timmer" was able to come straight over. Samuel doesn't always verbalize very clearly but Both Trey and Nice old Timmer identified it as a bite. Trey rushed him off to the ER. Have I mentioned that I was terrified but trying to stay calm so the girls did not freak out. I quickly became very aware of my words as I saw panic in their little eyes when hospital was mentioned. I guess, understandably, after all that went on with Rebekah, they are not very fond of people they know and love going to the hospital. The 3 of us prayed for brother and I used the word "doctor" for the rest of the day.

Trey and Samuel spent the the day in the ER waiting on test results but thankfully everything turned out fine. Appears to have been a dry bite. Praise the LORD our Big Boy is okay but not so sure this Mama is cut out for county life after all.

4th of July Weekend

My Apples of Gold Bible study planned a picnic for Saturday the 3rd. So despite the bad weather forecast we loaded up the clan and headed to Huntsville. The rain stayed away just long enough for the kids to have a great time playing and for us all to get sweaty worn out. Here are some pics from the pic.






After the picnic we headed home for showers and some quick rest time before we headed back to Huntsville for dinner at "Cowboy Mark's" house. The rain kept us from visiting the cows this time but we had a delicious BBQ dinner, the girls played with Mark and Leslie's daughter and Samuel helped entertain the crowd between rounds. Yes, it was a fight night. Rebekah is such an easy sweet baby. she was just happy being passed around and then finally passed out on the quest bed. So, I was actually able to stay awhile and enjoy the festivities. It was a nice treat considering I thought that I would be taking the kids home shortly after "normal" bedtime.

Sunday after our normal nap routine Trey grilled a delicious dinner and then we headed into New Waverly for the firework show. Rebekah was a little worn out from our Saturday night party so I held her in the car while she tried to sleep. The show was impressive considering, well considering that this is just New Waverly, TX. We had a FUN filled exhausting weekend.

Breakfast is ready!

At the beginning of the year I set a goal to make breakfast for my family more often. I have been doing good or great in my opinion. It has been a process but I am now making a hot breakfast of some sort for the kids almost every morning. Trey doesn't get to partake yet because I haven't been waking up that early due to our newborn. Now that Rebekah is sleeping consistently, about 8 hours at night, I plan to start waking up and making the meal earlier so that Trey can eat with us. I thought that I would share some photos of some of the things that i have been making.



Apple cinnamon pancakes


Chocolate Chip pancakes




Homemade whole wheat buttermilk biscuits with homemade cream gravy. I was very excited that they gravy turned out yummy, I have tried in the past and failed desperately! Biscuits and gravy is one of my favorite breakfast treats. Even though it is not something that we will eat often, it is nice to know I can pull it off for a special occasion.


I also like to keep several batches of "breakfast bread", it is easier than muffins for me, in the freezer for an easy hot breakfast. I put it in the fridge the night before and then warm it in the oven before serving.


Here is a list of some other things that i make that I have not taken pictures of:

Kolaches
Banana waffles
Banana bread
Cinnamon Apple bread
Chocolate Apple bread
Strawberry Oat bread

Most of my recipes are adapted from allrecipes.com. Don't worry they are not all unhealthy I use whole wheat flour and Oats for extra fiber. I also hope to start using Agave nectar in place of sugar and flax seed for even extra fiber in the near future. And of course we use real Maple syrup when needed not the high fructose corn syrup stuff. No prepacked or frozen breakfast around here. My goal is hot and healthy whole foods. I will try and post some more of my yummy breakfast creations soon.

BIG brother

Samuel took on his roll as big brother for the first time the other day. He pulled his chair right up next to Rebekah as she was sitting in her bouncer. And by right next to I mean they had to be touching. Here are some shots of him "helping her"





We took the side off Samuel's crib the other night.


Here he is asleep in his "big boy bed".



And this is how I found him the next morning during breakfast. He stayed up until about 11:30pm and got out of bed at around 5am


He also asked to hold Rebekah for the first time yesterday. Here are some pics of him holding his little sister.
So precious!
picture perfect

pucker up Rebekah


I think he has fallen in love like the rest of us.

Rebekah May Update

We took Rebekah to her one month check up on Monday, she was actually 5 weeks already and will be 6 weeks this Friday. She is doing fantastic! She was a little over 8 lbs when we left the hospital after our 10 day stay. She weighed a little over 10 lbs at her check up. That means she gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks. WOW, is that normal?! You would think I would know, this being my fourth and all, but I have no idea. It seems like a lot to me. She is eating well :) loves mommy's milk!
She is starting to fill out. She has that chub on her arms , you know the kind that makes her look like she has huge biceps, hehe.

She is also sleeping GREAT. She slept through the night last night. I put her down at about 9pm and she slept until 6:30am. I was so shocked I did go check on her once to make sure she was okay and she was still sound asleep making that sweet deep breathing sound. After I stared for a minute I tip toed out quickly and quietly.

I do have to admit it was good to see her sweet face at 6:30 am. We will have to wait and see how tonight goes. I am off to bed now to get some sleep while I can.

Fear rushes over me

Hannah has been acting a little "off" today. She had no appetite and commented that her tummy hurt several times. I thought she was just constipated. After nap her checks seemed red and she was very lethargic. She just laid in her bed, in the kids bedroom, while Samuel and Abigail played during what we call "room time". I finally had her come and rest in her Daddy's recliner and then decided I would take her temperature. Long story a little shorter. Hannah is running a fever 102. degrees.

As I walked back into the living room, after taking Hannah's temp and giving her Tylenol, my eyes moved toward Rebekah in the bouncer. Fear immediately rushed over me. I could feel the anxiety starting to build. Rebekah is still not 6 weeks old. If she starts running fever we will be headed back in the ER again. Just the thought of going through that whole ordeal again, her little body being poked and prodded all over again and more days and nights in the hospital, sent me over the edge. Fighting back tears I immediately asked Trey to pray and intercede because my fear was getting the best of me. I started repeating "Be anxious for nothing but in prayer and supplication make your requests know unto the LORD." ..."Be anxious for nothing..."

So, if you are reading this and you pray to the one true God, My Father in Heaven, Please lift up our Sugar Plum Rebekah. Please pray that she will remain fever free. Also, please pray for our little Pumpkin Hannah, that she will get over this bug quickly and not pass her germs to the rest of us.

Trusting in the LORD and hoping for a smooth night.