Decorating the tree

Saturday Don and the kids decorated the tree!!  It was so much fun to watch them.  They were really excited about putting it up!  So much fun!!!

Thanksgiving

Well...I had some great pictures of Thanksgiving!!  Had...Charis decided to delete them off the camera.  She is just too smart for her own good.  Anyway we had a wonderful day with family and friends.  Mom, Dad, Josh and Meme Shirley, Rufus and the Taylor clan were here.  We started the day with our customary turkey frying extravaganza!!  My sweet dad and mom brought it all to me so I could be a part.  They fried the turkeys here this year so I got to graze with the group on the first one.  It was so much fun to have all of you over!  The kids had a blast.  They played ALL DAY!! It was just so nice to have everyone hanging out on the couch WITH ME!!!   

Wednesdays Appointment

Well as of Turkey Day I am 31 weeks. Dr McFarland said, "I would like for you to go to 34 weeks, but your baby is big and healthy so I would try to stop things if you went at 32 weeks...... Yes my friends that is this coming Thursday. I think she saw the twinkle in my eye because she then said, but you are STILL on bed rest! I am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel and I am excited. You should have seen my moms face when she said. Jamie that is only one week. My dad of course... Well! Not on my birthday... long story! Don was just quiet as usual. He is like Mary, he ponders these things in his heart! Drives me nuts. I would love to know what goes on in that gray matter sometimes!! Anyway, I am excited and felt renewed to keep at it....on the couch!

Baby update and Bedrest....

My last appointment was this past Thursday.  I just saw the OBGYN.  Not the specialist.  She said that I am still just hanging on.  Stricter bed rest was the order.... Wow stricter I said.... Fat mamma's been down!  She laughed and said.... give me 4 more weeks.  After assuring her that I was not the one calling the shots, I agreed to be down as much as possible!  So here's my sign!  Bed rest, for those of you who know me well, is not my forte.  Sundays are the worst because everyone I know, love and enjoy is together at church.  I do miss my people (especially the little ones!)  But, everything is for a purpose.  I have been praying that God would use this time to reveal things to me that I usually would be too busy to hear.  So, I will keep listening!!  My kids are great.  They are an amazing blessing and I have really enjoyed spending the time with them!   I will go to the specialist on Wednesday and I will keep you posted!! Thank you all SO SO much for your prayers, emails, calls and love!!! 

The after party!

After the shower some of the girls stayed and put things together for me. My mom made sure to tell all of them how we could never make it home from San Antonio before I had boxes opened and things put together in the car! I get a little excited! It was so fun to watch them... Check out the serious constructors!

The Baby Shower

Bed rest... what can I say. It is not eventful! But it was on Sunday!! My precious precious friends came to me!!! They had a wonderful shower with lots of PINK for Elli and me! It was so wonderful to see all of my friends and my Riverside Community!! I miss you and love you all SO much!! And....they got me Costco carrot cake. IT is sweet manna from heaven! It is the best cake on earth. They even left me some... I can't imagine why I had gained 3 pounds this week! The girls came in and decorated my house so beautifully. They made wonderful food and everyone was so uplifting. I got to see and talk to everyone, and then the group blessed me beyond measure with an amazing time of prayer! It was surreal. I just couldn't stop giggling!! I told my doctor all about it and she said, " You have some amazing friends!" That is an understatement! I have THE MOST amazing friends! Jen, Mom, Brooke, Kim, Raenette, Angela, Cathi and Jenni you are all a gift. I know you are all busy and feel overwhelmed, so thank you for doing this!!

The dog has issues

We have to laugh at our little corgi, Ashes. She is so quirky. She loves to fetch the ball and then destroy it! And there are certain things that she hates... the leaf blower, the tiller, and the SPRINKLERS. Don gets so annoyed with her, because he will set out his sprinklers and she attacks them. She will have them pulled out of the ground or completely turned around by the time she is done attacking them!

Look at me! I am Padema

Ok so the kids love Star Wars.  Uncle is a big Star Wars fan so of course so is Grady.  Sometimes he and Charis can do the funniest stuff!  He had me rolling when he did this.  We were looking at all the precious shower gifts and he walked in and said, "Look at me! I am Padema!"

Daddy Day

We have daddy day on Mondays.  We really went through withdrawal when Charis started kindergarten because Mondays were always the day we spent with Daddy!  Well, thanks to the beauty of homeschooling, we have our daddy days again!  While I am on bed rest, I don't get to partake in the fun.  But, they always make sure to send me pictures from Don's phone.  We all had our flu shots on Monday, so he took the kids to the movies and to Bass Pro Shop.   As soon as they walked in the kids found out that Santa would be there later.... So.... Don was there for a couple of hours!  They did have fun! 

Baby update!

I went to the perinatologist on Wednesday.  She said that everything looked great with the baby.  I had progressed a little more which was disheartening.  The past two visits I had stayed the same.  But, peanut is getting bigger so it is inevitable.  She did ask me, "How big were your other babies?"  I knew where she was going with the question.  If you have seen my husband, it is not hard to believe that I have really big babies!  Don was a whopping 10 pounds!!  The average weight for a baby at 29 weeks is 2 1/2 pounds.  Peanut is 3lbs. 2 oz.  So I didn't feel as bad about my recent weight gain.  I am quite sure it has nothing to do with the snicker doodle and banana pudding ice cream that my dad makes sure that I am stocked with!! (Thanks Dad)  

Wurstfest

I love Wurstfest!!  We love Wurstfest!  I was a little down this year that I could not go... But the kids had a blast!  Their daddy took them and they wore their little selves out!  They ate sausage and fried pickles.  Don took them on all the rides.... Grady said, " I did NOT like the pirate ship!"  He might have panicked just a little!  Don did the chicken dance with Charis.  I can't believe I missed that photo op!  The kids both won stuffed animals shooting water at a banana!  Anyway, they didn't take the camera but Don had his phone so here are some pics!

Today's Scripture!

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest
on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

This is so appropriate for where we are as a community and for me on bed rest!!

The Fall Festival

My kids had a wonderful time at the Fall Festival at Riverside!!! Thank you to all of you who put it on. For the second year Charis won a cake in the cake walk....big mama on the couch was very excited!! It was hard not being there, so I spent the night praying for the kids and looking at permanent birth control options on the Internet!!

Fall Festival!