Reflecting on 2012

2012, was a great year! Being laid off didn't come at a good time but I knew that God always has a plan. Being able to stay home with the kiddo's during the summer and fall was such a blessing. I wasn't able to stay home long with the kids while they were small, so I enjoyed my time home. We were able to swimming everyday and going to the gym (I miss). Finally getting the kids on a good schedule took time but we adjusted. I loved the ups and downs of being home. K started gymnastics!!! The kids and I were excited about our trip w/my family to see my Aunt & Uncle in TN. We had a blast - Looking forward to many more trips to TN. Next time Brian will be able to go. Once I was home for a few weeks I started to reflect on past jobs and I knew I would have to go back to work. I started praying about what I wanted for our lives and what I wanted for our kids. Looking back on what I loved about the last couple of jobs I had I knew I needed to go to school. I love being an admin but I need something that sets me apart and having a degree does that. So I talked to my mom who had just graduated from SAM HOUSTON with an HR degree,knowing she put herself though school while being a single mom to 2 kids. I knew I could do school + work + be a mom + be a wife (my plate is full!!). Continuing to pray about school and our family's needs I decided to go to school. Starting school was so stressful, paperwork and filing for financial aid. I'm all about trying new things (expect food-that I try to avoid at all costs)but this scared me. I just knew I was going to be the oldest one in the class. To my surprise I wasn't..... I made a lot of new friends and had a blast going to school. Once we (brian, my dad & I) worked out a plan for letting me study and picking up the kids. It was a piece of cake! I love school and challenging myself to do better. Getting closer to finals I started to worry but I knew I had a good GPA and I had done some extra credit to make sure I passed with good grades. (( ALL B's)) Knowing that I had a great support team made last semester a breeze. Now this sememster with working full time and school full time its going to be a challenge. Knowing that I have a great support team and God with me I know I can do all things. Looking forward to all the good things God has in store for us! I'm truly a blessed wife and mom. I love my life and wouldn't change it for the world.

Starting college!!

Starting College -- Yes, finally something that I've wanted to do for along time. I've been praying to go back for a long long time. Thankfully, It came at a time where it wouldn't affect my family life. Since starting school - its been an adjustment. For the kids its been strange not having me home while they eat dinner,that's one of the hardest no eating with them. Thankfully, I'm home before they go to bed & we get to pray together as a family before they go to bed. While in school I have to take a class that isn't counted but is counted as an A at the end of the semester (EASY A). But while taking this class they make you look at things like what stands in your way to make you not complete school. Or what do YOU want out of school. Our fist homework the teacher asked what was/is a song that relates to you? Mine was "Reba, Is there life out there?" I'm excited about starting this long journey -- it'll be hard and I'll want to give up but I know the end goal is to make a better life for us. I haven't officially settled on my degree. I have to speak with an adviser next month about narrowing it down. I want to personally thank EVERYONE that helps me daily with picking up the kids so I can study & get math help (DAD!!) Or the help I get on papers (MOMMA & Katie) And the Greatest supporter BRIAN - with out him I wouldn't get my homework done on Sunday or support to finish. He is my cheerleader!!! With the support from family & friends I KNOW WE can make it through school. Anyway, I'll post more as the semester continues! Blessings!

Fathers day weekend.....

Saturday - spent all morning having a garage sale. Had some quality time w/my Inlaws. We all agree NEVER AGAIN.....
What did I learn, big pain in the butt. Craigslist is so much easier. I finished up brian's fathers day gift. And K worked on Papa's ( papa you get yours thursday).

I love doing things like this for brian. Its keepsakes he'll have forever.

Saturday afternoon, brian worked on fixing the shower.
I slowly started to get sick and by 6pm I felt horrible. By 8pm there was water coming from the ceiling..... GREAT!
Sometimes, I have a love - hate relationship with owning a home.

Sunday, the ceiling was still trickling water. Needless to say we have to get the ceiling repaired.
I still felt like poop. And Brian had to work..... I promiesed him a "fathers day do over".
I felt bad that he was dealing w/the AC, a grumpy wife & the kiddos.
He is amazing and didn't complain once.
Monday, AC guys fixed the AC and it only cost us a small fortune! But we learned how to keep the lines clean from mold/build up. It could have been worse but thankfully, it wasn't.
I feel better today ( slight headache) but its been a good day!

Waiting to take my hubby to his favorite restarant for his fathers day do over.

making baby food

Its not that hard --- Johnathon eats what we eat.




I use steamfresh veggies & this time we were having mac n cheese.



I use a coffee grinder to puree his food. Works perfect for 1 serving.



if you make extra - just freeze it for another meal.



making baby food is simple!

My new adventure

DIETING....
Starting a new month w/a new plan. I've decided that I wont be a frumpy mom. I want to be the mom in the grocery store that looks amazing and she's grocery shopping. Her hair is perfect she has on cute clothes. One of my 2011 goals ( I don't make resolutions) is to not be a frumpy mom.
1. new hair do (DONE)
2. going to get my nails done (DONE)
3. diet and loss all the baby(s) weight
4. exercise

Today I started on my weight watcher program.I had great success w/it before and I'm praying that I have it again. I want to look good this summer. I've spent the last 2 years PG and now its time for momma to feel cute again.
I can't wait!!!

truly blessed

Yesterday, while Brian was in the ER. A family down the way was saying their last goodbyes. Everyone says it could be worse and it honestly could have. I could have been saying good by to someone I loved right before Christmas.

The first year Brian and I started dating. We sat in that waiting room, waiting to hear if my grandpa was going to make it.
He pulled through that night and every night until he was ready to go home.. On his own terms.
With everything Brian and I have going on and how stressful our life is right now. I know this to shall pass. And in the end make Brian and I stronger. And God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I'm learning I can handle a lot, more than I ever thought.

We are truly blessed w/2 healthy active babies. Brian will go and see the specialist and see what needs to-do done to correct the hernia.

Johnathon's birth story!

Aug 7th -
we got up and loaded up for our day trip to surfside beach. I wasn’t feeling all that well but I wanted to take Kayleigh to the beach. When we got to Lake Jackson we stopped into bucees. Kayleigh laughed every time she saw his face on something.
We got our bucee supplies and headed down to the beach.

Kayleigh got out of the car and RAN to the water. She didn’t have her bathing suit on yet. We got her into her suite and she and Brian were off to play in the water.

I got lunch all out and set up – Kayleigh didn’t want to come to shore and eat.
We finally got her to eat & drink something and we all went and played in the water. Normally, I don’t go into the water. But I wanted to be w/my family and show Kayleigh that the water was fun.
She is totally a beach baby!!
As we were heading home I told Brian “that we had our last trip as a family of 3 and Johnathon would be coming soon. And it would be funny if I had him tomorrow.” As we got closer to our house I started having contractions. Nothing time able or anything just annoying.
We got home and the contractions stopped and I went to bed w/no contractions.

Aug 8th,
Kayleigh woke up at midnight and Brian got up w/her. I woke up at 1am – Brian was putting her back in her bed. I went to the bathroom and I started having contractions again. I laid in bed for over an hour thinking they would stop. NOPE – they were getting close together. Brian kept asking if we should go to the hospital. I wanted to wait a bit more – he just got Kayleigh to bed. My water hadn’t broken and I was still able to breathe through the contractions. But then I started thinking he was breech & I tested positive to the strip B. So I decided that we needed to go just to get checked out. So Brian called my parents and we called the Dr. I didn’t pack a bag b/c I just thought they would stop them again and send me home. My parents got to my house and we headed to the hospital. That was the longest & most painful drive of my life. We get all checked in and get put into the triage room. Hooked up to all the monitors & my contractions were 2 mins apart. The nurse checked me and I was a good 3 Cm dilated. I was still thinking they would stop the contractions and send me on my way. NOPE – the next on call nurse walks in and says “you have 30 mins and were going to prep you for your c-section”. My heart sank and I started to cry. I was hoping w/all I had that Johnathon had flipped. But they did a quick u/s and he was still breech. From that point on it was like time went by so fast…… We had to call my parents again and see if they could bring us our camera. The nurses were telling us we didn’t have time to go home and get it. They started me on terbutaline to stop the contractions; I got 2 doses of it. The drug from hell --- gives you the shakes! I had to fill out a lot of paperwork while shaking like a 90 year old woman. My parents brought us our camera and they brought Kayleigh in so I could see her one last time before I went into surgery. They prepped me for surgery and my parents left so the nurses could get everything ready. When they left, my anxiety hit the roof!!! I started to cry and told the nurse that I wanted to run b/c they had already stopped the contractions I was OK now. She laughed a little and went on w/her paperwork. Brian told me that if his mom could do this 2 times then I could do it. That didn’t help I was still panicking. When they came in and gave Brian his paper outfit it all was going to fast for me.
The nurses came in and unhooked me from the monitors and wheeled me into the operating room. Brian had to wait until my spinal block was done and then came in the room. Those 5 mins seemed like forever. The NICU team was prepping and I could hear the nurse count the tools. I remember there were 40. I told myself REMEMBER that number! LOL!!!
They brought the blue sheet up and someone came in and through something on my legs. I could feel that & the Dr said it was normal as long as I couldn’t feel pinching or pain. WELL, I didn’t want to feel ANYTHING. Dr did a “test” to see if I could feel the pinching and I couldn’t. Spinal feels like your legs and feet are asleep. I hate that feeling!!!
From start to Johnathon coming out was 10mins at the most & from that point to finish was another 15mins.
I remember seeing Johnathon and kissing him for the first time. That made everything worth it!!! He was so small and just so cute!
The nausea and pulling was getting harder and the anesthesiologist just handed me a wand incase I got sick. He sucked!!! Who gives someone w/2 doses of terbutaline a wand to hold and try to make it into their mouth?
Finally, It was all over & my son had made and early arrival. He had some transitional breathing issues. After a while, he was sent to the NICU for monitoring. After a while my nurse took my whole bed into the NICU so I could see my little man.
He stayed 2 days in the NICU and finally the NICU Dr signed off so he could be in my room.
We were released 1 day early….. I hate being in the hospital and away from my little girl.

Thankfully, we have awesome parents. My parents took Kayleigh until we got home & my in laws took Kenzie (dog ).


We have such awesome friends that came to visit us in the hospital. Thank you to everyone that came out.