A year come and gone.

Oh wow... I am posting on this blog once a year. That's pretty sad. ha!

Laura Beth turned 7. Julie                         Ann has turned 4.



Life has happened.

IT IS GREAT!

God has been using our marriage to mold our family into what He wants it to be. We are grateful.

We found out in June of 2014 that we were expecting a third child.

Me 2 days before delivering Mary Grace. Yes, I am trimming the rose bushes.

Hoping for a boy, but thankful for a girl, we began mentally preparing for life with 3 kiddos. Coming off of a difficult "second child infancy," I was pretty anxious about how I would be with the third child. I remember vividly falling to my knees on the day I found I was pregnant and praying to God asking Him to make me a better mom for this 3rd child. Post Partum Depression, moderate/severe infant reflux, a new city, new church, and new almost everything made my 2nd child (Julie Ann) a DIFFICULT transition. Therefore, I worried during the 9 months I was pregnant with Mary Grace. Yes...ANOTHER GIRL!

God is FAITHFUL!
Mary Grace came into the world with His grace. She weighed 8 pounds an 2 ounces. It was the easiest delivery that I have had.

Me watching Downton Abbey during Labor.

However, Mary Grace had to be taken to the NICU as a hospital policy for when Meconium is present when the water breaks. TMI.

However, Mary Grace was back with us within hours without any issues. She looks VERY different than our first 2 girls. She has blonde peach fuzz for hair, blonde (almost absent) eye brows, and blonde eyelashes. We think she will be our cotton top, like Steve was when he was a boy. So far, she loves sleeping. She is EASY!!! I am GRATEFUL.

Coming home.
My mother stayed with us for 2 weeks after Mary Grace was born. I transitioned with "Baby blues" (yes, that is a real category of post partum hormonal changes). I was very thankful NOT to have post part depression as I had with Julie Ann, my second! Did you know that the next level of severity (worse) named Post part Psychosis? I had no idea.

8 weeks later. Present day.
 Mary Grace is doing AMAZING on her "schedule." She is predictable, which makes me so much more at ease. She eats every 3 hours in the day and feeds at 10 pm, 3 am, and then starts her day at 7:00 is a.m. I AM TIRED. However, I know it could be so much worse, so I am thankful in the midst of what seems like FOREVER before she sleeps through the night (6 hours in a row). Laura Beth is THE BEST helper for ALL things!!!! Julie Ann is THE BEST second momma to Mary Grace. I could never have imagined this wonderful little family we have...but God has always known. He has always known what I have needed and when I have needed it, even those difficult days of Julie Ann's infancy. He and His timing are always perfect.

Last night, we went to "Disney On Ice" in Lafayette, LA with all of the girls. The older girls LOVED the show. Who am I kidding? I LOVED THE SHOW! I do wish that COTTON CANDY didn't cost $12, but I "showed" them (see what I did there?). Right before the show, I bought the girl's flashing wands for $2 at the Walgreens across from the Arena where the show was taking place. My girls still asked for the WAY overpriced toys at the show, but I thought they handled the "we're not getting something" very well. Lastly, it was Mary Grace's first time out-of-town, and she did wonderfully!

I could catch everyone up on what happened during this last year, but that would take quite a while.

Julie Ann started Upward this year and Steve is her coach.

Sometimes an appliance "goes out" unexpectantly. :(

Sometimes you just need to rest on the couch and watch T.V.

Sometimes you get dressed up for a cute picture.

Sometimes you get to watch your child play a sport.

Sometimes you just need to be silly.

Just know that we are overwhelmed with how the Lord is working in our lives, our children's lives, our youth's lives, our friend's lives, and our family's lives (parents, siblings, etc). HE IS SO WORTHY...Worthy of our time, our money, our thoughts, our actions, our entire life. He is worthy, not because of what He is doing in my life, but because of what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. I hope you know Him. I hope you know the story that God began in the beginning even until this point today in which you are reading this. He is completing His story of redemption. I am unworthy to be a part of it, however I am so thankful that He wants me to be.