Yay for good midwife visit

Andrew and I went to our second appt. for baby #3 today. We got great news as everything is going well and we heard his/her heartbeat. The beat was strong at about 150 beats per minute. My midwife jokingly said, "I'm not a psychic, but it sounds like a boy to me." haha I guess we will find out in a month b/c they scheduled my next ultrasound for April 28th! Thank you Pam for watching Ceilidh and Zion for me! Hopefully we have more exciting updates in a month!

Congratulations Emily and Thomas!

One of my dearest college friends got engaged yesterday! I am so excited for Emily and her soon to be husband, Thomas. Emily is not only special to me, but is a remarkable woman of God. Thomas really got a catch! I love your demolition proposal Em! Hope to see you soon to celebrate! LOVE YOU!


This is the night we met Thomas. Little did we know, 3 months later she would be planning a wedding!

I love this face!

The other day I was helping Zion on the potty and walked back into Ceilidh's room and found her like this.



She literally was sitting on top of her books happily reading. I know we tell everyone how much she loves books, but I don't think anyone REALLY understands. ha!


Andrew took these pictures of her the other day. She really is starting to look older. I LOVE that she is developing so well, but I can't BELIEVE how fast she is growing up. I am trying to cherish every "Jesus Mommy this I know..." (Jesus loves me), 1,2,3,4,7,8, (notice the 5,6 missing), " more cancakes, peez mommy" (more pancakes, please mommy)! I know I will miss all these moments.

Layout fixed

Sorry for the last two posts with funky caption placements. I finally figured out what was going on. Hopefully the next posts will be better!

Tutu day

Lydia and Paul might kill me for posting these pictures, but they are SO cute. Ceilidh wears her tutus 24/7 so naturally Zion wants to do ballet with us. They both can do plies and Ceilidh has been trying to teach him some of her other skills. He is usually done after plies! ha


Zion is spinning


I told you they are sweet to each other! (Some days better than others! ha)


Ceilidh is trying to hold her arms correctly! I really love this one!



On a sidenote, today we officially became Chapel Hillians with a new physical/mailing address!!! We got one of the last apartments at Baity Hill! We will finally be able to have game days at our house!!

Thank you Susanna!

Well, I was totally going to post a picture of this cake and claim bakership... but you would all know that I was lying through my teeth (or fingers! ha, sorry bad joke), so I will be upfront in the beginning and give full credit to Susanna. For those of you that don't know Sus that well; you need to know how incredibly thoughtful she is. Susanna is ALWAYS leaving a note for you, sending a card, giving you a call, etc. And being her usual self, when Andrew found out about his school acceptance, she baked him this cake. And this is not just some cake... this is A CAKE! She learned how to make fondant (sp?) icing and decorated the whole thing. I am very impressed with her creativity. Not to mention it tastes really good.

Thanks Susanna for loving us the way you do!

Outback... here we come!

I can't believe that Andrew beat me to posting, but I'm so glad he got to write about his experience! For a way better read, read the next post down. Andrew and I made a promise to each other that if Andrew got into school we would celebrate at Outback (he LOVES the hamburgers), and when we sell our house we are going to Tripps. So obviously by the title of this post, ANDREW GOT INTO SCHOOL!!!

He really said everything that I was going to say in his post, but I just want to add again how truly thankful to the Lord we are. I really feel he heard the desires of our hearts, and will continue to faithfully provide for us. Yes I would be lying to admit I don't have some reservations about becoming incredibly poor with two children and a husband in school, (ha), but I have complete faith in my God and in my husband. I feel so blessed to be under the cover of a man who has placed his trust in the Lord and therefore successfully sustained us spiritually and financially for the last 4 years. I have no reason to doubt the Lord or Andrew for the next 2 years!

I am so proud of you Andrew!!! Can't wait to eat Outback with you! wink I wouldn't mind eating Tripps soon either! ha


Andrew, Ceilidh, and Zion playing on his dry erase board at school


Opening "the" letter!!!


Ceilidh handing Daddy the letter that said we are moving to "Chappy Hill"!


This is just a picture of our cheese ball!

A Dream Realized

It was nearly 9 1/2 years ago that I recieved my first letter from a little piece of heaven admitting me to the class of 2004, today yet another dream of mine has come true. I will be going back to the place I have always loved to continue my education! I began the process of looking into graduate programs a few years ago, however due to fears surrounding my GPA, the GRE, etc. I avoided what I felt would be an inevitable and resounding "I am sorry to inform you..." letter.

I realize the tremendous responsibility I have to care for my family, and with another baby on the way this has become more of a reality. So this news is both good and scary at the same time. Hopefully it will lead to greater earning power (which doesn't take much if you are a school teacher!), but in the meantime it will mean sacrifice. The Lord has been preparing our hearts and minds for a while, and has given us plenty of practice in learning how to budget and spend.

I do not write this post expecting congratulations or praise, because the Lord truly has given me this oppportunity. I joke with people all the time about not making it into the AG (academically gifted)program in middle school, but it serves as a reminder to me that God makes all things possible. We should celebrate that everyday.

So on this day that UNC begins their march to Detroit in basketball! Please join Cyndy and I in a prayer of thanksgiving. We covet your prayers as we go forward as well. All in a period of six months I will be resigning from my job of 5 years, hopefully selling our home, moving, starting school, and welcoming a new baby on September 30th!

Go Heels!

The Popsicle inventor is a genius

Thank you Mr./Mrs. Popsicle inventor! Andrew and I both ended up getting the dreaded vomiting and diarrhea virus at the same time this week! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! Let's just say it was HORRIBLE! This was a definite first trying to take care of a child while both of us were not even able to get out of bed. Thankfully the virus gave us about a 12 hour "kick in" difference so we were able to manage.

All this to say that popsicles are my new best friends! They were the only thing that I could keep down and they actually tasted good. Ceilidh really enjoyed them as well. haha So just in case you get this dreaded virus, stock up on popsicles. You can't go wrong!

Wow, what a night!

The day started to get a little rough when the Tarheels played unbelievably rough and lost in the ACC tournament. Though, as Roy aptly pointed out, he doesn't keep his job by winning the ACC tournament, he keeps his job by winning the NCAA tournament. And that's why I love him as a coach! (Side note: We have won the ACC tournament the last two years but not the NCAA. In 2005 when we did win the NCAA, we didn't win the ACC. Just a tidbit of info! wink)

On to the rest of the night. Things were fine through dinner even though I noticed Ceilidh was a bit clingy. She ate, had a bath, and went to bed just fine though. Right before I went to bed, I noticed that my bedroom door had closed so I walked over and moved the doorstop in front of the door to keep it propped like I have done a million times. Well, this time, my toe decided to push under the door with the doorstop causing my toe nail to completely bend backwards and start gushing blood. Painful, painful, painful. Oh, did I mention it was painful. So I go to bed sulking over my toe hoping it won't hurt in the morning.

Around 1:15am, I hear, "Mommy, mommy!" I walk into her room thinking she just needs comforted and tucked in again when I place my hand in a pile of wetness. UGH! Ceilidh has gotten sick ALL over herself, the sheets, and the crib. I remove my hand quickly and she says, "Gross, mommy!" haha Yes, gross doesn't even cover it honey. So after a bath, clean clothes, crib clean up, and in the process of drying hair.... she throws up again. Poor baby. She actually got sick four times last night. I changed a lot of clothes and sheets. Why are kids so sweet when they are sick. She kept apologizing and it made my heart hurt even more for her.

The first time I went into her room, I didn't put contacts in b/c I didn't think I needed them. When we got into the bathroom though, I put my glasses on so I could see better. Now those of you who know me know that I HATE my glasses and look ridiculous in them. Well, apparently Ceilidh thinks so also. I put them on and turned around and she busted out laughing! haha She doesn't see me in them often. haha

I am writing this post at 9am b/c my poor baby isn't awake yet. Hopefully she is sleeping this sickness right out of her body. I learned a few things last night : toes are little, but they really can hurt, being a mommy is really scary sometimes b/c now I'm supposed to have the answers and make it better, a mommy's capacity to love grows when you have a sick baby, there is no sleeping in after children arrive, and even when you can sleep in/but your child is sick, you can't do it out of nerves.

Stay out of the supermarkets, playgroups, work place, wherever you might go on a daily basis. Please stay a hermit for this next week and maybe you can avoid this nastiness spreading around! ha

BEAT DOOK!

Ceilidh learned a few more phrases this weekend like, "Beat Dook," and "Go Heels!" She gets very excited saying these things which in turn makes us very excited! ha We watched the game with friends on Sunday and Madelynn and Ceilidh were the cutest cheerleaders I have ever seen in my LIFE! Ceilidh loves Maddy and was thrilled to take a bath with her! ha Amanda has those pics... I will have to post them later.

We stayed a little past Ceilidh's bedtime, so after their bath, it was time for Maddy's bedtime as well. After Amanda laid her down, Ceilidh kept walking up to people saying... "Shhh... Maddy sleeping." We spent most of our time outside on the porch after the game which is exactly where Ceilidh wanted to be. She LOVES to be outside, especially if you will play chase with her. I wish I would have gotten pictures of her running around the trees in the front yard. I'm sure there will be plenty of outside pictures with the weather being as beautiful as it has been!






Ceilidh creates a library wherever we are


After the Tarheels win, everyone gets a kiss!

Sweetness

Yesterday Ceilidh won my heart over, (not like she didn't already have it for life), with one of the sweetest things she has ever said. We were leaving The Loop in Chapel Hill and she started saying, "Sank (Thank) you, Mommy." I told her you're welcome and asked her why she was telling me thank you. She said, " gibber gibber share booger (burger)." She was thanking me for sharing my burger with her. I almost cried. I know that sounds funny, but we have had a rough weekend behavior wise. She literally threw such a fit about changing her diaper at The Loop that Andrew heard her screaming from the bathroom. So, this sudden change in sweetness was really refreshing and needed!

Then this morning she told Andrew when he kissed her goodbye for work, "I love you Daddy a lot." Tear

Are you kidding me!?

ok... so I am a bit embarrassed that I got hooked on the Bachelor this season, but I did. Andrew makes A LOT of fun of me, but I think he secretly wanted to know who Jason chose as well! ha

So I wanted Molly to win the entire time (even though I really liked Melissa as well), but tonight was a "are you kidding me moment!" I am excited he might end up with Molly, but to have "the talk" with Melissa on national television is WRONG! I was very disappointed in Jason Mesnick after tonight. No matter how much conversation you have about the relationship going awry.... you don't break off an engagement on national television. The funniest part of the entire show was when Chris? (the host), excused himself so Jason and Melissa could say goodbye, but the cameras stayed rolling! ha That is definitely the definition of privacy.

Yay for Molly, shame on you Jason for doing it the way you did!