the raneys

bye bye blogger!!!

2009-12-22T19:06:00.003-06:00

I have MOVED!!! I am no longer going to be updating this blog... instead find a brand new, and updated, blog HERE!

www.raneytraditions.com/blog

ALSO... while you are bookmarking my personal blog, go ahead and bookmark my photography website and blog.

www.sassafrasphoto.com

www.sassafrasphoto.com/blog

See you there!!!

taking off the 'old self'

2009-12-14T21:42:00.005-06:00

It's been a long journey...

I have struggled with food and weight for so long. Through my teenage years and into early twenty's I was the ballet dancer who could stand to lose a few pounds. One day in college my ballet professor told me that I deserved an A for technique but that until I lost 25lbs that he could not give me that grade. He gave me a strict eating and exercising routine to follow... which led to me obsessively working out for hours on end and allowing myself an orange and an apple a day. I no longer felt the joy of ballet that I once had. I saw the dark side of starvation and countless hours rehearsing just to be the best. I had many friends admitted into eating disorder rehabs as it was beginning to really affect their health. I couldn't keep up that life... I felt like I was dead inside.

Thankfully the Lord stirred me to leave dancing behind for awhile and focus on Him. It was at that point I transferred to Texas A&M and began studying psychology. It was at this point that I began to truly turn my heart back to God and clear the idols of weight/dance out of my life.

As I have gone on with my life, I have not really thought much about my body... in fact, I have downright neglected it. I have been pregnant 5 times in the past 4 1/2 years, which has created alot of extra weight. I actually loved being pregnant because I felt that I could blame being fat and gorging on junk food on the pregnancy. That would explain a 60lb weight gain with my first child. Six months later I had two back to back miscarriages - gaining about 10lbs each with those. I was so depressed and began to hate my body. I hated it and blamed it for losing the two babies. Three months later I got pregnant with Jude... then when he was 5 months I got pregnant with Evy.

I am going to be candid with you... At my delivery with Evy I weighed 207lbs. Within two weeks I lost all my baby weight with her (20 lbs) and weighed in at 187lbs. I have always used my kids and my husband's work schedule as an excuse to not work out. But after having Evy I made a decision to begin this journey. I didn't have any set goals at first... I just knew that this lady at our church was offering free 'bootcamp' classes during the summer. I figured I would check it out.

At first I was a mess... couldn't do a real push up, couldn't run a mile, couldn't do a pull up... but I kept going. I didn't lose any weight the first 6 weeks. I felt defeated and blamed my body - saying my body just doesn't lose weight. I had an excuse for everything. But I decided to keep going until the end of August. In the middle of August I began to have a revelation that I truly am in charge of my own destiny. I can do anything I set my mind too. I began to make small changes in my eating and began to actually enjoy working out.

My trainer, Miranda (who also trained Danny Cahill - winner of The Biggest Loser Season 8), began to really push me to give more and to make even more changes in my life. What I love about her is that it was not just changes with food and exercise, but it was centered around spiritual health. She motivated me to push past failure and enter into success. One of the biggest things for me was running 3 miles... we started with 1 mile, then 2, then 3. I tell you, I was scared to death to even attempt 3 miles. I was anxious all week and knew there was no way I could do it. But I pushed through that fear and accomplished it. Then 3 weeks later I ran 6 miles... 3 weeks after that I ran 10 miles. I am learning that this journey has been more mental than physical for me. I had been living in defeat. I wouldn't even try things because I knew I couldn't do it. I was too afraid to fail. But now, I see that failure is not scary. It is necessary at some point. And if you don't risk failure, you will never revel in success.

In the beginning of July I weighed in at 187lbs and today I weighed in at 136lbs. A 51 lb loss so far. Not only that, but I am a much better wife, mother, and follower of Christ. My life is balanced for the first time. I have energy. I truly have grown to love myself and believe that I am worth investing in. I spent much of my childhood in the midst of abuse, which set the foundation for self hatred and little self worth. Though Satan tried to hold me down and live in the lies of my youth, I have conquered all things with Christ. I am no longer a victim. I have taken hold of my life and am victorious because of my Jesus. I am loved by Him. I am worth being loved. That has been hard to say and believe. But it is true. Each one of us is worth it. Jesus died for each one of us personally. His blood was shed for you. Let us glorify Him in all we do. For me, this has meant with my physical health. I encourage each of you to seek out what He has for you... what area of your life is mundane? Where are you defeating yourself before you even get started?

One thing Miranda always says is, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right." So true.

1/2 birthday!

2009-11-12T11:07:00.002-06:00

Little Evy is 6 months! She lights up my life in ways I never knew. I praise God for His merciful gift of her life. She is most definitely the easiest baby I've ever had... smiles all day, never fusses. She is happy just to be playing with her brothers or being carried around in her sling.

We will start solid food this week... probably start with rice cereal. I love this stage - so many new things to discover. She is sitting up on her own for the most part. I have to be careful because her brothers will knock her over :(

Ok, quick post but I gotta go pick up biggest brother from preschool!

pumpkin pickin'

2009-11-04T20:38:00.002-06:00

Yes... it has been over a month since I've blogged. Bad bad blogger. I'm gonna do better :)

To start things off... here is our recent trip to Livesay Orchards to go pick pumpkins!

baby blues

2009-11-03T21:14:00.000-06:00

I am just now getting to some photos that I took back in September when we went on vacation to Fort Worth :) We went to meet Aunt Kelli at Uncle Julio's and took the opportunity to snap a few quick shots. Love how bright blue their eyes are!

rock & roll

2009-10-01T15:17:00.002-05:00

Life with three is BUSY... and I mean BUSY! Along with domesticating my children, I have been working full time hours on my photography business as well. Add that all up and you will see why I have neglected my blog lately! I promise to get better... well maybe after the craziness of holiday photo sessions :)

But for now, here is glimpse of my precious 4 1/2 month old baby girl. My baby always wants to be held... which I happily consent to. But that means that means she hates to be put down! She gets mad when I lay her on her playmat so I never thought she was going to roll over. But bright and early this morning, 6:00am is no fun, she laid down on her mat and immediately flipped herself over onto her tummy! Yay! Now all day long she flips right over. The only bad thing is she hates being on her tummy and screams until I come flip her back over. Now off to teach her how to flip back the other way!

POTTY PARTY!

2009-08-28T19:28:00.002-05:00

Noah is DIAPER FREE! We started potty training two weeks ago and he has been accident free for over a week. We bought the DVD Potty Power off of Amazon (so cheesy) and he loved it! After watching the DVD it took him about two days to be fully trained at home and then a few more days to be fully trained at school. His confidence has soared and he loves going to the potty all by himself. I will often find him in the bathroom on the toilet... he doesn't even tell me when he has to do his business sometimes :) Haha.

So we celebrated this major milestone with a party. He chose a Thomas the Train party. Yay Noah!

happy 3 months!

2009-08-14T13:04:00.002-05:00

My baby girl is 3 months! Goodness... she is so precious to me. I am so deeply blessed. She is the easiest baby ever... and when I say easy, I mean EASY. She simply sleeps, smiles, and laughs. A pure delight. Never, ever fusses.

Nowadays she is starting to scoot on her back by pushing her heels into the floor. I rarely put her down on the floor (because her of big brothers) but when I do she gets so close to rolling over. She is laughing - loves to be tickled under her chin. Today she learned that she can grab her bow out of her hair. Um, no no little girl! She was so proud of herself as she pulled her flower out of her hair!

Mommy promptly put her flower back in her hair! A few minutes later she passed out on her playmat. I tell you, the third child sleeps anytime, anywhere!

To sum up these past three months - it has been a pure joy. Three children can be chaos at times but the joy is indescribable. I thank God for His sweet mercies every day.

here we go...

2009-08-12T10:55:00.003-05:00

It's that time again... scramble through the picked over bins of school supplies at Target, dust off the Thomas the Train backpack, get out the hand sanitizer, and take my sweet Noah to his first day of school. He is in the Developmental Delayed Preschool program at our local elementary school. He does so well there because it super structured and has the most patient teacher ever.

I pray that he soars this year... he is such an amazing little boy and we are so blessed that God entrusted him to us. I know that God is going to use him in mighty ways!

freeze frame

2009-07-18T14:42:00.002-05:00

Been busy juggling three kids, hubby, home, photography biz, church ministry... is that all? Whew! I'm worn out just thinking about it! :) Here are some recent photography pictures that I have taken. These are actually the kids of Noah's preschool teacher. I LOVE this family.

More of my recent photography...

website: www.sassafrasphoto.com

blog: www.sassafrasphotoblog.blogspot.com

domesticated

2009-07-13T21:18:00.002-05:00

After my failed attempt at baking an angel food cake... I decided to redeem my domestic skills by pulling out the old sewing machine. And voila! An adorable little dress for sweet Evy. I haven't sewn in years and years so it took longer than I hoped and I had a few mistakes... but practice makes perfect so I will be trying it again! Isn't my babycakes so precious???

we heart cows!

2009-07-12T07:14:00.000-05:00

Chick-fil-A held their annual Cow Appreciate Day last week... if you dress up like a cow you get a free combo meal. Free Chick-fil-A??? We were so there!

happy birthday usa!

2009-07-09T00:12:00.002-05:00

A huge rainstorm dampered our 4th of July plans just a bit... but we managed to go to IHOP for a delicious breakfast, take a stroll through the park in our new wagon, eat some festive cupcakes, go out to dinner with friends, and play around with sparklers. We skipped out on going to a fireworks show because our kids go to bed at 6pm... I didn't want grouchy kids the next day. It was a nice, low-key kinda holiday... just what we needed!

abundantly blessed

2009-07-05T20:27:00.002-05:00

Often I sit back and look at my family and stand in awe of the Lord. What did I do to be this lucky in life? Sure I have known my trials and tribulations... many dark times in my childhood and adulthood... but oh how blessed I am. As I hold my precious 8 week old daughter tears sting my eyes as I thank God for all He has entrusted me with. I am not worthy of His lavish gifts but I am ever so grateful. It is very difficult raising an Autistic child, on top of raising three young children, but God slows me down daily to breathe in His blessings. All three babies are sleeping right now - snug in their beds. I pray that I can honor the Lord through my children. I pray that God can use me to move their hearts towards eternal salvation. There is nothing more that I could ask for.

splish splash

2009-07-05T20:16:00.002-05:00

Noah is a fish out of water... Jude not so much.

Noah is an adrenaline junkie... Jude not so much.

Noah goes a mile a minute... Jude not so much.

Two very different boys but so similar at the same time. Jude is happy to just wade in the water, while Noah is throwing himself full throttle down the slide. But then every once in a while Noah will come to Jude's side just to sit. They sat along side the pool, splashing the water with their feet, and enjoyed a few moments together. Then it was right back to their sillyness.

beach bum

2009-07-05T19:28:00.002-05:00

Love the summer... we have been enjoying lazy days at the pool. Little e. has been a beach bum (well, if there was indeed a beach in Oklahoma) with her adorable swim suit and babyGap sunglasses!

celebrate!

2009-07-04T22:57:00.003-05:00

Gotta love Target... this glittery mess of a hat was only $1 and it kept Jude squealing with joy for an hour! Definitely got my money's worth out of it! We had a fun day celebrating our nation's birthday. Tons more pictures to post but I have to work on editing a client's photos the next couple of nights... so here is a sneak peak into our 4th of July!

glorious

2009-07-02T21:51:00.002-05:00

I know that as a stay at home mom that I often get bogged down in the mundane duties of of cooking, cleaning, and domesticating my children. With three young children, a husband, and a home to care for I find that my relationship with God is not near where it used to be. I get wrapped up in caring for others that I forget to care for my own spiritual relationship. Thankfully God is merciful and continues to pursue me daily. I was so encouraged by Christy Nockels, in that she is vulnerable about inviting our glorious God into the mundane. Be encouraged to walk along side God in His calling for you.

{Part 1}

{Part 2}

picture perfect

2009-06-27T16:54:00.002-05:00

Noah is my little artist. He loves to color and paint... mostly on his body. I am working hard on teaching him to keep the paint ON the paper. I am so proud of him... today he used the paint brush for the first time. Usually he just smears paint around with his hands and before long he smears it all over his body. Today every time I looked away he would stick one finger in the paint with a big smile on his face, waiting for me to catch him. But all in all he stayed clean! Whoohoo for using a paint brush! Haha.

sweet slumber

2009-06-27T14:07:00.003-05:00

E. is by far the easiest baby ever... she sleeps all day and when she is awake for the 1-2 hours during the day she just smiles and watches her brothers run around. Since the two boys still have separate bedrooms (so not ready to share a room yet) little e. has her crib in our room... and a really cool butterfly mobile thingy from Pottery Barn that I just love! Thankfully she sleeps all night, with the exception of one groggy feeding somewhere in the night. The third baby is definitely a breeze... she goes on photo shoots with me in her sling, and she rarely fusses. Such a sweetie pie!

sweet sixteen

2009-06-11T21:36:00.004-05:00

...months, that is! My little man is turning 16 months old this Saturday.

This scrapbook page shows all the funny faces he made in a matter of 30 seconds or so. He looks like he is yelling and mad but he is simply sitting on a bench at the splashpad and telling me about something (couldn't quite figure out what he was saying). I thought his faces were so hilarious!

He blows me away with his cognitive and social skills. He has had a handful of words but just within the past couple of weeks his speech has taken off. He is a man who knows what he wants - he walks around, purses his lips together just enough to see the gap between his teeth, and says NO (his favorite word right now). Oh, and MORE.

He worships the ground Noah walks on. He adores Evy with all of his heart. He gives Daddy hugs, kisses, and says BYE every morning. He puts both his arms around me and gives me huge bear hugs throughout the day. He is such a loving boy.

He is definitely a sports kinda guy. Give him a ball and he is happy. His choice games are golf, baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. He also has quite the arm... his throw packs a punch. I have to constantly watch over evy because Jude is always using her as target practice. Thankfully I only let him have the squishy balls to play with now! Learned that lesson after getting pelted in the head a couple times with a real baseball.

My heart swells with love for him... for all my kids. I am blessed beyond words.

water, water, everywhere

2009-06-11T21:28:00.002-05:00

For our outing today we threw on our swimsuits and ventured out to the splashpad. This is pure heaven for Noah! For over an hour he ran, jumped, and danced through the sprinklers. On the other hand, little Jude was scared to death of the sprinklers. He stood on the sidelines and just laughed at Noah being silly. Maybe next time...

Here is Jude's face (pic on the left) when a bit of water splashed on him. Haha.

um, hello???

2009-06-11T21:22:00.003-05:00

Poor thing! Little E. is at the mercy of her big brothers. She was sleeping in her swing when Noah took the phone and decided she wanted to talk. He laid it next to her ear and kept saying 'HELLO!'. A few minutes later he brought her a spatula and put it in her hand.

Jude too has his fair share of fun with her... he likes to give her a high five, he does not like that she does not return his high five. He will pick up her sweet little hand and then high five it - over and over and over. He doesn't get why she won't get up and play with him. Won't be too much longer and then he will be wishing she would just go back to sleeping all day :)

giggles & grins

2009-06-11T21:12:00.002-05:00

This boy keeps me laughing all day... he is full of spunk and zest. Definitely the class clown and jokester. But oh how he has developed such a loving, affectionate side too. He is so concerned for evy that he will often ask her if she is ok. Often I see him sneak hugs and kisses while she is sleeping. The other day he asked to hold her while we read books. Now he is a bit more rough and tough with his brother... but I guess that is brotherly love :) Noah is also becoming quite the social butterfly. At the store he waves and yells HI and then BYE to every single person he can. This can make for a very exciting shopping trip!

4 WEEKS!

2009-06-08T01:53:00.002-05:00

Little E. is 4 weeks today! My goodness has it been a fabulous 4 weeks. My heart overflows with love and joy... she is just a doll. I have so much to write but it is almost 2 am and she is starting to wake up for her feeding... gotta go feed the hungry babe.

dodgeball

2009-06-08T01:37:00.004-05:00

The students at our church had a dodgeball tournament - it was such a fun night! I took the boys out to watch and that was an adventure to say the least... Noah made several attempts to jump in the game. He also decided to go in the middle of the court and break dance while Kyle was presenting the Gospel to the students. What a hoot!

the staff. whoa.

the champions!

curly q.

2009-05-27T22:28:00.002-05:00

The boys LOVE getting into my makeup and hair accessories...

so I indulged Noah when he brought me my hair clippies and was trying to put them in his hair.

One day he will hate me for this! :)

a perfect rose

2009-05-27T22:24:00.003-05:00

Papa Lee gave Evy her first bouquet of roses on her birthday.

I wanted to do something special with them so I incorporated them into her photograph.

Hope she always knows how much her family loves her.

monkey see, monkey do

2009-05-27T22:22:00.001-05:00

Yes. That is my breast pump.

Yes. Jude is trying to milk himself.

construction

2009-05-27T22:18:00.002-05:00

This is the view from our neighborhood playground...

... and the boys LOVE it. They sit and swing for an hour just watching the bulldozers and dump trucks. They are building some commericial property (praying for a Chick-fil-A or Coldstone Ice Cream!!!) so we will get to watch the whole process.

a manly man

2009-05-27T22:13:00.002-05:00

This little guy is a manly man. Give him a ball, a bat, a golf club and he is happy.

It's all about the game.

little e.

2009-05-27T21:51:00.003-05:00

So far so good. Little E. is sleeping well, eating well, and sleeping well some more. She is starting to become very alert when she is awake and loves to gaze into my eyes. I for real think she smiled at me - TWICE. I know they say it's gas at this age but I have a feeling it was more than just bubbles in her tummy.

Last week E. went to the park for the first time. At only a mere 1 1/2 weeks old she slept through it all as she worked on her tan. Here is my baby girl out at the park:

At 1 week old she got all dressed up and went to church... again she slept through it all. Everyone oooooooo'd and ahhhhhhh'd over her in her pretty little dress:

She and I had a shopping day last week... just us girls. It was so fun to go to the mall with my little lady. I have ventured out several times with ALL THREE kids this past week... not too bad. I am getting the hang of it all. So far the adjustment has been smooth. The hardest part of my job is protecting her from her brothers... Jude kisses her to death and Noah pets her head a bit too hard. The only safe place for her is the crib. Jude can easily get onto our bed, the couch, the table... he is currently surmising a plan to climb into her crib. I can't take my eye off of any one of them. She is gonna be a tough girl - gonna have to be.

L-O-V-E

2009-05-16T19:45:00.003-05:00

Evy has stolen our hearts. She is our precious gift from God above.

welcome to this world my love

2009-05-10T14:29:00.002-05:00

Evangeline Mae {evy}

born Mother's Day - May 10th - 6:59am

6 lbs, 15 oz

About 2:30am this morning I woke up to some contractions and labored through them for the next two hours at home. Then I had a couple contractions that really scared me because I was having the urge to push. We loaded up at 4:30 am and rushed to the hospital where I went from 7cm to 9cm in a matter of minutes. Then labor stalled. I pushed through to 10cm and then my contractions became very very mild. I could barely feel them! So I had to push miss Evy out without the help from contractions. An hour of hard pushing and she was finally born at 6:59 am today - Mother's Day! It was the most amazing birth - completely drug free and very rewarding. She has a head full of dark, dark hair (perfect for bows!) and looks so much like Jude. She is breastfeeding great and is sleeping on daddy right now. The boys think she is pretty awesome and gave her kisses. Life is beautiful as a mommy of three!

showered with LOVE

2009-05-01T20:04:00.002-05:00

I am so blessed to be surrounded by a church full of great women. A year ago they welcomed us in with love and now they are welcoming baby Evy into this world with that same love. Thank you to all the ladies who have served alongside my husband in the youth, loved our family, and prayed for sweet baby Evy.

And then I have to show off what my bestest friend, Hannah, sent Evy...
I can't wait to see miss E in her Juicy Couture outfit :) I LOVE these!!!

decorated

2009-05-01T19:20:00.005-05:00

Noah has decided to become an interior decorator...

he thinks the house (and the family) look much better covered in STICKERS!

I must agree. The stickers at least cover up my massive stretch marks :) Quite the unique belly picture, I know. But it was so cute that the boys wanted to give Evy stickers. And to add to the sticker obsession, Noah is obsessed with cameras. He often finds my camera and brings it to me saying, 'cheese' or 'picture' or 'click.' So he brought me the camera and said 'picture' so I told him to go by the window and I would take a picture.

He is definitely at PK (photographer's kid) - look at that pose! HAHA!

But in other news, Noah knows the ENTIRE alphabet and can identify the numbers up to 10!!! Way to go little man! He sings the ABC song and can randomly identify all the letters of the alphabet. He can even spell his own name! He tells me to write N - O - A - H. He spends an hour or two a day at the refrigerator going through this alphabet magnets. He listens to the sounds they make and then repeats them. Thank you Leap Frog!

the best part...

2009-05-01T19:04:00.003-05:00

of waking up is ~~FOLGERS~~ ... i mean, bob, in your cup.

Thank you Noah for this lovely surprise in my morning coffee.

I needed a good laugh to start the day.

two little monkeys...

2009-05-01T11:23:00.003-05:00

Nana bought the boys matching monkey jammies... they LOVE monkeys!!! One of their favorite books and songs is about the monkeys jumping on the bed. They were laughing so hard when I put the song on and told them to jump on the bed (and it burned about 30 minutes of time). They were exhausted after all this jumping nonsense... they settled down and read books together. This is what makes me smile... they love each other so much. My two little monkeys... it can't get much better than this. Evy is gonna jump right in with them... I can't wait!

family night info :)

2009-04-21T12:51:00.003-05:00

This morning I braved my nerves and spoke at MOPS... thankfully my fear of public speaking didn't send me into labor :) But I shared with all the ladies how we do monthly FAMILY FUN NIGHTS. Each table was assigned a theme and created a family fun night event... so many great ideas!

I mentioned that I was inspired by two different ladies who blog about their family fun nights... here are their blogs:

Jacinda's Blog

Heather's

Each of them have their family fun nights categorized so it's easy to find them!

Then the fun website for national and silly holidays is: BrownieLocks and the 3 Bears.

Have fun creating your own family fun night and let me know when you do one... I'd love to see your photos and hear what a great time you all had!

happy easter

2009-04-11T23:06:00.004-05:00

Jude had a BLAST hunting eggs this year! Noah not so much... he managed to grab a few Easter eggs before he got sidetracked playing soccer . All the more eggs for Jude. He picked up Noah's basket and carried both baskets around... filling them with eggs galore.

texas bluebonnets - TAKE 2

2009-04-11T23:02:00.006-05:00

Decided to torture myself and my children again with another attempt at bluebonnet pictures... not much better. The only thing that slowed Noah down long enough for me to get a picture of him was his new sunglasses... he thought he was such hot stuff. Jude again cried the whole time but did manage to stand in the flowers for all of 2 seconds and flash a smile. Whew. Exhausting. But one day they will thank me for it right???

texas bluebonnets - TAKE 1

2009-04-11T22:55:00.006-05:00

Ok... it's a Texas thing. But I HAVE to get pictures of the kids in the bluebonnets every year. Alot of blood, sweat, and tears goes into it because MY children are bent on making sure that every year I DON'T get pictures of them in the bluebonnets. I don't know what it is. There were dozens of kids in the field... all sitting nicely in their easter outfits, smiling sweetly for the camera. Then there was MY children - Jude screaming his head off because he didn't like the flowers and grass, while Noah sprinted through the flowers in every direction but towards me. The photographer in me gets soooooo frustrated because I just want a decent picture but it's no use... here's the first attempt:

and baby Evy too...

hair raising!

2009-04-11T22:50:00.002-05:00

We all know my Noah's hair is huge. There's not much you can do with it... it's got a mind of it's own. Especially when playing on the trampoline. It gets a little, ummmmm, static-y. Is that a word? There really isn't a word to describe this:

hired help

2009-04-10T22:40:00.001-05:00

My massive state of 36 weeks pregnant means not much is getting done around the house lately.

So I hired a little helper to help me out...

for the pastor wives...

2009-04-08T18:30:00.002-05:00

Beth Moore shared this video at a recent Pastor Wives Conference and I thought it was hilarious... hilarious because it is soooooo true! What would my husband do if he didn't have me and the kids to use for sermon material???

GQ boys!

2009-04-05T23:29:00.003-05:00

I've been so busy photographing other kids that I decided to turn the camera to my own for a change. It is sooooooo much harder to photograph my own kids because they are used to having a camera shoved in their face and mommy bribing them to give me just one smile. Never works though. But with Easter coming up and new outfits from Baby Gap, I just had to try a photoshoot... here are the results!

lovey dovey boys

2009-04-02T19:06:00.003-05:00

I truly am so blessed. Throughout the day I find myself immersed in moments of pure gratitude towards God for these little blessings in my life. I just cannot imagine my life without them. Early in the morning Noah sneaks into our bedroom and jumps in bed to cuddle with me. He refuses to let me sleep in... he throws off my blankets, pulls my hand and says 'come on mom.' Yes, I'd love to actually get to sleep in one morning but I'd much rather be drug out of bed by my sweetie. Then my Jude. He is my little lovebug. Always wants to be held and snuggled. He gives endless kisses to me, daddy, noah, and evy. I love how he hugs baby evy in my tummy and then blows raspberries on my tummy when I ask him to give her kisses. So precious! I am so excited to meet my baby girl in just a few weeks. My heart already swells with love for her and I long to give her kisses and snuggles. I am so blessed. There is not a day that goes by where I don't thank the Lord Jesus for these babies and the privilege to stay at home with them. There is nothing better in the world!

spring is on hold...

2009-03-28T21:44:00.002-05:00

Let's have a snow day! Noah spent most of the day looking outside the window as HUGE flakes of snow fell from the sky all day long. Who knows how much snow stuck on the ground... several inches. So much so that Chick fil A gave away free sandwiches because we received 3 inches of snow or more!

Here is my Noah... refusing to wear a hat so his hair was soaking wet. Then the dog. Dachshunds are not made for snow :) He had to hop through the snow because his little legs are too short to walk through it!

Lightning McQueen rainboots - an Okie's snowboots. Kyle and Noah built a snow man together... as you can see Jude felt left out. He so wanted to play in the snow but then would cry when he did because he was too cold. The snow was coming down so hard. Poor little man!

dirt and planes

2009-03-28T21:34:00.003-05:00

Jude and Noah LOVE airplanes. My grandparents live within a few miles of the DFW airport and so they get to see many airplanes fly by very low to the ground. Jude heard one flying overhead and pointed up and babbled something that sounded similar to 'plane.' He was so excited! All boy! Speaking of all boy...

He thought it would be fun to eat DIRT. It caught him by surprise at first and immediately began gagging and crying. Then he decided it wasn't so bad...

M.I.A.

2009-03-22T20:50:00.004-05:00

Ok... ok... ok! I know it's has been wayyyyyy too long since my last post. And I also realize that I still have my valentine's day header up... pathetic.

Well to give you a little sneak peak into why I am so far behind... click HERE.

I recently started up my photography business - Sassafras Photography. I have been very very very busy and the month of April is almost completely booked. I am LOVING it but am finding the juggling act difficult of being a full time stay at home mom all day and the trying to cram in a full time job in the evenings while the little ones sleep. But I hope to get the flow nice and easy before our little baby Evy gets here.

Speaking of baby Evy, she is doing great. I have no idea how far along I am now... guessing somewhere around 33 weeks. I have no idea. I don't keep track any more! She will come when she is good and ready. I feel great but have recently been having some painful braxton hicks that just knock the breath out of me. I have only gained 15 pounds and my doctor is not happy with that... so I am on a Taco Bell, Chick fil A, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream diet :)

Oh and some great news... my mamma just moved from New Mexico to the Fort Worth area! I am so thrilled that she is closer to us and this means the kids will get to see them more often. So the boys and I are heading down to Fort Worth this week to visit them. They have LOTS of horses and I am so looking forward to introducing Noah to the 'country' life! I will be back with a new post (and pictures) next week!

war paint

2009-03-02T19:35:00.002-06:00

All I hear is, "DOT, DOT, DOT." I come in and see Noah creating quite the design on his body with markers. Reminds me a bit of Braveheart...

a walk in the park

2009-03-02T19:28:00.002-06:00

Last week the weather was gorgeous... so we took a walk down to the park to burn some energy off. Noah wanted to hold Jude's hand the whole way. It was definitely frustrating to Jude because he Noah was practically pulling him down the sidewalk. Noah has been so incredibly loving towards Jude lately. He is also so loving to baby Evy... he pulls up my shirt and gives Evy kisses throughout the day. One of his favorite things to do while watching tv is to lay down his head on my tummy and just rub it. It is so beautiful to watch Noah grow and develop a bond with his siblings.

black and blue

2009-03-02T19:22:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago Noah got a nice and pretty shiner. He was jumping around the living room and tripped over his pottery barn anywhere chair and fell head first into the television cabinet. He sliced his eyelid on the corner of one the shelf... his poor eye was swollen shut for a day and then it began turning into all different colors. Poor little guy.

In His Hands - an adoption story

2009-02-20T15:23:00.003-06:00

Our hearts are very tender towards adoption. We feel the Lord drawing us closer and closer to the beginning the application process, which just thrills my heart. For now, we believe that God desires us to be a part of uniting other families with their children from foreign lands. I pray that God lights the same passion within your hearts. God has adopted us as His children when we were orphaned. There is a sweet family, Josh and Rachel, who are currently raising funds to bring home their child from South Korea. She is hosting Baby O's Prize Package Drawing on her blog... it is a great way to support their adoption, all while entering a drawing for some amazing prizes! To be directed to Rachel's blog for the drawing just click HERE!

newborn photography

2009-02-19T23:39:00.002-06:00

I am currently working on building my photography portfolio and was lucky enough to photograph this incredibly beautiful little girl. She is just three weeks old and simply a doll. I have a few more photos of her posted on my photoblog {and boy, is my blog ever a work in progress right now}. Leave me a comment over there and let me know what you think... about it all. Again - www.urbansassafras.blogspot.com.

O-N-E

2009-02-13T22:42:00.002-06:00

Happy ONE year birthday Jude!!!

My sweet baby turned one today... had a small celebration at home since we are all partied out with Noah's birthday and then their combined birthday party last week. Whew! All I can say is that he very much enjoyed his birthday cupcake... ate every last crumb! And he has officially started walking - no more crawling for him! Yesterday he decided that he was all grown up and that he was going to walk. It's been a month of 5-10 steps here and there but I guess he thought that he would start off his 2nd year by walking. Noah just thinks it's hilarious that Jude is walking... he will grab his hand and pull him to a running pace, then they tumble to the ground laughing their heads off. They keep me in stitches!

this is how we do it...

2009-02-13T22:40:00.002-06:00

This is how Jude drinks his bottles nowadays... standing up and walking! He is always on the go, go, go - doesn't let anything slow him down.

pump up the volume

2009-02-13T22:33:00.003-06:00

A gorgeous spring day beckoned the boys to play out on the trampoline. Take a look at Noah's hair... wild! I was laughing so hard because all I could see was a huge head of hair flying around...

double birthday party

2009-02-10T20:44:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Noah's 3rd and Jude's 1st birthday with a party at Chuck E. Cheese. The boys are obsessed with Veggietales - The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything movie... so of course our little pirates celebrated with a Veggietale pirate ship cake. Super yummy!

Happy Birthday to my two boys!

1/2 a decade {of love}

2009-02-06T18:40:00.002-06:00

Today Kyle and I celebrate 5 years of marriage! We have done so much through five years... got married, moved to Illinois, Kyle spent 1 1/2 years getting a master's degree, opened up a coffeeshop, had Noah, moved to Texas 4 weeks later, God clearly called Kyle into ministry, moved to Fort Worth for seminary, miscarried Finley, miscarried Jackson, had Jude, moved to Oklahoma, pregnant with Evy... whew! 4 out of our 5 Christmas' I have been PREGNANT! Goodness.

I can honestly say that these five years have been better than I could have imagined. It has been wonderful to grow together and find God's pathway for our family. Kyle and I fit together so perfectly... he is my best friend. As Veggietales says... "some matches are made in phosphorous factories, others are made in Heaven" (read it again if you didn't catch it the first time). I'd definitely say that God made our match in Heaven. :) We have had many times of joy, as well as times of struggle. Our struggles and pain, especially the loss of our two babies, have taught us to rely on God and each other. I couldn't ask for a more loving, patient, humble, honest, gifted, and selfless man. I mean, what kind of man gets up with the kids at night, lets his wife sleep in until he leaves for work, comes home for lunch to help put down kids for nap, comes home and does dinner, bath, and bed with kids? I am a very lucky woman. He loves us with everything he is. He is such an incredible daddy. I love how he loves us.

Since we are all sick with the flu - our anniversary date is postponed for now. We will probably be spending today with a box of tissues, medicine, and cartoons for the kids. But as soon as we are all feeling better then I get to get fancied up and have a night out with my hubby of 5 years!

the last trimester!

2009-02-06T18:32:00.002-06:00

I am officially in my last trimester of pregnancy! My tummy is expanding quite rapidly these days. Most of my shirts are now too short... they don't cover all of little Evy anymore. But I really don't want to spend any money on new clothes for myself... clothes for Evy are much more fun to buy! In fact, I have bought her several little tutus and pettiskirts, as well as headbands and hats with big flowers! I am stalking Ebay for several pairs of pink converse shoes for her too... she is gonna be one precious little girl! She is gonna be the most photographed baby ever. I have bought so many things and have tons of ideas of cool photos to take of her when she gets here. Can't wait!

As for now, the entire 4 out 4.5 of us is sick with the flu. Once we are feeling better I promise I will get some new belly pictures out!

vroooooommm!

2009-01-31T21:45:00.002-06:00

caught red handed!

2009-01-31T21:39:00.001-06:00

The ~~cookie~~ brownie monster!

i HEART you!

2009-01-27T19:06:00.001-06:00

how many???

2009-01-27T18:58:00.002-06:00

During breakfast Noah started counting to ten with his fingers! It was so neat to see the light in his eyes as he figured it out. He was so proud of himself... so was his mama! He can count up to twelve and loves to count backwards from 10 to 1. He is loving numbers and colors... but does NOT like to even look at the alphabet. Silly kid!

the forecast...

2009-01-27T09:52:00.001-06:00

Ice, ice, and lots more ice!

We are snuggling inside with the Backyardigans, french vanilla coffee, sugary delights, and our jammies! Big snow flakes are floating down from the sky right now... too bad Noah is really sick with a nasty cold or we'd go build a ~~snow~~ ice man!

cupid has struck

2009-01-26T21:06:00.002-06:00

Cupid has struck me! I am totally IN LOVE with my little guy! Isn't he just adorable???

color my world

2009-01-26T21:04:00.003-06:00

Every morning Noah asks to 'paint' or 'markers' and every morning he ends up very colorful! Today he colored all of his fingernails with brown marker... very chic!

a long journey

2009-01-22T23:33:00.002-06:00

Noah turned three on Tuesday and thus he moved from being under SoonerStart's care for his developmental delays to the public school system. He now attends a Developmental Delayed Preschool class a couple times a week for a short amount of time. There he receives speech therapy and integrated occupational therapy. He had a very difficult time in the class this week. The teacher and the aide had to give him one on one help the entire class time because he refused to participate in the activities. His biggest issue has been, and will be, his attending behaviors. He is unable to focus on any activity for more than 30 seconds and only will do what activity he chooses to do. This classroom is highly structured and has been very hard for him to follow. The teacher is looking at allowing Noah to attend three days a week but for only one hour at a time so he is successful during that one hour. She also mentioned getting him on medication for his sleep issues (wakes up 6-12 times a night and is completely exhausted during the day) and wants to come to our house to help set up a similar 'classroom' environment that will help his attending behavior. My heart is so heavy for him. Goodness, it hurts to watch your child struggle. Please be praying for him, as well as us. Sending him to a school environment has been so hard for me. I believe that God has called us to homeschool our children so every bone in my body is fighting this and I feel like a failure. But I trust that Noah needs extra services and help... as do I. I never understood the heartache, exhaustion, and fear that raising a special needs child brings. My heart cries out to the Lord for wisdom and discernment. I just feel so helpless at times. I pray for wisdom and discernment. I can't do this alone. I am so proud of all of Noah's progress... but sometimes the road looks so long. Pray for my little man as he tries to adjust to his new surroundings and expectations. Pray for his teacher, that she will have wisdom into how to help him. Pray for us as his parents to know how to reach his little heart.

one, two, THREE!

2009-01-22T23:18:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday to my Noah! On Tuesday he turned three years old. Jude's 1st birthday is in a mere 2 1/2 weeks so we will be throwing a big, combined party for them... but we had a mini celebration for Noah on his birthday. Both boys LOVED the cake... what a mess! Noah thought he might as well dive in, head first. Jude just starting shoving pieces in his mouth. Hilarious!

over the moon...

2009-01-22T23:12:00.002-06:00

Noah is a Chick-fil-A junkie... must get it from his mamma. And boy were we excited that on Noah's 3rd birthday Chick-fil-A hosted Pajama Night... where your pajamas and you get a free kids meal! So that evening we threw the boys in their Mickey Mouse jammies and had a super delicious, and free, birthday dinner! The plan was to have cake and presents at home afterwards but a certain birthday boy fell asleep on the way home... so that was postponed until the next day :)

Noah was not a fan of getting close to the Cow.

baby it's cold outside!

2009-01-22T23:07:00.002-06:00

We bought a trampoline for the boys this Christmas but this crazy weather here in Oklahoma has been FREEZING! However, there was all of five minutes today where it was bearable outside so I threw jackets on the boys and went out in the backyard to burn some energy off. Noah jumped for maybe 30 seconds and then was distracted by his bubble lawnmower... and Jude sat on the trampoline and was definitely not impressed by it. Hmmmm... maybe when it is a bit warmer they will actually jump on it???

commit to praying for harper

2009-01-19T19:31:00.004-06:00

Click here for the first part of the story.

My friend Sharon and I went back up to the hospital to visit with Harper's family. Again, my heart was broken by their grief. When we arrived they were in talking with the doctor and so we waited a few minutes. They came back to the waiting room just in tears. The doctor said that Harper has not made any progress, nor has she declined either. However, they may put her back on the ECMO (bypass) list if she has not improved within three days. Harper is in very critical condition and needs prayer desperately. Her mother, Kelly, is an extrodinary woman of faith and said her peace comes from the many prayers surrounding them. Her spirit is beautiful and I know that God is using her and Harper to further His kingdom. As I hugged Kelly I felt the very hand of God upon her. Our students at FBCBA were given red bracelets (they are razorback fans) on Sunday morning as my husband told them about Harper's story. They wore the bracelets and committed to pray for her and the family. Kelly had heard that our students had done this and was so excited that God was using Harper's life to move students. Here is a photo of some of our students showing off their bracelets.

ordination

2009-01-19T18:59:00.005-06:00

This past Saturday my husband, Kyle, was ordained into ministry. It was the most beautiful and memorable ceremony I have ever been to. After an hour of doctrinal questioning Kyle (and his two dear friends) were voted in to be ordained. Then each ordained man present individually prayed over them. It was phenomenal. I am so proud of my husband for listening to God's calling and following Him as He leads. Kyle has a heart of pure gold that desires to see salvation and sanctification. It drives everything he does. He gives all that he is to God, his family, and his ministry. Never have I seen a man so dedicated to spreading the Gospel and seeing lives changed. I couldn't be more proud. I couldn't be more in love with someone.

Congratulations to my one and only.

the beauty of ministry

2009-01-17T13:09:00.006-06:00

click on above photo to go to Kelly's blogAll I can say is that God has MOVED in my life today. I am blown away by him.

I follow Kelly's blog but have never met the girl. Yesterday she was induced and gave birth to her first child - Harper. Check out her blog for all the details, but in short, Harper had complications immediately after being born and was flown to a hospital here in Tulsa. She was told that her chance of survival may not be good. This morning I woke up with an urgent feeling that God wanted me to go to the hospital and encourage/pray with the family. I told Kyle about the situation and he asked if we could go right then. Thankfully Kyle's parents are in town for his ordination ceremony so they watched the boys for us. Harper is at the hospital right down the road from us so we jumped in the car, picked up some things on the way for them, and saw the hand of God in our meeting them. We met Scott (the Daddy) and his parents in the waiting room... walked right up and said 'you don't know us, but we follow your wife's blog...' His eyes were so filled with heartache and we all started getting choked up. I won't go into all the details but all I can say is that I have never felt the Holy Spirit so alive and well as I did during that time. Ministering to a family who is hurting desperately brings indescribable joy. Being the hands and feet of Jesus is rewarding beyond comprehension. I do not tell you all this story to tell you how spiritual I am... because I am most definately not. I have felt God's leading before but ignored it. Today was one of the first times I felt God say GO and I went. I can't imagine how many times I have missed out on the blessing of obedience because of fear, selfishness, or pride. God broke me today. He opened my eyes to see His works in new ways. I pray that each of you reading this will intercede for this precious baby girl and her family. Also, be open to how God can work IN and THROUGH you today.

2 going on 3...

2009-01-13T19:32:00.018-06:00

This coming Tuesday Noah will turn THREE... I am still in shock that my sweet baby is no longer a toddler, but a preschooler. Where has the time gone? I sat down to go through photos of the last three years and just bawled my eyes out. So many incredible memories with this little guy, yet so many gut wrenching memories. These three years have taken us down a journey I never thought I would experience. Watching my typical developing 18 month old one day turn inwards and lose the ability and desire to communicate for months broke me. Hearing every doctor tell me he was most definitely AUTISTIC. Wondering if I would ever hear 'mama' again... longing for him to crawl up in my lap for a hug. The tears shed were so great but through it all I knew that God was carrying us. Then the day he started coming out of his daze - he said DADDA at 22 months! His first word in 4 months of complete silence! Praise God! It has been just a little over a year and he now has hundreds of words. He looks at us in the eyes, gives and desires affection, and has a personality that never stops cracking us up. I am so incredibly blessed to be Noah's mother... to see him through this rollercoaster. What mother rejoices every time her child speaks? What mother dances for joy at the very touch of her child? A mother who feared she would never hear her child's voice or feel his affection. I cherish all that I have with him. These three years have grown me into a strong mother who has to fight for her child. I am his advocate in the grocery store when people stare at him because he is having one his sensory meltdowns. I am his advocate when other moms/kids ask why he can't tell them his name when asked. I am his advocate when he screams in frustration because he can't verbalize what he needs. I will always be his advocate... in the easy times and the hard times. He is my precious child. I am so very blessed.

Here is a snapshot into our lives over the past three years:

39 weeks pregnant with Noah

3 days old

2 months

6 months

8 months

10 months

12 months

1 - 2 years old

2 -3 years old

11 down...

2009-01-12T22:06:00.003-06:00

Happy 11 months to Jude!

Can't believe my baby is 1 month away from being ONE! He has grown up so fast. He is such a joy... truly. His personality is so gentle, sensitive, and loving. Though Noah is beginning to get very jealous of him, especially because Jude is constantly trying to play with his toys. Noah is mad now that Jude is beginning to walk too... he will knock Jude down for no reason. So I play referee between them most days. It just breaks Jude's heart because he wants to play with Noah so badly. So lately I am spending more intentional quality time with Noah to help curb the jealousy. Poor guys. It's so hard sometimes.

New things for Jude:

-4 teeth (two top, two bottom)

-Waves bye-bye while saying 'BYE'

-Words: mama, dada, bubba, bye, ball, bath, hello

-Points to objects and pictures to know the word

-Will pull my face towards him for sloppy,open mouth kisses

-Takes a few steps here and there

-Eats mainly table food - loves grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, and crackers

-Loves to clean up toys

childhood is calling

2009-01-12T21:48:00.002-06:00

hello???

2009-01-12T21:43:00.002-06:00

Jude's favorite toy is the telephone... he has made many calls to random phone numbers. He will pick up the phone and push buttons, then put it to his ear and say 'HELLO..." What a cutie pie!

Jude's 1st haircut

2009-01-12T21:35:00.003-06:00

BEFORE... kinda mullet likeAFTER Mommy pulled out the scissors

right on track

2009-01-09T18:51:00.005-06:00

Evy's profile

Had an ultrasound this morning to check all the growth and development of baby Evy and it looks like everything is right on track. I am 23 weeks along and she is measuring just a day behind, which means she has caught up from measuring over a week behind in the early stages of the pregnancy. And yes, the double checked and she is still a SHE! She weighs roughly 1.7 lbs right now and has the most adorable chubby cheeks! My placenta is anterior which is why I didn't feel movement until about 16 weeks this time around (with Jude it was 12 weeks) and her movement is by far less frequent than the boys'. The anterior position of the placenta should not cause any complications except that the baby most likely will be turned the wrong way - looking upwards towards the ceiling when delivered - which will cause lots of back pain. Hopefully that's not the case though because I'm hoping to deliver naturally. But at the moment she is breech too... so hoping she flips the right way and turns over too. After the ultrasound went shopping and found the most adorable outfits for her! I will have to take a picture of the stash she has already collected. My oh my! I think I can get used to having a girl to shop for :)

a holly jolly christmas

2009-01-02T23:27:00.003-06:00

I still have TONS of photos to go through... in the past week we've been in Southlake (DFW) visiting my family and then in Houston visiting Kyle's side. We are now back home... completely exhausted from the hustle and bustle... but we had a wonderful Christmas. The boys loved every minute of the holiday season but they are now on sugar and late night detox. For Christmas we bought the boys a trampoline for the backyard but the weather has been not cooperated so we could assemble it. Hopefully tomorrow... Noah needs to jump off his crazy energy!

two peas in a pod...

2009-01-02T23:25:00.000-06:00

S-M-I-L-E

2009-01-02T23:07:00.002-06:00

The faces I usually get from the boys when I shove a camera in their faces and beg them to smile are not blog worthy... but I must have caught them both in a really good mood because they both flashed a big smile for me! I have been dubbed the boys' personal paparazzi as I use them as my test subjects with my new Nikon D90 camera. Maybe I will lay off on them a bit when miss Evy gets here... can't wait for the pettiskirts and tutus!

in the arms of Jesus...

2008-12-31T15:20:00.002-06:00

Our sweet friend, Myka, has gone to be in the presence of her Savior Jesus Christ. After battling for so long and then falling prey to pneumonia this past week, she took her last breathe on Tuesday morning. I imagine the Lord welcoming her into the gates of Heaven with a loud "Well done My good and faithful servant." For what an amazing testimony she shared through her 18 years. We are so privilged to have spent the past six months with this joyful and inspiration young woman. Please pray for the parents, brother, extended family, and all the students in our youth ministry that dearly love her.

BOY or GIRL??? it's a __________

2008-12-24T20:43:00.005-06:00

Yes, it's really a GIRL! Can you believe it? Her name is Evangeline Mae (thank you to everyone who voted... huge help!) and she will be nicknamed Evy. We were in complete shock, still are for the most part, that it is a girl because I was certain it was a boy due to my pregnancy being a mirror image of the boys'. I am thrilled beyond words that the boys will have a little sister... not sure the boys are so much thrilled yet. But this little one will be a tomboy with two older brothers here to toughen her up. Jude and Noah are constantly wrestling... and yes, full out wrestling. I have to break them up because Jude always gets pinned down with Noah sitting on top of him. Ohhhh little Evy doesn't know what she has coming! Eek!

gingerbread man!

2008-12-23T18:40:00.004-06:00

Every Christmas we decorate a gingerbread house... and I must say we have had some rockin' ones. For instance, one year Kyle and I made Texas A&M's Kyle Field - it was awesome. Well this year we let Noah do all the decorating and for starters, he ate most of the candy. He cried when he had to put it on the house. Oh my. But we managed to get a few of the 'yucky candy' on the house. With the roof and walls falling apart, along with the reject candy - here is our annual gingerbread house. Hmmmmmm... let's just say it fell apart soon after this photo.

And there was Jude - he sat at the table munching on candy canes and suckers. He was in candy heaven! He throws hysteric fits if Noah is eating a sucker and he is not so we have to be 'fair.'

pretty lights

2008-12-23T14:06:00.002-06:00

With the boys dressed in their matching Christmas footed pajamas, we went to the areas largest Christmas light display. With over 2 million lights the boys were in awe. We drove around the display mostly but jumped out for a few minutes - but we froze to death in the 10 degree weather. It was much more enjoyable looking out the window from the car - with the heater on full blast and Christmas music playing. Noah kept saying "ohhhh" "ahhhhh" and "pretty lights."

Had fun with my new camera with these last few photos...

snow day!

2008-12-15T09:55:00.002-06:00

Woke up this morning to a snow covered ground! What fun! The boys played outside for awhile and loved every minute of it! Noah ran up and down the street sliding all over. The ground and streets were covered with snow and then a layer of ice on top of that... which made it very slippery - all the more fun to run and slide. I was going to finish Christmas shopping today while Noah was at preschool but all the schools are closed down. Hopefully I can get out sometime this week and finish shopping - only 10 more days until Christmas!

T-E-N... that's right, 10!

2008-12-12T21:07:00.002-06:00

10 MONTHS, that is! Jude is growing up right before my eyes! Look at that precious grin... and his two bottom teeth! Adorable! My little lovebug... such a sweet boy.

i love...

2008-12-12T20:28:00.001-06:00

this man.

happy 19 weeks baby!

2008-12-12T19:40:00.002-06:00

Not much news on the baby front... now 19 weeks and getting bigger each day. My days go by so fast with two little ones that I haven't had time to sit and really 'enjoy' this pregnancy. Most days I forget that I am even pregnant until someone stops me in the store and says that I am going to have my hands full... thank you for that understatement! I am so ready for May to be here and meet this little one... until then, I am getting all the sleep I can :)

photography logo

2008-12-10T08:23:00.003-06:00

Here's the deal - I've been working on building a portfolio for my upcoming photography business. But now I'm stuck... I am trying to decide between two different logos. One is a bit more modern, the other more 'cute' I guess. I am looking more at the logo... not necessarily the photos or layout of the photos. So here are the two logos that I need your advice on. Leave a comment in this post and let me know what you think... honestly. I really appreciate your help!!!

Edited to add: my sweet husband just emailed me these two designs. So if you like either of them let me know!

my santa baby

2008-12-04T16:06:00.000-06:00

caught red-handed!

2008-12-04T13:04:00.004-06:00

1:12 PM in the Raney house: both boys beginning naptime, doorbell rings, mr. fix it man here to fix the garage door, he can't fix it, he leaves, trying to round up the kids to try naptime again, i see noah running through the house like a wild man, he climbs in jude's crib and starts jumping like its a trampoline, i notice he has jude's pacifier in his mouth, i take it out and go to find jude, he is sitting in the living room happily sucking on a sucker - noah's sucker that he must have thrown on the floor, i grab my camera cause he is just so cute, snap some photos, then put my camera down, turn around and see jude now has the sucker stuck in his hair, take just one more photo. will we ever make it to naptime today?

Christmas goodies

2008-12-03T19:45:00.000-06:00

Here's a little of what we've been up to this week... the boys decorated their own small tree, set up their Veggietales nativity (which baby Jesus is a carrot...), and use their Veggietale Advent calendar to countdown to Jesus' birthday.

We then decorated our family tree, set up the Willow Tree nativity scene, hung the stockings up, and put the wreath on the door. Our home is filled with Shane and Shanes' Christmas music, which is amazing... that and Veggietales Christmas music (noah demands that O Christmas Tree, sung by Larry, is on repeat for hours upon hours...).

counting and sorting

2008-12-03T14:57:00.001-06:00

We love going to Mardell's - it is a Christian bookstore/education store. They have an entire section of the store dedicated to education and homeschooling resources... I can spend hours there! Last week Noah picked out this fun new activity - 50 bears in assorted colors, along with colored cups. He has spent hours each day sorting the bears into their cup, lining up the bears in different formations, and practicing his counting with the bears. $6.99 was never spent better!

sweet one

2008-12-02T13:33:00.002-06:00

Baby Jude at 9.5 months

much thanks

2008-11-28T21:01:00.003-06:00

There are so many blessings that God has given us and I are forever thankful... first and foremost, my salvation, then the priceless gift of my husband and children, our family, friends, church... the list goes on and on. Noah was playing with stickers and I told him how he needs to thank God for the gift of his stickers because so many children don't have them. It's this time of the year that I look at my life and am amazed that God has blessed us so greatly and realize that in a split second all of it can be taken away. All of our blessings are just that - blessings - none of them earned. Anything above my salvation in Christ is just an added bonus.

This Thanksgiving we celebrated with family in Texas... it was so nice to be back home surrounded by our loved ones. The boys played outside in the yard and as you can see, Noah gathered sticks and Jude ate leaves... boys! They both had a bit of a cold before the holiday but Thanksgiving day it hit Noah hard... poor little guy was sick throwing up. But that didn't stop him from running around!

Noah fell in love with this Christmas ornament - he thought it was the coolest! This is going to be such a fun Christmas season. Everytime he sees Christmas lights he says CHRISTMAS and gets super excited! I have a feeling we are going to be driving around neighborhoods and stopping at every decorated house. Tomorrow we are decorating our own house and tree! YAY!

look mom! no hands!

2008-11-25T11:46:00.004-06:00

Jude (9 1/2 months) - Noah (11 months)

Jude is working on standing alone... he loves to see how long he can balance before he plops to the ground. Such a funny kid. And I just these pajamas... I LOVE DAD! They are Noah's old jammies and I even found a picture of him wearing them! So here is a side by side comparison picture of the boys - Jude at 9 1/2 months and Noah at 11 months (he was walking around like nobody's business at that age!). I just adore my boys!