Did you do that on PURPOSE??

Well, I'm so excited to announce that I am pregnant with number 4. And YES! ABSOLUTELY we did this on purpose! lol
Everyone keeps asking me..."Did you plan this one?" I just have to laugh and say that we decided that we did want another one and that this wasn't a surprise baby.

2 days after Brock was born I was sitting in my hospital bed, falling in love with my precious baby boy and decided I was, without a doubt, DONE! I called, from the hospital, the urologist and scheduled a vasectomy for Jeremy in one month. Well, needless to say, the day before he was due to go in, I got cold feet and called the appt off. Thank you Lord for giving me that sense of unrest! I still didn't want another baby but wasn't ready to make it permanent. If you had asked me that year if I'd have a forth I would have said NO WAY, adding to it that it would take an act of God to change my mind. Well, act of God it did and He completely changed both Jeremy's and my hearts. Jeremy came home from work about 2 months ago and out of the blue, he declared that he wanted another. I was completely shocked and after 24 hours of considering it, we jumped in the sack and started trying.

You know how it is...the minute you decide to start trying, you feel like you should be pregnant. I felt nauseous and bloated and yucky (aka pregnant) almost immediately and assumed I was. Well, 2 months, 13 negative pregnancy tests, 1 doctor appointment, and 2 missed periods later, I was completely confused and secretly a little depressed. My expanding belly, tight pants, and chubby face were constant reminders and I was trying desperately to hide them under baggy clothes. A week after I went to the doctor and was told YOU ARE NOT PREGNANT, I flippantly decided to use up the leftover pregnancy test taking space up in my bathroom cabinet. And boy oh boy was I happily shocked when it immediately turned up 2 dark blue lines. I must have looked at it 6 or 7 times to make sure I wasn't misreading the result!

Later that evening when Jeremy got home, I told him and he was just as insistent on rereading the test. We were ecstatic!

And now its been 3 days and I couldn't be happier. We go to see the doctor this Wed to find out just how pregnant I am and when the due date is. Thanks be to God for the blessing of this little one. All good things come from Him!

Fashion Week

Day 5

Field trip today with my daughter and her class to the Science Exploratorium. Also her first school bus ride. So big things today!

Well I have actually really enjoyed this fashion week experience. If anything, its caused me to spend time actually thinking about what I wear everyday. Which is surprisingly fun! It was so warm and cozy today with its overcast skies that I got to enjoy bundling up in some warmer clothes for a change. And toasted the weather with 2 cups of coffee instead of one!

sweatshirt: GapBody $49
tshirt: Marshalls $7
Jeans: American Eagle $19!
Shoes: J Jill $120
Necklace: J Jill $49

Fashion Week

DAY 4

My husband has the day off today and we are going to the park with the kids and because of this crazy warm streak we are having on the central coast, I was forced to wear shorts! Not my favorite weather, by a long shot. I tend to be more of a rainy, foggy, cloudy kinda girl and I've been looking forward to my fall wardrobe but I guess that will have to be kept in boxes for a little longer...sigh...

shirt: Anthropologie $20 (yes, a steal at Anthro!)
shorts: J Crew $59
Shoes: Born from Macy's (can't remember how much but I know they were on sale)
necklace: gifted from my dear friend Chelsea, just last week. Thanks Chels!

Fashion Week

Day 3

So today was one of those "wake up late, jump on the treadmill and pray I can get a workout in, shower and dress in 15 minutes flat so that I get get my daughter to school" kind of days. I'm sure the rest of you moms out there know those types of days all too well. So I threw on the closest thing in my closet and once again, the picture will definitely be blurry and off center because I didn't even have the luxury of my 5 year old's talent with a camera this morning but I was relying on my 3 year old. Haha...so here it is:

Shirt: Target $12
Boyfriend jeans: J Jill $69
Shoes: Toms $54

Fashion Week

Day 2

So this morning my husband wasn't home to help me take a picture so I enlisted my 5 year old daughter. That explains why its a little off center. Haha. So this is my church look for Sunday morning...

sweater: the loft $25
undershirt: Marshalls $7
skirt: the Loft $8!
tights: j jill $14
leg warmers: Cambria boutique $19
shoes: Sofft from Marshalls $39
necklace: gifted...thanks Nikki!

Fall Fashion Week!

DAY 1

I am excited to have a reason to actually get dressed in something other than the typical housewife get-up (aka...holey sweats, t-shirt, no bra). So this is a welcome little distraction I decided I would love to participate in for the next week. So here is my first outfit...

Sweatshirt: Junkfood from Collections $49
Jeans: LA Idol from Collections $39
Red tee: Nordstroms $25
Hat: Cambria Boutique $22
Boots: Koolaburra from Hautelook.com $160

I'd marry you all over again.....

As my husband sleeps soundly in the next room I so often think of how thankful I am to have him in my life. But how often do I tell him? So many times I see him from across a busy room or in a group of friends and think to myself, "How did I get so lucky?" But rarely do I tell him. Why is that I wonder? During the day, I'll study my children and see their dad's traits carry through into them and I'm so proud that so much of him is mirrored in them. But its not something I let him know I think about.

Right now I'm reading a book in which the parents of 3 children die suddenly in an accident. It has me thinking about all the things I don't tell Jeremy enough. That I appreciate him. That I still find him extremely attractive. That I still want him 3 children later. That the things he has to say are still meaningful and valid to me. And...that I'd marry him all over again tomorrow.

What if he were gone tomorrow and I never had the chance to tell him what an amazing father, husband, friend, lover, leader he's been to me all these years? So tonight I'm making it a point to tell him tomorrow. He deserves to know what a good person he is. I love him so much.

Just call me Eeyore

I think my name should have been temporarily changed this week to Eeyore. Maybe it was hormones, who knows? But this week I was sooooo hard on myself! I wouldn't label myself a perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I'm more of a "settler." I settle for mediocrity. My life's motto has always been, "Life goes on." Its an easy way to be my mom tells me.

The only thing is, I'm never perfect! I'm never the BEST at anything. And until this morning, I was still clinging to the hope that maybe I could achieve perfection. But now I see that I don't need to be perfect because I have Jesus. He is my perfecter, and through him, I am made clean and holy and pleasing to Him. Thank the Lord above for that promise! Without it I'd just be stinky 'ole me.

So I have decided to just take one day at a time. And because I'm the "list-lover" that I am I made a list of all the areas in my life I feel are important to me ie: Health (both diet and excercise), Home cleanliness, Finances, Quality time with my kids, etc. And then I gave myself a letter grade. On the other side of each item I wrote one idea on how I could improve. Already I felt better!

Anyway, I just thought I'd take a minute to thank Jesus for all his help in the last few days. He's always there for me to fall at his feet when I fail. I don't know what I'd do without Him.

Summertime Memories

Well, summer is over. Almost anyway. And I'd say it was a great one! My kids are finally getting to the age where we can frequent such places as the beach, the pool, swim lessons, etc. without their mommy being a complete freak about drowning. In fact, my girls, the the help of life jackets, spent approximately 6 hours in my uncle's pool last week without any aid from me! I was so completely impressed. Diving board and everything! My kids are growing up. So why am I missing the infant stage so dang much? I've got serious baby fever. Well, I'm happy to say that I'm ready for fall. I LOVE it sooo much! So here's a huge goodbye to all of our wonderful summertime moments! GOODBYE sunscreen! See ya later bathing suits! Afterwhile wet towels covering the laundry room floor! And HELLO to new school clothes, bedtimes and alarm clocks, warm banana bread, and backpacks! I'm so excited!

bye bye birdie...

As the new school year is about to begin, I am quickly becoming aware of how few days I have with my firstborn before she flies the coop. She is beginning kindergarten and while I understand that this is hardly a goodbye, for some reason, it still feels that way a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I am excited for her (and even a little bit for myself and my new found freedom), but I'm secretly heartbroken. How did the time go by so fast?

Just yesterday she was learning to sit by herself. Wasn't it last week that she learned her first song? And in my mind she can't possibly be old enough to venture out on her own yet...for heaven's sake she still calls toilet paper "roller paper"! She doesn't yet know who "Justice Veaver" is so how can she possibly be ready to spend half the day nearly everyday without her mommy?!?!

I understand that this is a milestone that each of my children will reach at some point but I would just like to take a few minutes to reminisce on my baby and the many amazing memories I have of her toddler years...they are forever a memory now.