Morgan's 1st Birthday!!

 I cannot believe it, but last Saturday, our sweet Morgan turned 1!  This year has just flown by and we have so enjoyed our little sandy blond haired, blue eyed sweetheart. We celebrated the morning with special birthday pancakes.

These were literally just a couple inches in diameter and then I loaded them down with some homemade icing.  Not the most healthy thing but certainly special and delicious!

 Morgan loved them!

 And ate almost every bite!

 Smiling at Tyler I'm sure :)

 

 Silly girl!  I hope she knows what a joy she is to our lives!

 Megan has been so confused lately...first Daddy had a birthday party and then Tyler and now Morgan and she just doesn't understand why its not her turn to have a party yet!  Well, her's is coming up so soon and on the day of Morgan's party, I talked about how we were going to have a special party for her to which she went and got her princess crown so that she'd be all ready.  I guess its perfect that we are having a princess party for her in July. :)

Since Tim worked on Morgan's birthday, he wasn't there to be able to enjoy the birthday morning festivities with us. :(   I did my best to sing happy birthday, light the candle on top of the pancakes, as is our tradition, and video tape it all on my own.  But when the birthday girl is only one and kept trying to touch the candle, the results weren't quite what I had in mind! ;)  Enjoy our attempt! And yes...I did apparently have trouble blowing out that one candle...I was far away trying to video tape...give me a break!! :P

Morgan is officially 30 inches (70th percentile), 19lb 11 oz (48th percentile and exactly 11lb more than her birth weight...thought that was a fun fact!) and has a 46cm head (78%).  So, on the tall, thin side with plenty of room for her big brain...lucky girl!  ;)  I can't believe this, but Megan was over 2 pounds heavier and the same length at age 1 and Tyler was 2 inches longer and 2 lbs heavier!  Its fun to see how they all compare to each other...their similarities, differences.  Sooo fun having siblings!  

Gazelle Intensity

Well, I certainly didn't plan to be sitting here...I have been so blessed and fortunate to have never been here before. It's my 4th time to take the glucose tolerance test required in pregnancy and 1st time to have failed it. Now, I sit in the waiting room of a lab drawing facility to be poked a total of 4 times over the next 3 hours to determine for sure whether or not I have gestational diabetes. I know gestational diabetes is somewhat normal, affecting 10% or more of pregnancies. I know that some people that get it get it regardless of their eating habits and health.  I know of one woman in particular who is super healthy, fit, and still has trouble with her sugars in pregnancy. However, I know for a fact that mine, if I do indeed have it, is directly related to my very poor health and eating habits. This is the first time in my life that my negative choices have directly physically affected someone I love, my own child. I feel like a failure. So selfish. So careless. I have let my laziness, gluttony, and selfishness bleed over to affect the child I have yet to hold. My sweet baby boy. I can't help but have an ache in my heart over this. I'm sure those reading this are probably thinking that I am going overboard in my reaction however, I do not. I have allowed myself to become tolerant of a very large sin issue in my life. I have procrastinated health for the sake of comfort and so called pleasure. It's easy to continue in sin when you can keep it to yourself. The "closet eating" so that others don't see me actively indulging in pointless pleasure...But now my sin is affecting someone that I love more than anything and I am face to face with the reality of those choices. There is no going back. I can't erase what has already been. The damage is done. Last night when I got the call from my doctor, I wasn't exactly surprised when she told me my results were high from the first test. I felt awful. Lightheaded, dizzy, nauseated, extremely tired...but it wasn't until a few minutes after the call that reality sunk in and I realized what I had done. I cried a different kind of tear than I have ever cried before. Tears of extreme regret, failure, disappointment....my heart ached. My sweet, sweet children wondered what was wrong with Mommy. Tyler and Megan crawled into my lap, both looking like they might cry themselves and began to wipe my tears with their dirty hands telling me that it was going to be okay. Somehow amidst those painful tears I knew that they were right. Their innocent perspective on life held more truth than I cared to admit in those moments. I know that more than likely, this baby will be born and will grow and develop just like the other 3 and will likely never know about the internal struggle I felt when I got that call. There is no going back but, God help me, there is a future I can change and life isn't over yet! I hope and pray that this child never knows the unhealthy Mommy I've been and that the other three are young enough to forget that Mommy too. I CAN change! I AM strong enough! I CAN beat these addictions with the Lord's help! Im stealing the analogy from Dave Ramsey in regards to having financial freedom but the principle is the same. Have you ever watched a gazelle running from a cheetah on the discovery channel? Did you know that a cheetah is only successful at getting the gazelle he chases 1 out of 19 times? What about those other 18? I tell you what is happening...that gazelle is running for his life! You better believe he is going to give it all he's got! Well, let me tell you, I am running with gazelle intensity for my life and I am not letting up! Pregnant or not, I can make necessary life changes to be healthy and stay healthy and let go of this stronghold of sin in my life. The tears last night were of pain and regret but the tears this morning are of determination and motivation to be more what God wants me to be, not just for the sake of my children and family, but for the sake of me and God's purpose for my life.  I am more than an overeating, unhealthy, lazy person. I am a strong woman with strengths and abilities that can be and should be used to glorify The Lord. I am excited for who He is changing me to be and am going to use the diagnosis of gestational diabetes to make me better. I am choosing to get out of the hole I was in last night and run with gazelle intensity out! I have a long way to go but unlike the cheetah who runs out of strength fast, I have God on my side and we are running this together and I am not letting up! 

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned...

...too bad Megan's form of saving doesn't quite work that way!!  On May 7th, Megan was given a shiny new penny from her Daddy.  She carried it with her in the car and then shortly after we arrived home, she came running to me frantic and made gestures that very quickly told me that she had swallowed her penny.  She was devastated. I, however, was annoyed.  Tim, who gave her the penny in the first place, had to work so he didn't get to experience the treasure hunting I knew was ahead. I suppose I deserve it after the marbles, coins, and who knows what else I swallowed as a kid. 

After a week of digging and gagging my way through searching for this worthless penny, I figured we should probably get an xray to make sure it was at least making some progress.  A friend of mine from work recently had her son in the emergency department because he was having complications from the coin he had swallowed a month prior and they had to surgically remove his because of the abdominal pain.  Megan had no symptoms and I certainly didn't want her to develop any! 

The xray revealed that the penny was still in her stomach.  However, it also revealed that it seemed to be embedding itself or eroding which would potentially lead to an ulcer which is quite serious. Removal seemed necessary.  Our pediatrician consulted with a GI physician who too was concerned.  A second xray was ordered 2 days later.  The GI physician was so concerned about it that he, though he had never laid eyes on Megan nor received any financial compensation for the referral, checked her xray even before my pediatrician had a chance to call him to make sure that it had moved, even if just in the stomach.  Praise the Lord, it had!  Though it is still in her stomach and doesn't seem to be going anywhere else anytime soon, it is not embedding or eroding and so, no ulcer risk. The radiologist and GI doc seem to think that her stomach was contracting the very moment the first xray was taken and the coin had been squeezed between the folds making it have an irregular appearance.  The GI nurse I was able to talk to also gave us a lot of reassurance and said that we would just need to follow up in the next 4 weeks with another xray but said that they are currently caring for a child who has had a coin in his stomach for 3 months and as long as Megan stays asymptomatic, it would be okay to leave the penny in there.  What a relief!!!  Between the back and forth with the pediatrician, the nurses, the GI doc, and radiologist, I was starting to think that we would have to go through surgery to remove this stupid penny!  Praise the Lord that as of right now, the worst thing that is going to happen is more treasure hunting for Tim and I. 

This penny is going to cost us a pretty penny...

As a means of a prayer request though, because pennies are no longer made of copper (some 97% zinc and only a 3% overlay of copper), there is still a chance that the high zinc content could cause an ulcer in her stomach if it doesn't move soon.  We are almost to week 3 now and still no penny.  Pray it passes soon!

Tyler's Preschool Fun Day

 Tyler's last day of preschool was yesterday and it was a "fun day." I was able to go with just he and Megan (leaving Morgan at Jay and Nancy's).  I gotta admit, I am SOOO glad to be done with school for awhile.  I know its just two days a week, but it will be so nice to not have to worry about having somewhere to be in the mornings! Not looking forward to having to get 4 kids up, dressed, fed, and ready to go by 8:30 in the morning 3 days a week!  Ugh!  Anyway...yesterday was fun.  I think it is safe to say that both he and Megan's favorite part was the "magic show" at the beginning.  I have never seen that many kids sitting still and listening so intently for so long!  Well, Megan didn't...she was up and walking around the room several times and I had to get up and walk in front of everyone at least once to get her!  Sigh...I feel sorry for her teachers next year!

I was bummed I couldn't get pictures of their faces but I thought it was so cute seeing Tyler raise his little hand. :)

 And especially cute when Megan raised hers even though she had no idea what she was raising it for. :)

 The whole purpose with the magic show was to find the missing pet turtle.  Once they found him at the end, they got the chance to pet him.  He is a 30 year old turtle, his entire life being a pet to the magician.  I thought that was pretty cool!

 After the magic show, it was outside for some relay games and fun on the playground.  I give the teachers and their helpers props for attempting to do organized games with so many 3 and 4 year olds, but it was definitely just an attempt.  This is them doing a relay race...

 I didn't get a picture of the next obstacle, but they were supposed to weave themselves through the swings on the swingset. After about the second kid, they just got on the swings and started swinging.  Preschool ADD at its finest. :)

 But, the kids had fun and thats all that matters right?!

 Megan was hard to keep track of throughout the whole process, but once she got on the merry go round tricycle thing, she stayed put for awhile.  She loved it!  I felt bad for the poor girl in green though...most of the other girls either couldn't reach the pedals or didn't know how they worked.  She was able to keep it going by herself!  Thats pretty impressive!

 

 Apparently fun days can be boring... :P

 Megan's friend Grace doing a great job on this climber thing. (Don't know the official word for this piece of equipment...)

 Megan was pretty proud of herself for being able to hold herself up like this.

 I wonder if I hung her upside down if eventually her penny would come out...

 Another organized game fail.  They kids are supposed to only go underneath when their name is called and its supposed to be a quick motion where they switch places with someone else.  See Megan?  Yep...she just hung out underneath the whole time...

 And Tyler thought the whole thing was lame. ;)

 After some fun play time outside, we headed inside where the kids all got to get their diplomas or certificates. (Tyler just got a preschool completion certificate since he isn't going on to kindergarten yet.)

 In just one year of preschool, Tyler had three different teachers.  The first had to take a leave of absence to care for her mother.  Our paster's wife then stepped in to teach the class but after only a couple weeks also had to leave unexpectedly to care for her mother (who is 99!!)) Mrs. Kinnison has been his preschool teacher since February. Fortunately, Mrs. Kinnison goes to our church and just so happens to be his Sunday School teacher as well so it was an easy transition. He has learned so much under her and we are so thankful for the sacrifices she makes to be not only his teacher, but the administrator of the entire preschool and daycare. 

And, I think its safe to say, he loves her. :)  We are so thankful for how this year has helped Tyler grow and mature.  I can't wait to see what he learns next year!

Tyler's Last Day of Preschool

The last day of Tyler's first year of preschool has come and gone. What a fast year it has been!!  I seriously feel like I was just taking these first day of preschool pictures!  Tyler has grown and matured so much and we are so thankful we made the decision to put him in school this year.  I think the biggest area where I see a difference is socially.  He is so much more confident now and is playing a lot better with other kids his age.  And of course, he knows a lot more about his letters and numbers and always continues to amaze us with his ability to pick letters out of clouds, signs, buildings, etc. I can't wait to see what another year of preschool will do for him!  Without further ado, here are some pictures of our baby boy, first year of school down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be sure to click on the link above to see the comparison from his first day of preschool. I can see a difference!  He is certainly looking older :(

Drive Through Car Wash

Before pictures of the "car wash," I had to throw this one in of Megan.  I was making a photo book for my Mom for Mother's Day and didn't have an updated picture of Megan.  I took her outside, didn't fix her hair or change her clothes from what it had been that morning when we got up, and managed to get this cute natural smile from her.  I love that it is her in her everyday look. :)

 Now for the fun part...Last July, Tim, and I believe maybe his dad too? built this ultra simple and extra fun drive through "car wash" for the kids.  Its been sitting around all winter waiting to be enjoyed and we finally had a day a couple weeks ago that was hot enough to use it!  The kids LOOOOVED it!  I was glad I had put sun screen on them prior to because they played out there for a long time.

 

 

 I originally had just brought Morgan outside to play in the grass with me but I quickly learned that she wanted to go through the car wash too!

 So, we got her swim suit on and she went straight through it and loved it!

 typical Megan pose...dancing :)

 Typical Morgan face...we see this ALLL the time.  Its her squinting cuz its bright, annoyed, frustrated, and sometimes just the facial expression she prefers face. :)

 

 Megan's favorite thing to do...take off her shoes and play in water...needless to say, she was in heaven!

 

 I loved their creativity once simply going through the car wash got old.  Here, Megan was pushing Tyler through

Here, Tyler is pushing Megan through while Megan just holds on and puts her feet up on the supports

 

 

 Morgan figured she needed to put her helmet on too. ;) 

  Sweet little rotten girl...

 ...with a rotten smile!

 Morgan adores Tyler and laughs and smiles like this a lot when he comes near

 Morgan loved the car wash!  Since it is currently only 50 something degrees, I am really longing for a hot day again for us to get this back out!

 

 The face

 The new crawl because she doesn't like her knees getting scratched up...the girl just needs to walk!!

 And, one last pic...Tyler was super proud of the monster dandelion he found.  He wouldn't blow it and wouldn't let me blow it.  I was instructed to hold on to it, put it in a glass of water and put it inside...Didn't happen though...Megan found it before I had the chance and blew it :)