A little help from my friends

Ok, this is humiliating, but I need your prayers. I had my last post-partum appointment. My doctor told me that if we wanted to have one more baby in about two years....I would have to lose at least 60 pounds. GULP!!!!!!! First of all, he is about as near perfect as can be as you can see from the picture. Then it is such a huge goal for me.

Please pray for us. I have joined Weight Watchers Online to get some guidance and learn what a normal portion size really looks like.

Sigh.....I am so not looking forward to all this. I really need your prayers and encouragement. I want to do this to increase my odds of being able to have one more baby, plus I want to be healthier to keep up with the three beautiful kids I have now.

On a lighter note...quite literally....when I weighed last night, I had lost 3 pounds :)

Fun Weekend

We had a super weekend. Allen had put in 40 hours by the time Thursday ended. So, we were so lucky to have him work just a couple of hours on Friday. Then he came home and took us to the zoo. We had a wonderful time. The girls really enjoyed all the animals. Of course we had to ride the train twice and the carousel twice for Hannah :)

Sunday we were able to go to the Red Bud parade. It amazed me. The population here is only like 3500. I haven't seen that many people at a parade in a long time. It lasted for 1 1/2 hours too. Clarence and Jane (Allen's parents) came down to watch the parade with us. We all had a good time. The girls got so much candy and beads. Thankfully they quickly forget about the candy and I was able to make Allen take most of it to work! I am grateful for simple weekends like this with memories that I will cherish forever.

Emily's day

Today I would like to brag on my middle child. She has been just amazing the last month. She has only been walking for a month and already she has started to run. Well, try at least :) She looks a little bit like Frankenstein though. Then she has switched to her big girl bed. Well, this week she has decided that she didn't want to sit in a highchair anymore. She claimed Hannah's booster chair. Thankfully Hannah thought it was really cool to sit in a big girl chair (one without a booster or anything) like her big cousin Allison :)

Emily has also been going on the potty several times. She loves sitting on it like her sister. Then she will try to go. I can't believe she is already interested in potty training! We are just following her lead, but I am still amazed.

Then today she was getting really cranky (which could be because she is getting her one year molars and a tooth in front as well. Our rule is that if you are grouchy you have to go to bed. Well, I said.."Emily do you need to get your paci (we only let her have it in bed or in her car seat now) and go take a nap?" She marched straight to her room. Then she pulled open the drawer where we keep her pacifiers and waited for me to give her one. I handed her one and she put herself to bed!!!!!! What a blessing :)

Calling All Readers!

I am curious as to who is reading my blog. Could you please respond to this even if you leave a blank post? I want to know who my audience is :)

Happy Father's Day!!!

Today we went actually made it to Sunday School and church. This is two weeks in a row :) Later we met MawMaw and Papa at Cici's pizza. Then we went to the transportation museum in St Louis. We met up with Gampa, Gamma, Aunt Sandy and Sami. It was terribly hot and humid, but we had a great time. The girls loved looking at the trains, but I think they liked riding on them the best :)

I am so thankful for such a wonderful family!

Family Day

Today we were out and about. We got lots done. We went out for breakfast. Then Allen took us to some garage sales. Hannah just loves going to them. She loves checking out other people's toys :O) We got Allen's eyes checked and his glasses ordered. Then we went to Kirkwood to see the train depot. Unfortunately the train wasn't running. In fact they had to bus people in. Hannah was severely disappointed. We then went and got ice cream. Across the street was the Kirkwood fire department. They just pulled back in as we were leaving the ice cream stand. So, I made Allen take us over there. The girls thought it was so super.

I am so grateful for a husband that loves to spend time with his family. It is so nice that Allen's free time isn't being out on the golf course or playing poker with the boys. I know I am so very blessed. I can't imagine my husband being any more perfect. He is truly a blessing from the Lord! I don't know what I would do without him. Not only is he the most wonderful husband, but he is the best, most amazing dad! I am so happy that I get to have him as my kids' daddy!

Getting Big!!!

I am not going to have small babies for much longer. My kids are growing so fast. Well, maybe not my petite Hannah, but the younger two.

Emily had her doctor's appointment a couple of weeks ago for her 1 year check. She is over 30 inches tall. She had a huge growth spurt. She is currently in the 97% for height. Then she is almost 24 pounds. She is in the 85% for that. For those of you who don't know what those percentages mean.....When she is in the 97% that means that 97% of all normal kids her age are shorter than her.

Joseph had his one month appointment yesterday. Yeah, I can't even believe he is already 5 weeks old today! He is 22 3/4 inches long. That puts him in the 90%. Then he now weighs 10 pounds 14 ounces. That puts him in the 80% for that. One prayer request is for his clogged tear duct. The poor thing!

Besides the lack of sleep, we are all adjusting really well! I am so grateful. Update on my heart....the cardiologist said that my echocardiogram has improved. I am still going to be on several medications for a while. He said he can't be sure, but he believes my cardiomyopathy is pregnancy induced. This is a very rare condition. I don't know how I can get so many things like that and never win the lottery :) That is all good news for my kids. The pediatritian was concerned for their little hearts. It is not good news, however, for our desire to have four kids. We may just have to be set with our three little angels. That has not been an easy thing to think about. I love my kids so very much. I love being a mom and even the process of being pregnant. I don't want to think that phase of my life is over. I am not to the point where I want to hear "Well, at least you have three...you need to be thankful for that". It is not that I am ungrateful in any way. Just the opposite. I love having them so much that I am in a period of mourning that I may not be able to have any more kids. Pray for me that the Lord will encourage my heart.

There is not a dull moment in my life right now....well, maybe when I am sleeping.....then again I am not sleeping for more than 3 hours at a time so maybe that shouldn't even count :)

The bathroom door was open for less than a minute. I ran in there to find Emily using the phone to swish the water around in the toilet. Not sure if it will still work.

Last night however we had some encouragement. Emily went pooh on the potty (yeah for all of you who don't have kids, you don't realize how exciting this is!!!) right before bath. We normally just set her on there to get her used to it. Horray! Then she slept the whole night in her big girl toddler bed. What a good girl :)

Another weekend

We had a super time together this weekend. We went down to Prairie du Rocher's Fort Chartres. It is a mid 1700s French fort. They have reenactments and stuff to buy. It was fun. We also got to meet Karen's new boyfriend, Andrew. He is super. We all really like him. He has a good sense of humor too. He has said that forever in his mind Praire du Rocher will equal loin cloth! Lots of people dressed in period clothing. Too many of them were just in loin cloths. Many of them had loin cloths that were just too small. Wow, what a view :(

These pictures are the first I have of the five of us and of the kids together. It only took 30 tries to get them all looking!!!!