The Iles Family

Jump!

2012-02-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Jack's school participated in the Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser. All the kids had been practicing jump-roping in PE all week and were so excited to show off their skills!

The event kicked off with a gym full of pre-K and 6th grade students. The gym teacher played a hip-hop(ish) song called "Dynamite" and the sixth graders just went crazy dancing to the song. They have learned the motions their entire time at Phoenix, and they loved to show the Pre-K kiddos how it's done. Jack (being the typical Iles man that he is), stood very still with one hand on his hip and tapped his foot to the beat. No dancing, no real rhythm, just steady tapping. I saw a group of sixth-grade girls gather around him and try to teach him the moves. He just grinned at the girls and kept on tapping. Love him!!

Funny story: We bought Jack a pair of light-up shoes the weekend before (you would have thought I bought him the moon), but he didn't want to wear them to school this week. He only wanted to wear his old shoes. I prodded him a few times about wearing his new shoes, but he just kept repeating that he loved them, but didn't want to wear them. Thursday morning Clint tried to talk him into wearing the light-up shoes, and finally Jack's eyes welled up with tears and exclaimed, "I just don't want to mess them up!!" The playground has been so muddy lately with all the rain, and poor Jack didn't want his precious new shoes to get dirty. Well, Friday morning we were getting him all pumped up for Jump Rope for Heart and I convinced him that it would be a good idea to wear his light up shoes since he would be jumping so much. He agreed and was SO proud of his shoes at school. Oh, it won't be long until $14.88 light-up shoes will be old hat and he will want iphones and who knows what else!!

Girly Girl

2012-01-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

My mom kept telling me to just "hang in there" until Sydney turned two. She always told me that my sister, Jennifer, cried until she was two years old (sorry for the public call-out, Jenn) and that Sydney would grow out of being so clingy.

She was right! (Of course...) Sydney has gone from crying anytime a stranger smiled at her in public to actually waving hi to random people! It's sooo wonderful! At home she is downright silly, goofy, and a show-off!

She found a (fake) pearl necklace in my jewelry drawer and just HAD to have it on. She then walked in the living room and found the camera and insisted that she "cheese." Sydney is at such a fun age and I just want to soak it in!!

Only Jack...

2012-01-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Poptart had a dental appointment one day over the Christmas break. She did a great job and only had one cavity! Jack and Sydney were both so good for the whole wait and appointment, so the dentist gave the kids four tokens to use in the "junk machine." Poptart came out with two rubber bouncy balls. And Jack, oh Jack, came out with a stick-on mustache.

He wore it all the way home, feeling so cool. He would casually make conversation, stare out of the window, and lightly touch the nasty thing in pure joy.

The wonderful world of boys :)

And Sydney has become quite the oatmeal eater. Twice today, in fact! I had the camera out to take pictures of some shirts I made today and she started hollering for me to take her picture. She had just woken up from afternoon nap, looking pretty rough. All she wanted was oatmeal!

The real reason for her giddiness today? The older two are in school today. Mommy all to herself!!

If you're interested...

2011-12-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, January 3rd, the Louisiana Baptist Children's Home will be making a free presentation at Calvary Alexandria about the foster/adoptive process and the church's involvement in orphan care. Childcare will be provided, but you must register online in order to be on the list for the meeting and the childcare. Go to www.calvarynet.net to register!

If you have been keeping up with our family and have even had a twinge of "maybe God's calling us to do that," and you are able to make it to Alexandria, you should come to the meeting!

More Christmas 2011!

2011-12-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

Eli showing off his muscles!!

PawPaw with Jack and Syd

PaPaw at Harrisonburg Christmas!

Sweet Sam

Aunt Jenn and Sydney Kaye!

All the LaFitte girls and grandkids!

Uncle Bob and Aunt Laura with our kids.

Sydney loves her GiGi!

Bob and Laura

Mom, Laura, Syd

Jack and Laura

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T17:51:00.001-08:00

Let's just start from the beginning of Christmas!!

First, we shopped for a tree....
(can you tell by Jack's expression that it was COLD that day?? And doesn't my husband look so handsome in this picture?)

Here is Jack and Sydney in front of the Christmas tree on December 4th. Jack is sporting his new belt from Kaye and Dean!

We also had the second annual Christmas cookie decorating party at the fabulous Melissa Walsh's house. There were about 30 people there. So much fun!!

Sydney just ate M&Ms the whole time. Don't judge. I was trying to control three kids....and all three are quite a handful when it comes to anything with icing :)

Poptart's magnificent cookie :)

On the 23rd we had the Curt Iles family Christmas. We spent the whole day just playing, eating, cooking, herding kids, and taking time to worship and reflect on what God has done in our families in 2011.

Sweet Luke.

Jack got a "shiner" on the fourwheeler and was not a happy camper during suppertime.

The cousin table...the only picture I can post of lots of kids because in the rest of the pictures, you can see Poptart's whole face.

Gingerbread house making!

It looked pretty good for about 5 minutes. Then it ended up in a messy pile!

On Christmas Eve we went to the service at Calvary Alexandria. I thought the service started at 4:30, so we got there at 4:05 to take pictures. The service actually started at 4:00, so we had to go to the overflow room because the sanctuary was packed. Ended up being a good thing because we were the second family to light the candle tree (tradition at our church)!

On Christmas Day, we got up, opened presents, and headed to church. We didn't last very long!! There was no childcare provided, and Sydney was getting LOUD....then Poptart had to go to the bathroom, so before we knew it all five of us were in the lobby. So we just went on home. HA!

My family came to our house for lunch. I hadn't seen Sam since he was born, and Clint hadn't seen him at all! It was so fun to snuggle a new baby!

More pictures in another post...Blogger won't let me upload anymore :(

A Well-Watered Garden

2011-12-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we had Poptart's Family Team Conference (FTC). The FTC is a meeting every six months in which everyone involved in the case comes together to chart progress, make changes, and formulate requirements for the birth parents, foster parents, and case workers. It can be a tense and awkward meeting, as you can imagine.

Clint and I, Poptart, and her family all had to wait together in a tiny waiting room while the case workers and attorneys arrived. I had this overwhelming sense of....

I don't want to be here.

These people are so different from me. They look different, talk differently, are educated differently. I wanted to go to my home, embrace my precious children, deadbolt my door, and leave it all. I wanted to return to my life of normalcy, and return my family to its original state.
For goodness sake, I wanted to build a picked fence, plant some tulips, and put the blinders back on my eyes.

In an effort to be real, I'll just say it: I didn't want to be associated with those people.

How's that for transparency?

But on my way home, in the blinding rain, God convicted me of my awful pride and reminded me:

Amanda, you are those people.

Jesus is God, perfect in every way. And yet he "humbled himself as a man." He became one of us. He didn't just associate with us....he BECAME one of us. And He saved us. He saved us from our filth, from our brokenness. He "lifted us out of the mud and the mire and gave us a firm place to stand."

When Jesus was walking on Earth, he broke bread with the lowest of people. He didn't care about social status, education, or cleanliness. He loved. He died. He redeemed.

When I found out I was pregnant with Jack (we had decided that week we would wait one more year to start a family....oops), I clung to Isaiah 58:11-12: "The Lord will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." And the Lord did provide for us through after-school tutoring, frying catfish, and an extra graduate stipend for Clint. I will never forget how clearly God spoke to me that night when I was scared, pregnant, and broke.

A couple of years ago, God redirected me to Isaiah 58. The WHOLE chapter. Directly before those precious verses of 11-12, vs. 9b-10 says "If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, THEN shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday [emphasis mine]."

Friends, as much as I DON'T want to have the child begging for food at a Christmas party, hate changing her sheets every other night, and cringe every time we have to teach hygiene, I DO want my light to shine like the noonday.

I want to be a well-watered garden.

This week we have been reciting John 3:16 in preparation for our family Christmas gathering. Poptart is in charge of the first phrase, and Jack in in charge of the second phrase. As we were practicing the other night, Poptart had her own little twist on her part. She squeezed her little eyes shut and said...

"Por God so wubbed da wold dat he gabe his speshul Son."

His Special Son.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Poptart.

Kitchen Cabinets Done and Living Room Update!

2011-12-10T20:47:00.001-08:00

I'm addicted to DIY projects around the house because:

1. it's cheaper than buying new stuff.
2. I like new stuff.
3. it's cheaper than buying new stuff.

So, there you go. Shallow as it gets :)

A while back I started painting the kitchen cabinets and f - i - n - a - l - l - y got them done a few days before Thanksgiving. I love how they turned out! Definitely brightened up the kitchen!!

THEN, my dad bought us a new TV for Christmas. So incredibly excited about it!! I've been wanting a piece of furniture to organize my fabric in (which is a huge catastrophe in the laundry room). So, when we got the TV, I decided that "Stitched" should buy a dresser from the fabulous Melissa Herrington to house the fabric and put the TV on top.

Oh wow. She did an awesome job. The top two drawer fronts were missing on the original piece, so she put baskets up top (which now holds the DVD player and the remotes). We bought a Roku box with the TV, so now we can stream Netflix onto the TV. So much fun!

We had a rocker in the nursery (which has been through THREE babies now), but a six-year-old girl doesn't really need a rocker. So, we moved the rocker to the living room. Three babies does quite a number on upholstery, so I am ambitiously wanting to slipcover the thing before Christmas. Hopefully the tutorial from Pinterest will be enough???

And the cover I've had on the ivory loveseat is in need of replacing, so for $5/yard, it will be a fabulous gold with a great pillow out of the striped fabric.

Hmmmmm....maybe I should get busy?

Hunkering

2011-12-07T18:51:00.001-08:00

In the last ten days our family has grown by one. And no matter how a family grows, whether through birth or adoption or, in our case, foster care, the whole family seems to just hunker down and get through it for a couple of weeks. Anyone who has had a child knows exactly what I mean. All of a sudden there's someone else to factor into everything you do, from breakfast to carpool to bathtime, and it just takes a while to get that new routine established and ordinary.

In our case, our new addition brought with her heartache, pain, and disorientation. Yes, she was gaining a spot in our home, but she was also losing her family (at least temporarily). So although Poptart and Jack and Sydney love each other and get along very well, she is still grieving and dealing with a huge loss. And establishing routines with a grieving child just takes a lot of.....hunkering.

So, when someone says, "How are the Iles doing with their new little girl?"

Say: "Oh, they're hunkering."

When I sit back and think of the impact that our decision to do foster care has had on our family, I am overwhelmed. Worry and anxiety creep in. What if Jack and Sydney aren't receiving the attention they deserve? What if they feel unloved? What if Jack secretly resents us for doing this? Will Sydney have a complex because her whole little life is so racked with siblings coming and going? The questions and doubts can creep in and monopolize my focus.

The day before Poptart came to us, our pastor preached a sermon on Psalm 34. I was home with sick Sydney and missed it, but I studied the chapter later on that night. What a timely sermon for our family!! Today during my quiet time I sat down and began to read this chapter again, and these verses jumped out at me:

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken." Ps. 34: 17-20

Our little Poptart is brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, but I know the Lord is close to her, because he promised he would be.

Our family is stretched and having to reorganize, but the Lord will protect our bones...not one of them will be broken.

Father, thank you for your Word.

Silly Girl

2011-11-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on the way home from church Sydney was just minding her own business (miracle!!) on our quiet ride home. When we got in the driveway I turned around and was surprised to see that she had been peeling all the stickers off her craft from Sunday School and sticking them all over her face. So stinkin' cute!

Ever since, she finds stickers all over the house - you know, because I live with little people..it comes with the territory - and ever-so-gently pushes them into her never-ending cheek. I even was donned with a sticker on my cheek for a while today.

Sydney Kaye is really "coming into her own" as Clint would say. She is developing a great little personality and is starting to become more social. However, her Sunday School teacher said that Sydney said "Mommy" about 100 times while she was playing with her toys. What can I say? The girl loves me.

:)

Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween weekend! When Halloween falls on/near a weekend, you seem to get SEVERAL uses out of the costume!! Jack's class had their party on Friday (smart teacher to not start the week off with a party!) so Jack got to wear his "Super Why" costume to school.

Don't make fun of that baby. He had his heart set on being "Super Why" from PBS Kids. How could I say no???

This weekend we finger-painted and carved pumpkins. Sydney enjoyed the finger painting.

Jack did not like putting his hand into that icky pumpkin!!

Sydney was a butterfly. She hated her wings when we first got them a while back, but now she LOVES them!!

Sweet smiles.

DON'T TOUCH ME!!

I love my kiddos!

Field Trip to the Fair

2011-10-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed to be able to stay home this school year. I don't know what God has in store for years to come, but I just am so thankful for this year at home. Yes, I may have stayed up until the wee hours of the morning making shirts , but it's all about the tradeoffs, people.

And yesterday was an awesome tradeoff. I got to go with Jack on his first field trip! We went to the fair to see the farm animals. The other little boy in all of the pictures is Jack's classmate Josef. Josef's mom wasn't able to make it, so he hung out with us all day. He is hilarious.

The boys were able to hold bunnies,

sit on a horse,

sit on a tractor,

pet a calf,

pose with haybales,

and ride the rides.
Funny story on this one: It was PreK and Special Needs day at the fair. Quite an interesting combination. Well, I saw groups of people going and getting a bracelet from a lady and then riding rides...for free! So, Jack, Josef, and I walked up and asked for a bracelet, and she gave them to us! We rode two rides, then met back up with the group for lunch. The other parents were asking how I got to bring them on a ride, since the bracelets were only for the special needs groups. Oops.....All I know is I asked for some and they gave them to us...maybe they thought the boys were special needs???? Oh well, we got to ride - HA!

Loved this day with my boy!

P.S. Hop on over to The Harris Life to enter a giveaway for my Christmas shirts!

Bowhead(s)

2011-10-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Sydney is starting to love bows. Today after bringing Jack to school, we stopped at Home Depot to price some items for a future project I'm dreaming up (Clint gets nauseous everytime I do that). Sydney had taken out her bow on the way there, but before I got her out of her carseat, she frantically pointed to her hair and said "Bow! Bow!"

The other night Sydney and I were picking up their room, and we decided to put ALL of the bows on her head!! With every new bow I put in her hair, she would run to Clint and/or Jack and scream "YUUOOUUU!!!" (which is "look!!")

After a while, though, she tired of the whole game and just ripped those bows out one by one....

So I'll Remember: The Cupid Shuffle

2011-10-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend our church partnered with a local church plant to throw a Block Party in a low-income part of Alexandria. Clint was there to man the jumping-machine-blow-up-things. (I think he was mainly the "bouncer" for the jumpers...ha!)

There was a Christian rap group from Shreveport there to share the gospel and to lead in worship. As the party was getting started, they played the "Cupid Shuffle" to get everyone moving. Oh my goodness, I wish I would have been there to see 300+ kids doing the Cupid Shuffle. Hilarious.

The kids and I weren't able to go, so Clint filled us in on everything that went on, including the massive Cupid Shuffle dance. Jack was intrigued, so.....

We may have you-tubed it. And we may have danced in the living room for a long time.

We've done this for two nights now.

And on the way to school this morning, Jack was singing very quietly as he looked out the window "Down, down, do your thang, do your thang...To the right to the right to the right...."

We know we're weird.

We know our house is so fun.

Go ahead, watch the video and dance with your kids in the living room. You know you want to.

Laura's Wedding

2011-09-11T19:33:00.001-07:00

Well, the wedding was actually a month ago, but better late than never!!

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Earl Bass III (aka Bob and Laura) were married August 13th at a plantation wedding in Baton Rouge. It was so gorgeous!! The kids and I went to BR Thursday so I could help mom and we could visit with everyone for a couple of days.

Jack was the ringbearer and Sydney was, well....Sydney. She and Clint didn't even sit in the ceremony because we knew she would yell "MOMMY!!" the whole time. We were right :)

I only have a few pictures from the rehearsal dinner. There are some wonderful pics of the actual wedding on Facebook, but I can't get them onto the blog for some reason.

Anyway, I love my new brother!!

What's Next

2011-09-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

K-Dawg has been home for over a month now. His mother has full custody of him and we are rejoicing for their family.

We have enjoyed our time as "just the four of us." We have seen Jack off to school, taken three out of town mini-trips, enjoyed my sister's wedding, spent a lot of time with family, and Clint and I have spent two nights without kids.

I feel caught up on seven months of sleep deprivation, and I've lost the muscle tone I gained while totting around two heavy babies :) Heck, I've gained weight...seems I shouldn't eat like I did when I was chasing after three kids - ha!

We feel rested, rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready.

So, what's next? We have agreed to open our home after the middle of September, so we'll call the state department and tell them to put us back on the "call list." And the prayerful waiting will begin! We will probably receive many calls about various children, and we will have to seek the Lord's guidance about each child. Over the summer I have received several different "girl" items, like bedding, older girls' clothing, etc. Maybe our next placement is a girl? Who knows?

All I know is that we are doing what the Lord has called us to do. And it is exciting.

I read this blog post today, and I could closely identify. I continually have to remind myself that hard times are coming. The sleep deprivation will reoccur, and the busyness of this family will surely increase.

But Jesus is in this, and I am at peace.

Thank you all for your prayers!!

First Day of PreK!!

2011-08-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

Can you believe my son is old enough for school?? (I really need to quit saying that...)

Jack went for his first day on Friday. He was very nervous all the way there. I made the mistake of explaining teacher's discipline procedures to him the night before, so all the way to school he was very worried about getting on "yellow." He trotted right up to his teacher, took her hand, and walked into school like a big boy!!

During the day, Sydney absolutely loved having me all to herself. We went to Target to shop for some embroidery orders, and she just smiled at me and looked at clothes. She was so sweet. She was very excited to pick Jack up from school. When she saw him, she squealed and laughed.

When Jack got in the car, he told us about his friends (he couldn't remember any names), how they did exercises (P.E.), and his favorite part of the day was playing with the pretend kitchen. He said he cooked pizza and washed the dishes.

We are excited about the opportunity for building relationships with families in the public school system. On the way to school, I prayed with Jack about his first year of school, that he would be an ambassador for Christ in his classroom. I also prayed that Clint and I would be intentional about making friends with other parents.

"Go ye therefore...." into the public school system.

Here we go!

18 Months!

2011-08-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Sweet Sydney,

You are 18 months old! I am constantly reminded that you are not a baby anymore.

At 18 months, you are:

learning words! Since you got tubes in, you can hear (that always seems to help the speech department- ha!) Right now you can say mommy, dada, jack, flapper, baby, milk, uh-oh, yes, no, nose
Learning body parts....we are still working on facial features, but you're getting the hang of it!
Forming opinions. You tell me "no no" on a normal basis. And sometimes you get in trouble for it :)
Starting to run! That just seems like so much trouble, though, doesn't it?
Taking care of baby dolls
Still loving your sleep. You tell me "night night" and point to your crib whenever you are tired. Complete opposite of your brother :)
Eating almost anything I put in front of you.
Admiring your brother.

Chocolate makes us happy. This was on a particularly stressful day. My vehicle should really have a more structured environment.

Who wouldn't think this kid is awesome? I'm soaking it up, because one day she'll think he's disgusting (and he probably will be). Jack loves watching gymnastics on the TV, and now he loves to flip around the house. This particular incident happened when we were reviewing sight words (on the fridge). Again, I should probably be more structured. Good thing he has an awesome PreK teacher! HA!

The Last Two Weeks

2011-08-20T20:36:00.001-07:00

Oh, goodness! I can't believe I haven't updated in two weeks, but then again, it's been a crazy two weeks!!

1. Pineywoods 2011: Wonderful weekend of catching up with family. Clint's family all meets up at a camp in Texas for the first weekend in August. It's a celebration of Clint's parents' marriage and all that has come of it! (Bro. Curt always says that when he married DeDe, he never imagined all the people that would join his family....from three sons, to daughters-in-law, and now grandchildren!)
We had a great two days spending time with our extended family, but also as our family unit of four. This was a great get-away after K-Dog was placed back home, and we soaked up some together time!

2. Laura's wedding: Also a great weekend with family! Laura and Bob have now moved to Denver to start their lives together, so last weekend was a sweet time with my mom and sisters before we all move on with our families, babies (Jenn), and moving across the country (Laura).
My grandparents were in from Arkansas, and we were able to meet Laura's new family, the Bass family!

3. While we were in Baton Rouge for Laura's wedding, we got the news that Clay's family was moving to Alexandria! He got a teaching position at ASH, and it was a whirlwind of decisions for their family! Clay, Robin, and Luke stayed with us for a few days while they found a place to live and scoped out schools for Noah. We were happy to spend time with them and are so excited that they will be living close!

4. School: Jack went for testing (I have no idea how he did, I had to stay out in the hall) and brought his school supplies to his classroom. His teacher is wonderful, and his classroom is amazing! In just two weeks he'll be at school full-time. Crazy!

5. New office: Clint's company moved to a new office in town. It is SO much bigger than where he was...he has his own room now! His boss really did an excellent job in fixing the place up, and I'm glad he is a few minutes closer to home.

Okay, next time will be more pictures, but I mainly wanted to remind myself of all that has gone on the last two weeks!

Campbell's Soup, Anyone?

2011-08-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

I brought the kids to the library today (free way to beat the heat!!) and Jack played games on the computer while Sydney bee-bopped around the children's section. She pulled books off shelves, tried to run away from me, laughed hysterically when I tried to catch her, and basically made a scene (but a cute one) in the otherwise quiet library. There is a glass-enclosed office that overlooks the children's section with several stern librarians to ensure the quiet nature of the library. I made Jack pick four books - he pulled the first four he could get off the shelf to appease me - then we headed for checkout. As we were leaving, one of the ladies in the "stern, quiet office" stopped me and said, "Excuse me, but has anyone ever told you that your daughter looks like the Campbell's Soup baby?" She handed me a picture that she and the other ladies had just printed out.

I'll give you a second to process this....

Isn't that hysterical???

And here's my little soup girl...

Nicknames

2011-08-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

I have always called my kids random nicknames. Not really in public, but around the house they earn all sorts of names. Jack was "Cricket" for the first few months of his life, Sydney is "Boopsie." If you have to ask why, you've never met her.

Other names we throw around:

Summer lovin' (either kid)
Waverunner (Jack's personal fav)
Squishy (Sydney, of course)
Boppy
Loopy

Clint and I don't have nicknames for each other. For some reason, that's weird to me. But calling my daughter "Squishy" doesn't seem strange at all....

Anyway, Jack has caught onto me calling them off-the-wall names here and there and has started calling me funny names.

For example, the other day I was in the kitchen and I called his name, and he said, "What do you need, Spooky?" I should have corrected him, but I was stifling laughter, so I let it go. I probably should have held it together and told him that he should just call me "Mommy," because now I may be referred to as any number of names, such as...

Smuffy
Snookie
Spunky

Well, it went on for a couple of days, until at the supper table, Jack referred to me as "Swoopy" and Clint didn't find it quite as endearing as I did. He's the stronger disciplinarian. Oops.

Aren't you glad for that little peak into our home? We're normal, I promise :)

Part of It

2011-07-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Setting up a room to make it feel like "his"... part of it.

Going through a tube of Boudreaux's in two days..

Trying to soothe a baby who doesn't know you, much less love you...

Figuring out feeding schedules, likes, dislikes, and sleeping routines...

These are all a part of foster care.

Buying a wardrobe of new clothes that reflect his fun personality,

Babyproofing the house because he is such a busy boy :)

Watching him learn to scoot, then crawl, then pull up, and walk.

Hearing his first words and starting to discipline. This is all part of it.

Planning his first birthday,

Going on vacation,Vacation Bible School,

Praying for him and his family fervently....and calling on our prayer warriors to do the same.

Soothing him after shots,

And watching him enjoy ice cream and snocones...

Building quality relationships with his family, becoming friends with his mother....part of it.

In the midst of it all, you try to keep your emotions in check, even though you fall in love...

Because letting go is part of it, too.

We love you, Kaden, and we are so proud for you and your family. And so immensely blessed that you were a part of the Iles family for seven months.

More than we can ever ask or imagine!

2011-07-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I was praying about needing another twin bed in this house. Right now we have two cribs and a twin bed, but in the near future we would be needing to take down K-Man's crib and put up a twin bed for another placement. I knew we needed a quality twin bed, but I didn't really want to spend a lot of money.

So, I just told God that we have this need and asked him to please provide someway.

I told Clint that we needed to start thinking about another bed, but then I kind of put it out of my mind.

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours (who is in the process of making room for a new daughter they will be adopting) called me up and asked if we could use a solid wood twin sleigh bed.

Ummm...yes!! It is absolutely beautiful!!

On the side rail, she wrote: This bed is dedicated to be used for God's glory in obedience to James 1:27. Her entire family signed it and it will be signed by every child that comes into our home through foster care/adoption.

Right now it is set up in Jack and Sydney's room because the foster room has a furniture set that included a twin bed. We bought an additional crib when Kaden was placed with us, so now we have two twin beds and two cribs - crazy!!
Little Miss Priss thinks she is ready for a twin bed...she gets in Jack's bed and says "Night night." Yeah right, Priss, you have at least six more months before I'm ready to tackle that challenge!!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." Eph. 3:20

Summer Fun with Friends

2011-07-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed with our friends, the Carnes. We have had many fun summer play dates this year, but Becca and I are always so busy with the five kids that we never take pictures! Becca and the boys came to play a while back and a got a picture of Jack, Ethan, Asa, Sydney, and Kaden all together on the couch. We marveled that when we became friends, there were only two kids - Jack and Ethan....and we've only been friends for a couple of years! Also, Seth and Becca are almost through with the process to become foster a parents, so before long there will be SIX kids running around our houses!

The Lord has blessed us tremendously in our friendship with this precious family and we cannot wait to see all of our kids grow up together.

Oh, the difference!!

2011-07-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

Right now I am raising two kids almost the exact same age - a boy and a girl three months apart. (We're foster parents in case you're not up with the blog...ha!) Funny story: I told a nurse in the doctor's office that they were three months apart and she told me it wasn't possible. I chose not to correct her and just agreed with her. Whatever.

And Sydney Kaye is ALL GIRL. Priss, sass, clean, and scared of everything.

And Kaden is ALL BOY. Rough, dirty, and fearless.

The other night I made spaghetti and looked over where the babies were eating and witnessed first-hand the difference between these two kids.

Sydney was eating one noodle at time, trying not to get anything on her face, and not putting any food on the floor. Except for her face and hands, she was spaghetti-free and working hard to stay that way.

Kaden was sloshing spaghetti all over his tray, throwing it on the floor, stuffing it in his shorts, and hollering about it the whole time.
I mean, just look at his expression....doesn't he look proud??

The pictures don't completely portray the moment, but trust me. They are night and day.

But, they love each other so much. When they spend any time apart, they are so excited to see each other again. And every once in a while (if they're not fighting over toy), they will pause and smile at each other. Oh, so sweet!

T-Ball!

2011-06-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

This spring/summer was Jack's first year of baseball (well, let's not get ahead of ourselves...teewee). He loved every minute of it! At first the season seemed like it would be too intense. The other parents voted to have practice twice a week, as well as the games being twice a week. Thankfully, after a couple of weeks everyone backed off. Whew! I mean, let's be honest, three or four times a week is just ridiculous for a four-year-old. (What am I going to do when he's in high school and it's for hours and hours a week....oh goodness.)

He was so enthusiastic about every practice and every game. We still have quite a ways to go on skills, but the excitement for the game will go a long way with him!

Beach Trip 2011

2011-06-22T13:27:00.001-07:00

We took a long weekend trip (Saturday - Tuesday) to Seaside, Florida. This is where Clint and I took our honeymoon and we were so excited to bring the whole family back this year! In case you've never heard of it, Seaside is a beach community where you can rent cottages that come with kitchens, washers/dryers, and are all either on the beach or right within walking distance. We splurged on our accommodations, but our tradeoff is that we only ate out once (which is actually a good thing with our boisterous crew). We can't wait to go back in a few years!

Our "romantic bedroom" (HA!) With babies surrounding the queen bed, we rotated who got to sleep with Jack on the sofa bed.

Clint grilling on Father's Day.

The twice-a-day sunscreen routine.

The best family picture we could get.

Eating at The Back Porch in Destin. Excellent food and all three kids were cooperative for about 8 minutes. So glad we had a kitchen and didn't have to fight a restaurant every meal!

Best picture I could get with Jack and Sydney

Waiting on our delicious Father's Day steaks!!

Sydney ended up loving the beach. She would rub sand all over her hair and body. At one point she was even eating handfuls of it. Gross!! Kaden hated it. Pure, intense hatred.

I love how the salty air curled their hair up!

"So, Kaden, will we be good in the restaurant or make them miserable?"

And my wave-fighting Jack. He played so incredibly hard the whole time we were there. He would punch, kick, and body-slam the waves. He brings me so much joy!!

I'm SO in trouble

2011-06-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

Quick story mainly for myself because I don't want to forget it :)

We were at Target today and strolled through the shoe aisle (who doesn't?) and saw this precious pair of baby girl sandals. Sydney happened to be barefoot, so I put the sandals on her feet. She grinned and laughed and was down right giddy about her feet in those shoes. She would smile at me and say "look!" and point to her feet. Well, the sandals were over priced, impractical, and looked VERY uncomfortable to walk in. So, I took the sandals back off and put them on the shelf.

I wasn't expecting her reaction.

She looked panicked, screamed MOOMMMMYYYYY and was reaching for the sandals. Her face scrunched up, turned deep red, and she let out a wail and a furious grunt all while reaching desperately for the sandals.

We walked away, her screaming and pleading with her eyes and me explaining to a FIFTEEN-MONTH-OLD that those sandals were not in our budget and would not match very many outfits.

Who IS this kid???

Say Y-E-S to VBS

2011-06-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church, and this was the first year that Jack was an actual VBS student, not just a teacher's-kid-stuck-in-the-nursery. He had an absolute BLAST and was disappointed this evening when I told him that tomorrow will be just another old boring "home day." He said that making Jell-O would liven up the day. I agree.

His teachers did an excellent job. He learned many Bible stories and his little heart is starting to wonder about significant spiritual issues. One day last week he asked me how to get to heaven. Just out of the blue, while I was folding laundry he hollered that question to me from across the house. Made my heart stop.

We are so thankful for our church and for the time and effort so many volunteers put into VBS. But more importantly, we are thankful for the work the Holy Spirit did in the lives of many children and their families.

All three kids' pictures on the fridge. Sydney LOVES to look at them and just giggle.
Jack in his classroom.

Dark picture, but this was the stage at our church. So much work and talent went into this!!

Work Smart, Not Hard.

2011-06-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Stitched.

2011-06-04T08:15:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Since school has been out, I have been super busy getting a new at-home business going. I will be doing custom embroidery/sewing! I've started a blog - be a "follower" and watch as I learn and grow! Hop on over to Stitched!

First Birthday!

2011-05-29T17:16:00.001-07:00

I feel incredibly blessed that I was able to plan TWO first birthday parties this year. Sydney turned one in February, and K-Dawg turned one today!

We had a small get-together at Kees Park in Pineville. K-Dawg's mother and brother were able to make it, and they really enjoyed being around each other and celebrating the day together.

We had a Dr. Seuss themed party. K had a Dr. Seuss hat to wear, but I couldn't get a good picture. We'll try again later!

Sweet, precious, one-year-old boy. God has great plans for you, and I'm so glad He included me in your life.

Last Day of Work/Daycare

2011-05-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Friday was my last day of being a school teacher!! (At least for a while...) It was a very strange feeling when I turned in my keys and signed the resignation form. A slight bit of panic, but also a huge sigh of relief.

I am in a place where I can do nothing but trust God. It's a great place to be. I'm not quite sure what all He has planned, but I know for sure that teaching at ASH next year was not it. So, I'm excited about the foster care opportunities that are now opened to us, the free time I'll have for seeing my sweet Jack start Pre-K, and beginning an at-home sewing/embroidery business (more on that later).

So here's to living frugally, sitting in the pick-up line at Jack's elementary school, and cleaning the house during naptime. I can't wait.

On the way to daycare for the last time!!!

Kaden with friends

Sydney with her teacher

Jack and his boys

Outside Fun

2011-05-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so wonderful for hanging outside!

Jack has been a big helper with watering plants.

K-Dog loves the mud. This child is ALL BOY!!!

Sydney wouldn't dare get herself dirty.

An awesome friend in our church was cleaning out his storage building and wanted to know if we wanted a John Deere Gator (kids' version). Absolutely!! The kids are beside themselves.

Easter

2011-05-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Easter morning was one of those mornings.

Clint had been up all night with a stomach bug.

I was exhausted.

Jack didn't want to wake up.

Sydney had a chair fall on her head and bruise her.

K-Dog wanted to go back to sleep.

We didn't get any good pictures of anyone (except Jack, the hambone), much less a perfect little family Easter picture.

But, you see, it was the perfect Easter.

Because Jesus didn't save us when we looked good. He didn't die on the cross because we were doing anything pretty.

He died because we were broken, bruised, and in desperate need for a Savior.

We could do nothing on our own.

And He took on our sins so we could be made perfect.

And that is a wonderful Easter.

H-Burg Trip

2011-04-19T19:12:00.001-07:00

Clint's mom's family (affectionately known as the Terry Clan) are from Harrisonburg, Louisiana. Mrs. DeDe is one of five siblings, and over the years the Terry family has grown so much! The grandkids (Clint's generation) are all having children, so the brood is so much fun to get together.

Saturday we all met at the park in Harrisonburg and played and ate ice cream.

I was terrible at taking pictures, and I really have no excuse! The aunts and cousins and grandmothers all took babies for me!

At one point, Mr. Terry, Clint's grandfather was watching from the car, said, "Hey, are all those kids mine?" When we answered yes, he just smiled and nodded. Such a proud man.

And so much to be proud of.

Taking the Plunge

2011-04-13T18:46:00.001-07:00

Well, it's official:

I'm not returning to ASH next year.

It's a decision that we've been mulling over all school year, and a few weeks ago we decided to make it final. I spoke with my principal and he was so understanding and quite wonderful about the whole thing.

Reasons:

1. Actually, there's just one reason. I couldn't take it anymore :) I love ASH. I love my students, my fellow teachers, and my administration. I love my subject area and the enthusiasm and long-term affect it had on student career choices.

But I was so tired. And so stressed out. All. the. time. I could not do my day-time job 100% and do my family job 100%. Something had to give. It was a very hard decision, but I'm relieved that it has been made.

So, here we go on a new adventure! I am excited to see how God will work in our family through this decision, because I know He can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

Four Years Old!

2011-04-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

A year ago I remember crying to God and asking Him to send me some friends in Alexandria. I was so "homesick" for Starkville and my friends there and felt so alone in Alexandria. At the same moment that I was praying, Kathy called and asked if we wanted to go to the park. I remember praising God for his immediate answer to my prayer! Now, a year later, God has immensely blessed us with so many friends in Alexandria and Woodworth. I looked around at the fifteen or so families that came to celebrate Jack's birthday yesterday and was overwhelmed by God's work in our lives.

Jack had a football themed birthday party and it was a blast!! We borrowed tackling dummies from ASH football and Clint set up a little relay for the kids to run through. Of course they also had a blast on the playground and just running around chasing each other.

The weather was perfect and the kids played wonderfully together. I just want to bottle up that day and carry it with me always. A truly perfect day.

On his birthday morning...only six more weeks of getting up so early!!

Everyone admiring his water guns!

Leave me alone!!

Jack and Abigail hung out all afternoon. Abigail's seven-year-old sister, Madison, thinks they're in love.

Jack and Uncle Drew

The babies!!

Spring Pictures

2011-04-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

We attempted to get spring pictures of the kids today. One of our neighbors has the most beautiful azaleas, so we got them all dressed up and drove down the road!

Jack and K-Man took wonderful pictures. I cannot wait to get K-Man's developed and framed for his mother. She will be SO excited!

Sydney, on the other hand, is our high-maintenance child. Oh my word. In her defense, she is 13 months old and has 12 teeth (with a couple more on their way in). But the poor baby cries. And cries. And criiiieeeessss. :)

So, here they are!! We will try again with Sydney later when she's not quite so angry with me :)
Sweet, sweet Jack. I'm so blessed with this wonderful boy!

Oh, I could just eat him up.

Kaden is losing focus and Sydney is completely furious. How dare I set her princess bottom on the hard ground. I must be crazy.

Oh, dear. She will outgrow this, she will outgrow this, she WILL outgrow this!!!

Aaaand, all three of them. Thank you very much, Jack.

Adopted

2011-03-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

Third Day music video was a huge blessing to me this evening. Hope it is to you, as well!

Catch Up!

2011-03-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

I have been terrible on the blog lately! Every time I get a moment to sit and update, all I can think about is sleep :)

So....without further ado.....

Here's the latest happenings (of like the last month or more)

1. We had Valentine's Day. The babies wore matching Valentine's Day outfits and I tried to get them outside to take pictures, but neither were cooperative, as you can see.

2. We have been spending so much time outside! I really and truly believe I have some form of seasonal something depression, because I have been a completely different person since we can spend a little time outside every day. Even Clint has commented on how much more relaxed I am. Now imagine how relaxed I'll be when I don't have work during the summer. AAAaaahhhh!

3. Austin Half-Marathon. Awesome experience that I will definitely be repeating through the years.

4. We have been completely destroying the house. I have given up with any form of order during getting-ready-for-supper time. The other day I just opened a pack of napkins and let the babies go nuts.

5. We bought a double stroller and I gained some independence. I keep it in the back of the Explorer and we can go wherever we want without too much stress. It was expensive, but I think it will pay for itself when I don't have to have a babysitter come with us anytime we go somewhere. I'm telling you, the world was not made for "twins."

6. We are counting down the days until summer vacation....46 more school days to go!!

Sydney's Birthday Party

2011-02-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Sydney's first birthday yesterday. We had a small family party, which was so perfect. GiGi, Dee, MeMe, Aunt Jenn, Aunt Sara, and Uncle T came. Aunt Laura and Uncle Bob were on their way, but they had car trouble and couldn't make it :(

I made some finger foods and decorated the table and kitchen. Hobby Lobby has the cutest, most affordable decorations. And almost everything could be saved for another party later in life!

Sydney knew it was her day! She prissed and pranced around the house all day. She also LOVED her cake. She picked one crumb at a time, starting with the icing, then working her way into the cake. She is such a lady. A prissy lady.

She got lots of girly toys from everyone!! I have loved seeing the baby stroller, princess ride-on toy, and multiple baby dolls around the house all day. She also got a Little People doll house and some precious spring outfits. Thank you, everyone!

One Year Old!

2011-02-23T18:40:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe my Sydney is one year old!!

We let her open the gift that Jack picked out for her yesterday morning. He was disappointed because she didn't play with the toy like he wanted her to. I guess he expected her to jump on and ride around the house. She just wanted to push the buttons and listen to music. Ha! He did a great job getting her pony all ready for her to play with.

This is her "cheese" face. She is smiling really hard in this picture. Hilarious!!

And here we are before school yesterday morning. Jack is still in his pajamas - don't worry, we only let him wear his Guatemalan soccer jersey to sleep in.

Only three more months and we can sleep past 5:00 a.m.!!

Prissy Peacock and Scripture Memory

2011-02-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love having a girl!! Dressing her up is a huge highlight of my day....even if it's just casual day care clothes. I bought this outfit for her for Christmas, and until today she refused to wear the hair accessory that goes with it. But today, oh today, I put it on her and she's never been so proud. Clint, on the other hand, refused to carry her into church because he was so embarrassed.

I mean, tell me she doesn't look proud of her appearance.

Yes, it's extravagant. Yes, she looks borderline ridiculous (okay, maybe completely ridiculous). Yes, I love this "headdress" on her so much. I think it really reflects her prissy personality. And one day she'll hate me for putting her in this whole getup.

And, of course, we had to go on and on about how handsome Jack looked today, too.

On another note: One of our goals for this year was to memorize more scripture. I'm one of those people that has to see the scripture written out and say it out loud over and over in order to memorize it. I saw this idea on my friend Melissa's blog. You just frame a piece of scrapbook paper or burlap (super cheap), then write with an Expo marker directly onto the glass. You can easily wipe it off and write again.

We keep our frame on the kitchen table so we'll see it several times a day. It's also great to practice during meal time together!

We pick one verse or passage a week and memorize it together. So far we have done:

Lamentations 3:22-23
2 Corinthians 10:5
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Psalms 51:12-13

It's amazing how memorizing scripture has strengthened our walk with Christ. I highly recommend it!

Ice Day!

2011-02-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

No snow here in Alexandria....just ice, rain, and dreadfully cold weather! We have spent the entire day indoors playing, cleaning out junk drawers, and reading. We lost power for a couple of hours, and Clint lost power at the office, so all five of us stayed home together. It was wonderful!!

Sydney is 11 months old! She has hit some major milestones over the past two weeks.

Sorry for the nasty-nose picture. I was trying to capture the goose egg she got when she crawled right into the cabinet.

she crawls ALL OVER the house now. Her little squishy body looks so cute.
she pulls up to her knees....especially when she poops. It's hilarious.
she FEEDS HERSELF now!!! That is so huge in our family of two babies. I can put her in the highchair with some Cheerios and it keeps her happy while I cook supper, etc.
she is now forward-facing in the car. She loves it because she can just stare at me while I drive. Anytime I get to a stop sign or stop light I turn around and smile at her. She grins from ear to ear and then stares at me until I turn around again. Love angel.

K-Man is 8 months old! He is such a chunky baby. I brought him to the doctor this week for an unexplained fever, and he weighs 23 1/2 lbs!! If I'm holding K-Man and Sydney at the same time (which isn't often), I'm carrying almost 45 pounds. It's ridiculous!

At 8 months, K-man is:

cutting his first two teeth. They should be completely visible in the next day or so.
fussy fussy in the evenings. He can't wait to hit the bed at 6:15 or 6:30.
Crawling all over the house as well! I think he and Syd will walk at the same time.
Eating anything and everything you offer him. He has NEVER refused a bottle or solids.
Has the sweetest smile you've ever seen.

Jack loves to pose for the camera. Ham. Bone.A few weeks ago there was an advertisement on the TV for some big monster truck show at the Coliseum. It looked a little inappropriate for Jack (or anyone, really), but Jack went CRAZY over the trucks. The next morning Clint drove him out to the coliseum and they snuck into some building where the trucks were being stored. Jack was ecstatic. Look how huge that truck is!!

Do yourself a favor...click on this picture, then zoom in and notice that Jack is wearing a camou jacket, pajama pants, and fireman rubber boots. He is also holding his own monster truck. See it? Thank me later.

That's all that's going on around here! We are ready for spring and summer!

Keepin' It Real

2011-01-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

I am loving having three kids right now. Of course it can get crazy, it's exhausting, and it's never fun when all three kids are crying at one time. But, I do love the family that God has blessed us with.

However, I don't want to give anyone the illusion that we've "got this under control." So, tonight after supper I took pictures as proof that our house is anything but under control. Ha!

Clint giving Sydney and K-Man breathing treatments. And Jack wanted to be a part of everything. Exhibit A of why my house is nuts. Notice the Checkers game on the couch. Jack seriously wanted to get out all of the checkers at that very moment. See what I mean? Crazy.

Looking into Jack and Sydney's room....notice the bed (that is never made...ever) and the toys that have been drug out.

And this is where it all ends up: the kitchen. While I cook, they destroy.

K-Man's room...aka Babyland. When I'm desperate, I empty all the toys out of the baskets, put both babies on the floor, and leave the room. They either get happy or cry a lot. Either way, supper gets cooked.

Aaaaaand, at the end of the day, this is what's left. A little pile of toys and clothes that I pick up after everyone has gone to bed. I leave it all at the end of the hall by Jack and Syd's room, but I would NEVER attempt to put up their toys after they have gone to sleep. They could wake up. And that's not cool.

So now you have it.....I'm just keepin' it real.

A Great Season!

2011-01-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

Our adventures in organized sports began this year with Jack participating in the Rapides Junior Runners Association.

We learned two important things about our son:

If he doesn't perform as well as he expected, he will be very disappointed. You can tell him you're proud and brag on how well he did, but he doesn't appreciate it. When he IS proud of his performance, you better brag on him for days. If you don't, he'll remind you how great he did :)
Jack is very enthusiastic about everything he does, which makes doing anything with him fun. I can't wait for the spring and summer seasons with my over-the-top fun boy.

This spring he will be playing T-Ball. I cannot wait to see how he plays with a team and how well he understands the game. Here goes the first of MANY springs and summers at the ball park!!

How It's Going

2011-01-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Really, really well (just ignore the twitching eye)!!

I've had this question many times over the past couple of weeks, so I thought I'd share: How do we do it with three kids between 7 months and three years and two that don't walk or talk?

A: By the grace of God. There is no way in this world we could go 14-15 solid every single day without His help and provision. Our goal is to stay connected to our "power source" because without Him, we could do nothing.

B: By being neurotic. We have a rigid schedule that would probably make other families crazy, but it's working for us. We follow the same routine every morning and evening, we do laundry every day, and we run the dishwasher full of bottles every night. (Yes, the dishwasher ritual is wasteful, but if you think I'm hovering over a hot sink full of sour bottles after teaching all day, you're nuts!)

C: I work outside the home. Thank you, Lord. Amen. Yes, I'm completely, utterly exhausted by 8:30 every night, but I get interaction with people that can string together a complete sentence that has nothing to do with poopoo.

D: Help. Clint's parents watched all three kids for the day last Thursday and it was such a mental relief for me. My mom wrote me a note to say that she's ready to babysit whenever we need her, and I know she means that. Saturday night is childcare night at Calvary and Clint and I are going to dinner. And I have a host of high school girls that would love to squeeze on fat babies for a couple of hours if I needed them to!! I'm learning to let go of my pride and ask for help when I need it.

E: Things on the Calendar: We made a decision that as we continue in this foster care journey, we would have to schedule time away from family. Clint and I will each schedule one weekend away by ourselves (like me without Clint) for each semester (I'm going to Austin in February for a half-marathon) and Clint is supposed to be thinking of a weekend trip he wants to take. And then once a semester we will schedule a weekend away together. Just seeing "time away" on the calendar helps to keep us balanced. Also, we are taking a beach vacation this summer! I'm so excited about just.....being.

F: Your prayers. Thank you, so much, to those of you who are praying for us and for the K-Man. He is truly a blessing in our lives and we are honored that God chose our family to be K-Man's stopping place for a few months.

10 Months Old (2 Weeks Late)

2011-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Sydney turned 10 months old on December 22nd, but I'm just now getting around to updating:

At 10 months, Sydney is:

on her hands and knees, rocking back and forth (yes, we are well aware that she is about three months behind on her physical development. However, she is making considerable progress and the pediatrician says as long as she is pulling up by 15 months and walking by 17 months, she'll be okay. We are very excited that she is showing interest in crawling!!)
Can go from her tummy to sitting by doing the splits and rolling her hips backwards to a sitting position. It's hilarious!
Taking three or four bottles and three meals a day. She refuses to feed herself, though. I don't know why she won't put anything in her mouth! She'll figure it out one day, though.
Saying "mama"
Loving dolls with all of her little heart
Enjoying having K-Man around to play with
Thinking Jack is hilarious....she laughs at him even when I think he will make me crazy
Still the sweetest little girl there ever was

Roll With It....

2011-01-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

Bathtime can be a little crazy around here! Until a couple of weeks ago, Sydney HATED bathtime. She screamed the whole way through it and it was miserable for everyone. Then, it's like a light came on for her and now she loves it! She splashes and plays for as long as you'll let her!

K-Man is indifferent about bathtime. He just hates it when Syd splashes water in his face. But, otherwise, he's just chill.

Now, for the best bathtime picture EVER!!

Can you count the rolls???

And here they are ready for pajamas and bed!

And, just for fun, I spent some of my Christmas money on some living room updates. I bought a lamp, some picture frames, and redid the window above the couch. It looks so much "homier"!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T18:45:00.001-08:00

What a fun, busy Christmas!!

Thursday, December 23rd:

Iles Family Christmas

The boys played a game of flag football. They were so cute huddling up together and chasing each other down. I'm not sure how much they understood about the game of football, but they did understand to get each other's flags!!

Terry organized an Advent candle reflection time where the boys (with the help of their parents/grandparents) read Scripture pointing us towards the birth of Christ. It was such a special time.

We then ate a wonderful meal set on a beautiful table!!

Then...presents!! You can imagine how fun it is with six grandchildren four and under. Whew!! The kids (including Sydney and K-Man) loved opening presents and we are having so much fun at home with all of our new toys!!

Friday, December 24th:

Our Family Christmas
We went to the Christmas Eve service, and we left 25 minutes into it!! K-Man was sleepy and Jack was restless....it's hard to handle three kids in a service!

Christmas Eve we opened our gifts, then tucked into bed to see what surprises lay ahead for the morning!

Clint got me this column-plant-holder thingy from the local art store in Alexandria. I love it! Right now I have some paperwhites growing, but I'm looking forward to putting different indoor plants on it.

Christmas morning Jack woke up to a new bike and a dump truck! He was so thrilled. Sydney and K-Man didn't have any big gifts on Christmas morning, but they did have stockings full of goodies, including Fruit Puffs and teething toys.

Sydney loves her new dolls!

Jack loves the babies' toys almost as much as his own.

Saturday, December 25th:

LaFitte Family Christmas

We loaded up Christmas morning and headed to DeRidder to have Christmas with my family. My grandparents were in, so it was good to have a house-ful!

Jack got a Hot Wheels race track and some cars from GiGi. He LOVES it! We have it set up on the rug in his room right now, which is off-limits to babies (which he is loving, also). I think the grown men enjoyed putting it together as much as Jack enjoys playing with it!

Sydney and K-Man got a load of new clothes, which they both needed. Thanks, everyone!

After supper we headed to my dad's house and spent some time with him. All three kids were being so difficult and were very tired, so we only stayed for a little while (and I think everyone was glad to see us go...ha!)

**Blogger won't let me upload any more pics...I"ll try again later***

Today we relaxed around the house and organized and cleaned. I'm taking down Christmas stuff just as fast as I can - I always feel back to normal when my house is back to normal!

Christmas Baby

2010-12-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been waiting on an update, sorry this has taken me a week! With a 7 month old, a 10 month old, and a 3 year old in the house, things have gotten a little crazy and the blog has not made the priority list. Ha!

I received an email at school last Friday at lunch from our home development worker that just said "Call me." I immediately knew it was about a placement. I called her while my 7th period was playing Human Body Bingo (don't tell) and she told me about a 7 month old boy that was needing a temporary placement for about two - three months. I told her that I would have to check with day care and call Clint and I would call her back. The baby was on his way from Baton Rouge (where he was placed previously) to Alexandria and they were trying to find a home for him by the time he made it to Alexandria. Calvary Day Care had an opening, so I called back and said that we'll take him! Jack had a Christmas party at 3:00, so by the time we made it home it was almost 4:00 and the foster care worker and the baby were waiting in the driveway.

We had a family wedding in Dry Creek in which Jack was the ring bearer, so we had to leave the house by 4:30 to make it there on time for the rehearsal. So, we took everything from the foster care worker's car into our car and headed to Dry Creek!

We will call the baby K-Man on the blog and of course I will not be able to share any of his personal information because of confidentiality reasons (and of course that's his business and I'm sure he would appreciate later in his life if the whole world didn't know his business). He is the sweetest baby and we have loved him being a part of our family. It's been an adjustment having two children that don't walk yet (!!) but we are learning to stay at home more and stay on a good schedule.

The plan is for K-Man to be able to go back home in a few months. Of course that timeline is dependent on several things. He could easily be with us for a longer or shorter period of time.

Please pray for K-Man, that he would continue to be healthy and happy. Pray for his family, as they make necessary changes to get their baby back and be a successful family. Pray for us as we raise a third child, even if it's just for a while.

Sydney and K-Man playing. They really do play well together!

Christmas Card Pictures

2010-12-12T18:11:00.001-08:00

I bought a new camera with my pumpkin roll money this year! We dressed the kids up and took Christmas card pictures last weekend. They came out GREAT!! Of course, we couldn't get any good ones of them together, but I got several good ones of each of them.

Love this one of Jack. I think he had just passed gas. Classic.

And now he's really laughing at himself. He's the funniest person he knows. This one made the Christmas card and the frame for the wall.

Beautiful Sydney!Except her shoe was coming off, so her foot looks deformed.

This picture sums up my life right now.

I love this boy.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! Blogger is SUPER slow tonight, so I can't upload all the pictures from the week, but here's some from today. We've been sick with the stomach bug this week, and today we all felt better so we continued on with our Thanksgiving plans!

Today after the annual Terry Harrisonburg Thanksgiving breakfast, we went out to Springridge and took some pictures that I hoped would work for Christmas cards. Springridge is the church and burial site for many of the Terry family members. Jack really didn't want to cooperate, but Sydney was a ham!

Our family. Sydney and Jack look mad, Jack looks super skinny from vomiting for 24 hours, I look exhausted, and Clint looks great. Oh well, we'll try again later.

Sydney loves to have her picture made! And she loves her doll. It won't be long before she won't let me make her holiday shirts, but I loved making one for her first Thanksgiving! Thanks, Kristen, for the idea!

And a little hair yoyo to match!

When Jack decided to cooperate with pictures, this was the pose he wanted....on a bench with his arm around a tombstone. Sorry, Jack...that's not gonna make the Christmas card.

But aren't they so sweet together?? I will always treasure this age with them. I pray they will always be so loving!

Little People Nativity

2010-11-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

We bought a Little People Nativity set for Jack and Sydney for Christmas and let them open it last week. Jack loves to "role play" with anything that he can boss around, so we knew he would love the nativity set. I told him the Christmas story using the Little People to act it out, then let him play on his own while I worked around the house. He loved acting out different parts of the story (especially when the innkeeper tells Mary that he doesn't have any room and that she would have to sleep with the animals).

Here are a couple of other random Jack pictures:
He loves to dress in random accessories.

We had the youth over for lunch today. Jack LOVES to have people over to the house, especially to show off his toys and his room. He played so hard, then crashed when they left. Ha!

Little Things

2010-11-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

There's a patch of our front yard that won't grow grass.....
And I'm okay with that.
Jack thinks it's his personal dirt track for all of his trucks and cars. He played out there for an hour without a break, just making tracks and racing. Precious!

Sydney playing with her toys. If you don't put her on her belly, she's oh so happy. She is still obsessed with her teacher, Ms. Michelle. In fact, we joke that she refuses to be mobile because that means she would have to move to the next class.....without Ms. Michelle. It would be a heartbreaking day!

And, drumroll please........

Our completed foster care room!!!

Twin bed and bookcase chocked full of children's books. Also, a CD player for lullabies, rock-out sessions, etc.

Shelves that are holding birdhouses and teddy bears, a rocking chair for bedtime stories, nightlight to scare away monsters, and a cross...because that's the reason behind it all.

I finished the curtains tonight (made out of a fabric shower curtain - so easy and tons of fabric left over for a matching blanket!) and the benchseat with baskets for toys.

Of course, we may change a few details depending on the age and gender of the child (I found these vintage superhero posters at Walmart that I'm a little obsessed with) but I think it's fairly gender-friendly and downright homey. I have my big interview with our home development worker on Wednesday and Clint has his next Monday. After that, we will just wait for her to get everything in the computer and we'll be ready to go! {Insert freak-out, insane face here}

Seriously, we both feel that we are on the brink of exciting, trying times for our family. We covet your prayers, your encouragement, and your love. Our hope and prayer is that God will receive the glory for our obedience, and that people will come to Christ.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a marathon of a Halloween weekend!

Friday: Halloween party at Calvary Day Care in Jack's class. 20 3-year-olds all hopped up on sugar! It's always fun to see Jack and his friends interact and go through their routines in their classroom.

Saturday: Blake Bartney's birthday party in the afternoon. That family really knows how to throw a birthday party! They had a carnival theme in the front yard with games that you could earn tickets for. They also had a jumper and some fabulous food (including homemade Kool-Aid all the way from New Orleans)!!
Sydney enjoyed bouncing on the jumper.

Saturday evening was the Woodworth Trunk or Treat. Our church had a fall backdrop set up for family pictures. We had 80 families that took pictures that are not familiar with our church, and we will be hand-delivering their pictures over the next few weeks and meeting some families in our community. This will be a great way to invite people to church. So fun!
A real, live fire truck!! Our little fire fighter was SO excited to be up close and personal!

Sunday evening was the actual trick-or-treating event. Oh my word. We went to the Walsh's house for hot dogs, then we ventured into West Point subdivision for some serious candy. WOW! There were SO many trick-or-treaters....by the trailer-fulls! Thank you, Walshes, for inviting us to your Halloween party! We definitely need to make this a tradition!!

This is my favorite picture of the night!

Foster Care Status

2010-10-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

We have almost completed the certification process! We will be certified and licensed by November 17th.

Prayer Requests:

That God would prepare our hearts for the child that will be a part of our lives.
That we would know our boundaries. We know we will have to say no much more than yes.
That school zoning/daycare issues would be worked out. I know God is so much bigger than paperwork.
That God would prepare Jack and Sydney for another sibling to share their home and their parents.

We are accepting children ages 2-7, with no known aggressive/sexual issues. Honestly, I am praying for a 2-year-old that would be able to attend Calvary Day Care. If we ended up being able to adopt, I would like to adopt a child younger than Jack.

We are becoming very excited and very nervous! Can't wait to see what's in store for us!

Guatemala Trip

2010-10-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Clint had a wonderful time on his trip to Guatemala! We have loved looking at all the pictures he and his teammates took, and hearing all of his stories!

Here's the rundown:

Clint was on the construction team, and they worked really hard to build a greenhouse. They also went to a primitive Mayan village. The medical team treated the people and the construction team painted some houses.
These are two ladies in a primitive Mayan home.
Clint, Seth, Jared, William, Jonathan, and Charles were all there without their wives, and they all slept in this bunkhouse (which they called the frat house). They thought it would be awesome to sleep in hammocks in the jungle one night, but after a night of no sleep, they moved on to the more practical bunk beds. Typical boys.
This little boy became very attached to Clint. This is the river outside the village where the guys went swimming. This is the bunkhouse - frat house - where the guys stayed.
The Mayan village had running water that was pumped straight from the river. Clint said the showers were COLD! The boys also went swimming in the river.

Jonathan Hunter gathering some coconuts.

Thank you all for your prayers! He had a fabulous time and we are so glad to have him home!

8 Months Old!

2010-10-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

No eight month old pictures until Clint gets home with my camera - he comes home tomorrow night. We cannot wait!!!

At eight months, Sydney Kaye is:

eating like a champ! She takes three-four bottles and three containers of baby food daily.
still sleeping wonderfully. She will go to sleep anywhere, anytime! The past two nights we have been at friends' houses during her bedtime. No problem! Just put her in the middle of a big bed and she'll suck her thumb and go on to sleep.
not mobile yet. I'm seeing some progress, though! It's so hard to not compare her to Jack, who was a champion crawler at 8 months. She's just not interested in moving around (plus she's a little....rotund :)
sitting and playing very well. She likes to look at toys and turn them over in her hands very intensely. Ha!
extremely fussy in the evenings. Poor thing has been at daycare from 6:45- 3:00 and when she gets home she demands her mommy! Can you blame her? This may be another reason why she's a little behind on being mobile....she screams every time I put her down, so I am guilty of holding her too much. Oops!
still the sweetest baby girl there ever was. I'm so blessed to do life with her!

Sunday I'll post Guatemala pictures. Can't wait to see Clint tomorrow!!

No Pics, just bullet points.

2010-10-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

I don't have pictures because Clint has my camera in GUATEMALA!! He is gone for a whole week and I cannot WAIT to hear all of his stories.

I guess you gathered from #1 that I am on my own this week. Whew! I will make it through with Chick-fil-A and a half-gallon of Blue Bell Cookies and Cream.

Jack was a beast for his second race today - ran every single step and got a thrill from passing other kids up. Where oh where does he get his competitive nature?

Sydney is starting to get mobile, little by little. I mean, those thighs are ginormous and quite cumbersome. Plus, Jack brings her everything she needs and I carry her everywhere she wants to go. What's the point of crawling? :)

Our home development worker is coming on Tuesday afternoon for our safety visit and walk-through. She'll be checking out the square footage in the foster bedroom (which is no longer pink, by the way), the fire extinguisher, and the smoke detectors. We will also be talking about the type of child we are willing to accept and sorting through our million questions.

That last point makes me nervous. We could possibly have a child by the holidays. Holy moly.

I think I need another half-gallon of Blue Bell.

7 Months Old!

2010-09-26T17:37:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness....we're past the half-way mark to one-year-old! It absolutely doesn't seem real.

At seven months, Sydney is:

eating lots of baby food. She will only take one bottle at daycare, but takes three containers of baby food while she's there.
wanting to scoot and crawl, but not quite there yet. While on her belly, she will rock back and forth while flailing her arms and legs. I've tried showing her how to scoot, but her belly is just so heavy. HA!!
sleeping great at night.
gaining more coordination while she plays with toys. She likes to sit in her high chair and throw toys off of her tray.

loving music! If she's is really fussy we'll turn on a CD and she'll immediately calm down.

First Race

2010-09-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Jack had his first athletic event on Saturday! The Rapides Junior Runners is a great organization that puts on a race once a month for five months. Jack is in the five and under category, and they run a half mile. We had to get there an hour early to register, and Jack played really hard on the playground. He was hot and tired before he even began the race! He ran for a couple of minutes, but he definitely brought up the rear of the race...ha!! I carried him across the finish line. We told him how proud we were of him, but he was very disappointed in himself. Even after he got his medal he wouldn't smile. He said that he wanted to practice before the next race.

He was so proud when we put his number on him! Look how red and sweaty he is before the race.

My Aunt Budda and Uncle Bill came to watch Jack run. He loves them! Aunt Budda and I are running a half-marathon in February.

Sydney does NOT understand why anyone would EVER run in the heat. She's mad just sitting in her stroller.

Jack is checking out his medal. He was so not proud of himself. Ha! (By the way, the shirt they gave him to run in is HUGE!! I'll have to doctor it up before the next race, which is October 16th)

Homecoming Weekend

2010-09-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

What a crazy weekend!

At ASH, I'm in charge of the homecoming skit competition, the homecoming parade, and the homecoming court. Talk about a busy last few weeks! It was a lot of fun, but I'm definitely glad it's over and I can just focus on my classroom while I'm at school.

Jack was the crown bearer at halftime on Friday. He was all dressed up in a suit and brought a signed football to the queen. He was adorable! I realized very quickly that maybe he wasn't mature enough for all the attention this year. Maybe next year he'll understand what's going on and be a little more cooperative on the field :)

Saturday the court girls and their dates had pictures made at this beautiful house. We really had a great group of young ladies and I was blessed to work with them. They were gorgeous on Saturday!!

If You're Scared of Snakes, Don't Look at This

2010-09-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

There was a dead snake in the road in front of our neighbor's house. I hadn't noticed it when I drove in, but Clint walked in the door all excited (of course!) He wanted Jack to go with him to see the snake, and since I'm just as much of a nature dork as he is, we loaded Sydney up in the stroller and we all four went to see the dead snake. Here's what we found:

4'2" Rattlesnake. About 6" circumference. Oh. My. Word.

Jack was quite excited about our great find.

Yes, the rattles are now a part of his nature collection. And the skin will be also once it finishes drying off.

We told Jack to make a scary face. Here's what he came up with. If you click on the picture, it will get bigger and you can see his crossed eyes. Ha!

Massive Update

2010-08-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

Sydney Kaye is 6 months old! She has become such a Daddy's girl lately. Of course, she still loves her momma, but if Clint is around, she watches his every move. And, of course, Clint is absolutely adding fuel to the fire by holding her a lot and giving her tons of attention :)

At six months, Sydney is:

sitting up well.
doing great with her tummy time. Not much longer before she tries to scoot!
loving baby food. We've made our way through all the vegetables and we've moved on to fruit!
Has two teeth as of this morning! She has been teething a lot over the past couple of weeks, and today we found the evidence!
surviving day care. I think she gets used to it a little more every day.
making spitting noises constantly. She thinks it's hilarious.
Laughing occasionally. It had better be pretty darn funny.

Rody:
Jack loves Rodys. If you're not familiar with them, they are these blow-up horses that you can ride around. I tried to buy one for him last Christmas, but they are $75!!! No way. But, our local toy store, Purple Cow, is having a moving sale and put them on sale for $22. Jack thinks Rody is REAL! He rides him all around the house, sleeps with him, and sets him in the bathroom while he bathes or potties. Best $22 I ever spent.

Jack/Sydney room merger:
They spent last night in the same room and both took a nap in the room today! I was afraid that Jack wouldn't like for Sydney to be in his space, but I couldn't have been more wrong. He loves for his little sister to be in his room. The space is just right. Maybe a little tight, but once Sydney can sleep in a twin bed we'll buy bunk beds and they'll have more room to play. Jack rarely plays in his room anyway...he drags all his toys into the living room. Ha!

Foster Furniture:
Melissa Herrington has been working on some furniture for our foster care room. They brought the furniture today and it is SO PERFECT!!! The dresser is the perfect size for a child. Enough storage room without taking up a whole wall. Also, it is a short piece of furniture, so a short kid could see themself in the mirror. I am so pleased with the results! Now we just need to paint the walls (yuck!) and do a little decorating. The mattress set can be picked up on Thursday. Things are really starting to become real with this whole foster care decision. Today in the sermon, Dr. Brooks said that the most-quoted commandment in the Bible is to not be afraid. I needed to hear that this morning!

This was the toy box in Jack's room, but it wasn't very efficient in storing toys. I didn't want to get rid of it, so we found a spot off of our kitchen and got these great pillows on clearance at Target. It also gives us extra seating in the kitchen for when we have company over.

Calvary Woodworth:
Calvary Baptist Church merged with First Baptist Woodworth on June 1st. It was a huge decision for our church and we have been so excited to see the Lord move in our community! At the end of May, they had 18 in worship on a Sunday morning, and no youth in Sunday School. This morning we had well over 200...they filled up the sanctuary and brought in chairs. And we had 19 in youth Sunday School. What an amazing morning!!!

The Jack/Sydney Room Merger

2010-08-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Jack and Sydney will be sharing a room and Sydney's nursery will become the foster care room. We'll be getting the furniture next week from my friend Melissa. I can't wait to see it!!

Turning Sydney's nursery into the foster care room has possibly been one of the hardest parts of this whole decision for me! I spent so much time planning, decorating, and shopping for my little girl's nursery. I keep reminding myself that in the huge scheme of eternity, pink nurseries are so minor. "Set your mind on things above..." So far I've held my emotions together, but when we paint over the pink walls the tears might start to flow. Ha!

We got rid of the recliner and bookcase in Jack's room, which left half the room empty. Today we'll move in Sydney's furniture and tonight they'll be sleeping in the same room. Scary!!!

Once we get everything finished, I'll post more pictures, but this is what we've gotten done for now!

First, we got both of their things in one closet. All of their outgrown clothes went to the attic, and I got baskets for Sydney's "to-be-grown-into" clothes for the top of the closet. Sydney's drawers fit in nicely, and I don't feel that the closet is chaotic at all!

Secondly, we moved Jack's toy chest to the foster care room. It will store extra bedding and toys for that child at the foot of his/her twin bed. We bought these cubical things at Lowe's and the baskets to go with them. All of the toys fit very nicely we still have plenty of extra room in them! Clint and Jack have been collecting nature items over the past couple of years. We have never had a place to display all of the turtle shells, bird wings, beaver sticks, and cool pinecones, but now we do, and they're out of Jack's reach! I love the way this turned out.

Last Week of Summer!

2010-08-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

We have tried to soak up this last week of summer. I didn't take nearly enough pictures, though. I have been home since February, and it doesn't seem real that my time to go back to work is here!

How do I feel about that, you ask?

Ask me next week.

Right now, I'm pretty pumped to get back in a routine and teach teenagers every day. I've seen my rosters and I have some great kids this year! I really do love high school students. They are hilarious, even when they don't know it!

Today Jack, Sydney, and I went to day care and met their teachers. Jack was excited to see his friends from last year and his teachers are wonderful. Sydney, on the other hand, is severely attached to her momma and will have a hard time. We'll get through it, though!

Soooo...for our last week of summer.....

Monday: Ate at Little Cakes. Jack wanted a brown cupcake with snow (translation: chocolate with coconut)

Tuesday: Played at Jump 'n Jive with Emma Walker.

Wednesday: Drove to DeRidder and ate lunch with GiGi.
Doesn't Sydney look like such a big girl sitting in the high chair??

Thursday: Got my haircut (boring for kids, necessary for me), checked out our new Sunday School rooms at Calvary Woodworth, and Alice' babysat while Clint and I went to MAPP (foster care) training.

Friday: Went to day care and met the new teachers, went to my school and mingled with some students at freshmen orientation, put together some organizational furniture for the Jack/Sydney room merger (more on that soon), and ate BJ's pizza with Uncle Bill and Aunt Budda.

It's been an awesome six months at home, and I'm looking forward to an incredible school year!!

Foster Care: Why We're Doing This

2010-08-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

I've been scared to death to post this even though I've had it written for a few weeks. We've shared this with our families and close friends, and now it's time to make it public. Please pray for us as we go through training, home studies, and paperwork. Pray for the child that will come to our home terrified, angry, and in desperate need of a home and a Savior.

Our Story:

Before we met, Clint and I both felt a call to missions. In fact, we both made that decision public before our church families when we were sixteen, before we knew the other existed. At that time, I expected that I would become a foreign missionary. When Clint and I started seriously dating, we made sure that we both were committed to this calling to missions. We had no idea what God had in store for us, but we were determined to follow his leading.

We both served as summer missionaries to South Carolina and worked with underprivileged children. He led backyard Bible schools in the northern part of the state while I led sports camps in the southern region. Maybe that’s where our interest and compassion for children started. Our senior year of college, we drove the church van through the government projects and run-down neighborhoods of Ruston. By the end of the school year, we had 17 children riding the church mini-bus. One of them, Kendrick, gave his life to Christ and was baptized.

Also during our senior year, Clint was offered the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree at Mississippi State University. He would have an assistantship, which would pay for his tuition and allow us a stipend every month. We struggled with this decision, because we had previously made a commitment to missions and didn’t want to do the wrong thing. However, after much prayer, we decided that pursuing a masters in Forestry was the right thing to do and we headed to Starkville, MS.

I got a job at Lee Middle School. It was the most challenging job I can ever imagine. I taught 7^th and 8^th grade Language Arts. The students at Lee Middle School were low-income and high-maintenance. I learned through many, many mistakes and dealt with some very difficult kids. I knew God was preparing me for something, but I didn’t know what.

We also had our first child, Jack while living in Starkville. Jack is an enormous joy in our lives. From the day he was born, he has been full of energy and never lacking for words. We cannot imagine our lives without him.

In May 2008 Clint finished his master’s degree and landed a job as a forestry consultant in Alexandria, LA. I got a job teaching biology at Alexandria Senior High. We were thrilled to finally be done with school and working a “real job,” but still felt confused about what God was calling us to. We still felt a strong call to missions, but also knew that we were being obedient by accepting the jobs in Alexandria. We prayed fervently that God would reveal himself to us.

And He did.

During summer 2008, God spoke to our hearts about adoption. It was not just a fleeting thought, but a consuming passion that was always on our hearts. We educated ourselves about international and domestic adoption and decided that we would pursue a Rwandan adoption.

Summer 2009 we found out we were expecting again, and Sydney was born in February 2010. Sydney is the sweetest baby, and her smiles absolutely melt our hearts. I am so thankful for a little girl to share my life with. Yet, even in the hospital, I knew our family wasn’t complete.

After Sydney was born we still felt a longing to adopt, but this time we knew God was calling us to something else. He was calling us to full-time orphan care. We weren’t sure what that meant, but it scared both of us! We researched different venues, such as the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home, and the International Mission Board, but the words that kept coming back to mind were “foster care.”

I came up with all kinds of reasons why we shouldn’t do this. And they were good reasons, too! I am working full-time, we have two kids that require all of our attention, we live in a small house, we’re not experienced enough parents. I also had fears. What if they were violent? What if I couldn’t handle their tantrums? What if their biological family was unsafe? What if I can’t give my own children the attention they deserve?

In the end, we had to make a decision: Would we be obedient to the call that God has unmistakably placed on our lives? Or would we give into our fears and going on living our comfortable existence?

We’ve decided to be obedient.

We will be certified foster/adoptive parents for the state of Louisiana in October. We will accept one child, boy or girl, between the ages of pre-K through third grade. Because we have small children, we will not be able to accept a child with major discipline (such as violence, sexual acting-out), major medical, or major psychiatric needs.

Yes, we are scared. Yes, we are crazy.

Yes, we are living in peace because we know that we are being obedient to our heavenly Father. We are excited to see what He is going to do through us. Our prayer is that He will break the cycle of abuse in a generation. Maybe one child will grow to have a healthy family.

Maybe an entire family will give their lives to Christ and be forever changed.

Pineywoods 2010

2010-08-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

Last year we started an Iles Family tradition of going to Pineywoods Baptist Camp for the first weekend in August. We went last year to celebrate Bro. Curt and Mrs. DeDe's 30th anniversary, and we had such a blast that we quickly scheduled this year's trip.

It's funny how just one year makes such a difference in our growing family! Last year Noah, Jack, and Jude were the only grandchildren. This year we added Sydney and Luke to the crowd! The big boys had a blast swimming in the pool and going down the slide over and over and over. Bro. Curt, Clay, Clint and Terry had a basketball game on Saturday afternoon and Mrs. DeDe, MeMe, Robin, Sara, and I had a great time just visiting and relaxing.

Thursday Bro. Curt took me, Jack, Noah, and Jude to the Wild Azalea Trail to hike to a creek for a wade and a picnic. I love watching little kids in the woods. I think it's so important for them to explore nature and enjoy God's creation. The boys had such a blast picking up pinecones, throwing rocks in the creek, looking for fish, and squealing as the COLD water rushed over their little ankles. They were absolutely filthy and worn out after our three hour excursion!!

Fort Worth Trip

2010-07-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Fort Worth to see Clay, Robin, Noah, Jude, and our newest nephew, Luke! We always have such a wonderful time visiting with their family and I loved meeting little Luke. I realized last night that I never took a picture of him! How awful!!

Friday night Clay, Clint, and the big boys went to see a Rangers game. This was Jack's first baseball game and they had a great time! Thanks Clay and Clint for taking all the boys somewhere so Robin and I could just hold babies without chasing older kids!

Saturday was Noah's 4th birthday and Clay and Robin had a party celebrating Jude's 2nd, Noah's 4th, and Luke's birth! Lots of friends came to play in the water and eat awesome cookie cake.

Saturday night we all went to eat at On the Border. It was the most relaxing meal I think I've had in months. Seriously!! Sydney actually slept through the whole meal (usually she has to be held at supper or she'll scream) and the boys all behaved so well. We ate outside and they had ceiling fans and a light breeze. It was wonderful!

Also, on Saturday, Robin and I went to an amazing fabric store that carries designers that I can't find in stores around here. I bought some Amy Butler fabric and a Sew Serendipity pattern. I'm about to make my first dress for myself. We'll see how this goes!

5 Months and Other Adventures

2010-07-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

Sydney Kaye is five months old. I don't know what's harder to believe...that five months have passed since I gave birth or that I have to go back to work in three weeks?? Reality is setting in, people.

At five months, Sydney:

thinks rolling is stupid and unnecessary. She's done it once and didn't see what all the rage was about.
thinks sitting is awesome! She can support herself sitting for a few seconds and gets better every day.
thinks eating solid food is terrifying. She cries with every bite and half-chokes on most bites. She thinks I'm trying to kill her.
thinks sleeping is the best. She sleeps 13 hours at night and takes three naps during the day.
thinks Jack is awesome. She would much rather him talk to her than anyone else.

As I have said a thousand times before, she is such a sweet, sweet girl. I know one day she will be too busy for me and will think I'm ridiculous, but I'll hold on to these days!

Other happenings:

We have been blessed with wonderful friends in the Carnes. Seth and Becca have two boys, Ethan and Asa, that are the same ages as Sydney and Jack. Jack and Ethan are great friends and play incredibly well together. We went to the zoo this week. Becca, Sydney, Asa and I almost melted, but Jack and Ethan didn't seem to notice the heat! Jack got bit by an emu...Alexandrians beware!! We also saw a 3 1/2 foot snake that WAS NOT IN A CAGE!!! We alerted the zoo employees and they caught him. If you have a fear of snakes, I'm so sorry that I just scared you away from the Alexandria Zoo.
We all loaded up in the Carnes vehicle last week. Here's what a family of six would look like. Whew!!

Ethan had a lot of fun...I promise!

Jack and Sydney on the train

Jack and Ethan riding an elephant

Asa sleeping away!

The boys (with Becca in the background) driving the jeep

Sydney is not thrilled with this whole excursion.

Also, as I've written earlier, Jack only takes a nap once or twice a week. We've had to have a little compromise, and it's worked beautifully!! He sits in the chair in his room for an hour. I put on some music and he "reads" books to himself. He's so cute! I took this picture from around the corner because I didn't want to disturb his (and my) reading time.

Also, Jack is shaving. Don't worry...it's an off-set spatula. Doesn't he look like a small teenager with his towel around his waist? Precious.

Whew! Sorry for such a long post, but we've been busy having fun this summer! We're headed to Ft. Worth to see Clay, Robin, Noah, Jude, and Luke. I'll take a ton of pictures and update you next week!

Smocking

2010-07-19T07:32:00.001-07:00

Yep, new crafting obsession. Smocking! You can buy "Ready-to-smock" items on Ebay for fairly cheap. I bought a bubble suit for Sydney that will fit her next summer. I can't wait to get busy on it!

My pastor's wife smocks and taught me how using a bonnet first. Doesn't Sydney look so precious?? It was raining this morning, but once it clears up I'll take her outside for a better photo shoot :) Oh, and no I didn't smock the dress...just the bonnet!

Happenings

2010-07-12T13:13:00.001-07:00

What's been happening? Not much....that's the beauty of summer. I've set the alarm less than five times in the last five months.

Beautiful.

And, it's going to get ugly in five short weeks. But let's not talk about that, okay?

Last week Jack went to the dentist for the first time! He did absolutely amazing. I was beaming from ear to ear as each hygenist came in and said, "Wow. He's awesome!" His teeth looked great and he doesn't have to go back for six months.

Me, on the other hand......I've never had a cavity in my life. And now I have five. Dang pregnancy. I'm glad we went ahead and forked out the money for dental insurance, because otherwise these cavities would be $1500 to get filled. Ouch!

I've been working on the living room little by little. It's the one room in our house that I don't feel like is put together well.

1. Our rug is falling apart and WILL be replaced by the time Syd is crawling. It disgusts me.

2. The (free) loveseat was covered by my great-grandmother's quilt and looked a little too shabby and a little less chic. I replaced the quilt with a tablecloth from Target. I'll put up pictures after I make a couple of pillows.

3. The curtains have been redone, except for one.

4. The lamp next to the couch has been broken for a year or more. It's just there for looks. It needs to be replaced/fixed/whatever.

5. Jack and Clint broke a plate in my plate rack, and I found these two at Tuesday Morning for $2 each!

I'll keep you updated and post pictures of the living room once I'm happy with it!

And here's a picture of Sydney playing today. She is so bubbly, don't you think?

Soooo much better!

2010-07-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Next time we buy a house (if ever), remind me that a living room with four windows equals a lot of time and money. Thank you very much.

So, this is a side window with curtains I made over a year ago. At the time, we couldn't afford to buy four matching curtain rods, so I bought those little white cheapo rods to get us through. However, those little white cheapo rods, although they say "heavy duty," do not hold up with drapes. Just so you know. The curtains were crooked, awkward, and I dealt with it for a year and a half.

This weekend I found four matching curtain rods for $55 at Hobby Lobby! Clint graciously hung them for me this weekend and I'm in the process of fixing the curtains one window at a time. I decided to buy the rings because they are easy to deal with and I can slide the curtains open and closed.

Today I ironed, rehemmed, and resituated the first curtain, and Voila!!

I LOVE it. So much more modern and clean looking. Target only had one set of rings in the store, so I can only get this window done for now, but I'll update with a picture of the whole living room once they are all complete. Oh, and you can also see that I repainted the living room. The awful gold is gone and a nice neutral in its place. Awesome.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Blogger hasn't been letting me upload pictures...so I'm trying again!

Clint was off on Friday because he had to work Monday, so we enjoyed a long weekend together. Sydney has been sick with a bad cough and then a double ear infection. So, Clint and I took turns doing fun things with Jack while the other rocked, held, sang to, and snuggled Sydney. Poor thing cried for three days. This too shall pass, right? The doctor warned me that she will struggle with ear infections her first two years of life because she has very tiny eustachian tubes. I asked if there was anything I could do to prevent them, and he said, "Move out of Louisiana." HA!

Here is Sydney pre-ear infection. Check out those thighs. She is my doll!

Friday Clint kept the kids while I did a little shopping around town (darling husband of mine!) We met for lunch at Chick-fil-A then just hung out at home all afternoon.

We took J and S for a walk. Jack is so proud to ride with her in the wagon.

Saturday Clint and Jack went to see Thomas the Train movie in theaters. Jack LOVED it!

Sunday we went to church, ate BBQ with the Carnes, and went to a 4th of July party with the singles at our church. Ha! Seriously, Becca called and asked if we would go so Ethan would have someone to play with. We had a great time!

Here are the 4th of July pictures...I had to post all of them because I think they are hilarious!!

This is the best one we got:

Sydney's not happy. Jack looks on lovingly.

"Hey! She hit me!!"

"Finally, one of me all by myself..."

"HOLD ME NOW!!!"

4 Months Old

2010-06-22T18:44:00.001-07:00

I completely forgot to take Sydney's 4 month picture today!! I remembered after I put her to bed tonight. I'll have to take it tomorrow and we can all pretend that it was taken today.

In my defense, we have been battling the stomach bug this week. Not a fun task when a three-year-old has to be rushed to the potty every ten minutes and a four-month-old doesn't understand that mommy is a little busy!

Here are some pictures of Sydney while we were at my mom's house on Monday.

At four months, Sydney is:

1. holding her head and chest up when on her tummy.
2. trying to roll over. She doesn't care too much about it, though.
3. testing the beginnings of a laugh.
4. sleeping 10-12 hours every night and taking three naps during the day.
5. LOVING her big brother.

This last picture is of our nephew, Jude, at four months. Don't you think they sort of look alike?

Slip 'n Slide

2010-06-16T11:10:00.001-07:00

We had a big slip n slide party on our BIG hill today! My friend Sarah commented that I didn't need to join a gym to work out...I could just walk up and down the hill!! I completely agree. There were eight moms and fifteen kids (two of which were babies). The big boys, Camron and Cade, were quite impressive slip-n-sliders, while the little boys would make it about five feet on their bottoms.

Of course, we moms had a great time hanging out and watching the kids play!

Precious Maddie eating her popsicle

The whole crew taking a popsicle break

Jack and his friends with their popsicles

Syd hanging out inside...

The boys with Becca's awesome beach ball

Sarah and Cole

When the day started, Syd was wearing a cute dress with a green bow. It all came off!

Abi and Owen

Shelly and Maddie

Stacy holding Sarah's baby, Caleb

Too Big for a Nap?

2010-06-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

I knew this day would come. I would see mothers with older children and think, "One day that will be me. How in the world do they do that?"

No nap.

Not a minute.

About a month ago Jack started dropping his nap time. He would lay in bed and talk and sing for up to two hours, but never sleep. I would let him get up after he lay down for at least an hour, and he would be happy and easy to deal with until bedtime. That's when I realized that he may not need a nap anymore. If we go swimming or bike riding in the morning, sometimes he will nap for a while, but if we don't do anything strenuous, he just doesn't need one!!

I tried making him take a nap, but after two hours of spankings and frustrations on both ends, I gave up. It's not worth it. (I would give him a spanking for not laying on his pillow...I would never spank him for just not going to sleep...)

Yes, I have mourned the loss of nap time. It's a little overwhelming, knowing that I will not have one.single.minute of quiet during the day. Even if I make him play in his room by himself or lay on the couch for some rest time, he's still awake. He still needs me.

So, today we went to Target to look for a Father's Day gift and I noticed Jack being very quiet....
Stinker.

Sydney was wide awake after her 3 1/2 hour nap (and her 11 hour night of sleep) I told you she's an angel baby.

Also, Jack and I have been playing tennis together! He is starting to get the hang of hitting the ball with the racquet. I joined the Courtyard for the summer and after I run on the treadmill, I go get Jack and we play tennis or swim while I leave Sydney for a while longer. It has been perfect!

Rockin' the Bumbo

2010-06-09T15:01:00.001-07:00

Yes, I do kiss those cheeks all day long

Jack being good...

Jack acting cool...

Perils of being a little sister

We finally have success with the Bumbo seat! Sydney loves to sit up and look around, especially at Jack.

Have I mentioned that Sydney is the most low-maintenance baby I have ever known? Get this: She eats only 4 or 5 times a day, and sleeps a solid 11 hours every. single. night. It's amazing! She has not taken one single bit of cereal or anything else besides good ol' formula. And no, I have absolutely no advice or suggestions for all of you sleep-deprived mothers. Jack was the most awful sleeper (and still is) and we have done nothing different with Sydney. What can I say? My baby girl loves to sleep and loves her thumb. We'll probably get payback with kid #3 :)

Cinnamon Rolls Gone Wild

2010-06-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

I had a grand plan to make cinnamon rolls while the kids were sleeping. They both went down super easy, and my baking began! Oh wait....I forgot the dough needed to rise for an hour. So, right as the dough is ready to be rolled out, Jack wakes up! Just what I needed, a three-year-old helper :) We had flour from one end of that kitchen to the other. After we were done and I was starting the massive cleanup, Jack said, "Mommy, this house is a MESS!" Yes, Jack. Yes, it is.
This is the REAL helper, Sweet Sydney, who took a long nap!!

This evening we ate with the McCullin's at Logans (yum-o!). Jack had a great time clowning around with Uncle Bill and Hal. Uncle Bill is having knee replacement surgery tomorrow and we had a "last dinner" together! Praying for you, Uncle Bill!

Sydney was getting tired and she and Clint looked so sweet together at the table. Sorry the pictures is blurry. Isn't she just a doll??

Go Taylor!!

2010-06-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

Taylor @ Yahoo! Video

Taylor Mathews just graduated from ASH and is a youth at our church. Such a wonderful young man and we are SO proud of him!

Little Fish

2010-05-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Jack has always loved the water. He has no fear, which is a little scary for me (especially that I have two to watch around the pool now!) Last summer at the Iles weekend at Pineywoods, he went down the 15 ft slide over and over again, even though the pool was at least 4 1/2 feet deep. Good thing there were plenty of hands around to catch him.

The past few days he has been taking swimming lessons with one of my wonderful students, Maggie Foti. She is a great teacher and Jack looked forward to going every day. He is a little "spastic" (Maggie's words) under the water, but he can swim a little and has learned some safety lessons as well. Most of all, he had a great time and I can't wait to get him in the pool as much as possible this summer!

3 Months Old!

2010-05-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

Sydney Kaye is 3 months old today! She is possibly the sweetest baby I have ever known.

When I think back on Jack at this age, I always described him as "active" or "feisty" or "adventurous." He was all-boy, from the beginning. When I think about Sydney, all I can think of is how incredibly sweet she is. Her little smiles melt my heart and I love our nighttime "conversations." She has started to coo and make all kinds of precious sounds. She and I know exactly what she is saying. It's like our own little language and I treasure those few minutes every night before I put her down.

At three months Sydney is:

sleeping through the night at least four times a week. Wednesday night she made it ten hours!
holding her head up well.
"Talking" back at us when we speak very quietly to her.
hating tummy time with everything inside her :)

I love those long eyelashes!!This picture absolutely cracks me up. It's okay...go ahead and laugh. She is a chunk!! Her face looks larger than Jack's in this picture!

Fishing Trip

2010-05-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to the Sunshine Catfish Pond, which is run by the Menonites in DeRidder, LA. If you live in DeRidder, you really should go! In case you're not familiar with the Menonite people, they are similar to the Amish in the way they dress and live their lives, but their religion is based on grace, not works. They are known for their good business sense, and this fish pond was no exception! They will rent the poles, sell you bait, then after you've caught your fish they will clean it and filet it (all for a price, of course!)

The wonderful thing about the Menonite pond is you are guaranteed to catch fish. And if you have very young children, it's the place to go! We fish for an hour and a half and caught 25 pounds worth of catfish. It was priceless! Jack really enjoyed watching the fish flop around and was even brave enough to touch them and "hold" them!

The fish started flopping and scared Jack!

This man gave us some worms...that's when we really started catching them!

The loot!

Sweet Sydney slept through most of the fun

SWAGGER WAGON

2010-05-14T05:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a good laugh for your Friday! (Hit pause on the playlist music so both won't be playing at once)

My Little Burrito

2010-05-12T12:49:00.001-07:00

Sydney Kaye still likes to be swaddled up tightly when she goes to sleep. Who can blame her? Wouldn't you like someone to come and wrap you up really tight so you couldn't move and then just drift off to sleep? Sounds like heaven to me.

Here she is before I swaddled her this afternoon. Fussy, fussy! (But don't you love her outfit?)

And here she is afterward, my little baby burrito!!

I also took one without the flash so you could see her precious smile. The quality isn't great, though

The Saga Continues....

2010-05-10T15:27:00.001-07:00

Spring 2010 must be over soon!! Here's to add to the last "When it rains" post.

1. The washer broke again. This time they actually fixed it! There was a dime and two pennies stuck in the washer hose, completely preventing the water from being pumped in or out. Moral of the story: Check the pockets twice.

2. Got a bill in from the neonatologist that treated Sydney in the NICU. $3,000 because he was out of network. We didn't have a choice!! She was sent to the NICU and he was the doctor on call. Don't worry, Humana. An appeals letter will be coming soon.

3. Got two tickets from Woodworth police for an expired license plate and an expired insurance card. I know that these are both completely my fault, but I am still fuming (mainly at myself). I don't think the policeman cared that I just had a baby and my mind is completely gone. I'm hoping that if I go to the DMV tomorrow and get everything taken care of I can go see the cop at Town Hall and plead with him to reduce (or clear) my ticket. Not feeling very optimistic, though.

On the bright side, today was "Sunglasses" day at Calvary. I had to text Clint an apology in advance for our son looking absolutely ridiculous! Jack got these sunglasses at a boy's (believe it or not) birthday party and he thinks he looks awesome.

And, the FREE kittens are ready! Please take one!!

Million Dollar Smile

2010-04-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

Sydney is now "socially smiling"! It took us a while (and more than a little worrying from me) to get her here! She is just such a laid back baby, and sleeps so much, so it took a little longer for her to see the point in smiling. Now she smiles all the time and it makes this mommy feel so good! She especially smiles when Jack or Clint is in the room.

I finished the quilt! We are calling it "Park 2010" and will take it on our adventures this spring and summer, so look for it!

Yesterday we took the quilt to the Splash Park. We met up with several fabulous moms and their broods of children. The older kids had a blast (a freezing blast) playing in the water and jungle gyms while the babies and moms hung out on blankets and talked for two hours. It was a wonderful time.

And, I conquered a cooking fear yesterday. I made my first meringue pie. When I took this picture it was BEAUTIFUL!! And, by this morning it was weeping like it lost its best friend. Sigh. Oh well, it tastes like heaven. Ask Clint. He's eaten a lot of it.

Last....Jack's summer haircut. I brought him in and said, "Seriously...cut it SHORT." She took me seriously.

Beautiful Wedding!

2010-04-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to one of the most beautiful weddings of all time! Ellen Cooper is a dear friend of mine from growing up. Ellen, Courtney Duplechain Dressler, and I were called "The Three Amigos" more than I can count. Ellen married a wonderful man and she was a gorgeous bride. It was also fun to see some high school friends and their children! We wish we could have stayed longer and been able to visit and dance, but with two small children, 9:00 was late enough!

Engagement picture...told you she is gorgeous!Isn't that dress exquisite? Also, here's a plug for Jesse Reich photography, for any of you looking for a photographer. Aren't these pictures wonderful?
Married! And yes, that is the Cooper's house in the background. Beautiful, at home wedding!

We finally got a decent "family of four" picture. Of course, Jack isn't completely cooperative, but it's okay. And Sydney has been so cute lately! She is starting to smile and it just melts my heart every time. One day we'll catch that smile on camera! Today she was sporting her monogrammed onesie and a huge bow. She was stunning :)

Well Children

2010-04-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today I brought Sydney Kaye for her two month checkup and Jack for his three year checkup. After two and a half hours in the doctor's office (by myself, too...whew!) we were out with a clean bill of health for both of them!

Here are the stats:

Sydney Kaye:

11 lbs, 10 oz: 75%
22 1/2 inches long: 50%

At two months, Sydney is...

1. Sleeping even better at night. Only up one time, and a couple of nights ago she even made it 7 hours! Usually, she sleeps one five or six hour stretch, eats, then sleeps another four hours.

2. Looking around and focusing on things.

3. Smiling occasionally.

Developmentally, she is a little behind, but Dr. Clark said not to worry! He examined her and said that she is still displaying a few premature baby tendencies, and it may take her a few months to catch up! She did well with her shots...her face turned bright red and her birthmark turned purple, but she only cried a couple of minutes. I really thought Jack would be more concerned than he actually was! He played with the toys in the exam room and never even looked up while she screamed! What a brother...

This is the only place she was happy this afternoon after her shots. You can see her band-aids on her roly-poly thighs!

Dean Jackson:

36" tall: 90% (which is hard to believe because he is shorter than most of his friends)
29 lbs: 50%

Jack is developmentally right on track. He talks our head off and his speech is very easy to understand. He knows all of his colors, shapes, numbers, and many letters. He has great hand-eye coordination and excellent balance!

We are very blessed with two healthy children! Thank you, Jesus!

Quilt Top Finished!

2010-04-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Drumroll please......

Not perfect at all, but overall I'm very pleased with my first quilt top! Now I'm itching to go back to Hobby Lobby to get the batting and backing to finish her off!

Bug Party!

2010-04-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

I'm No Grandma

2010-04-13T09:45:00.001-07:00

**Update: I got my squares laid out. Look below!

I have a new obsession...one that doesn't cost a lot and I can do while staying inside with a newborn.

QUILTING!

Yes, I know it sounds very senior-adult-like. But, don't be fooled! It's the "new" thing to do!

I found a book at Hobby Lobby yesterday that has all sorts of beginner quilts with pictures of
quilts made with modern fabrics.

I decided to do a blue/green/brown quilt. I bought some fabrics, and used some scraps I already had.

So, I have my work cut out for me (sorry...that was terrible. I couldn't resist).

***Update: Sydney and I went walking and she fell asleep for two hours, so I kept on working! Here are my four big squares and the border laid out. Now I have to sew them all together. Whew! Now I'd better pick it all up before the crazy three-year-old comes home and we have a disaster on our hands!

No one has to know...

2010-04-09T10:22:00.001-07:00

....that these pictures were not taken on Easter Sunday, but five days later, when Sydney Kaye was happy.

Well, maybe not completely happy.... :)

I know I've been a little heavy on the blogging this week, but like I said, I print these out at the end of the year and I want everything documented!

Three Years Old!

2010-04-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it?? I absolutely cannot!

At three years old, Jack is:

1. Speaking in complete sentences.
2. Knows many letters.
3. Knows all of his colors and shapes.
4. Loves to sing songs...his favorites are "Farmer in the Dell" "My God is So Big" and "The Lord's Army"
5. Fully potty trained
6. Knows all of his numbers 0-10 by sight, and can count to fifteen.

We had a fun day yesterday! I kept him home from school and we opened his small present when he woke up...
A Bug Vacuum!! This goes along with his bug party theme for Saturday.

Then, we went to the park and met up with some friends. After playing really hard for two hours, we ate baseball cupcakes.

After lunch and naptime, we got a snocone and went to watch the ASH Baseball team practice. Jack brought his bat and tee and took some batting practice. The boys then showed him how to run bases. He got very confused when they told him to "run home." Jack's favorite part of the baseball field was riding the tractor!! Thanks Coach Tomlin and Trojans for making Jack feel special!

We then went to Hastings and played with Thomas the Tank Engine, then ate supper at Chick-Fil-A. Sydney and I then came home and Clint and Jack went to WalMart to pick up his big present! We still have to finish putting it together, but here's picture from the website:

And, just a bonus picture...look who is becoming alert!!

When it rains....

2010-04-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Truth be told, I mainly write this blog for myself. I can have it printed and bound in a hardback book for $30 and Voila! An entire year's worth of memories recorded forever. Easy!!

So, one day I will look back on Spring 2010 and laugh really hard. I'm sure I will. Today I'm not laughing :)

Let's back up to the beginning of February. Clint was in the middle of planting season and I was awfully pregnant. I had the fleeting thought that Rudy was probably entering a heat cycle and I should go get her spayed. I should have known that putting it off was a bad idea. I have a degree in animal science, for heaven's sakes. Well, one night at the beginning of February I heard this awful racket outside in the middle of the night. I ran out there and found a tomcat. I came back in, got in bed, and told Clint that Rudy just got pregnant. Lovely....

Throughout the month of February, Dr. Manuel kept a close eye on me because of my placenta previa. Every time I went to see him that month he moved the delivery up another few days. He told me to stay relaxed and to stay off my feet as much as possible. Not so easy to do when you're a teacher, you have an almost-three-year-old, and your husband is working 80 hours a week. So, on February 21st, I'm just trying to do laundry and the washer breaks. Of course I get all stressed out and mad at Clint (I thought he broke it...oops) and the contractions come on strong. Which led to this....

Which then led to this...

Because I have some hormonal issues and Sydney was in the NICU getting supplemented with formula like crazy, we're having to pay out the wazoo for this...
After two long weeks of calling different repairmen and those repairmen ordering wrong parts, the washer finally got fixed...
But then the next week, Clint hit Flapper with the Explorer. She had to have her leg amputated and she stayed in the laundry room for two weeks. I kept her pretty well doped up, as you can see...

Flapper is better now and living life outside again, the washer is fixed, Sydney is growing healthy and strong on formula and I've dealt with the emotional side of not breastfeeding, so there was only one thing left to worry about. You guessed it...

Rudy had the kittens. Four furry little tabby kittens. In our closet. Again....lovely. She won't let me move them to the laundry room. I've tried and she has a total meltdown and actually carries them back to the closet herself.

Actually, I lied earlier. I am laughing now...it all is quite funny when you think about it!!

Now, here are some blessings:
1. Getting the washer fixed was free.
2. We got a tax refund check.
3. My/Sydney's hospital bill was $46,000 and we paid $300.
4. I'm home for six months and not taking a paycut. Thank you short-term disability.
5. Sydney was out of the NICU after only five days.
6. I'm fully recovered and feeling normal again.
7. Clint is done with planting season and back to his normal work schedule.
8. The yard is green and the weather is beautiful!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

We've had quite a busy weekend! Of course, I didn't take nearly enough pictures.

Thursday: Grandaddy came over to hunt with Clint. He spent the night with us Thursday and he and Clint hunted on Friday. Nope, they didn't even hear anything.

Good Friday: Jack and I spent the morning planting flowers in pots by the front door, which is our Good Friday tradition. This is such a special time for us as we pick out flowers and drive trucks through the potting soil. It's also a time when we can have conversations about what Good Friday really is about - the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

On Friday we also had a visit from Clint's Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Lawrence. We then went to DeRidder and ate crawfish with my family. It was wonderful! I forgot to take pictures, though!

Saturday: We had a great day of working in the yard and cooking for Sunday's meal. PawPaw and Dee came by on their way home from Harrisonburg. Dee helped me with sugar cookies and Jack showed them the eggs we dyed.

Sunday: We gave Jack his Easter basket, and he LOVED all the candy. A little too much. We had to hide it in our room! Sydney got a bunny from my grandparents, and as you can see...she was thrilled.

Clint had to run cameras at the 9:30 service at church, so I had to get the kids ready by myself. Not an easy task! Sydney had a bonnet with her dress, but she threw a royal fit when I put it on her. I finally got her to calm down and got her in her car seat, then realized I never took a picture of her. I'll get her dressed up again sometime this week and just fake an Easter picture. I'm terrible, I know. Jack, on the other hand, loved getting his picture taken this morning and kept suggesting different poses for the camera. The Ham.

For this picture he said, "Take one with my motorcycle, Mommy!"

I feel terrible that I didn't get a good picture of Sydney in her beautiful dress, but this morning I was proud to just get them both out of the door and at church on time! I'll post a picture later this week. We can pretend, right?

Jenn, Drew, Laura, and Bob all came up for church and lunch afterward. We loved having them! I enjoyed cooking and setting the table....no pictures. Laura and Bob stayed for a while this afternoon and played with Jack. He loves them!

We had a great day of celebrating Jesus' resurrection. He is risen, He is risen indeed!

Sweet Boy

2010-03-28T07:12:00.001-07:00

Jack is an incredibly sweet little boy. He loves to snuggle on the couch and watch cartoons, he randomly gives us kisses, and tried his best to help around the house. He loves his little sister to no end, and brings her dolls and pacifiers when she's not happy.

Of course, he sometimes has trouble listening and is as stubborn as his mother, but overall we are overjoyed with our precious boy.

Clutter Tips

2010-03-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

Today on Kelly's Korner is "Show Us Your Life - Cleaning Tips." I've never done one of these before, but I thought it would be fun!

We live in a small house - 1479 sq. ft. We love it. The tradeoff for our small house is a great yard and privacy. We can stand on our front porch and not really see any other house. In fact, I've been known to run out to the car with a towel wrapped around my head and not thought a thing about it. But the house itself is quite small, and clutter can take over very quickly. So I guess my post is actually about "Clutter Tips."

For those of you living in small houses or apartments, you know that clutter can ruin your life. Maybe it's just me, but leaving things lying around the house without any rhyme or reason makes me batty. Seriously batty. Ask my husband.

I have a one-month-old, a three-year-old, and a forester-husband who is chronically muddy. So, here are my tips:

1. Place a heavy-duty bin by the back door for muddy shoes/clothes. The mud and dirt will only make it 6 inches in the door. Our back door opens into the laundry room. The realtor told us we would regret having a back door that opened into the laundry room. I beg to differ. The mud stops here.

2. Do laundry every day, no matter what. I have started this over the past couple of weeks and it helps tremendously. We have two or three loads a day around this house! This will also help me when I go back to work. No more Sunday afternoons of folding for hours!

3. Limit your child's toys. We have a toy box in Jack's room. He is only allowed to have enough toys that fit in that toy box. If he gets a new toy, an old toy leaves. Typically kids only enjoy a toy for a few months anyway before they get tired of it and it becomes clutter.

4. Put all of your DVDs in a CD/DVD organizer book. I did this a couple of months ago and it has changed our living room! No longer do we have DVD cases filling up our entertainment center. They are all in one neat little book that we can flip through to find something to watch!

5. Analyze your purchases. Even though that Easter decoration is precious, you'll have to store it somewhere the other 11 months of the year. Do you really need another bunny?

A clean house makes everyone a little more sane, but don't let it run your life. If you skip a day of laundry, or run out of the house with the coffee mugs still in the sink, it will be okay. Worse things have happened!