Happiness is..

Happiness is...

• sitting at Caribou kidless for an hour, sipping on a vanilla chai tea latte
• coming home feeling refreshed and open arms to an excited toddler
• watching your 2 year old try and try to restack those bath cups until she finally gets them in the right order so they all stack neatly. She looks up at you and smiles with pride.
• seeing your son smiling at you when  you come to rescue him from the crib
• marrying your best friend
• waking up to the sun shining through your bedroom window or the moonlight of the night to soothe a woken baby
• driving down the road singing nursery rhymes at the top of your lungs with a just as excited toddler in the backseat.
• hearing your toddler sing the ABC's when you aren't looking because she won't do it when you are watching
• understanding you are beyond blessed with everything you have
• watching from the corner of the room as your toddler is as kind as can be with her brother, covering him in kisses.
• hearing your husband pulling up the driveway and a toddler running to greet her daddy
• hearing the words mamama all day long
• that smile that just seems a mile wide

These are just a few things that make me happy.

A Sisterly Kind of Love

April 2nd, 2010 was a day I will never forget. It will be a day that when I picked up the phone it was no April Fools joke. My dad had told me that my sister was in a car accident. Hillary is the one of the safest drivers. She always takes extra time to look twice when at stop signs and drives the speed limit. She was on her way back up to her place in the cities. She had stopped to get gas on the way out of town. While driving on the back country 2 lane road she wanted to double check to make sure she had put her debit card back into her wallet. It only took a second for her to take her eyes off the road and end up in the ditch at 55 mph. She hit a field drive and her car flew in the air landing on its side. The airbags and seatbelt saved my sisters life that day. This accident also was a month before my due date with Savannah.

I would have never captured this moment on my camera had something happened to her. This week she accomplished a goal that she has been setting to accomplish for 2 years now. She officially became an RN. I could not be a more proud sister to have gotten to spend these last 2 years with her and many more to come. It makes you realize how precious life is and how many great memories we would have missed out on had she not been wearing her seatbelt.  She is such an amazing sister and friend. There truly is no relationship quite like a sister one. She has accomplished so much in her life and has so much more yet to set out to do. She is going to make a fabulous nurse. I wish I could have been there to celebrate with her in this grand accomplishment. I thank God that I was given these last 2 years with her. The laughter, the stories, and the secrets is what makes it so special.

Here's a few pictures that my dad shared with me to help me feel like I was part of the celebration of Hillary officially becoming an RN. I wanted to share them with you also. Hillary we love you and all 4 of us could not be more proud.

Caleb and Hillary



Big Brother Josh, Hillary, and Dad

WAY TO GO HILLARY!!

How can she be 2??

Birthdays are completely different now that I'm a mom. I reminisce  all day long about what I was doing 2 years ago at this time. What the pain was like. The emotions Jeff and I were going through as we were about to become parents for the first time. I remember sitting in Savannah's room every day just dreaming about what she would be like or who she would become. There's nothing like the thrill of becoming a parent for the very first time. I didn't go through exactly the same emotions when I had Carson. I knew what was coming (pain wise) and what was all involved in taking care of a newborn. It was more of "how am I going to handle two?"

Bringing Savannah into the world was a bumpy ride but we made it through. She entered the world 2 years ago in room 310 at 3:10. She did not take her time getting here either. I went through 4 hours total of labor. I started feeling contractions at 11:30 after they broke my water. I pushed for 15 minutes before she was out. She was perfect. We knew she was a girl and had her name already chosen for her. I held her in my arms and for a moment the world stopped as I stared at my first child. Such an incredible feeling bringing a child into the world. I'm glad God gave me the privilege of being her mom and am thankful for each day he gives us with her. She may have her parents stubbornness but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy birthday to the light of my life. Mommy's favorite little girl and early morning snuggle bunny. She more hops on top of me than snuggles.

This week also marks when we started trying for our second child. Don't worry people, not trying for another one yet! :)

Another round of check ups complete

Today we had our round of wellness visits. I decided to get them both in together to hopefully start a cycle of joining visits. I don't need to go to the doctor anymore than we have to. It was Carson's "2month" check up. Even though he is 2.5 months now. It was Savannah's 2 year appointment and they complained about doing her appointment 4 days before her birthday. I wasn't going to do shots for her anyways.

The check up went very well for both of them. Carson is 14 lbs 11 ozs and 24.25 inches. He weighs less and is longer than Savannah was at this point. Savannah is 32 lbs and 34 inches. Both are growing quickly and are doing fantastic as far as the growth chart. I always cringe when the issue of immunizations come up in the appointment. I hate the thought of all those vaccines in such a little person. It's such a hard role as a parent to know what is right for your child. I know people have had their children get adverse affects to the vaccines but I also know that it protects against harmful diseases. No wonder mom's get gray hair! Not only do you have to make sure that you are protecting them against these diseases but then you have to worry about what they put in their mouth(food and other misc objects), if you are buying the best carseat, and making sure your child doesn't watch too much tv. Being a mom is a joy and such a fun job but like any other job, it is also very stressful at times.

For today I can relax until June 29th when I am faced with the shots decision when Carson has his 4 month check up.