Is it really 2011 already? It doesn't seem possible! It doesn't quite feel like a new year to me, probably because I have a newborn and I went to bed at 9 p.m. on New Years Eve. Next year I have big plans....I will rock in the new year mom style! This past year has been a blur of ups and downs filled with excitement and tears. I am sure that this upcoming year will be the same, promising to be filled with trials, joys and lots of Grace! Here is a quick recap of my past year:
January was a very emotional month compiled of doctor appointments, lab work and uncertainty. Brett and I struggled to get pregnant, and quietly mourned on January 20th, the day we were suppose to give birth to Baby Tres. God provided for us in such a big way during this time. Friends and family wrapped their loving arms around us and gave us comfort and constant reminders of Truth. It was a difficult month, but God drew us closer to Him and I am so thankful!
February was fun! I celebrated my 28th birthday and took a weekend trip to visit Mamatill! Anytime we spend at Till's house is a good time! This month I also made the decision to audition for the church choir! A decision I am so thankful for!!!
March was met with very mixed emotions. Brett and I learned that my sweet brother could never have children, which broke our hearts. It was hard to understand why, and to this day it still causes me to weep some times. A few weeks later we found out that after seven months of trying, we were pregnant! I screamed with delight then immediately started crying out of fear. This pregnancy would be a complete test of my faith as I struggled to trust in the Lord for my baby's life. It was also a test for my relationship with my brother and his wife. While they were excited for us, it brought so much pain at the same time. God has proven faithful and he has brought grace and mercy in this situation! On a lighter note Brett turned 28 in march, JT turned 8, and we started preparing for Ellie's ballet recital!!
April was a crazy month. I started my pregnancy ritual of throwing up every day. Brett decided it was the perfect time to bring home a new puppy. Our church put on a fabulous women's retreat that I was able to attend (with the help of cherry slushies and lots of bathroom breaks). We also celebrated Ellie and Lizzies birthday!!! I can't believe they turned 5 years old! We had a fabulous party at my parents house with family and friends and lots of girliness!! Brett immediately began praying for this baby in my womb to be a boy!
May was a fabulous month filled with lots of travels! I went to visit Mamatill with the girls, we took a family trip to visit Uncle David and Aunt Vickie in Nashville, and Brett treated me to a couples only trip to one of my favorite places in the world, Charleston. We were only able to stay two nights, and the first day was rough due to morning ( I mean all day ) sickness and other pregnancy woes. But we had a fabulous time together and created lots of fun memories!
May also was met with a very difficult trial for my dear friend Jenn. She gave birth to her beautiful girl Baby Hope, who shortly after went to be with the Lord. Some friends and I went to be with the Jenn and her family at the hospital and it changed my life forever. I held precious Hope and wept over her, crying out to Jesus for help. I will never forget that moment, and I will never forget sweet Hope.
Moving on to June was great! We met my brother Jay and his wife Amanda up in Ohio for a family reunion! Brett wasn't able to join us which was a shame because we had a blast! We went to the Toledo Zoo, went shopping in Columbus and visited with precious friends and family! This time was so special to me because it was the last time I was able to see my Grandma Pat. The sadness of saying goodbye to my grandparents was quickly washed away with the joy of finding out that we were going to give birth to our first Boy!!!!! This month we also met with our fabulous contractor and his family to discuss the start of our major overhaul on our house! Let the fun begin!!!
July was a crazy month. Our new puppy was beginning to prove more difficulty that we planned. We decided to buy a chalet. And I was still getting sick from this very precious pregnancy. I was so thankful for playdates to the pool with dear friends to keep me sane!
At the end of July we celebrated Ava's third birthday with a pool party at Nana's house! It was such a blast and we continued to grow thankful for our little Ava.....what a joy.....what a ham!!
August was a wild month. We tried to get in as much traveling as we could before the baby was born, making trips to Virginia to see Mamatill, and North Carolina to visit Brett's brother Donnie and his wife Laura. I entered in the last trimester and began planning for our precious boy! We also had the opportunity to attend our first local church wedding, and help out with a yard sale to help raise money for a friends adoption! We started our homeschool adventures during this month. Ellie loves to learn and the whole experience has really challenged and stretched me out of my comfort zone. It has been lots of fun!
September began with our very last trip before Beckett was born. We traveled to Nashville to spend time with our precious family. Ellie started playing soccer, and we started going into full speed getting ready for Beckett's arrival. With the help of my mom, Brett and I were able to get the nursery painted and fully decorated! It was so much fun decorating for a little boy! We ended the month with a weekend of babysitting my niece and nephew, or what I like to call "Aunt Kiki's Weekend of Fun!"
October was such a crazy month. Brett and I were working as hard as we could to get our new chalet ready for rental, which involved lots of shopping and lots of traveling up to the mountains. I'm sure I did lots of complaining. The overhaul on the outside of our house was completed just in time for baby. I also had a precious shower at my mom's house, thrown by my best friend Carrie. It was such a great afternoon spent with some of my favorite people! My sister in-law Laura drove in and we were able to compare bellies (I was much bigger by the way....) We were also blessed to be able to find a new home for our sweet puppy Jet. He was a great dog, just really bad timing.
November was finally here and it was time to meet our baby!!!!!!!! Other than giving birth, hospital stays and Thanksgiving I don't really remember much of anything.....
December was such a blast. Jay and Amanda flew in for a week, and we were able to travel with them to Mamatill's house for a short visit. Thankfully I was able to do most of my shopping before Beckett was born so we just sat back and enjoyed the season! Having a baby at Christmas was such a gift to our family!
It has been such a wild year, filled with wonderful moments with loved ones, and such difficult trials as well. I know that everything we went through was allowed by our Sovereign God for our good, and I can't wait to see what He has waiting for us in 2011!!
Labor day weekend kicks off UT football, finishes out swimming season, and marks Beckett's ten month birthday!!!!! Daddy was very proud of how handsome lil man looks in orange. I have to admit........he does look pretty cute. When I moved to Tennessee I loathed the orange that surrounded me.....I even had dreams about it! It has only been in the past two years that I have agreed to dress my children in orange on game day....that is of course if I can find something cute at babygap. Anyway, back to Beckett. Ten months is a blast! He is such a lil character! He loves to cruise around furniture, chase his sisters around the floor, and make us all laugh. Some of his favorite activities include beating on anything like it's a drum....blowing raspberries on the couches.....playing with his food....I love it! I can't believe we are just a few months away from Beckett's first birthday........and I really can't believe that in less than six months my baby boy will be a big brother. Life is going to be crazy....and I can't wait!!!!!
Last night the kids and I were gathered around the dinner table, enjoying our gourmet meal of taco pizza, and somehow the topic of world religions came up. What followed was a very interesting conversation in which the words in my head and the words coming out of my mouth didn't match up very well. At the end of the conversation I was very aware of how much I need God's grace to raise my children and point them towards truth.......and I was even more aware of the fact that Ellie thinks she is an adult......here is how it all went down......
Do you see that smile?????? I cannot get enough of that smile!!!!!!! I am so thankful for that smile!!!! It blows my mind just how much I get to see it!!!!! Becks is such a happy little guy...so full of joy and laughs!! This past week he turned 9 months old. We had a great visit with out pediatrician (whom we adore if you are looking). Beckett is 17lbs 5oz......which places him in the 5th percentile for his weight.......obviously he takes after his Daddy. He fell in the 75th percentile for his head measurements.......so I suppose he has a little of my family in him as well. These days lil man motors around the house, and has started pulling up, and cruising!! I think he knows there is another baby on the way, so he is just growing up super duper fast!! He is such a gift to our family. He is our lil miracle baby, and I will never stop giving thanks for him!
How cute is this child!!!!! Seriously I don't think he could get any cuter. The last month has brought so many changes it is unreal! Becks now has two front teeth, he is a crawler, can now say "Mama, Daddy, and Nana", and yes, there is the small new development that Beckett is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!!! I still cannot believe I am saying that. Brett and I were totally shocked when we found out.......and I'm pretty sure we will remain in shock until the baby arrives in February.
Beckett will be seven months old tomorrow! My baby boy is growing up way too fast. I knew that his life would fly by right before my eyes, but for some reason it still saddens me to see him changing. Right now he is sitting up for a few minutes all by himself, starting to stand up when we hold his arms, and just this morning he started scooting forward. I am soooooo not prepared for all these changes. It is so nice being able to put him down on the floor to play, while I make meals or clean the house, but those days will soon be over. Soon I will be chasing a little peanut around the house, trying to make sure his world is safe and sound. I will be picking up choking hazards, covering outlets, and trying to make sure Ava doesn't step on her baby brother. Even though Becks is still so tiny, I feel like he is growing like a champ! He chows down his baby food, and eats every thing I give him! So far he is showing signs of being built like Daddy (today he was still wearing 0-3 month pants). All though there are moments when raising three children is difficult, and having a baby certainly comes with challenges, I am trying my best to cherish every single moment. I love rocking Becks in our big cozy chair, sitting with him on the front porch, swinging on our back swing.......so many priceless moments. 
Here he is! Our 11 pound chunk of sweetness!! (Well....10 lbs. 14 oz. to be exact) I took our little man yesterday for his two month check up. He is gaining weight well and grew an inch and a half in the last month! (He is up to 23 inches) The past few weeks have been such a delight to me, mainly because he is getting into more of a routine, and has started sleeping longer at night. I can pretty much count on waking up at the same time every morning at 3:00a.m. to feed my lil man. Getting up in the middle of the night no longer seems like such a chore to me (now that it is only once a night). I actually find myself enjoying the few quiet moments I have with my sweet love. Don't get me wrong.....I am still rooting for him to sleep through the night in a few months, but getting up once a night is so much easier than getting up multiple times! 
