Uncle Drew Home From the Hospital

Just a quick post to let you all know that Andrew is home from the hospital. Glory to God! Thank you for all your prayers!

Baby Birds - Day 4

Here are a few pictures I took this morning of the baby birds. As you can see, the last egg still has not hatched and we are quickly losing hope that it will. The three babies are looking well, and have already gotten a little bigger. They are looking a bit fuzzier too! The momma bird has been much more attentive since the eggs hatched, and I have to be careful, because she gets upset easily. Yesterday, she even swooped at me! :)

Update on Uncle Drew

Andrew is doing much better, and after talking with him a few times yesterday, I feel better too! :) He is hoping to go home today, but doesn't have the green light just yet. They've been running a lot of tests, and hopefully they will get those results back today. I had my info a little mixed up in the last post. He wasn't put on IV blood thinners. He is actually having to take daily blood thinner injections, which he will have to give himself when he is released. It will take a couple weeks for the pills to start working, so in the mean time he has to take the injections. He was able to go off the oxygen and the breathing treatments. Yeah! God is so good! Thanks for all your prayers! We love you Uncle Drew!

Please Pray For Uncle Drew

My brother, Andrew, was taken to the ER this morning. He was having trouble breathing, and has been having other symptoms over the last day or so. He just chalked it up to allergies, but when things got much worse this morning, off to the hospital he went. The doctors have found two blood clots in the right side of his lungs, and he has been admitted and put on IV blood thinners. He will be in the hospital for a few days. Please pray for him and his family. Get well soon Uncle Drew! We love you!

Hidden Hurts

A few people have asked some questions lately about Corey and Dawn. Mostly just wanting to know if we have gotten any information on how they are doing, etc. I thought maybe it was time to bare my soul a bit. We haven't heard anything since Corey left on February 21st. Now, that isn't any one person's doing. We haven't asked, and therefore no information has been forthcoming. To be honest, we've spent the last three months going through our own grieving process. One that has been difficult at times. I still have days when I cry, days when John David gets angry over it, and days when Kylie is just sad but can't tell you why. Probably the hardest part for Jeremy and I has been watching John David try to understand what happened. Just yesterday, the following conversation took place:

JD: Daddy, did you go on vacation?
Jeremy: We all went.
JD: We all went together?
Jeremy: Yeah.
JD: No we didn't. Corey didn't go. I wanted Corey to go.

It's little things like this that rub salt in the wounds from time to time, and I'll admit sometimes I just have to leave the room. John still refers to Corey as his brother, and he sleeps in Corey's bed every night. I think we have done a good job of not dwelling on the hurt. It's important to show the kids that our lives go on, and that they can be just as happy as before, especially with Luke on the way. It means so much to John to be having a brother. Sort of getting the brother back that he lost in a way. When Luke arrives here in our family, I think we'll all experience some healing. God's timing is always perfect. He knows just what we need. I think all in all, we have dealt with our grieving very well. The children's pediatrician even said that they had bounced back wonderfully, and that it could have been much worse. We've tried to spend our time making happy memories, and growing closer together. God's grace is sufficient!

One More to Go!

Since we returned from vacation, I have been regularly checking on our bird's nest to check the status of our eggs. Yesterday at lunch time when I checked, there were no baby birds, but I did notice that one of the eggs was moving a bit. Sure enough, shortly before dinner, I discovered a brand new baby bird in the nest. The other three eggs had not hatched yet. I took some picture and some video (posted above). So cute! This morning I discovered two more baby birds. I only got a couple pictures and a very small snippet of video before the momma bird squawked her warning, and I hightailed it out of there! The video is a little blurry since the nest is a bit above my head, and I can't really see what I'm doing very well. You can definitely see the birds though. There's one more egg left to hatch, and hopefully that'll happen today. I got a picture of the momma bird today, but she doesn't stay still for long enough to get a good picture. I wasn't sure she was a sparrow (definitely not a finch) until today. When she saw me close to her nest, she brought her head down and puffed out her chest a bit. It looked just like the pictures of a sparrow we found in the books we got from the library. What a blessing to get to see this miracle! I love it! Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who has for now blessed us with these.

The Berry Farm

Here's pictures from our strawberry picking adventure on Saturday. We went to Chesterfield Berry Farm where it seems like there are miles of strawberry patches! We ran into the Warriners, and after that the kids were less interested in picking strawberries and more interested in playing with John Joseph and Joylyn. They did come back regularly to eat strawberries out of our basket! We picked about 11 pounds of strawberries and ate them all in the last few days. The kids enjoyed playing in the corn pit after we were through. As you can see from the pictures, they tried wrestling in there, and making "corn angels".

Kylie's New Headgear

This picture is from yesterday. We had Candy and Mark over for dinner, and the kids were playing outside. Here comes Kylie with this thing on her head! She was just walking around like it was no big deal. Crazy girl!

I took the kids in for a scheduled cleaning at the dentist this morning. Yeah! No cavities!


We went to the Chesterfield Berry Farm and did some strawberry pickin' this weekend. I'll post pictures from that tomorrow. Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty for such a blessed life!

Vacation Journal, Final Chapter

Wednesday, May 21st

We went to see the caverns today, after first spending the morning playing card games with the kids. (John David was so excited when he won a game of crazy eights.) The caverns were such a sight to see, and we were all glad that we endured the walking to see it. John David was a little scared when we first went down in the caverns. He kept covering his eyes, but he warmed up after a bit, and enjoyed it, I think. Jeremy took some incredible pictures, but you'd have to be there to fully experience the wonder of one of God's most beautiful creations. We also took a try at the Garden Maze they have there at the caverns. The maze is pretty big, and so much fun. The girls really enjoyed it, but after you hit several dead ends you begin to think you may never get out! Jeremy treated us to a meal at the Stalactite Cafe, and then we headed back to the house to do a little fishing. The fishing only lasted a few minutes as the heavens opened up and the rain came down, just as Jeremy had predicted not ten minutes earlier. We didn't mind, but the kids wanted out of the rain, so back to the house we went. Before long the rain had stopped. As the kids were winding down for bed with a movie, Jeremy snuck down to the river to do a little fishing before dark. Shortly after he walked out the back door, there erupted screams from the living room. All I could make out was something about a bird. Sure enough, as I rounded the corner to the living room there was bird perched on a hanging plant in the house! All I could do was yell for Jeremy. I was too afraid of the thing to catch it! (Since I saw the movie "The Birds" when I was eighteen, I have been terrified of crow-like birds!)As usual, Jeremy came to our rescue, catching the intruder and releasing it outside, but only after I took a picture of the terrifying beast, of course! :)

Thursday, May 22nd

We awoke this morning to another bird in the house. Luckily, this one was nice enough to fly out the door when Jeremy opened it. He did have to catch another one this afternoon though, that flew in one of the chimneys. What crazy birds! This is our last full day here in Luray. Jeremy and I spent some time this morning in the swing by the willow tress, talking, swinging, and enjoying the view. We didn't do much today, just enjoyed the time we had left. We had a good time playing a family game of Sorry. John David was on my "team" since there's only four players. His job was to move our red pawns around the board. His favorite part was knocking somebody out and back to "Start". He would ask almost every turn if we could "knock somebody out"!

Friday, May 23rd

We are on our way back to "real life" today. Right now, I am trying to keep my car sickness at bay. These country mountain roads are so curvy! We were all a little sad to leave this morning, but at the same time I think we're ready to go home. Jeremy and I decided we definitely want to try and come back next year. We made some great memories that we won't soon forget. What a blessing this week has been!

Vacation Journal, Part 2

Monday, May 19th

Our first full day of vacation turned out to be much more than I expected. There is sense of freedom here that is so foreign to me. I am quickly learning to enjoy it! Not having our time filled with things we have to do, but just being able to enjoy each other is not something we get do very often. the kids slept very well last night. I have to admit that I got a little spooked at bedtime. Jeremy and I agreed that we had both seen too many scary movies with old haunted houses! :) The bed was so comfortable though, that it didn't take long to forget my silliness and drift off to sleep. We awoke this morning to a chilly house. Jeremy started up the fireplace in the sun room, and he and I and Caitlyn ate our breakfast in chairs around the fireplace while we watched birds on the lawn. We spent the afternoon at the Luray Zoo and the owner was nice enough to tell the kids some stories about the animals, and even coaxed the tiger out of its den for John David. We did some fishing to day too. We decided the river bank was a little too steep and muddy for the kids, so we took them down to a small pond not too far from the house. Caitlyn beat us all catching a total of nine fish today. I caught four, all of which were no bigger than my hand. One I even caught by accident when I hooked it in the eye! Jeremy caught the biggest fish, a nice size bass, but still not big enough to keep. The highlight of my day had to be when John David cam and got Jeremy and I, and told us to come see the bird in his room. We thought he was talking about a picture or something, but he was so excited, so we headed up the stairs as he's telling us all about the black bird with white spots. Sure enough, there the bird was when we got up to his room, sitting in the fireplace! Luckily, there was a screen on the fireplace. The bird hopped around for a minute or so, then flew back up the chimney where it came from.

Tuesday, May 20th

This has truly been the best birthday I have had in a long time, from playing Scrabble with Caitlyn and Jeremy, to fishing, to watching Kylie scare away a woodchuck in the backyard (You should have seen that thing run!), to my birthday dinner at Mindi's Mexican Restaurant. It had been an awesome and relaxing day. There is definitely something magical about this place! I looked in the mirror this morning, trying to determine if I looked as old as my now 29 years. I couldn't decide, but did decide that it doesn't much matter as long as I'm happy with the way I'm living my life, and that I am. I never dreamed I would ever be so blessed! My birthdays have become less about the presents, and more about the gifts people give of themselves, their time, their friendship, their love. A simple text or call to say "happy birthday and I love you" means so much more these days. My favorite birthday gift today? The few minutes that Jeremy and I got alone to fish together down by the river. Standing next to each other in silence, I felt so at peace. It's such a blessing to "hear" all the words in the silence spent with the one you love. Yes, I know, it's extra mushy even for me, but standing on that bank with Jeremy this morning is something I'll never forget. Jeremy is pretty much the only one who caught anything while we were fishing today, unless you count all the grass and weeds that I caught! John David did catch one completely by himself. He cast his line and everything. I didn't really think he was serious when he calmly said, "I got a fish", but as he reeled it in I realized he wasn't joking. Jeremy caught one at the same time, so I took a picture of them together with their fish. In the background of the picture you can see Kylie about to fall in the water! We kept telling her to stop climbing on the railing. She didn't fall in, but it looks funny. Happy Birthday to me!

Vacation Journal, Part 1

Sunday, May 18th

We arrived in Luray safe and sound. It is such a beautiful drive! Jeremy took some great landscape pictures as he was driving. What magnificent beauty! On the way, we stopped at a gas station and saw this truck that was covered in mud. Jeremy had to get a picture! After three hours, we pulled into the gravel drive of the Shenandoah River House, and there she was. The house is an old, white, two-story farmhouse filled with old photos and antique furniture. There are three bedrooms, five fireplaces, a huge sun room, and thankfully only one small TV. No, it's not some fancy resort, but moments after pulling into the driveway, as I stood in the backyard listening to the sounds of the river, I felt completely relaxed. That, I say, is priceless. After a quick trip to the town Walmart (Thank God there was a Walmart!)for supplies for the week, we are settling in for our first night in the river house.

Back Home in Richmond

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend! We are back from vacation, and have been back since Friday afternoon. There is so much to post about our week in Luray that I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it. So I'm breaking it into a few different parts, and hopefully it won't seem like quite so much! :) Last week, I kept a vacation journal, thinking that would be the best way to not forget anything. So the next few posts will be my journal entries, and of course pictures from our adventures in Luray. Enjoy!

Last Game of the Spring Season

For some reason it has seemed like the spring season of soccer has lasted forever! I think it's been so inconsistent with all the bad weather that it just hasn't been as enjoyable as the fall season. We had our last game this morning, and then a pizza party afterwards. All in all, I think the kids really enjoyed playing this season, but it was definitely a little harder with two of them playing...let alone the younger two. They finally started getting the hang of it a couple weeks ago, and even won their game last week with Kylie scoring the winning goal! John David's biggest problem was getting past being the smallest and not letting the bigger kids intimidate him. Last week, he made me laugh when he started trying to block the bigger kids from getting the ball from him by holding out his arms in front of them. You're not supposed to do that of course, but I was proud of him for getting in there and playing hard. As of right now, Jeremy says he's not coaching in the fall since we'll have a brand new baby then, although Caitlyn really wants to play. We'll see. I think he needs a break from coaching the little ones for awhile. :) They are definitely harder to coach, but he does an excellent job, and all the parents love him. Here's some pictures and some video from today's game and pizza party. In case I don't get a chance to blog while we're on vacation.....have a great week! Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who for now has blessed us with these.

My Motorcycle Man

Finally! Sorry for the delay, but it actually worked out better to get the pictures of Jeremy's bike last night. Isn't it a beauty?! Yesterday, Jeremy finished his motorcycle course, and got his license! Congrats baby! He was, of course, extremely excited and within moments of returning home, his friend John Warriner pulled up on his bike, and off they rode. I am thankful that he has some good friends to go riding with, and that he is able to spend some time doing something he enjoys so much. I'll admit, I was a little nervous watching him ride off for his first ride, but I didn't worry long.

Mom is Doing Great

Just a quick update to let you all know how great my mom is doing after her surgery on Tuesday. She came out of anesthesia better than I ever remember her doing, and she has been on minimal pain meds as well. My sister has been staying with her during the day, but my mom is up on her feet and doing well. She is still taking it easy of course, but hopefully will be back to work next week. I am so thankful to my sister and my dad for taking such good care of my mom. It has been hard not being there myself to help, but I know that she is in good hands. Thank you to all of you who prayed, and thank you to God for quick healing!

We're About To Hit 1,000!

Some of you have probably noticed, but several weeks ago, I put a counter on the right side of the blog page, underneath the archives. This counter counts how many times people view our blog page. It's nothing important, but I thought it would be fun. Today, that counter will hit 1,000! Since I put it there on March 27th, that will be 1,000 hits in less than two months. I'm so thankful that all our friends and family have enjoyed our blog enough to keep coming back. We certainly have enjoyed doing it. Somehow, it comforts me and makes me feel like we're really not so far away, you know? Thanks for caring about our craziness!:) We love you all!

Birthdays Galore!

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imikimi - Customize Your World


Next week, there are three birthdays that I wanted to make sure and mention. Since I'm not sure how much time I'll have for blogging on vacation, I thought I would go ahead and post them today. On Tuesday, I will turn 29! Only one more year to say I'm in my twenties! :)I'm really looking forward to spending my birthday resting and relaxing in Luray. On Thursday, the 22nd, it will be my dad's birthday. He will be 49 this year, so him and I are kind of in the same boat....on the brink of a new chapter in our lives. We love you Poppy! Have a great birthday! And then lastly, on Friday, the 23rd, is my Grandma Thomas's birthday. She will be turning 86! We love you Grandma!

It is yucky and rainy here...again! Hope everyone has a great Friday! Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who has for now blessed me with one more birthday!

Aunt Rea's Pictures

Here is a slideshow of some pictures that my sister took while she was here the beginning of April. She sent them to me yesterday, and I wanted to be sure and post them before we left for vacation. It was such a blessing to look through them, and it's not hard to see why she's the photographer and not me! :) She has a gift, and I love looking at her pictures. She always manages to capture a moment in its fullest. Half the time she's taking pictures of you, you don't even realize it (Hence the picture of me that she got away with!). I have so many favorites, but I really like the sideview shot of Jeremy and Kylie on the motorcycle. The joy on both of their faces is unmistakable. When Andrea takes pictures, she always seems to capture all the emotion, like the worry on my face watching the kids riding on the motorcycle! :) There are pictures of the kids' first ride on the little motorcycle, Caitlyn playing her violin at the VBS concert, Kylie when she lost her first tooth, and pictures of the kids eating their milkshakes at the Air and Space Museum in DC. Anyway, I hope you enjoy them as much as Jeremy and I did. Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty from whom all blessings flow!

A Little Egg Research

Okay, so after a few minutes doing some research...it looks like the eggs are most likely from a sparrow or finch, more likely a sparrow. The way the eggs look, and the fact that there are four of them is quite common among sparrows. Also, it says that they should hatch in about 14-17 days. Now, I know that the eggs haven't been there too awful long. I just checked that bush for a nest last week, and we also had a very bad storm on Sunday night that would have blown the nest out of the bush, I think. Anyway, we'll keep an eye on it, and hopefully shortly after we get back from vacation we will see some baby birds! :)

A Second Chance

A few weeks ago, the kids informed me that there was a nest in one of our large bushes in the backyard. One day when the neighbor girl was over playing (she's taller and could reach the nest), the kids got the eggs down out of the nest! I was very upset, and explained to them that the momma bird would not take care of the two eggs that remained unscathed (the others got broken of course) because now they had all touched them. Caitlyn was upset, and very disappointed that we would not be a witness to the birth of the baby birds. I did return the two remaining eggs to the nest, but within a few days they had disappeared all together. After lunch today, the kids came in excitedly telling me about a nest in the other bush out back. Sure enough, there was a brand new nest with four beautiful eggs in it. The nest is a little too high for me to see into, but I got the camera out and took a picture to let the kids get a look at the eggs. I'm not sure yet, exactly what kind of bird laid the eggs, but we are going to be very careful not to disturb the nest this time around. I have to admit, even I am excited about the possibility of witnessing the eggs hatching, and the growth of the baby birds. Maybe it's because I'm hormonal and pregnant, but I think it will be incredible! Thank God the birds decided to give us a second chance!

Vacation Countdown

Yeah! Only 4 more days till we leave for vacation! We are heading to Luray, Va, up in the mountains, for some nice quiet family time. We are all very excited, and can't wait to get there. We are leaving Sunday afternoon , and will return Friday evening. We are staying right on the river, so all the fishing will be done right out the back door! Here are a few pictures from our last trip to Luray in March of 2006. It's so beautiful, and did I mention quiet?! Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who for now has blessed us with these.

Surgery Is Over

Dad just called, and my mom is out of surgery. It looks like everything went smoothly. Yeah! It usually takes her awhile to come out of anesthesia, but she should be heading home sometime this afternoon. Thank you Jesus! Thanks for your prayers!

Mom's In Surgery

I just talked to my dad and my mom is in surgery. We should hear something in an hour or so. I will post when I hear how it went. Thanks for your prayers!

Funny, Funny, Funny!

Okay, so I know this is my third post today, but I wanted to share this little funny before I forgot. John David has recently become aware of the difference between African Americans, and Caucasian Americans. It's almost like he never really realized that we were different colors before. Since the girls figured this out, they have always referred to African Americans as people with brown skin, but John says they're black. He asked the father of one of the boys on his soccer team last week, "Why are you black?" Needless to say, I have had a few conversations with him about this lately. It's not like he never sees black people. Our neighbors, who we talk to almost on a daily basis are black. We have adults and children at our church that are black as well. I guess a light bulb just went off for him. Anyway, onto the funny. So last night we are watching the movie "Evan Almighty", where the guy says that God told him to build an ark (kind of like a modern day Noah story). In the movie, Morgan Freeman is the actor who plays God. He appears several times in the movie to talk to the main character, Evan. The girls understood that he wasn't really God, and that it was just a movie, etc., etc.. But as we're sitting there, watching the movie, John David confused asks, "God is black?" We laughed so hard! Once I explained it to him, he understood that it was just pretend, but to see the look on his face when he said that was hilarious. We all got a good laugh for sure! He's been saying a lot of funny things lately that I can only assume he hears from other people. The other day he told me that "God created the heavens in the beginning". I said, "That's right, John." He then replies, "For real, mom, for real."

The weather has been a little yucky here again. It's raining today. So, I haven't gotten pictures of Jeremy's new bike yet, but I promise they're coming! Hope everyone has a great day!

Another Lost Tooth

Finally!! After over two weeks of whining about her loose tooth (I think this is #7), and crying if you said you were going to pull it, Caitlyn finally pulled her own tooth last night. I have no right to complain though, she's just like me! She would rather do it herself, than trust anyone else not to hurt her. I do get worried though when it's barely hanging on for days, that she will choke on it or something. For once, there was no tooth waiting behind this one, so she actually has a hole. As you can see, Kylie and Caitlyn both now have matching holes in their smiles!

Mother's Day 2008

Hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day yesterday! Caitlyn serenaded me with violin music in bed. It was so sweet. She had made me some cards, and one had a picture she drew of our family. She had even drawn an arrow to my stomach with Luke's name on it. Jeremy spoiled me rotten of course, even painting my toe nails for me before we left for church. I can't exactly reach them anymore. We had a great service at church, and then most everyone stayed for dinner on the grounds. The food was really good! We stayed for the afternoon service, then headed home for a relaxing afternoon and evening. Jeremy and I played a couple games of Sorry, and them he grilled cheeseburgers for dinner. So delicious! On Saturday, Jeremy took me out to eat for part of my Mother's Day gift. I, of course, chose O'Charley's. The food was really good, although I did have a bit of a panic attack when I thought that they didn't have any rolls. Come on, what's O'Charley's without the rolls?! Jeremy had also gotten me a foot and calf massage at Salon Del Sol. I was really looking forward to it, but when I got there and they saw that I was pregnant, they said that they couldn't do it. Apparently, deep tissue massage on your feet and calves can put you into labor! It's okay though, because now I get to have a pedicure. :) Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty for blessing me with the privilege to be a mother.

Prayer Request

Please pray for my mom, Cindy. She is having gallbladder surgery first thing Tuesday morning. She has been in a lot of pain, and ended up in the emergency room last night. As long as she doesn't have any gallstones in the duct, the doctor should be able to do laparascopic (spelling?) surgery and my mom will be back up and around in a few days. So, it looks like she will spend her Mother's Day drugged up on pain medicine! :( Please pray for all to go well, and for her to heal quickly. Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who answers prayers!

Happy Mother's Day

imikimi - Customize Your World



Just wanted to wish my mom and Jeremy's mom a Happy Mother's Day Weekend! And a Happy Mother's Day to all our friends and family!

2008 Graduates

imikimi - Customize Your World



Tomorrow, two of our closest friends, John and Jennifer Warriner, will graduate from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Sadly, we will not be able to make it to see them graduate, but we wanted to say "Congrats" on a job well done! We love you guys! We're so proud of you!

"Dressed Up"

I thought this was too cute not to share! I was sitting here at the computer, Caitlyn is working on school work, and John and Kylie were quietly playing in John David's bedroom (I should have known!). Here comes John in different clothes than he had on earlier. He was so proud of himself, and said that he was "dressed up". He just clipped that little tie right on his undershirt! :)

The Behavior Ladder

Okay, so I had this new idea for a behavior chart. Since I am getting slower and increasingly tired, the kids have noticed that I've been letting things slide. They are taking advantage of this of course, and so I've been trying to think of a way to make them more accountable for their behavior. Anyway, this is our new "behavior ladder". Each of the kids have their own button that has velcro on the back. The top of the ladder is for good behavior, the bottom of the ladder is for bad behavior, and the kids move their buttons up and down accordingly, losing and gaining privileges along the way. So far, it's working great, but we'll see how it works in a week or so when the initial charm wears off! I asked Caitlyn what she likes the most about the behavior ladder. She said that she likes that they get a treat at the store (gum, candy, a special cereal, gummies, etc.) that is just for them and they don't have to share. Now this is only if they are at the very top of the ladder when I make a trip to the store, but the "not having to share" thing was a big motivation! She also said that she didn't like that there was no specific time table as to how long they lost their privileges. Of course these weren't her exact words, but I knew what she meant. When they get far enough down on the ladder to start losing privileges, they don't get those privileges back until they earn their way back up the ladder. It may take a day or two, or it may take a week. It depends entirely on them. I can understand why she wouldn't like that part. Caitlyn always wants to know exactly how long the punishment is going to last. :) Now don't get me wrong, the kids have not been being horrible, but they are definitely starting to test me. I figured I better nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand. Hopefully the new idea will work wonders, but then again it may crash and burn! :) We'll have to wait and see. If the weather holds up, I'm hoping to get some good pictures of Jeremy's new motorcycle tonight and I'll get them posted tomorrow. Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who has for now blessed us with these.

24 Weeks and Counting

We just got back from soccer practice (The last practice of the season is next week! Yeah!), and I thought I'd post a "pregger" update real quick. I went to the ob/gyn today, and so far no dilation as of yet, which is a good thing. I have been having contractions (small ones), and with my history the doctor just wanted to start checking. Better safe than sorry, I guess. Everything is still looking very good. I have some swelling that I've been dealing with, but it's just normal pregnancy swelling. I have been seeing both the ob/gyn and the endocrinologist every two weeks since I was 18 weeks, and that will continue till we get closer. Of course, then it will be weekly appointments. As you can see by my increasingly large belly, the baby is growing just fine. By my guess, if I make it as far as I did with John David, Luke may be big enough to surpass John's almost 9 1/2 pounds. The baby moves all the time now, and often keeps me awake at night. But I'm not complaining, and I'm grateful that he's active and healthy. The kids are getting anxious, and Caitlyn keeps asking me, "How many more months?" Before we know it though, it'll be a matter of days!

Happy 5th Anniversary

This past Saturday was my brother and his wife, Crystal's, 5th wedding anniversary. Just wanted to say congratulations, and hope your day was wonderful!! We love you!

Our Visit With Uncle Drew

Last Thursday night we were able to drive to Newport News to have dinner and spend a little time with my brother, Andrew. The kids were beyond excited, and couldn't wait to see him. We met at Cracker Barrel, and had a nice relaxing dinner. After dinner, we went out onto the porch and rocked in the rocking chairs and talked, while the kids played checkers and danced. We all enjoyed ourselves, and really appreciate Andrew taking the time out of his business trip to hang out with us for awhile. Thanks Uncle Drew!

This past weekend has been very busy, which seems to be a trend lately. Hopefully, things will get better after soccer is over in a couple weeks. Jeremy bought a new motorcycle this weekend. He's been looking for a little while, and found the perfect one. I will post pictures soon. He's very excited, and is scheduled to take a motorcycle course the end of next week. Well, that's about it for now. I'm off to catch up on my housework. Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who has blessed us beyond measure!